Skip to main content

Full text of "Expository discourses on the first epistle of the apostle Peter"

See other formats 


w  r.  I 


ill 


HANDBOUND 
AT  THE 


UNIVERSITY  OF 


EXPOSITORY  DISCOURSES 


ON  THE 


FIRST  EPISTLE  OF  THE  APOSTLE  PETER, 


BY  JOHN  BROWN,  D.  D., 

SENIOR   MINISTER   OF   THE   UNITED   PRESBYTERIAN   CONGREGATION,   BROUGHTON  PLACE 

EDINBURGH,   AND   PROFESSOR    OF   EXEGETICAL   THEOLOGY  TO  THE 

UNITED   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH. 


EIIIE  AE    O  KYPIOS-  SIMflN,  2TMHN    .    .    .    EY  HOTE  EIUXTPEtAS  STHPIEON  TOTS 
AAEA*OY2  SOY.— AOYK.  K.xff. 


COMPLETE  IN  ONE  VOLUME. 


NEW  YOEK: 
ROBERT    CARTER   &    BROTHERS, 

No.    285    BROADWAY. 
1855. 


BS 


m 


T0tf£k>'    - 


fi  "  9  Q  O  O 
t  v    t   «;  O  t   " 


ADVERTISEMENT  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


IT  would  bo  doing  violence  to  a  conviction  of  duty,  as  well  as  to  a  feeling  of 
propriety,  were  the  Author  to  allow  the  Second  Edition  of  these  "  Expositorj 
Discourses"  to  go  forth  without  an  expression  of  gratitude  for  the  kind  recep 
tion  they  have  met  with,  first,  to  his  Master,  the  advancement  of  whose  cause- 
was  their  ultimate  design — and  then  to  his  brethren,  the  promotion  of  whose 
spiritual  improvement  was  their  immediate  purpose.  He  is  deeply  convinced 
that  these  two  indissolubly  connected  objects  are  to  be  gained  by  the  same 
means. — the  illustration  of  the  Divine  Word ;  and  the  assurance  that  he  has 
in  any  degree  succeeded  in  the  effectual  employment  of  that  means,  is  abun 
dant  compensation — great  reward  for  any  measure  of  labor. 

The  work  appears,  in  substance  and  form,  materially  unchanged.  Tho 
Author  has,  however,  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  furnished  by  the  re 
print  of  giving  it  a  thorough  revision,  and  trusts  that  it  will  be  found  upon  the- 
whole  improved.  If  it  be  so,  it  is  owing  in  no  small  degree  to  kind  suggestions 
from  his  literary  friends,  which  are  gratefully  acknowledged.  Among  those  ben 
efactors,  he  must  be  permitted  to  specify  his  venerable  kinsman,  the  Rev.  HENRY 
THOMSON,  D.D.,  Penrith,  and  his  esteemed  friend,  the  Rev.  JOHN  TAYLOR, 
M.D.,  Auchtermuchty.  The  minute  and  laborious  examination  to  which  the 
latter  spontaneously  submitted,  is  felt  as  the  highest  compliment  he  could  have 
paid  to  the  work,  and  one  of  the  greatest  favors  he  could  have  bestowed  on  its 
Author.  Another  valued  friend,  the  Rev.  WILLIAM  PRINGLE,  of  Auchterarder, 
has  materially  contributed  to  the  superior  accuracy  of  this  Edition,  by  affording 
it  the  advantage  of  €his  singularly  acute  eye  in  the  revision  of  the  sheets  as  they 
passed  through  the  press,  and  to  its  superior  usefulness,  by  the  corrected  and 
enlarged  Indices  which  he  has  furnished. 

Though  a  considerable  number  of  additional  Notes  has  been  inserted,  it  has 
been  found  practicable,  by  adopting  a  somewhat  fuller  page,  and  omitting  tha 
Discourses  appended  to  the  original  Edition,  to  present  the  Work  to  the  Public, 
at  once  at  a  lower  price,  and  in  a  more  commodious  form. 

J.  B. 

10,  GAYFIELD  SQUARE,  October,  1849. 


PREFACE. 


THE  work  now  laid  before  the  public  is  substantially  a  Commentary,  though, 
in  a  form  somewhat  peculiar.  It  is  not  a  continuous  comment  on  words  and 
clauses,  nor  does  it  consist  of  scholia  or  annotations,  nor  of  lectures  in  the 
sense  in  which  that  word  is  ordinarily  employed  in  this  country,  nor  of  sermons, 
either  on  select  passages,  or  on  the  successive  verses  of  the  sacred  book  which  is 
its  subject.  The  Epistle  is  divided  into  paragraphs,  according  to  the  sense — of 
course  varying  very  considerably  in  length.  Each  of  these  paragraphs,  embody 
ing  one  leading  thought,  forms  the  subject  of  a  separate  discourse,  in  which  an 
attempt  is  made  to  explain  whatever  is  difficult  in  the  phraseology,  and  to  illus 
trate  the  doctrinal  or  practical  principles  which  it  contains  ;  the  object  being  not 
to  discuss,  in  a  general  and  abstract  manner,  the  subjects  which  the  texts  may 
suggest,  but  to  bring  clearly  out  the  Apostle's  statements,  and  their  design ;  and 
to°show  how  the  statements  are  fitted  to  gain  the  objects  for  which  they  are 
made.  If  the  Author  has  been  able,  in  any  good  measure,  to  realize  his  own 
idea,  grammatical  and  logical  interpretation  have  been  combined,  and  the  expo 
sition  will  be  found  at  once  exegetical,  doctrinal,  and  practical. 

Whatever  can  be  interesting  and  intelligible  only  to  the  scholar  has  been 
thrown  into  the  notes.  Had  the  Author  yielded  to  his  own  tastes,  these  notes 
would  probably  have  been  more  numerous  and  elaborate  than  they  are.  .But 
the  recollection  of  the  primary  design  of  the  work  checked  the  inclination  to 
indulge  in  philological  remark ;  though  he  trusts  that  in  almost  every  instance, 
where  the  exegesis  is  difficult  or  doubtful,  the  foundation  of  the  interpretation 
adopted  has  been  indicated  with  sufficient  clearness. 

The  translation  of  the  Epistle,  though  prefixed  to  the  Expository  Discourses, 
was  written  after  them,  and  indeed  contains  a  condensed  statement  of  the  result 
of  the  Author's  investigations.  This  accounts  for  the  fact  that,  in  an  instance  or 
two,  the  sense  given  in  the  translation  slightly  differs  from  that  commented  on 
in  the  Exposition. 

To  prevent  disappointment  it  is  right  to  state  that  the  object  of  the  Author 
has  4>een  to  produce  not  so  much  an  original  work,  as  a  satisfactory  exposition. 
In  his  estimate  of  the  duties  of  an  interpreter  of  Scripture,  next  to  the  careful 
study  of  the  original  text,  ranks  the  attentive  reading  of  what  has  been  pub 
lished  for  the  illustration  of  it.  Under  this  conviction  he  has  studied  the  Epis 
tle,  not  only  without  note  or  comment,  but  with  all  the  notes  and  comments  with 
in  his  reach ;  and  the  book  he  now  respectfully  lays  before  the  church  contains 
the  substance  of  all  that  in  his  thoughts  and  reading  seemed  best  fitted  to  illus 
trate  the  meaning  and  promote  the  objects  of  the  inspired  writer.  Of  the  helps 
of  which  he  has  availed  himself,  a  list  is  furnished  at  the  close  of  these  prefatory 
remarks.  He  has  distinguished  by  an  asterisk  those  to  which  he  has  been 
chiefly  indebted. 

There  is  one  author  to  whom  his  obligations  are  peculiarly  great — ARCH 
BISHOP  LEiGHTON.1  The  index  bears  witness  to  the  number  of  references  to 

1  "  A  beautiful  writer,  and  one  of  the  best  of  men." — SIB  JAMES  MACKINTOSH. 


PREFACE. 


"  The  Practical  Commentary  upon  the  First  Epistle  General  of  St.  Peter  ;"  and, 
in  perusing  the  Discourses,  the  reader  will  find  many  quotations  from  its  pages. 
That  very  remarkable  work  teaches  a  singularly  pure  and  complete  theology— 
a  theology  thoroughly  evangelical,  in  the  true  sense  of  that  often  abused  epithet, 
being  equally  freelfrom  Legalism  on  the  one  hand,  and  Antinomianism  on  the 
other;  in  the  spirit  of  enlightened  and  affectionate  devotion,  love  to  the  brother 
hood,  and  charity  to  all  men  ;  and  in  a  style  which,  though  very  unequal,  indi 
cates  in  its  general  structure  a  familiarity  with  the  classic  models  of  antiquity, 
and,  in  occasional  expressions,  is  in  the  highest  degree  felicitous  and  beautiful. 
As  a  biblical  expositor,  LEIGHTON  was  above  his  own  age  ;  and,  as  at  heologian 
and  an  experimental  and  practical  writer,  few  have  equalled,  still  fewer  surpassed 
him,  either  before  or  since  his  time. 

For  these  quotations  the  Author  expects  thanks  from  his  readers,  most  of 
whom  are  not  likely  to  be  very  familiar  with  the  Archbishop's  writings  ;  and, 
though  not  unaware  of  the  hazard  to  which  he  has  exposed  his  own  homely 
manufacture,  by  inserting  into  it  —  it  may  be,  often  somewhat  inartificially  —  por 
tions  from  a  web  of  such  rich  material  and  exquisite  workmanship,  he  will  greatly 
rejoice  if  these  specimens  induce  his  readers  to  cultivate  a  more  extensive  ac 
quaintance  with  those  truly  precious  remains  ;  which,  though  laboring  under 
more  than  the  ordinary  disadvantages  of  posthumous  publications,  through  the 
extreme  slovenliness  with  which  they,  with  but  few  exceptions,  were  in  the  first 
instance  edited,  are  eminently  fitted  to  form  the  Student  of  Theology  to  sound 
views  and  a  right  spirit,  and  to  minister  to  the  instruction  and  delight  of  the 
private  Christian  :  possessing,  in  large  measure  and  rare  union,  those  qualities 
which  must  endear  them  to  every  Christian  mind,  however  uncultured  ;  and 
those  which  are  fitted  to  afford  high  gratification  to  them  in  whom  the  knowl 
edge  and  love  of  evangelical  truth  are  connected  with  literary  attainment  and 
polished  taste.  The  experience  of  Dr.  Doddridge's  correspondent  l  is  not  sin 
gular  :  "  There  is  a  spirit  in  ARCHBISHOP  LEIGHTON  I  never  met  with  in  any 
human  writings,  nor  can  I  read  many  lines  in  them  without  being  moved." 
COLERIDGE  borrowed  his  texts  from  him,  in  his  "  Aids  to  Reflection  ;"  and  it  is 
readily  acknowledged,  that  these  volumes  owe  to  him  their  most  attractive  or 
naments. 

The  Author  would  probably  never  have  thought  of  offering  these  illustrations 
to  the  world,  had  not  a  number  of  much  respected  members  of  his  congregation 
earnestly  solicited  him,  before  increasing  age  should  make  it  difficult,  or  ap 
proaching  death  impossible,  to  furnish  them  with  a  permanent  memorial  of  a 
ministry  of  considerable  length,  full  of  satisfaction  to  him,  and,  he  trusts,  not  un 
productive  of  advantage  to  them.  Such  an  application  could  not  be  treated 
lightly;  and  ^  on  weighing  the  subject,  he  found  that  he  durst  not  refuse  to 
comply  with  it. 

^  Having  arrived  at  this  conviction,  it  did  not  appear  to  him  that  the  object  in 
view  could  be  better  gained,  than  by  presenting  them  with  the  substance  of  those 
illustrations  of  a  very  precious  portion  of  the  inspired  volume,  which  had  already 
been  delivered  to  them  in  the  ordinary  course  of  pastoral  instruction.  That  this 
offering,  intended  for  their  _  spiritual  improvement  and  their  children's,  will  be 
accepted  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  made,  he  knows  them  too  well  to  entertain 
a  doubt  ;  and  if  to  them  it  serve  its  great  objects,  he  will  have  an  abundant  re 
ward.  If  beyond  these  limits  it  should  find  a  favorable  reception,  and  produce 
salutary  effects,  this  will  be  an  additional  subject  of  agreeable  reflection  and 
grateful  acknowledgment. 

10,  GAYFIELD  SQUARE,  May,  1848. 

Dr.  Henry  Miles. 


LIST  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  AUTHORS  CONSULTED 


DURING   THE   COMPOSITION  OP 


THESE  EXPOSITORY  DISCOURSES. 


Besides  tho  General  Commentaries  on  the  whole  Scriptures,  by  *GROTIUS,  LE  CLERC, 
POOLE,  HENRY,  GOADBY,  *S.  CLARK,  SCOTT,  A.  CLARKE,  MANT,  and  D'OYLEY  ;  and  on  the 
New  Testament,  by  BEZA,  E.  SCHMIDT,  MARLORATUS,  *WOLFIUS,BEAUSOBRE  and  L'ENFANT, 
*BENGEL,  KUTTNER,  ROSENMULLER,  HAMMOND,  WHITBY,  GUYSE,  WELLS,  DODDRIDGE,  and 
GILPIN,  the  following  works  on  the  Apostolical  Epistles,  the  Catholic  Epistles,  and  the 
Epistles  of  Peter,  have  been  consulted : — 

1.  *  JOANNIS  CALVINI  Commentarii  in  Epistolas  Canonicas  Petri,  Joannis,  Jacobi,  et 
Judae.    Folio.    Genevce,  1554. 

2.  In  priorem  B.  Petri  Apostoli  Canonicam  Epistolam,  eruditissimus  Commentarius. 
Authore  D.  JOANNE  HESSELIO,  Regio  Lovanii  Professore.    8vo.  Lovanii.     1568. 

3.  *OIKOYMENIOY  'E^/jy^trtf    its    ras   tTrrct    Ka0oAi*:a?  Asyo^vaj  £7r«(rroXdf.      OECUMENH 

Expositio  in  septem  illas,  quse  Catholicae  dicuntur,  Epistolas.    Cum  interpretatione 
latina  Joannis  Hentenii.     4to.    Francofurti,  1610. 

4.  *Paraphrase  sur  les  Epistres  Cathoh'ques,  par  MOYSE  AMYRAUT.    8vo.    Samur, 
1646. 

5.  An  Exposition  of  all  St.  Paul's  Epistles ;  together  with  an  explanation  of  those 
other  Epistles  of  the  Apostles  St.  James,  Peter,  John,  and  Jude,  by  DAVID  DICK- 
SON,  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the  University  of  Glasgow.     Folio.     Lond.  1659. 

6.  TJrim  et  Thummim,  seu  exegesis  Epistolarum  Petri  et  Joannis.    Autore  D.  JOANNE 
LANGIO,  SS.  Prof.  Theol.  in  Acad.  Hal.  ii.  torn,  folio.    Halaa,  1134. 

7.  *A  Paraphrase  and  Notes  on  the  Seven  (commonly  called)  Catholic  Epistles,  at 
tempted  in  imitation  of  Mr.  Locke's  manner ;  to  which  are  annexed  several  Critical 
Dissertations,  by  GEORGE  BENSON,  D.D.    4to.  Lond.  1756. 

8.  Epistolarum  Catholicarum  Septenarius  Greece,  cum  nova  versione  latina  ao  scholiis 
grammaticis  et  criticis.    Opera  Jo.  B.  CARPZOVIL     8vo.  Haloe,  1790. 

9.  D.  SAM.  FRED.  NATII.  MORI  Pnelectiones  in  Jacobi  et  Petri  Epistolas.    Edidit  Car 
Aug.  Donat.     8vo.    Lipsioe,  1794. 

10.  A  New  Literal  Translation  from  the  Original  Greek,  of  all  the  Apostolical  Epistles ; 
with  a  Commentary  and  Notes,  philological,  critical,  explanatory,  and  practical,  by 
JAMES  MACKNIGHT,  D.D.    4  vols.  4to.     Edin.  1795. 

11.  Versio  Latina  Epistolarum  Novi  Testamenti,  perpetua  annotatione"  illustrata  a 
GODF.  SIGISM.  JASPIS.    ii.  torn.  8vo.    Lipsiae,  1797. 

12.  *Epistola3  Catholica3  Graece,  perpetua  annotatione  illustrate  a  DAV.  JUL.  POTT.    2 
vols.  8vo.     Getting.  1810. 

13.  Conciones  in  Epistolam  primam  Petri  habitse  per  D.  MEINHARDUM  SCHOTANUM,  SS. 
T.  P.  in  Academia  FranequerensL     4to.    Frauecker,  1637. 

14.  Sermons  on  the  First  Epistle  General  of  Saint  Peter,  by  NICHOLAS  BYFIELD.    Folio. 
London,  1637. 

15.  S.  Apostoli  Petri  Epistola  Catholica  prior,  perpetuo  Commentario  explicata,  una 
cum  partitione  turn  generali  totius  Epistolae  ac  singulorum  capitum,  turn  special! 
eingulorum  versuum ;  necnon  cum  observatione  doctrinarurfl  ex  singulis  vocibua 
per  JACOBUM  LAURENTIUM,  Amstelodamensem.    4to.     Campus,  1640. 


viii  LIST    OF    PRINCIPAL    AUTHORS    CONSULTED. 

16.  Utriusque  Epistolze  Divi  Petri  Apostoli  Explicatio  Analytica,  docucumentis  suis 
ubique  illustrata  et  usibus  ad  singularem  pietatis  profectum  applicata.    Authore 
GUUELMO  AMESIO,  SS.  T.D.    24to.    Amst  1650. 

17.  JON.*  SLICIITINGII  A  BUKOWIEK  Commentarius  in  priorem  Apostoli  Petri  Epistolam 
Catholicam.    Bib.  Frat.  Pol.  vol.  vii.    Fol.    Irenop.  1656. 

18.  JOANNIS  CiiELLii  Franci  Commentarius  in  prioria  Epistol£e  Petri  partem.    Bib. 
Frat.  Pol.  vol.  iv.    Folio.    Eleuther,  1656. 

19.  *A  Brief  Exposition  of  the  First  and  Second  Epistle  General  of  Peter,  by  ALEXAN 
DER  NISBET,  Minister  at  Irwin.     12mo.    Lond.  1658. 

20.  *Commentarius  super  priorem  D.  Petri  Epistolam,  in  quo  textus  declaratur,  quses- 
tiones  dubke  solvuntur,  observationes  eruuntur,  et  loca  in  speciem  pugnantia  concil- 
iantur.     Opera  et  studio  JOANNIS  GERHARDI,  SS.  Th.Doc.    4to.    Jeuse,  1660. 

21.  *A  Practical  Commentary  on  the  First  Epistle  General  of  St.  Peter,  by  the  Most 
Reverend  Dr.  EGBERT  LEIGIITON,  sometime  Archbishop  of  Glasgow.     2  vols.  4to. 
York  and  London,  1693,  4to. 

22.  D.  Jo.  SAL.  SEMLERI  Paraphrasis  in  Epistolam  I.  Petri  cum  latinae  translationis  va- 
rietate  et  multia  notis.     12mo.    Halse,  1783. 

23.  *Exposition  of  the  First  Epistle  of  Peter,  considered  in  reference  to  the  whole  Sys 
tem  of  Divine  Truth.    Translated  from  the  German  of  WILHELM  STEIGEB,  by  the 
Reverend  Patrick  Fairbairn.    2  vols.  16 vo.    Edin.  1836. 

The  ANNOTATA  in  the  CRITICI  SACRI,  torn.  ix.  by  VALLA,  ERASMUS,  VATABLUS,  CASTALIO, 
CLARros,  ZEGERUS,  H.  STEPHANUS,  DRUSIUS,  CAMERO,  and  CAPPELLUS,  have  been  carefully 
looked  at ;  and  also  the  Notes  in  CAMERARIUS,  RAPHELIUS,  ELSNER,  KNATCHBULL,  KYPKE, 
PALAIRET,  LOZSNER,  AL.  MORUS,  ALBERTI,  OTTIUS,  KEUCHENIUS,  HOMBERGK,  Bos,  HEINSIUS, 
BOWYER,  STMONDS,  and  WAKEFIELD. 

The  Author  also  gratefully  notices  the  advantages  he  has  derived  from  FLEETWOOD, 
STENNET,  and  JAY,  on  Relative  Duties  ;  from  Bishop  SANDERSON  and  JOSEPH  FAWCETT,  on 
Christian  Freedom,  and  Honoring  all  Men ;  from  ANDREW  FULLER,  on  the  Duties  of  Church 
Members  to  their  Office-bearers ;  and  from  Notes  of  a  Sermon  by  BINNEY  on  Christian 
Courtesy.  He  has  little  doubt  that  there  are  both  thoughts  and  expressions  for  which  he 
is  indebted  to  others,  that  are  not  expressly  ascribed  to  their  authors;  but  his  readers 
will  do  him  but  justice  in  believing,  that  such  obligations  are  not  acknowledged,  merely 
because  they  have  not  been  observed. 


CONTENTS, 


I— PEELIMINAEY   MATTER. 

ADVERTISEMENT  TO  SECOND  EDITION,        . iii 

PEEFACE, r 

LIST  OF  AUTHORS  CONSULTED,            vii 

TRANSLATION  OF  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  OF  PETER xix 


H— ORDER  AND  OUTLINE  OF  DISCOURSES. 
DISCOURSE  I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

CHAPTER  I.  1,  2,  pp.  27-42. 

Introduction,  page  1.  PART  I.  Of  the  writer  of  the  Epistle ;  his  history,  30 ;  his  office, 
34.  PART  II.  Of  those  to  -whom  the  Epistle  is  addressed,  36.  PART  IIL  The  salutation 
of  the  Epistle,  39.  NOTES,  41. 

DISCOURSE  II. 

THE  CHRISTIAN  SALVATION  DESCRIBED  AND  ACKNOWLEDGED. 

CHAPTER  I.  3-5,  pp.  43-60. 

PART  I.  Of  the  blessings  acknowledged,  page  44.  §  1.  Divine  Sonship,  44.  §  2.  The 
inheritance  provided  for  them,  46.  §  3.  The  living  hope  of  the  inheritance,  50.  PART 
II.  Of  the  acknowledgment  of  these  blessings,  55.  §  1.  God  is  the  author  of  these 
blessings,  55.  §  2.  It  is  as  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  that  God 
bestows  these  blessings,  5Y.  §  3.  These  blessings  originate  in  the  abundant  mercy  of 
God,  58.  §  4.  These  blessings  are  of  vast  magnitude  and  incalculable  value,  59. 
§  5.  The  proper  method  of  acknowledging  these  benefits  is  to  bless  their  munificent 
Giver,  60. 

DISCOURSE  III. 

THE  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE  STATE  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTRASTED. 

CHAPTER  I.  6-9,  pp.  61-71. 

PART  I.  Christ  absent  and  believed  on  contrasted  with  Christ  present  and  seen,  page  62. 
PART  II.  The  trials  of  Christians  in  the  present  state  contrasted  with  their  results  in 
the  future  state,  66.  PART  III.  The  Christian's  present  state,  a  state  of  expectation ; 
his  future  state,  a  state  of  enjoyment,  68.  PART  IV.  The  sorrows  of  the  Christian's 
present  state  contrasted  with  the  joys  of  his  future  state,  70.  NOTE,  71. 


CONTENTS. 


DISCOURSE  IV. 

THE  FINAL  HAPPINESS  OF  CHRISTIANS  THE  SUBJECT  OF  OLD  TESTA- 
MENT  PREDICTION,  NEW  TESTAMENT  REVELATION,  AND  ANGELIC 
STUDY. 

CHAPTER  I.  10-12,  pp.  72-86. 

PART  L  Old  Testament  prophecy,  page  73.  PART  II.  Apostolical  preaching,  80.  PART 
III  Angelic  study,  84.  NOTE,  86. 


DISCOURSE  V. 

CHRISTIAN  DUTY;  MEANS  OF,  AND  MOTIVES  TO,  ITS   PERFORMANCE. 

CHAPTER  I.  13-21,  pp.  87-120. 

PART  I  Christian  duty.  §  1.  General  view  ;  obedience,  page  90.  §  2.  Particular  view 
93  ;  Negative,  93  ;  Positive,  93.  PART  II.  Means  for  the  performance  of  Christian  duty, 
94.  §  1.  Determined  resolution,  95.  §  2.  Moderation,  97.  §  3.  Hope,  99.  §  4.  Fear, 
102.  PART  III.  Motives  to  the  performance  of  Christian  duty,  105.  §  1.  The  grandeur, 
excellence,  and  security  of  the  Christian  salvation,  105.  §  2.  The  holiness  of  God,  108. 
§  3.  The  strict  equity  of  God,  110.  §  4.  The  provision  made  for  sanctification  in  the 
sacrifice  of  Christ,  114. 

DISCOURSE  VI. 

CHRISTIAN  BROTHERLY  LOVE. 

CHAPTER  I.  22-25,  pp.  121-133. 

PART  I.  Brotherly  love  illustrated,  page  122.  §  1.  The  objects  and  elements  of  this  IOYO, 
122.  8  2.  The  distinctive  characters  of  this  love,  123.  PART  II.  Brotherly  love  recom 
mended,  127.  §  1.  The  mutual  relation  of  Christians  a  motive  to  brotherly  lore,  127. 
§  2.  The  common  character  of  Christians  a  motive  to  brotherly  love,  129. 

DISCOURSE  VII. 

A  FIGURATIVE  VIEW  OF  THE   STATE  AND   CHARACTER   OF  CHRIS 
TIANS,  WITH  APPROPRIATE  EXHORTATIONS. 

CHAPTER  II.  1-3,  pp.  134-165. 

PART  I.  The  persons  to  whom  the  exhortation  is  addressed,  page  136.  §  1.  General  view 
of  their  state  and  character,  136.  §  2.  Particular  figurative  view  of  their  state  and 
character,  "New-born  babes,"  137.  PART  II.  The  exhortation,  141.  §  1.  The  dissuasive 
exhortation,  "  Lay  aside,"  142.  (1.)  All  malice,  142.  (2.)  «  All  guile,"  143.  (3.)  "Hy 
pocrisies,"  143.  (4.)  "Envies,"  143.  (5.)  "All  evil  speakings,"  143.  8  2.  The  per 
suasive  exhortation,  146.  (1.)  Seek  spiritual  growth,  146.  (2.)  Desire  the  sincere  milk 
of  the  word,  m  order  to  spiritual  growth,  151.  PART  III.  Motives  enforcing  the  exhor 
tation  157.  §  1.  Motives  from  the  state  and  character  of  Christians,  157.  3  2.  Motives 
from  having  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  160. 

DISCOURSE  VIII. 

THE  PECULIAR  PRIVILEGES  OF  CHRISTIANS,  AND  HOW  THEY 

OBTAIN  THEM. 
CHAPTER  II.  4-10,  pp.  166-229. 
and  miserable  condition  of  Christians  previously  to  their  obtaining 


we  e  a  '"  169'          " 

ess  1<0.         .  They  were  not  the  people  of  God,  171.     §  4.  They  had  not 


CONTENTS. 


obtained  mercy,  171.  PART  IT.  The  manner  in  which  Christians  obtain  their  peculiar 
privileges ;  by  faith  of  the  truth,  and  reliance  on  the  Saviour.  172.  PART  III.  The  pecu 
liar  privileges  of  Christians,  182.  §  1.  General  statement,  182.  §  2.  Particular  state 
ment,  183.  (1.)  Christians  are  living  stones  built  up  into  a  temple,  183.  (2.)  They  are 
«o  \,n\*r  TirioafVinnH  "  1  84.  (3,\  Thpv  jirp  "a  rVin<?pn  erpnpralion."  1  R7.  (4.}  The  V  are  "a 


ro} 

people,' 

are  "called  out  of  darkness  into  God's  marvellous  light,"  213.     (9.)  They  are  "the 

people  of  God,"  218.     (10.)  They  have  obtained  mercy,  220.     PART  IV.  The  misery  and 

ruin  of  those  who,  by  refusing  to  "  come  to  Christ,"  remain  destitute  of  these  privileges, 

223.     NOTES,  229. 

DISCOURSE  IX. 

A  SECOND  FIGURATIVE  VIEW  OF  THE  STATE  AND  CHARACTER  OF 
CHRISTIANS,  WITH  APPROPRIATE  EXHORTATIONS. 

CHAPTER  II.  11,  12,  pp.  230-241. 

PART  I.  The  duties  enjoined,  page  230.  §  1.  Abstinence  from  fleshly  lusts,  230.  §  2.  "  Hav 
ing  a  conversation  honest  among  the  Gentiles,"  234.  PART  II.  Motives  to  the  discharge 
of  these  duties,  236.  §  1.  Motives  from  the  condition  and  character  of  Christians  as  pil 
grims  and  strangers,  236.  §  2.  Motives  from  the  tendency  of  the  course  prescribed,  238. 
§  3.  Motives  from  the  tendency  of  the  course  recommended,  239. 


DISCOURSE  X. 

THE  NATURE  AND  DESIGN  OF  CIVIL  GOVERNMENT,  AND  THE  CHRIS 
TIAN'S  DUTY  IN  REFERENCE  TO  IT. 

CHAPTER  II.  13-15,  pp.  242-254. 

PART  I.  Introductory  explicatory  observations,  page  244.  PART  II.  The  duty  enjoined,  246 
PART  III.  The  motive  to  the  duty  of  civil  obedience,  "  for  the  Lord's  sake,"  249.  (1.) 
For  the  sake  of  his  commandment,  249.  (2.)  For  the  sake  of  his  example,  251.  (3.) 
For  the  sake  of  his  cause,  251. 

DISCOURSE  XL 

THE  CONDITION  AND  DUTY  OF  CHRISTIANS  AS  "FREE,"  YET  "AS  THE 
SERVANTS  OF  GOD." 

CHAPTER  II.  16,  pp.  255-293. 

PART  I.  The  condition  of  Christians,  page  255.  §  1.  They  are  free,  255.  (1.)  Free  in  ref 
erence  to  God,  255.  (2.)  Free  in  reference  to  man,  258.  (3.)  Free  in  reference  to  the 
powers  and  principles  of  evil,  260.  §  2.  Christians  are  "the  servants  of  God,"  262. 
PART  II.  The  duty  of  Christians,  265.  §  V  To  use  his  freedom  to  act  as  free,  265.  (1.) 
To  act  as  free  in  reference  to  God,  266.  (2.)  To  act  as  free  in  reference  to  man,  269. 
(3.)  To  act  as  free  in  reference  to  the  powers  and  principles  of  evil,  272.  §  2.  The  Chris 
tian's  duty  to  guard  against  the  abuse  of  hia  freedom,  276.  (1.)  To  guard  against  abus 
ing  his  freedom  in  reference  to  God,  277.  (2.)  To  guard  against  abusing  his  freedom 
in  reference  to  man,  281.  (3.)  To  guard  against  abusing  his  freedom  in  reference  to 
the  powers  and  principles  of  evil,  283.  §  3.  The  Christian's  duty  to  act  out  his  character 
41  as  the  servant  of  God,"  285.  NOTES,  293. 

DISCOURSE  XII. 

A.  FOURFOLD  VIEW  OF  THE  DUTY  OF  CHRISTIANS  AS  FREE,  YET  THE 
SERVANTS  OF  CHRIST. 

CHAPTER  II.  17,  pp.  296-330. 

PART  I.  Christians  are  to  "honor  all  men,"  page  298.  §  1.  Honor  not  to  be  confined  to 
the  brotherhood,  but  rendered  to  all  to  whom  it  is  due,  298.  §  2.  Honor  not  to  be  con 
fined  to  classes,  but  extended  to  all  men,  3C1.  PART  II.  Christians  are  to  "love  th« 


Xll 


CONTENTS. 


brotherhood,"  308.  §  1.  Of  the  brotherhood,  308.  §  2.  Of  the  Christian's  duty  to  the 
brotherhood,  313.  PART  III.  Christians  are  to  "fear  God/'  320.  PABT  IV.  Christians 
are  to  "honor  the  king,"  326.  NOTES,  330. 

DISCOURSE  XIII. 

THE  DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIAN  SERVANTS  ENJOINED  AND  ENFORCED. 

CHAPTER  II  18,  pp.  334-862. 

§  1.  The  foundation  and  nature  of  the  relation  between  servant  and  master,  page  336. 
§  2.  The  duties  of  Christian  servants  in  general,  336.  §  3.  The  duties  of  a  particular 
class  of  Christian  servants,  340,  Motives  to  the  discharge  of  these  duties,  340.  (1.) 
Patient  endurance  of  undeserved  wrong  acceptable  to  God,  341.  ^  (2.)  Patient  endurance 
enforced  from  a  consideration  of  Christ's  sufferings,  344.  1.  Christians  called  to  patient 
Buffering  as  a  part  of  conformity  to  Christ,  345.  2.  Christians  called  to  patient  suffering 
as  a  constituent  part  of  that  holiness  to  secure  which  was  a  great  end  of  Christ's  expia 
tory  sufferings,  354. 

DISCOURSE  XIV. 

THE  CONJUGAL  DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIANS  ILLUSTRATED  AND  ENFORCED. 

CHAPTER  III.  1-7,  pp.  363-389. 

PART  I.  The  duties  of  Christian  wives,  page  365.  CHAP.  I.  The  duties  of  Christian  wives 
illustrated,  366.  §  1.  Subjection,  366.  §  2.  Chaste  conversation  coupled  with  fear, 
367.  §  3.  The  adorning  themselves  with  inward  ornaments,  368.  CHAP.  II.  Tho 
duties  of  Christian  wives  enforced,  373.  §  1.  The  probability  of  converting  their  hus 
bands,  373.  §  2.  The  example  of  holy  women  in  former  ages,  376.  PART  II.  The 
duties  of  Christian  husbands,  380.  CHAP.  I  The  duties  of  Christian  husbands  illustrated, 
881.  §  1.  To  dwell  with  the  wife  according  to  knowledge,  as  being  the  weaker  vessel, 
382.  §  2.  To  honor  the  wife  as  a  fellow-heir  of  the  grace  of  life,  386.  CHAP.  II.  Gen 
eral  motive  to  the  discharge  of  these  duties—  that  their  prayers  be  not  hindered,  388. 
NOTES,  389. 

DISCOURSE  XV. 

DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIANS  IRRESPECTIVE  OF  THEIR  CIVIL  AND  DOMESTIC 

RELATIONS. 

CHAPTER  III  8-17,  pp.  391-464. 

PART  I.  Duties  of  Christians  to  each  other,  page  394.  §  1.  To  cultivate  and  manifest 
union  of  sentiment,  395.  §  2.  To  cultivate  and  manifest  union  of  feeling,  400  8  3 
To  cultivate  and  manifest  brotherly  kindness,  401.  PART  II  Duties  of  Christian!  to 
mankind  generally  404.  §  1.  To  be  pitiful,  404.  §  2.  To  be  courteous,  412.  PART 
II  Duties  of  Christians  under  persecution,  423.  §  1.  Abstinence  from  all  resentful 
retaliation  and  meeting  injury  and  reproach  by  kindness,  423.  (1.)  The  duty  explain- 
r  If  t:  (?i)  A  f  y  e,nforced>  427-  §  2-  Guarding  against  the  fear  of  man  by 
cultivating  the  due  fear  of  God,  433.  §  3.  Readiness  *at  all  times  to  give  an  answer 
to  every  one  who  asketh  them  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  them,  442.  §  4.  Maintain 
ing  a  good  conscience  and  a  good  conversation,  452.  Conclusion,  461.  N!TES,  465. 

DISCOURSE  XVI. 

^^^ 
CHAPTER  III.  18-22,  pp.  467-535. 


THE   SUFFERINGS  ^^^^  TO  CHRISTENS 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

bring  men  to  God,  485.  §  1.  To  bring  men  to  the  knowledge  of  God,  486.  §  2.  To 
bring  men  into  favor  with  God,  494.  §  3.  To  bring  men  to  likeness  to  God,  501.  §  4. 
To  bring  men  to  fellowship  with  God,  504.  PART  V.  The  consequences  of  his  suffer 
ings,  508.  §  1.  He  became  dead  in  the  flesh,  quickened  in  the  Spirit,  and  went  and 
preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  510.  §  2.  He  rose  from  the  dead,  ascended  to  heaven, 
sits  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  angels,  authorities,  and  powers  being  made  subject  to 
him,  523.  (1.)  His  resurrection,  523.  (2.)  His  ascension,  526.  (3.)  His  being  on  the 
right  hand  of  God,  528.  (4.)  The  subjection  of  angels  to  him,  530.  PART  VI.  The 
tendency  of  these  truths  to  support  and  encourage  Christians  suffering  for  Christ's 
&mse,  532. 

APPENDIX   TO  DISCOURSE  XVL— PART  V. 

FACTS  IN  ANTEDILUVIAN  HISTORY  REFERRED  TO  BY  THE  APOSTLE, 
AND  THEIR  BEARING  ON  HIS  OBJECT,  pp.  536-552. 

PART  I.  Facts  referred  to,  page  538.    PART  II.  Object  of  the  Apostle  in  referring  to  these 

facts,  542.    NOTES,  550. 


DISCOURSE  XVII. 

EXHORTATION  TO  HOLINESS  BASED  ON  THE  ATONEMENT. 

CHAPTER  IV.  1-6,  pp.  553-591. 

PART  I.  The  basis  of  the  exhortation,  page  558.  PART  II.  The  exhortation,  559.  §  1. 
The  practical  object  to  be  sought,  559.  (1.)  Negative,  "not  to  live  to  the  lusts  of  men," 
659.  (2.)  Positive,  "to  live  to  the  will  of  God,"  562.  §  2.  The  means  for  obtaining 
the  practical  object ;  the  arming  themselves  with  the  thought,  "  He  that  hath  suffered 
in  the  flesh  hath  ceased  from  sin,"  565.  (1.)  The  thought  explained,  566.  (2.)  The 
thought  viewed  as  referring  to  Christ,  568.  (3.)  The  thought  viewed  as  referring  to 
Christians,  570.  (4.)  The  thought  viewed  as  a  piece  of  Christian  armor,  the  instru 
mental  means  of  sanctification,  572.  PART  III.  Motives  enforcing  the  exhortation,  579. 
§  1.  Motive  drawn  from  the  character  of  the  course  against  which  the  exhortation  is 
directed,  579.  §  2.  Motive  drawn  from  the  great  design  of  the  gospel  revelation,  585. 
NOTES,  591. 


DISCOURSE  XVIII. 

SOBRIETY  AND  WATCHING  UNTO  PRAYER  ILLUSTRATED  AND  ENFORCED. 

CHAPTER  IV.  7,  pp.  592-602. 

PART  I.  The  duties  enjoined  by  the  apostle,  page  592.  §  1.  Sobriety,  592.  §  2.  "  Watch 
ing  unto  prayer,"  595.  PART  II.  Motive  to  sobriety  and  watching  unto  prayer:  "The 
end  of  all  things  is  at  hand,"  598. 

DISCOURSE  XIX. 

ON  THE  MAINTENANCE  AND  MANIFESTATION  OF  BROTHERLY  LOVE. 

CHAPTER  IV.  8-11,  pp.  603-628. 

PART  I.  The  maintenance  of  brotherly  love,  page  604.  §  1.  The  duty  explained,  604- 
§  2.  The  duty  recommended,  608.  PART  II.  The  manifestation  of  brotherly  love,  614- 
§  1.  Christians  are  to  manifest  brotherly  love  by  employing  their  property  for  each 
other's  good  as  men,  as  in  ungrudging;  hospitality,  615.  §  2.  Christians  are  to  manifest 
brotherly  love  by  employing  their  spiritual  gifts  for  promoting  one  another's  spiritual 
edification,  620.  §  a  Motives  to  these  two  manifestations  of  Christian  love,  625. 
NOTES,  628. 


x'v  CONTENTS. 

DISCOURSE  XX. 

DIRECTORY  TO  CHRISTIANS  SUFFERING  FOR  THEIR  RELIGION. 

CHAPTER  IV.  12-19,  pp.  629-653. 

PAET  I.  Be  not  astonished  at  your  sufferings,  page  629  PART  IL  Be  not  depressed  by 
your  sufferings,  633.  PART  III  Be  not  ashamed  of  your  sufferings,  640  PART  IV. 
Persevering  in  well-doing,  commit  your  souls  to  God,  under  your  sufferings,  646.  NOTB, 
653. 

DISCOURSE  XXI. 

THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIANS  ENJOINED  AND 
ENFORCED. 

CHAPTER  V.  1-5,  pp.  654-710. 

PART  I  Of  the  duties  of  rulers  in  the  Christian  church,  page  655.  CHAPTER  I.  The  appel 
lation  given  to  rulers  in  the  Christian  church,  "  elders,"  655.  §  1.  The  origin  and  mean- 
in"  of  the  appellation,  655.  §  2.  Qualifications  of  Christian  elders,  659.  §  3.  Of  the 
manner  in  which  elders  were  invested  with  office..  659.  CHAPTER  II.  Of  the  duties  of 
Christian  elders,  660.  §  1.  Of  the  figurative  terms  in  which  these  duties  are  described, 
660.  §  2.  Of  the  duties  themselves,  661.  (1.)  Instruction,  661.  (2.)  Superintendence, 
665.  CHAPTER  III.  Of  the  manner  in  which  these  duties  are  to  be  performed,  668.  §  1. 
Not  by  constraint,  but  willingly,  668.  §  2.  Not  for  filthy  lucre,  but  of  a  ready  mind, 
670.  §  3.  Not  as  lords  of  God's  heritage,  but  being  ensamples  to  the  flock,  673.  CHAP 
TER  IV.  Of  the  motives  to  these  duties,  675.  §  1.  Motives  suggested  by  the  apostle's 
reference  to  himself,  675.  (1.)  He  was  also  an  elder,  676.  (2.)  He  was  a  witness  of 
the  sufferings  of  Christ,  677.  (3.)  He  was  a  partaker  of  the  glory  to  be  revealed,  679. 
§  2.  Motives  from  considerations  referring  to  the  church,  680.  (1.)  It  is  the  flock  of  God, 
680.  (2.)  It  is  God's  heritage,  681.  §  3.  Motives  from  considerations  referring  to  the 
office-bearers  themselves,  682.  (1.)  The  reward  of  the  faithful  elder,  682.  (2.)  The 
doom  of  the  unfaithful  Christian  elder,  684.  PART  II.  Of  the  duties  of  the  members  of 
the  Christian  church  to  their  office-bearers,  685.  §  1.  Preliminary  requisites  to  the  dis 
charge  of  the  duty  of  subjection  to  elders,  690.  (1.)  Conviction  of  the  divine  authority 
of  church  order,  690.  (2.)  Personal  respect  for  those  invested  with  office,  691.  §  2. 
Subjection  to  the  elders  as  teachers,  691.  §  3.  Submission  to  the  elders  as  superintend 
ents,  693.  (1.)  Submission  to  the  eldership  as  a  body,  693.  (2.)  Submission  to  the  elders 
as  individual?,  695.  PART  HI  Of  the  duty  which  all  in  a  Christian  church  owe  to  each 
other :  "  mutual  subjection,"  698.  CHAPTER  I.  Of  the  mutual  subjection  which  all  in  a  Chris 
tian  church  owe  to  each  other,  699.  §  1.  What  this  does  not  imply,  699.  §  2.  What  it 
does  imply,  700.  CHAPTER  II.  Of  the  means  of  performing  this  duty,  "  the  being 
clothed  with  humility,''  703.  §  1.  Humility  explained,  703.  §  2.  The  tendency  of  hu 
mility  to  secure  mutual  subjection,  705.  CHAPTER  III.  Of  the  motive  urging  Christiana 
to  cultivate  humility,  706.  NOTES,  710. 

DISCOURSE  XXIL 

TWO  VIEWS  OF  AFFLICTION  AND  ITS  DUTIES. 

CHAPTER  V.  6,  7,  pp.  713-739. 

PART  I.  First  view  of  affliction,  page  715.  §  1.  Affliction  is  subjection  to  the  mighty 
hand  of  God,  715.  §  2.  Our  duty  in  affliction  is  to  humble  ourselves  under  the  mighty 
hand  of  God,  719.  (1.)  As  creatures  under  the  hand  of  their  Creator,  720.  (2.)  Aa 
subjects  under  the  hand  of  their  sovereign,  rebel  subjects  under  the  hand  of  their 
righteously-offended  Sovereign,  720.  (3.)  As  children  under  the  hand  of  their  Father, 
721.  §  3.  Motives  to  humbling  ourselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  721.  (1.)  It 
is  a  part  of  the  humility  which  God  so  complacently  approves,  722.  (2.)  It  is  the  hand 
of  ^God  we  are  called  to  humble  ourselves  under,  722.  (3.)  It  is  his  mighty  hand,  723. 
(4.)  To  humble  ourselves  thus  is  the  appointed  way  of  our  being  in  due  time  exalted, 
723.  PART  II.  Second  view  of  affliction,  727.  §  1.  Affliction  is  a  state  of  carefulness 
and  anxiety,  727.  §  2.  The  duty  of  the  Christian  under  affliction  is  to  cast  all  his  care 
on  God,  729.  Including  a  persuasion,  (1.)  That  God  has  power  to  control  what  excites 
our  anxiety,  731.  (2.)  That  he  will  employ  this  controlling  power  in  the  best  possible 
way,  731.  (3.)  That  he  will  employ  it  in  the  best  possible  way  for  us,  732.  §  3.  The 
motive  to  casting  our  care  on  God,  "He  cares  for  us,"  733.  NOTES,  739. 


CONTENTS.  XT 


DISCOURSE  XXIII. 

THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY;  HIS  DUTY  IN  REFERENCE  TO   HIM 
AND  THE  ENCOURAGEMENT  TO  DISCHARGE  IT. 

CHAPTER  V.  8-11,  pp.  741-777. 

PART  I.  The  Christian's  great  enemy,  page  743,     CHAPTER  I.   Who  is  he  ?     The  Devil, 

743.  CHAPTER  IL  What  is  he  ?  744.      §  1.  He   is  an   adversary,  their  adversary, 

744.  §  2.    He  is  a  subtle   adversary,  745.     §  3.   He  is  an   active  adversary,   747 
§  4.  He  is   a  cruel  adversary,   748.     §  5.  He  is  a  powerful  adversary,  748.     PAST 
II.  The  Christian's   duty  in  reference  to   his  great  enemy,  751.     CHAPTER  I.  What 
the   Christian  must  do  to  his  great  enemy,  751.     §  1.  He  must  resist  his  attacks  on 
himself,  751.     §  2.  He  must  resist  his  attacks  on  the  Christian  cause,  753.     CHAPTER 
II.  What  the   Christian  is   to  do   that  he  may  resist  his   great   enemy,   754.     §  1. 
He  must  be  sober,  754.     §  2.  He  must  be  vigilant,  756.     §  3.  He  must  be  steadfast  in 
the  faith,  757.     PART  III.  The  Christian's  encouragement  to  perform  his  duty  in  refer 
ence  to  his  great  enemy,  759.     CHAPTER  I.  The  encouraging  fact;  all  the  brotherhood 
have  sustained  and  surmounted  this  struggle,  759.     CHAPTER  II.  The  faithful  promise, 
761.     §  1.  The  encouragement  contained  in  the  promise  itself,  762.     (1.)  They  shall  be 
made  perfect,  763.     (2.)  They  shall  be  established,  764.     (3.)  They  shall  be  strengthened, 
764.     (4.)  They  shall  be  settled,  765.     (5.)  He  who  does  all  this  for  them  is  God,  766. 
§  2.  The  encouragement  contained  in  the  adjuncts  of  the  promise,  768.     (1.)  The  God 
who  lias  promised  this  is  "  the  God  of  all  grace,"  768.     (2.)  The  God  of  all  grace  has 
called  the  Christian  in  Christ  Jesus,  770.     (3.)  The  God  of  all  grace  has  called  Christiana 
to  his  eternal  glory,  771.     (4.)  The  afflictions  are  moderate  in  degree,  short  in  duration, 
and  form  a  part  of  the  Divine  plan  for  their  ultimate  salvation,  773.     PART  IV.  Con 
clusion,  774. 

DISCOURSE  XXIV. 

POSTSCRIPT  OF  THE  EPISTLE. 

CHAPTER  V.  12-14,  pp.  778-792. 

PART  I.  Recapitulation,  page  779.  CHAPTER  I.  The  subject  of  the  Epistle,  780.  §  1.  The 
grace  of  God,  780.  §  2.  The  Christian's  duty  in  reference  to  this  grace  ;  to  stand,  781. 
CHAPTER  II.  The  form  of  the  Epistle.  It  is  a  testimony  and  an  exhortation  respecting 
the  grace  of  God,  782.  CHAPTER  III.  The  mode  of  the  writing  or  transmission  of  tho 
Epistle,  784.  PART  II.  The  salutation,  786.  §  1.  The  salutation  of  the  church  at  Babylon, 
786.  §  2.  The  salutation  of  Marcus,  788.  PART  III.  Exhortation,  788.  PART  IV.  Bene 
diction,  790.  NOTES,  792. 


HI.— TABLE  FOR  FINDING-  OUT  THE  EXPOSITION  OF 
ANY  VERSE  OR  CLAUSE  OF  THE  EPISTLE  IN  THIS 
VOLUME. 

CHAPTER  I. 
Ver. 

1.  Peter,  page  31;  an  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,  34;  to  the  strangers  scattered  through- 

2.  out  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia,  and  Bithynia,  36  ;  elect,  36 ;  according  to  the 
foreknowledge  of  God,  37  ;  through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit,  38;  to  obedience,  38; 
and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  39  ;  Grace  unto  you,  39  ;  and  peace,  40 ; 

3.  be  multiplied.     Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  55,  57 ; 
who,  according  to  his  abundant  mercy,  58 ;  hath  begotten  us  again,  44 ;  to  a  lively 

4»    hope,  50 ;  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,  54 ;  to  an  inheritance, 

46 ;  incorruptible,  48 ;   undefined,  48 ;  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  48 ;  reserved  in 

5.    heaven  for  you,  49 ;  who  are  kept  by  the  mighty  power  of  God  through  faith,  49 ; 

«.    unto  salvation,  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time,  47 ;  wherein,  61 ;  ye  greatly 


XVJ  CONTENTS. 

Ver 

rejoice,  70 ;  though  now  for  a  season  ye  are  in  heaviness,  70 ;  through  manifold 

7  temptations,  66 ;  that  the  trial  of  your  faith,  being  much  more  precious  than  of  gold 
which  perisheth  though  it  be  tried  with  fire,  68 ;  might  be  found  to  praise,  and  honor, 

8  and  glory,  69 ;  at  the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ,  65  ;  whom  having  not  seen,  ye  love, 
63 ;  in  whom,  though  now  ye  see  him  not,  yet  believing,  64 ;  ye  rejoice  with  a  joy 

9.    that  is  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory,  70 ;  receiving  the  end  of  your  faith,  the  salva- 
10.    tion  of  your  souls,  69.    Of  which  salvation  the  prophets  have  inquired  and  searched 
ll!    diligently,  78;  who  prophesied  of  the  grace  that  should  come  unto  you,  74;  search 
ing  what,  or  what  manner  of  time,  the  Spirit  of  Christ  which  was  in  them  did  signify, 
78°;  when  it  testified  beforehand  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that  should 

12.  follow,  75,  86 ;  note.    Unto  whom  it  was  revealed,  that  not  unto  themselves,  but 
unto  us,  did  they  minister,  78 ;  the  things  which  are  now  reported  unto  you  by  them 
that  have  preached  the  gospel  unto  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven, 

13.  80;  which  things  the  angels  desire  to  look  into,  84.    Wherefore,  105;  gird  up  the 
loins  of  your  mind,  95 ;  be  sober,  97  ;  and  hope  to  the  end,  for  the  grace  that  is  to 

14.  be  brought  to  you  at  the  coming  of  Jesus  Christ,  99 ;  as  obedient  children,  90 ;  not 

15.  fashioning  yourselves  according  to  the  former  lusts  in  your  ignorance,  93 ;  but  as  he 
which  hath  called  you  is  holy,  108 ;  so  be  ye  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation,  93 ; 

16.  because  it  is  written,  Be  ye  holy;  for  I  am  holy,  108.    And  if  ye  call  on  the  Father, 

17.  who  without  respect  of  persons  judgeth  according  to  every  man's  work,  110;  pass 

18.  the  time  of  your  sojourning  here  in  fear,  102;  forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  ye  were 
not  redeemed  with  corruptible  things  as  silver  and  gold,  118;  from  your  vain  con- 

19.  versation  received  by  tradition  from  your  fathers,  115 ;  but  with  the  precious  blood 

20.  of  Christ,  115 ;  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without  spot,  118 ;  who  verily  was 
fore-ordained  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  118;  but  was  manifest  in  these 

21.  last  times  for  you,  119.    Who  by  him  do  believe  in  God,  who  raised  him  from  the 

22.  dead,  and  gave  him  glory,  that  your  faith  and  hope  might  be  in  God,  119.    Seeing 
ye  have  purified  your  souls  in  obeying  the  truth  through  the  Spirit  unto  unfeigned 
love  of  the  brethren,  130;  see  that  ye  love  one  another  with  a  pure  heart,  123  ;  fer- 

23.  vently,  124;  being  born  again,  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the 

24.  word  of  God,  which  liveth  and  abideth  forever,  127.     For  all  flesh  is  as  grass,  and 
all  the  glory  of  man  as  the  flower  of  the  grass.     The  grass  withereth,  and  the  flower 

25.  thereof  falleth  away,  128 ;  but  the  word  of  the  Lord  endureth  forever.    And  this  is 
the  word  which  by  the  gospel  is  preached  unto  you,  128. 


CHAPTER  II. 

1.  Wherefore,  page  157;  laying  aside  all  malice,  142;  and  all  guile,  143 ;  and  hypocrisies, 

2.  143  ;  and  envies,  143 ;  and  all  evil  speakings,  143 ;  as  new-bora  babes,  137  ;  desire,  152 ; 

3.  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  151,  162 ;  that  ye  may  grow  thereby,  146, 152  ;  if  so  be 

4.  that  ye  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  160 ;  to  whom  coming,  172  ;  as  unto  a 
living  stone,  174,  181,  229 ;  disallowed  indeed  of  men,  180 ;  but  chosen  of  God,  180; 

6.    and  precious,  180 ;  ye  also,  as  lively  stones,  183 ;  are  built  up  a  spiritual  house,  184 ; 
a  holy  priesthood,  184;  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices,  186;  acceptable  to  God  by 

6.  Christ  Jesus,  186.    Wherefore  also  it  is  contained  in  the  Scripture,  168;  Behold,  X 
lay  in  Zion,  168,  179;  a  chief  corner-stone,  179;  elect,  180;  precious,  180;  and  h<> 

7.  that  beheveth  on  him  shall  not  be  confounded,  168.     Unto  you  therefore  that  believe 
he  is  precious,  183 ;  but  unto  them  that  be  disobedient,  the  stone  which  the  builders 

8.  disallowed,  the  same  is  made  the  head  of  the  corner,  223  ;  and  a  stone  of  stumbling, 
and  a  rock  of  offence,  even  to  them  which  stumble  at  the  word,  being  disobedient; 

9.  whereunto  also  they  were  appointed,  224,  229.    But  ye  are  a  chosen  generation,  187 ; 
a  royal  priesthood,  192;  a  holy  nation,  196;  a  peculiar  people,  201 ;  that  ye  should 
show  forth  the  praises  of  him  who  hath  called  you,  206 ;  out  of  darkness  into  his 

10.  marvellous  light,  170,  213 ;  who  in  time  past  were  not  a  people,  171 ;  but  are  now 
the  people  of  God,  218 ;  which  had  not  obtained  mercy,  171 ;  but  now  have  obtained 

11.  mercy,  220.    Dearly  beloved,  I  beseech  you,  as  strangers  and  pilgrims,  236  ;  abstain 
12     from  fleshly  Iust9,  230 ;  which  war  against  the  soul,  238 ;  having  your  conversation 

honest  among  the  Gentiles,  234;  that  whereas  they  speak  against  you  as  evil-doers, 

they  may,  by  your  good  works,  which  they  shall  behold,  glorify  God  in  the  day  of 

3.    visitation  239.     Submit  yourselves,  247 ;  to  every  ordinance  of  man,  247  ;  for  the 

14.  Lord  8  sake  249 ;  whether  it  be  to  the  king  as  supreme,  249 ;  or  unto  governors,  as 
unto  them  that  are  sent  by  him,  249  ;  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  for  the 

15.  praise  of  them  that  do  well,  245.    For  so  is  the  will  of  God,  that  with  well-doina 

16.  ye  may  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men,  252;  as  free,  255,  265  •  and  not 
using  your  liberty  for  a  cloak  of  maliciousness,  276 ;  but  as  the  servants  of  God,  262, 


CONTENTS.  XVU 

Ver. 

17.  285.     Honor  all  men,  298  ;  love  the  brotherhood,  308 ;  fear  God,  320  ;  honor  the 

18.  king,  326.    Servants  be  subject  to  your  own  masters,  336  ;  with  all  fear,  338  ;  not 

19.  only  to  the  good  and  gentle,  but  also  to  the  froward,  340.  For  this  is  thankworthy 
20     if  a  man  for  conscience  toward  God,  endure  grief,  suffering  wrongfully,  341.    For 

what  glory  is  it,  if,  when  ye  be  buffeted  for  your  faults,  ye  shall  take  it  patiently, 
342 ;  but  if,  when  you  do  well,  and  suffer  for  it,  ye  take  it  patiently,  this  is  accept- 

21.  able  with  God,  342.     For  even  hereunto  were  ye  called,  345,  350,  354 ;  because 
Christ  also  suffered  for  us,  346 ;  leaving  us  an  example  that  ye  should  follow  his 

22.  steps,  349.     Who  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in  his  mouth,  346.    "Who, 

23.  when  he  was  reviled,  reviled  not  again,  when  he  suffered,  he  threatened  not,  347  ; 

24.  but  committed  himself  to  him  who  judgeth  righteously,  348.     Who  his  own  self 
bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,  354 ;  that  we  being  dead  to  sins,  358  ; 

26.  should  live  to  righteousness,  358 ;  by  whose  stripes  ye  were  healed,  359.  For  ye 
•were  as  sheep  going  astray,  360 ;  but  ye  are  now  returned  unto  the  Shepherd  and 
Bishop  of  your  souls,  361. 

CHAPTER  III. 

1.  Likewise,  ye  wives,  be  in  subjection  to  your  own  husbands,  365 ;  that,  if  any  obey  not 

the  word,  375  ;  they  may,  without  the  word,  be  won  by  the  conversation  of  the 

2.  wives,  376  ;  when  they  behold  your  chaste  conversation  coupled  with  fear,  367  , 

3.  whose  adorning,  let  it  not  be  that  outward  adorning  of  plaiting  the  hair,  and  of 

4.  wearing  of  gold,  or  of  putting  on  of  apparel,  369  ;  but  let  it  be  the  hidden  man  of 
the  heart,  in  that  which  is  not  corruptible  370 ;  even  the  ornament  of  a  meek  and 

5.  quiet  spirit,  which  is  in  the  sight  of  God  of  great  price,  371.     For,  after  this  man 
ner,  in  the  old  time,  the  holy  women  abo  who  trusted  in  God,  adorned  themselves, 

6.  being  in  subjection  to  their  own  husbands,  376;  even  as  Sarah  obeyed  Abraham, 
calling  him  Lord ;  376 ;  whose  daughters  ye  are  as  long  as  ye  do  well,  and  are  not 

7.  afraid  with  any  amazement,  378.  Likewise,  ye  husbands,  dwell  with  them  accord 
ing  to  knowledge,  382,  384 ;  giving  honor  unto  the  wife  as  unto  the  weaker  vessel, 
885  ;  and  as  being  heirs  together  of  the  grace  of  life,  386  ;  that  your  prayers  be  not 

8.  hindered,  388.  Finally,  393  ;  be  ye  all  ot  one  mind,  394 ;  having  compassion  one  of 

9.  another,  400 ;  love  as  brethren,  401 ;  be  pitiful,  404  ;  be  courteous,  412.     Not  ren 
dering  evil  for  evil,  nor  railing  for  railing,  423;  but  contrariwise  blessing,  425; 
knowing  that  ye  are  thereunto  called,  427  ;  that  ye  should  inherit  a  blessing,  429. 

10.  For  he  that  will  love  life,  and  see  good  days,  let  him  refrain  his  tongue  from  evil, 

11.  and  his  lips  that  they  speak  no  guile,  428.    Let  him  eschew  evil,  and  do  good,  428 ; 

12.  let  him  seek  peace  and  ensue  it,  429.     For  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  over  the  right 
eous,  and  his  ears  are  open  to  their  prayers,  429 ;  but  the  face  of  the  Lord  is  against 

13.  them  who  do  evil,  429.     And  who  is  he  that  will  harm  you,  429  ;  if  ye  be  followers 

14.  of  that  which  is  good  ?  430.     But  and  if  ye  suffer  for  righteousness'  sake,  happy 

15.  are  ye,  431 ;  and  be  not  afraid  of  their  terror,  neither  be  ye  troubled,  43:3.     But 
sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  your  hearts,  433,  436  ;  and  be  ready  always  to  give  an 
answer,  447  ;  to  every  man  that  asketh  you,  447  ;  a  reason  of  the  hope,  442  ;  that 

16.  is  in  you,  445  ;  with  meekness,  450  ;  and  fear,  451.  Having  a  good  conscience,  453  ; 
that  whereas  they  speak  evil  of  you  as  of  evil  doers,  they  may  be  ashamed,  460  ; 

17.  that  falsely  accuse  your  good  conversation  in  Christ,  458.     For  it  is  better  if  the 

18.  will  of  God  be  so,  that  ye  suffer  for  well-doing,  than  evil-doing,  461.     For  Christ, 
469;  also  hath  once,  468  ;  suffered,  473  ;  for  sins,  478,  482  ;  the  just,  471 ;  for  the  un 
just,  479 ;  that  he  might  bring  us  to  God,  485  ;  being  put  to  death  in  the  flesh,  514 ; 

19.  but  quickened  by  the  Spirit,  614.     By  which  also  he  went  and  preached  unto  the 

20.  spirits  in  prison,  515 ;  which  sometimes  were  disobedient,  517;  when  once  the  long- 
suffering  of  God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah,  while  the  ark  was  preparing,  wherein 

21.  a  few,  that  is,  eight  souls,  were  saved,  538,  542.     The  like  figure  whereunto  even 
baptism -soes  now  save  us,  544  ;  not  the  putting  away  of  the  tilth  of  the  flesh,  545 ; 
but  the  answer  of  a  good  conscience  toward  God,  546  ;  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 

22.  Christ,  547.     Who  is  gone  into  heaven,  523 ;  and  is  on  the  right  hand  of  God, 
628 ;  angels,  and  authorities,  and  powers,  being  made  subject  to  him,  630. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

1.  Forasmuch  then  as  Christ  has  suffered  for  us  in  the  flesh,  558  ;  arm  yourselves  like 

wise  with  the  same  mind,  565  ;  for  he  that  hath  suffered  in  the  flesh  hath  ceased 

2.  from  sin,  566  ;  that  he  no  longer  should  live  the  rest  of  the  time  in  the  flesh  to  the 
8.     lusts  of  men,  560 ;  but  to  the  will  of  God,  562.    For  the  time  past  of  our  life  may 

suffice  us,  584 :  to  have  wrought  the  will  of  the  Gentiles,  579 ;  when  we  walked  ia 

2 


xviii  CONTENTS. 

Ver. 

lasciviousness,  lusts,  excess  of  wine,  revellings,  banqueting*?,  and  abominable  idola* 
4.  tries,  580 ,  wherein  they  think  it  strange  that  ye  run  not  with  them  to  the  same 
6.  excess  of  riot,  speaking  evil  of  you,  581 ;  who  shall  give  account  to  him  that  is  ready 

6.  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead,  581.     For,  for  this  cause  was  the  gospel  also 
preached  to  them  that  are  dead,  585  ;  that  they  might  be  judged  according  to  men 

7.  in  the  flesh,  586  ;  but  live  according  to  God  in  the  spirit,  587.     But  the  end  of  all 

8.  things  is  at  hand,  598  ;  be  ye  therefore  sober,  592  ;  and  watch  unto  prayer,  695  ; 
and  above  all  things  have  fervent  charity  among  yourselves,  603 ;  for  charity  shall 

9.  cover  the  multitude  of  sins,  608.     Use  hospitality  one  to  another  without  grudg- 

10.  ing,  614.    As  every  one  hath  received  the  gift,  even  so  minister. the  same  one  to 

11.  another,  620;  as  good  stewards  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God,  625.     If  any  man 
speak,  let  him  speak  as  the  oracles  of  God ;  if  any  man  minister,  let  him  do  it  as  of 
the  ability  that  God  giveth,  621 ;  that  God  in  all  things  may  be  glorified  through 
Jesus  Christ,  626  ;  tp,  whom  be  praise  and  dominion  forever  and  ever,  Amen,  626. 

12.  Beloved,  think  it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery  trial  which  is  to  try  you  as  if 

13.  some  strange  thing  happened  unto  you,  629 ;  but  rejoice  inasmuch  as  ye  are  par 
takers  of  Christ's  sufferings,  633  ;  that  when  his  glory  is  revealed,  ye  may  be  glad 

14.  also  with  exceeding  joy,  635.     If  ye  be  reproached  for  the  name  of  Christ,  637  ; 
happy  are  ye,  638  ;  for  the  spirit  of  God  and  of  glory  resteth  upon  you,  638  ;  on 

15.  their  part  he  is  evil  spoken  of,  but  on  your  part  he  is  glorified,  638.     But  let  none 
of  you  suffer  as  a  murderer  or  as  a  thief,  or  as  an  evil-doer,  640 ;  or  as  a  busybody 

16.  in  other  men's  matters,  641.    Yet  if  any  man  suffer  as  a  Christian,  643  ;  let  him  not 

17.  be  ashamed,  644 ;  but  let  him  glorify  God  on  this  behalf,  644.    For  the  time  is  come 
that  judgment  must  begin  at  the  house  of  God,  646 ;  and  if  it  first  begin  at  us,  what 

18.  shall  the  end  be  of  them  who  obey  not  the  gospel  of  God?  650 ;  and  if  the  righteous 
scarcely  be  saved,  647  ;  where  shall  the  ungodly  and  the  sinner  appear  ?  650 ; 

19.  wherefore  let  them  that  suffer  according  to  the  will  of  God,  648  ;  commit  the  keep- 
of  their  souls  to  him,  648 ;  in  well-doing,  650  ;  as  unto  a  faithful  Creator,  648. 

CHAPTER  V. 

1.  The  elders  which  are  among  you,  655 ;  I  exhort,  who  am  also  an  elder,  675  ;  and  a 

witness  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  677  ;  and  also  a  partaker  of  the  glory  that  shall 

2.  be  revealed,  679  ;  feed  the  flock  of  God  which  is  among  you,  680 ;  taking  the  over 
sight  thereof,  665  ;  not  by_  constraint,  but  willingly,  668  ;  not  for  filthy  lucre,  but 

3     of  a  ready  mind,  671 ;  neither  as  being  lords,  673;  over  God's  heritage,  681 ;  but 

4.     being  ensamples  to  the  flock,  673  ;  and  when  the  chief  Shepherd  shall  appear,  ye 

6.     shall  receive  a  crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away,  682.     Likewise,  686 ;  ye 

younger,  685 ;  submit  yourselves  unto  the  elder,  692,  693  ;  yea,  all  of  you  be  subject 

one  to  another,  698 ;  and  be  clothed  with  humility,  703 ;  for  God  resisteth  the 

6.  proud,  706 ;  and  giveth  grace  to  the  humble,  708.    Humble  yourselves,  719  ;  there- 

7.  fore,  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  715  ;  that  he  may  exalt  you  in  due  time,  723  ; 

8.  casting  all  your  care  upon  him,  729  ;  for  he  careth  for  you,  733.     Be  sober,  754.; 
be  vigilant,  756  ;  because  your  adversary,  744 ;  the  devil,  743  ;  as  a  roaring  lion, 

9.  748  ;  walketh  about,  747  ;  seeking  whom  he  may  devour,  749  ;  whom  resist,  751 ; 
steadfast  in  the  faith,  757  ;  knowing  that  the  same  afflictions  are  accomplished  in 

10.  your  brethren  that  are  in  the  world,  759.    But  the  God  of  all  grace,  768  ;  who 
hath  called  us,  769  ;  to  his  eternal  glory,  771 ;  by  Christ  Jesus,  770 ;  after  that  ye 

11.  have  suffered  a  while,  773  ;  make  you  perfect,  763  ;  stablish,  764 ;  strengthen,  764 ; 

12.  settle  you,  765  ;  to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  forever  and  ever,  Amen,  774.    By 
Syivanus,  784 ;  a  faithful  brother  unto  you,  785  ;  as  I  suppose,  785-,  I  have  writ 
ten  briefly,  783.;  exhorting,  783  ;  and  testifying,  782;  that  this  is  the  true  grace 

13.  of  God  779 ;  wherein  ye  stand,  781.    The  church  that  is  in  Babylon  saluteth 

14.  you,  and  so  doth  Marcus,  my  son,  788.     Greet  ye  one  another  with  a  kiss  of 
charity,  788.     Peace  be  with  you  all  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  790.     Amen,  791. 


INDEX— 

I. — Principal  Matters,        ....  793 

II. — Greek  Words  and  Phrases  remarked  o'n  '    793 

III— Authors  quoted  or  referred  to  790 

IV.—Texta  of  Scripture  remarked  on,       ..".*."  801 


A  TRANSLATION 


OP  THE 


FIRST  EPISTLE  OF  THE  APOSTLE  PETER. 


I.    1.  PETEE,  an  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  the  elected  sojourners 
of  the  dispersion  in  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia,  and 

2.  Bithynia — elected  according  to  the  fore-appointment  of  God 
the  Father,  by  a  spiritual  separation  in  order x  to  obedience," 
and  being  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ : 3  May 
grace  and  peace  be  multiplied  to  you. 

3.  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who,  according  to  the  abundance  of  his  mercy,  has  anew 
made  us  his  children ;  *  so  as  to  give  us  a  living  hope 8  through 

4.  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead ;  so  as  to  make 
us  heirs  of  an  inheritance,  incorruptible,  undenled,  and  un- 

5.  fading,  secured  in  heaven  for  you,6  who  are  preserved1  by 
the  power  of  God  through  faith,  till 8  the  salvation  prepared  to 

6.  be  revealed 9  in  the  last  time ;  in  which  time 10  you  shall  re 
joice,11  who  now  for  a  short  season  (since  it  is  needful),  are 

7.  sorrowful  amid  manifold  trials,  that  the  proof ia  of  your  faith ia 
may  be  found 14  much  more  valuable  than  that  of  gold  (which, 

1  Beza's  theology  seems  to  have  mastered  his  scholarship,  -when  he  rendered  iv  as  =iis 
by  ad,  and  lie  as— dca  ~byper.  E.  a.  TT.  seems — in  a  state  of  spiritual  separation,  spirit 
ually  separated. 

3  Obedience  of  faith,  of  the  truth,  verse  22.    Kom.  i.  5  ;  xvi.  26  ;  vi.  16,  17.    Acts  vi.  7. 

3  Tit  obediant,  et  Jesu  Christi  sanguine  conspergantur. — CASTALIO. 

*  Ch.  i.  23.  James  i.  18.  John  iii.  3,  &Q.  Fait  renaitre,  autrement,  regenerez.— 
BEATJSOBRE. 

s  Amat  Petrus  Epitheton  vivus. — BENGEL, 

6  Some  MSS.  of  good  note  read  faac,  us. 

7  Guarded.     Gal.  iii.  23. 

8  Elf,  till.    Acts  iv.  3.    Phil.  i.  10.    Gal.  iii.  13,  24.     1  Thess.  iv.  15.    "We  have  a 
parallel  phrase,  2  Peter  ii.  4,  rripovpivovc  ri$  Kpiaiv. 

9  By  being  bestowed. 

10  lili  cannot  grammatically  refer  to  currjpiav.   Even  although  it  did,  as  that  salvation 
is  future,  the  rejoicing  in  it  must  bo  future  too.     HARWOOD  takes  this  view  of  it. 

"  In  quo  erultabitis.     VULGATE. 

13  h.oK.i[j,iov  is  not=6oiaftij,  Kom.  v.  3 ;  the  last  is  the  result  of  the  first ;  both  here  and 
James  i.  3,  it  seems =<5oKi{j.acria. 

13  Explorata  vestra  fides. — CASTALIO.  Your  faith  once  tried. — COVKEDALK.  MATTHEWS. 

14  STEIGER,  i.  136, 137.     KNATCHBULL,  292. 


-i.     O  •-* 


XX  A   TRANSLATION    OF 


even  though  proved  by  fire,  perisheth)  resulting  in '  praise, 
and  honor,   and  glory,   at  the  revelation   of  Jesus  Christ; 

8.  whom,  though  you  have  not  seen  him,  you  love ;  in  whom 
though  now  not  looking  on  him  but  believing  in  him,  you  shall 

9.  rejoice  with  an  unspeakable  and  triumphant  joy,2  receiving 

10.  the  end  of  your  faith,  soul-salvation ;  *  respecting  which  sal 
vation,  prophets  who  uttered  predictions  concerning  this  grace 

11.  towards  you,  made  inquiry  and  diligent  search,,  examining 
what,  and  what  kind,  of  season,4  the  Spirit  of  Christ  in  them 
did  signify,  when  testifying  beforehand  of  the  sufferings  in 

12.  reference  to  Christ,6  and  the  succeeding  glories ;  to  whom  it 
was  revealed  that,  not  to  themselves,,  but  to  us  they  were 
ministering  those  things,  which  have  now  been  declared  to 
you  by  those  who,  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit  sent  down  from 
Heaven,  have  proclaimed  to  you  the  good  news ;  into-  which 
things  angels  earnestly  inquire.* 

13.  Seeing  these  things  are  so,  girding  up  the  loins  of  your 
mind,7  being  watchful,8  hope 9  steadfastly10  for  this  grace,  which 
is  to  be  brought  to  you  in  the  revelation  "  of  Jesus  Christ. 

14.  As  children  of  obedience,  not  fashioning  yourselves  by  your 

15.  former  propensities  in  your  state  of  ignorance,  but  in  imita 
tion  of  the  holy  one,  who  has  called  you,"  be  you.  also  holy  in 

16.  your  whole  behavior:  because  it  is  written,  lBe  ye  holy,  for 

17.  I  am  holy.'    And  since  you  call  Father,13  Him  who  judges  the 
work  of  every  man  without  respect  of  persons,  pass  the  time 

18.  of  your  sojourning  in  reverence  of  him ;  knowing  that  you 
have  been  ransomed  from  your  foolish  "  hereditary  "  course 

19.  of  behavior,  not  by  corruptible  things — silver  or  gold — but 
by  precious  blood,10  as  of  a  lamb,  perfect,  and  spotless,  the  blood 

20.  of  Christ ; "  fore-appointed,  indeed,,  before  the  foundation  of 

I  ROBINSOX.  Elf.  3.  a. 

*  Exultabitis  Isetitia  inenarrabili  et  glorificata. — VULGATE. 

3  Hoc  perinde  valet  ac  si  diceretur :  "  salus  seterna."  Est  enim  tacita  comparatio  vit» 
mortahs  et  caducse  quse  ad  corpus  pertinet.  1  Cor.  v.  5.  'Iva  TO  irvevpa  oudy^- CALVIN. 
Ihe  period  and  the  circumstances.  Quo  et  quali  tempore.— JASPIS.  In  relation  to 
whom,  and  what  time.— PURVER.  Quel  terns,  et  quelle  conjuncture.— BEAUSOBRE, 

5  Or  the  sufferings  until  Christ,  that  is,  the  manifold  trials,  till  the  revelation  of  Jesus- 
L/hrist,  v.  7. 

6  James  i.  25. 

»  Lumbos  succingimus  ad  iter,  ad  opus,  ad  bella,  ad  ministerium.— C.  A.  LAPIDK 
I  repared,  ready  for  work  or  warfare,  for  toil  or  travel. 

Vigilance,  not  moderation,  seems  the  idea  here.     Awake  to  all  events 

h*  K^-^Tl7ll?rSf*™  T*'V  ^rida  re**iav ;  or»  as  the  AP°stle  to  the  Hebrews 
has  it,  ch.  111.  6.     Perfecte  Sperate. — VULGATE. 

10  Or  perseveringly,  reXewf. 

Bv  t£?  W8  f  f-°nd  C?!ning'  when*Ie  a**11  !»  unveiled,  manifested  to  be  what  he  is. 
L  theT[rfielf10rirHAMMT-  BytAedeclaring— C^^ALE.  MATTHEWS.  ORAN- 
ER.  The  figures  here  seem  borrowed  from  Luke  xii.  85  <fcc 

after  thTlv^^r^^A^"  ***'**•  *' Kcr«  X/^™  '^ovv,  rendered  in  the  margin 
«  Call  on  thT  Father          exemPlum  llllus  sancti  ^  vocavit  vos.-EaAS.  SCHMII> 
14  Eph.  iv.  17. 

II  Handed  down  from  father  to  son. 

5  'Qf =ut  ffitiologia  rov  precioso.— BENQEL. 


THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  OP  PETER.  XX 

the  world,  but  manifested  in  these  last  times,  on  account  ' 

21.  of  you,  who  through  him  believe  in  God  who  raised  him  from 
the  dead  and  gave  him  glory,  so  that  your  faith  and  hope  are 
in  God.8 

22.  Having  purified  your  souls  by  the  obedience  of  the  truth, 
through  the  Spirit,3  so  as  sincerely  from  a  pure  heart,  to  love 

23.  the  brethren,  love  one  another  intensely,  being  anew  made  the 
children  of  God,  not  of  a  perishable  race,4  but  of  an  imperish 
able,  through  the  living  word  of  God,  which  endureth  forever; 

24.  for  "  all  flesh  is  as  grass,  and  all  the  glory  of  it6  as  the  flower 

25.  of  grass  ;  the  grass  withereth,  and  its  flower  falleth  off,  but 
the  word  of  the  Lord  endureth  forever."    Now  the  gospel 
which  has  been  proclaimed  to  you  is  this  word. 

II.  1.      Laying  aside,  then,  all  malice,  and  all  deceit,  and  simula- 

2.  tions,  and  envyings,   and  all  evil-speakings,   like  new-born 
babes,  desire  the  unadulterated  spiritual  milk,8  that  by  it  you 

3.  may  grow  unto  salvation  ;  7  seeing  8  you  have  tasted  the  good- 

4.  ness  *  of  the  Lord  ;  coming  to  whom,  the  living  stone,  by  men 

5.  disapproved,  but  by  God  chosen  and  honored,  even  you  10  as 
living  stones  are  built  up  a  spiritual  house,  a  holy  priesthood 
to  offer  spiritual  sacrifices  well-pleasing  to   God,   by  Jesus 

6.  Christ;    according  to  what  is  contained  in  the  Scripture, 
"  Behold,  I  lay  in  Sion,  a  corner  stone,  chosen,  honored  ;  and 

7.  he  that  believeth  on  him  shall  not  be  ashamed."     To  you 
then  who  believe  there  is  honor,11  but  to  them  who  disbelieve, 
there  is  dishonor  ;  the  stone  which  the  builders  disallowed,  has 

8.  become  the  principal  corner-stone,  and  a  stumbling  stone,  and 
a  rock  of  offence,  on  which  they  who  believe  not  the  word 

9.  stumble,  to  which  also  they  were  appointed.     But  you  are  a 
chosen  race,  a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a  people  for  a 

1  On  behalf  of  you, 

2  SYMONDS. 

3  Aid  Trvevftaroc.    The  evidence  of  the  genuineness  of  this  clause  is  so  deficient,  that 
MILL,  BENGEL,  GRIESBACH,  and  LACHMANN,  would  omit  it.     If  genuine,  its  meaning  is 
doubtful.     It  may  qualify 


*  27rop<},  genus,  proles.  SCAPULA  refers  to  Sophocles  and  Euripides,  in  support  of  this 
sense.  _  The  cognate  word  airep/ia  is  often  used  in  this  way.  John  vii.  42  ;  viii.  33,  37. 
Gal.  iii.  16,  19,  et  al.  If  'Aoyog  Qeov  be  merely  exegetical,  would  not  the  same  preposition 
have  been  connected  with  it  as  with  the  word  of  which  it  is  the  interpretation  ? 

5  'Av7%  is  the  preferable  reading. 

6  Rationale  sine  dolo  lac.  —  VULGATE.    That  reasonable  milk  that  is  without  corrup 
tion.  —  COVERDALE.  MATTHEWS.  The  milk  not  of  the  body,  but  of  the  soul,  which  is  with 
out  deceit.  —  CRANMER.    The  reasonable  milk  of  the  word,  which  is  without  deceit  — 
BISHOP'S  BIBLE.  The  rational  pure  milk.  —  HAMMOND.  Le  lait  spirituel,  et  tout  pur.  —  MONB 
Version.  Aoyt/cov,  i.  q.  KVEv/uaTiKov.  v.  S.-VATER.  "  Illis  temporibus  rex  Messias  appare- 
bit  synagogse  Israeliticse  ad  quern  Israelite  sic  dicent  :  veni,  esto  frater  noster,  et  profi- 
ciscamur  Hierosolyma  et  sugemus  tecum  gustum  legis,  quemadmodum  infana  ubera 
matris  suaa  sugit     TARGUM  in  Cant.  viii.  1.     Apud  WETSTEIN. 

7  E/f  auTjjpidv  is  found  in  a  number  of  the  most  ancient  Codd.,  and  is  admitted  into 
the  text  by  the  most  distinguished  critical  editors  of  the  New  Testament. 

8  Quia>—  CARPZOV.    EL—  LACHMANN. 

9  Psal.  xxxiv.  8. 

10  Parietes  spirituals  quia  homines  pii  eunt  pracipuum  templum.  —  R. 
Hag.  ii.  10.  Ap.  WETSTEIN. 

u  V«  bis  igitur  honor  credentibus.  —  VULGATE. 


Xxil  A   TRANSLATION   OF 

peculiar  possession  to  God,  that  you  may  proclaim  the  excel 
lencies  of  Him  who  has  called  you  out  of  Darkness  into  hi? 

10.  marvellous  light ;  who  once  were  not  a  people,  but  now  are  the 
people  of  God  ;  who  once  were  not  the  objects  of  his  mercy, 
but  now  are  the  objects  of  his  mercy. 

11.  Beloved,  I  exhort  you,  as  foreigners  andsojourners,  to  keep 

12.  yourselves  from  fleshly  lusts,  which  war  against  the  soul,  con 
ducting  yourselves  honorably  among  the  heathen,  that  with  re 
gard  to  that  in  which  they  speak  evil  of  you  as  evil-doers,  they 
may,  from  your  good  works,1  having  observed  them,  glorify 

13.  God  in  the  day  of  visitation.     Submit  yourselves  therefore, 
from  a  regard  to  the  Lord,  to  every  institution  of  man,8  for 
the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  the  praise  of  those  who  do 

14.  well ;  whether  it  be  king  as  supreme,  or  governors  as  commis- 

15.  sioned  by  him  ;  for  thus  is  it  the  will  of  God,  that  doing  well 

16.  you  muzzle  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men.     As  free  men,  yet 
not  using  your  liberty  as  a  cloak 3  of  wickedness,  but  as  the  ser- 

17.  vants  of  God,  honor  all  men,  love  the  brotherhood,  fear  God, 
honor  the  King.4 

18.  Servants,  submit  }^ourselves,  with  all  reverence,  to  your 
masters,  not  only  to  the  kind  and  gentle,  but  also  to  the  per- 

19.  verse ; 6  for  this  is  well  pleasing,  if  any  one  who  suffers  unjust- 

20.  ly,  from  religious  principle  endure  his  grievances  patiently ;  for 
what  credit  is  it  if,  when  you  commit  a  fault,  and  are  chas 
tised,  you  endure  patiently  ?  but  if  suffering  while  acting  prop- 

21.  erly,  you  patiently  endure,  this  is  well  pleasing  to  God.     For 
to  this  were  you  called ;  because  even  Christ  suffered  on  our 
account,  leaving  us  foot-prints 6  that  we  should  follow  in  his 

22.  steps,  who  committed  no  fault,  and  in  whose  mouth  no  deceit 

23.  was  found ;  who,  being  reviled,  did  not  revile  in  return,  suffer 
ing  did  not  threaten,  but  committed  himself 7  to  the  righteous 

24.  judge;  who  himself,  in  his  own  body,  bore  our  sins  to  the 
cross,8  that  we  dying  by  sins  might  live  by  righteousness  :  by 

25.  whose  weals 9  you  are  healed ;  for  you  were  as  straying  sheep, 
but  you  have  now  returned  to  the  shepherd,  and  overseer 10  of 
your  souls. 

ITT.  1.     Likewise,  you  wives,  submit  yourselves  to  your  own  hus 
bands  ;  that  if  some  of  them  are  disbelievers  in  the  doctrine, 

1  Ex  bonis  operibus  vos  considerantes. — VULGATE.  May  revering  you  (in  from)  by 
your  good  works. — HAMMOND. 

3  Humanse  creatures. — VULGATE.  Humanso  ordinationi. — BEZA.  Creature  of  man. — 
WICLIF.  Humane  creature. — RHEMISTS.  HAMMOND. 

3  A  covering  of,  a  pretext  for.  Use  it  neither  for  concealing  nor  for  excusing  •wick 
edness. 

4  The  Roman  emperor  is  termed  j3aci?ievc  by  the  Greek  writers.  POLYCENI  Strag.  p.  1. 
HEROD,  i  3.    The  usage  of  the  Jews  appears  from  John  xiv.  15.     Acts  xvii.  7. 

s  Cross,  ill-conditioned,  morose,  wayward.     Tyrants. — "WICLIF. 
e  WAKEFIELD.     1  John  ii.  6. 

7  Resigned  himself. — SYMONDS. 

8  Lit.  Stake,  Timber.     'E/rt.     Robinson  in  verb.  iii.  6.  a  and  /?. 

*  MwAo^  non  est  vulnus  sed  vibcx,  sive  vestigium  verberum  aut  flagellorum, 
paaTiyos  notei  /zw^wTraj-.     Ecclus.  xxviii  17. — RAPHEUUS. 
10  Curatorem. — BEZA.    CASTALIO. 


THE   FIRST   EPISTLE   OF   PETER.  XX111 

2.  they  may,  without  the  doctrine,1  be  won  over  by  contemplat- 

3.  ing  your  pious,  chase  behavior.    Let  your  adorning  not  be 
the  outward  adorning  of  plaited  hair,  or  of  golden  ornaments, 

4.  or  of  curious  dress;  but  let  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart  be 
adorned  with  the  imperishable  ornament  of  that  meek  and  quiet 

5.  spirit,  which,  in  the  estimation  of  God,  is  of  great  value.3    For 
even  thus,  of  old,  the  holy  women  who  trusted  in  God  adorned 

6.  themselves,  submitting  themselves  to  their  own  husbands  (as 
Sarah,  whose  children  you  are,  obeyed  Abraham,  calling  him 
Lord3),  doing  what  is  good,  and  alarmed  by  no  terrors. 

7.  Likewise,  you  husbands,  dwell  with  your  wives  with  a  wise 
consideration  of  the  greater  weakness  of  the  female  frame ; 
giving  them  honor  as  also  fellow  heirs  of  the  gracious  gift  of 
life,  that  your  prayers  may  not  be  hindered. 

8.  Finally,  be  all  of  one  mind  and  one  heart,4  love  as  brethren. 

9.  Be  compassionate,  be  courteous.     Do  not  render  injury  for  in 
jury,  or  railing  for  railing ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  bless,  know 
ing  that  you  are  called  to  this,  that  you  may  obtain  a  blessing : 

10.  "  For  as  to  him  who  wishes  to  enjoy  life  5  and  to  see  good 
days,  let  him  restrain  his  tongue  from  mischief,  and  his  lips 

11.  from  speaking  deceit ;  let  him  depart  from  mischief,  and  do 

12.  good,  let  him  seek  peace  and  pursue  it ;  for  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord  are  upon  the  righteous,  and  his  ears  towards  their  prayer ; 

13.  but  the  face  of  the  Lord  is  against 6  evil-doers."     And  who 

14.  shall  harm T  you  if  you  are  imitators  of  Him  who  is  good  ?  *  But 
even  if  you  should  suffer  for  righteousness,  you  are  blessed. 

15.  Be  not  then  afraid  of  their  terror,  neither  be  troubled,  but  sanc 
tify  the  Lord  God  in  your  hearts.   And  be  always  ready  to  vin 
dicate,  with  meekness  and  reverence,  your  hope  to  every  one 

16.  who  asks  of  you  an  account  of  it,  maintaining  a  good  con 
science,  in  order  that  in  the  thing  regarding  which  they  speak 
against  you  as  evil-doers,  those  who  slander  your  good  chris- 

17.  tian  behavior  may  be  put  to  shame.     For  it  is  better  that  you 
should  suffer,  if  so  be  the  will  of  God,  doing  good  rather  than 
doing  evil.9 

18.  For,  even  Christ,  once  on  account  of  sins,  suffered,  the  right 
eous  in  the  room  of  the  unrighteous,  that  he  might  bring  us  to 
God  ;  having  become,  dead,  with  respect  to  the  flesh,  but, 

1  As  the  article  is  wanting,  a.  A.  may  not  refer  to  T.  X,  but  may  mean  without  dis 
course  or  discussion. 

2  Much  set  by. — OOVERDALE.     GENEVA.    MATTHEWS. 

3  CARPZOV.     WAKEFIELD.     Gal.  iv.  31.     Gen.  xii.  13,  15;  xx.  2;  xxvi.  7.     Prov.  iii. 
25.     'A.-yadoTroiovaac  non  cum  vocabulo  TSKVO.  construendum,  sed  ex  v.  5,  ai  yvvalKtf 
huic  referendum  est. — SCHOETGEN. 

4  Be  united  in  judgment  and  affection.   Unanimes,  compatientes. — VULGATE.    Unaa- 
imes,  codem  modo  atfecti. — CASTALIO.    Omnes  eodem  animo,  eodem  affectu. — CARPZOV. 

^  5  BENSON.     The  opposite  of  aycnrav  farjv  is  /uaeiv  &rjv.     Ecc.  ii,  17.     Desireth  to 
live. — SYMONDS. 

6  'Em  on.— WICLIF.     Beholdeth. — COVKRDALE.     MATTHEWS.    Upon. — GENEVA.     BHB- 
MISTS.    Mali  huic  non  latent. — CAMERARIUS. 

7  Hurt. — SYMONDS. 

8  WYNNE. 

9  Melius  enim  est  ut  bene  agentes,  si  ita  velit  Dei  voluntas,  aliquid  patiamini,  quaa 
male  agentes.— BEZA. 


A  TRANSLATION   OP 

19.  quickened,  -with  respect  to  the  Spirit,  whereby  he  went  and 

20.  preached  even  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  who  were  in  former 
times  disbelieving,  when  the  patience  of  God  continued  wait 
ing  in  the  days  of  Noah,  while  the  ark  was  preparing,  iri  whica 

21.  a  few — that  is,  eight — souls  were  saved  by  water,  which  also 
now — the  anti-type  baptism — saves  us,  not  as  the  removal  of 
the  filth  of  the  flesh,1  but  as  the  profession  of  a  good  conscience 

22.  towards  God,  through  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  is 
at  the  right  hand  of  God,  having  passed  into  heaven,  angels, 
and  authorities,  and  powers  having  been  subjected  to  him. 

IV.  1.     Christ,  then,  having  suffered  for  us  in  the  flesh,  do  you  even 
arm  yourselves  with  this  same  thought3 — '  that  he  who  hath 

2.  suffered  in  the  flesh  hath  been  made  to  rest  from  sin,' — in  order 
to  the  living  the  remainder  of  the  time  in  the  flesh,  not  accord- 

3.  ing  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  according  to  the  will  of  God  ;  for 
the  time  that  is  past  is  enough  for  us  to  have  wrought  the  will 
of  the  Gentiles,  having  walked  in  impurities,  in  lusts,  in  intox 
ication,  in  revels,  in  carousings,  and  lawless  idolatrous  rites ; 

4.  wherein  they  think  it  strange  that  you  run  not  with  them,  into 

5.  the  same  mire  of  profligacy,  speaking  evil  of  you ;  these 3  shall 
render  an  account  to  Him  who  is  in  readiness  *  to  j  udge 5  the 

6.  living  and  the  dead ;  for,  for  this  purpose  also  was  the  gospel 
preached  to  the  dead,  that  as  to  man  they  mi^ht  be  judged  in 
the  flesh,  but  as  to  God  might  live  in  the  Spirit. 

7.  Now  the  end  of  all  things  is  at  hand  ; 6  be,  therefore,  prudent 

8.  and  watchful  with  regard  to  prayers.     But,  above  all  things, 
have  a  fervent  love  of  each  other ;  for  this  love  will  cover  a 

9.  multitude  of  faults.     Be  hospitable  to  each  other  without 

10.  grudgings ;  as  good  stewards  of  the  manifold  kindness  of  God, 
let  every  one  employ  the  gifts  he  has  received  for  mutual  ser- 

11.  vice  (if  any  one  speak  as  oracles  of  God,7  if  any  one  minister 
as  of  the  ability  God  has  bestowed8),  Jhat  in  all  things  God 
may  be  glorified  through  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  *  glory  and 
the  power  forever  and  ever,  Amen. 

12.  Beloved,  be  not  surprised  at  the  scorching10  among  you 
which  is  coming  for  your  trial,  as  at  some  strange  thing  hap- 

13.  pening  to  you ;  but  rejoice,  inasmuch  as  you  are  partakers 
in  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  that  you  may  also  rejoice  with  ex- 

14.  ultation  at  the  revelation  of  his  glory.     If  you  suffer  reproach 
in  Christ's  name,  you  are  blessed,  for  the  Spirit  of  glory  and  of 
power,11  even  the  Spirit  of  God,  resteth  on  you ;  with  regard 

Baptismus  non  ei  rei  servit,  cui  balnea  sufficiunt. — DEYLINCIUS. 

Cogitatione. — VULGATE.    Armez-vous  de  cette  pensee  que,  <fec. — Moxs  VERSION. 

Robinson,   of,  fj,  6  2,  a.  /?.     And  thei  schuleii  give  resoun  to  hym. —  WICLIF. 

2  Cor.  x.  6.     "Ex£iv  iv  <?ro///cj. 

Inflict  righteous  judgment  on. 

James  v.  8,  9. 

S2f  vcritatis.    What  are,  indeed,  divine  oracles — speaking  as  the  ip^vevc  of  GocL 

Of  the  ability  which  God  has  really  given  him.  as  a  divinely-qualified  minister. 

Cui  est.—  VULGATE. 
10  Prov.  xxvii.  21 ;  Ixx.     1  Cor.  iii.  13,  14.    Apoc.  xviii.  19. 
u  Awu/<euf  is  introduced  into  the  text  by  GIUESBACH,  MATTHAEI,  and  LACHMANX. 


THE   FIRST  EPISTLE   OF  PETER.  XXV 

to  them  there  is  reproach,  but  with  regard  to  yon  there  is 

15.  glory.1    But  let  none  of  you  suffer  as  a  murderer,   or  a 

16.  thief,  or  an   evil-doer,  or  as  an  intermeddler ; a  but  if  any 
suffer  as  a  Christion,  let  him  not  be  ashamed,  but  let  him 

17.  glorify  God  on  this  account.8    For  it  is  the  time  of  the 
commencement  of  the  judgment  from  the  house  of  God ;  and 
if  the  beginning  be  from  us,  what  will  be  the  issue*  with  those 

18.  who  disbelieve  the  gospel  of  God?     And  if  the  righteous 
scarcely  be  delivered,  where  shall  the  ungodly  and  sinner  ap- 

19.  pear  ?     Wherefore  let  even 6  those  who  suffer,  according  to 
the  will  of  God,  in  well  doing  commit  their  souls  to  Him,  who 
is 6  a  faithful  Creator. 

V.  1.      To  the  elders  among  you,  I  who  am  a  fellow-elder  and  a 
witness  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  a  sharer  in  the  glory 

2.  that  is  about  to  be  revealed,  give  this  exhortation.     Act  as 
shepherds  to  the  flock  of  God  that  is  among  you, 'superintend 
ing  them,  not  reluctantly,  but  willingly ;  not  from  a  sordid  love 

3.  of  gain,  but  from  a  spirit  of  zeal ;  neither  lording  it  over  the 

4.  allotted  portions,8  but  being  patterns  for  the  flock  ;9  and  when 
the  chief  shepherd 10  appears,  you  shall  receive  the  unfading 

5.  crown  of  glory.     In  like  manner,  you  juniors,  submit  your 
selves  to  the  elders,"  and  all  of  you  being  subject  to  each  other, 
be  girdled  with  humility ; "  for  God  opposes  the  haughty,  but  to 
the  humble  he  shows  favor. 

6.  Humble  yourselves,  then,  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God, 

7.  that  he  may  exalt  you  in  due  season : 13  casting  all  your  anxiety 
on  Him,  for  he  cares  for  you. 

8.  ^   Be  sober,  be  wakeful ;  your  adversary  the  devil,  like  a  roar- 

9.  ing  lion,  is  going  about  seeking  whom  he  may  devour;  Him 
resist,  standing  fast  in  the  faith, "knowing  that  the  same  kinds 
of  suffering  are  accomplished  in  your  brotherhood  while  in 

10.  the  world.     But  the  God  of  all  grace  who  has  called  you  to  his 

1  They  will  reproach,  but  you  will  be  honored.    This  clause  is  of  doubtful  authority. 
GBIESBACH  and  LACHMANN  omit  it. 

2  Alienorum  appetitor. — VULGATE.    Rerum  ad  se  non  pertinentium  curiosus  in 
spector. — ERASM.  SCHMED. 

3  2  Cor.  iii.  10 ;  ix.  3. 

4  Finis  judicii. — ERAS.  SCHMID. 

5  Kdi)  etiam,  concessive  cum  participio,  idem  quod  d  Kai  et  si  cum  verbo :  d  K.a.1 
irdaxoire  ch.  iii  14.     Non  debemus  ex  passione  diffidentiam  capere. — BENGEL. 

6  'S2f  ahr/dtic,  HESYCHIUS.  Revera,  vere  SCHLEUSNER.    Answering  to  the  lleb.  Caph 
veritatis.    Neh.  vii.  2.     Hos.  v.  10;  Ixx.    John  i.  14. 

*  As  much  as  lieth  in  you. — CRANMER. 

8  The  clergy. — WICLIF.  RHEMISTS.    The  parishes. — COVERDALE.    MATTHEWS.    CJJAN- 
MER.     Your  charges. — HAMMOND. 

9  THEOPHYLACT  and  (ECUMENIUS  consider  nai  as  an  alrioho-yiicdc  avvdeafia^. 
J°  Prince  of  shepherds. — WICLIF.     Prince  of  pastors. — RHEMISTS. 

^  The  Syriac  version  has  "your  elders,"  which  shows  us  how  its  author  understood 

VEUTEpOl. 


12  Put  on  humility  as  your  badge. — HAMMOND. 
^  13  1  Tim.  vi.  15.  2  Cor.  vi.  2.  Whether  here  01 
'  me. — STEIGEB. 

14  Erga  diffidentes  robur  habet,  erga  fideles  imbellis  est.— BULLINGER. 


.. .  or  hereafter,  certainly  at  a  seasonable 
tune. — STEIGEB. 


A  TRANSLATION  OF  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  OF  PETER. 

eternal  glory  in  Christ  Jesus,  after  you  Lave  suffered  a  little, 
shall  himself1  make  you  perfect,  stablish,  strengthen,  settle 

11.  you  ;a  His  is 3  the  glory  and  the  power,  forever  and  ever.  Amen. 

12.  By  Silvanus,  to  you  a  faithful  brother,  as  I  judge,  I  have 
briefly  written,  exhorting  you,  and  testifying  to  you  that  this  is 

13.  the  true  grace  of  God,  with  regard  to  which  do  you  stand.4 
The  church 6  in  Babylon,  chosen  as  you  are,  saluteth  you :  also 

14.  Marcus,  my  son.    Salute  each  other  with  a  kiss  of  love.    Peace 
be  with  you  all  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus.     Amen. 

»  Phil.  i.  6. 

2  The  elder  English  versions — COVERDALE,  MATTHEWS,  and  CRANMER — render  this  in 
the  future;  and  the  reading  on  which  this  rendering  rests,  that  of  the  Vulgate,  is  rec 
ognized  by  GRIESBACII,  SCHOLZ,  and  LACHMANN,  as  genuine.     Digna  Petro  oratio :  con- 
firmat  suos  fratres. — BENGEL. 

3  If,  as  is  generally  admitted,  the  verbs  in  the  previous  verse  be  in  the  future,  t* 
seems  a  more  suitable  supplement  than  be. 

4  2r//-£. — LACHMANN.     See  the  authorities  in  GRIESBACH  and  SCHOLZ. 
6  Literally  she,  that  is,  either 


EXPOSITOEY  DISCOURSES. 


DISCOURSE  I. 

.     INTRODUCTORY. 

THE  AUTHOR — THE  ADDRESS AND  THE  SALUTATION. 

1  PETEP.  i.  1,  2. — Peter,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  the  strangers  scattered  through 
out  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia,  and  Bithynia,  elect  according  to  the  foreknowl 
edge  of  God  the  Father,  through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit,  unto  obedience  and  sprink 
ling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ :  Grace  unto  you,  and  peace,  be  multiplied. 

INTRODUCTION. 

THE  Holy  Scriptures — the  inspired  record  of  the  revealed  will  of 
God — are  not  occupied  with  a  systematic  view  of  religious  and  moral 
truth  and  duty,  but  consist  of  a  great  variety  of  separate  treatises, 
some  of  them  historical,  others  didactic,  others  prophetical,  most  of 
them  written  in  prose,  though  some  of  them  in  verse,  composed  at 
irregular  intervals  during  a  period  of  fifteen  hundred  years,  and  gen 
erally  having  a  peculiar  reference  to  the  circumstances  of  those  to 
whom  they  were  originally  addressed.  The  miscellaneous  and  occa 
sional  character  thus  impressed  on  the  sacred  writings,  like  every 
thing  else  about  them,  bears  in  it  indications  of  their  divine  origin. 
It  prevents  the  appearance  of  human  art  or  contrivance ;  proves  that 
the  harmony  which  prevails  in  them  could  not  be  the  result  of  a  pre 
concerted  plan  on  the  part  of  the  writers  ;  and  leads  us  to  inquire 
for  a  reason — which  can  only  be  found  in  the  fact  that  they  were 
given  by  the  inspiration  of  Him  who  is  "the  only  wise  God" — why 
writings,  so  plainly  occasional  in  their  origin,  should,  notwithstand 
ing,  be  so  well  fitted  to  serve  the  purpose  of  a  universal  and  perma 
nent  rule  of  religious  belief  and  moral  conduct. 

A  considerable  part  of  the  second  volume  of  the  inspired  writing 
v-the  CHKISTIAN  Scriptures — consists  of  letters,  addressed  by  Apostles 
of  Christ,  some  of  them  to  individual  Christians,  most  of  them  to 
bodies  of  Christians  resident  in  particular  cities  or  districts.  These 
epistles  form  one  of  the  most  valuable  portions  of  the  Book  of  God. 
They  embody  in  them  much  evidence,  in  a  peculiarly  satisfactory 
form,  of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  history,  and  of  the  divine  origin  of 


28  INTRODUCTORY.  [DISC.  L 

Christianity ;  they  contain  in  them  the  full  development  of  the  Chris 
tian  doctrine,  given  by  men  on  whom,  according  to  His  promise,  the 
exalted  Eedeemer  had  conferred  the  Holy  Spirit,  "  to  guide  them  into 
all  the  truth  ;"  they  give  us  a  striking  exhibition  of  the  living  spirit  of 
Christianity,  and  its  influence  on  the  formation  of  character,  both  in 
the  writers  of  the  epistles  and  in  those  to  whom  they  are  addressed ; 
they  present  us  with  authentic  information  in  reference  to  the  consti 
tution,  government,  and  worship  of  the  primitive  Church  ;  and  they 
furnish,  in  the  most  useful  and  impressive  form,  a  complete  code  of 
Christian  morals. 

Among  these  apostolical  letters,  the  First  Epistle  of  the  Apostle  Peter 
has  always  held  a  high  place  in  the  estimation  of  the  Church.  Their 
opinion  cannot  be  better  expressed  than  in  the  words  of  the  heavenly 
Leighton  :  "  This  excellent  epistle,  full  of  evangelical  doctrine  and 
apostolical  authority,  is  a  brief  and  yet  very  clear  summary,  both  of 
the  consolations  and  instructions  needful  for  the  encouragement  and 
direction  of  a  Christian  in  his  journey  to  heaven ;  elevating  his 
thoughts  and  desires  to  that  happiness,  and  strengthening  him  against 
all  opposition  in  the  way,  both  that  of  corruption  within,  and  tempta 
tion  and  afflictions  from  without.  The  heads  of  doctrine  contained 
in  it  are  many ;  but  the  main  that  are  most  insisted  on,  are  these  three 
— Faith,  Obedience,  and  Patience — to  establish  them  in  believing,  to 
direct  them  in  doing,  and  to  comfort  them  in  suffering."1 

The  authenticity  and  genuineness  of  the  Epistle,  and  its  apostolic 
origin  and  consequent  divine  inspiration,  rest  on  the  most  satisfactory 
evidence.  It  is  alluded  to  in  the  second  epistle  bearing  Peter's  name ; 
the  great  antiquity  of  which  is  undoubted,  though  its  canonical  au 
thority  has  been  questioned.  It  is  plainly  referred  to  by  the  earliest 
Christian  writers,  as  Clement  of  Eome,  Ignatius,  Polycarp,  and  Ire- 
naeus ;  and  Eusebius  ranks  it  among  the  books  universally  admitted 
to  belong  to  the  sacred  canon.  The  doubts  which  have  been  thrown 
out  by  certain  German  critics,  in  later  times,  have  obviously  origin 
ated  in  the  very  wantonness  of  scepticism,  and  but  little  deserve  the 
grave  discussion  and  elaborate  refutation  they  have  received  from 
sounder  scholars. 

Like  the  letters  of  Paul,  this  composition  holds  a  middle  place  be 
tween  the  treatise  or  discourse  and  the  familiar  epistle.  It  is  not,  like 
the  epistles  to  the  Romans,  G-alatians,  and  Hebrews,  principally  occu 
pied  with  one  great  doctrinal  theme.  It  more  resembles  the  minor 
Pauline  epistles,  with  this  difference,  that  the  doctrinal  and  the  prac 
tical  statements  are  more  commingled.  There  is  comparatively  little 
discussion  or  argument  in  it.  It  is — as  the  author  himself  describes 
it  (ch.  v.  12) — a  testimony  and  an  exhortation.2 

The  natural  warmth  of  the  author's  disposition3  gives  to  the  style 
a  character  of  energy  approaching  to  vehemence ;  and  there  is  to  be 
found  just  such  a  familiarity  with  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures, 

1  Epistolam  profecto  dignam  apostolorum  principe,  plenam  auctoritatis  ac  majestatis 
apostohcae,  verbis  parcam,  seutentiis  differtam.—  ERASMUS.    Habet  hajc  epistola  rd 
a<j)o6pov  conveiuens  ingenio  principis  apostolorum. — GROTIUS.    Mirabilis  est  gra vitas  et 
alacritas  Petrini  sermonis,  suavissime  retinens  lectorein. — BENGEL. 

2  ILapdKaXuv  Kal  tKtjuapTvptiv.  s  Chrysostom  terms  him  'O  navraxov  Qepp.6^. 


DISC.  I.]  INTRODUCTION.  29 

manifesting  itself  not  only  in  direct  quotations,  but  in  numerous 
natural  allusions,  which  have  all  the  appearance  of  having  been  un 
conscious,  as  might  be  expected  in  the  composition  of  a  pious,  though, 
when  compared  with  Paul,  an  unlettered  Jew.1 

This  epistle  is  distinguished  for  great  tenderness  of  manner,  and 
for  bringing  forward  prominently  the  most  consolatory  parts  of  the 
Gospel.  The  apostle  "  wrote  to  those  who  were  in  affliction.  He 
was  himself  an  old  man.  He  expected  soon  to  be  with  the  Saviour. 
He  had  nearly  done  with  the  conflicts  and  toils  of  life.  It  was  natural 
that  he  should  direct  his  eye  onward  and  upward,  and  dwell  on  those 
things  in  the  Gospel  which  were  adapted  to  support  and  comfort  the 
soul.  There  is,  therefore,  scarcely  any  part  of  the  New  Testament 
where  the  ripe  and  mellow  Christian  will  find  more  that  is  adapted 
to  this  matured  feelings,  or  to  which  he  will  more  naturally  turn." 

There  is  great  compactness  of  thought  and  terseness  of  expression 
in  this  epistle.  It  seems  to  be  composed  of  a  succession  of  texts,  each 
one  fitted  to  constitute  the  subject  of  a  discourse.  There  is  more 
that  a  pastor  would  like  to  preach  on  in  a  course  of  expository  lec 
tures,  and  less  that  he  would  be  disposed  to  pass  over  as  not  so  well 
adapted  to  the  purposes  of  religious  instruction,  than  in  almost  any 
other  book  of  the  New  Testament.  There  is  almost  nothing  that  is 
of  merely  local  or  temporary  interest.  There  are  no  discussions 
about  points  pertaining  to  Jewish  customs,  such  as  we  meet  in  (most 
of)  Paul's  epistles.  There  is  little  that  pertains  particularly  to  one 
city  or  country.  Almost  all  is  of  universal  applicability  to  Chris 
tians,  and  may  be  read  with  as  much  interest  and  profit  now  by  us, 
as  by  those  to  whom  the  epistle  was  addressed.2 

There  are  plain  traces  in  the  epistle  of  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  modes  of  thought  and  expression  characteristic  of  the  writ 
ings  of  Paul,  which,  even  without  the  references  in  the  second  epistle 
(ch.  iii.  14,  15),  would  have  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  writer  had 
read  that  apostle's  epistles.3  Peter's  mode  of  writing  is  much  less 
than  Paul's  that  of  a  scholar ;  but  he  has  much  of  the  same  natural 
ease  of  diction,  tendency  to  digression,  and  use  of  figurative  lan 
guage. 

This  epistle  holds  an  intermediate  place  between  those  of  the  great 
apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  and  that  of  James  the  apostle  of  the  Circum 
cision.  It  resembles  both  in  a  greater  degree  than  they  resemble 
each  other.4 

With  respect  to  the  time  when  this  epistle  was  written,  we  have 
not  the  means  of  arriving  at  absolute  certainty.  The  probability 
seems  to  be,  that  its  true  date  is  about  A.D.  65,  the  eleventh  year  of 
Nero's  reign,  two  or  three  years  before  the  apostle's  martyrdom, 
which  is  generally  supposed  to  have  taken  place  A.D.  67.6 

It  may  be  proper  here  to  say  a  word  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  epithet 
General  or  Catholic,  which,  since  the  fourth  century,  has  been  giveo. 
to  this  epistle,  as  well  as  to  the  second  epistle  of  Peter,  and  the  epistles 
of  James,  John,  and  Jude.  This  is  not  a  question  of  vital  importance 

1  See  note  A.  2  Barnes.  3  See  note  B.  4  See  note  C. 

5  Hug's  Introduction,  sect,  clxiil ;  Steiger's  Exposition,  i.  33 ;  Kitto's  Cyclopaedia 
Michaelis'  Introduction,  iv.  325. 


30  INTRODUCTORY.  [DISC.  I. 

(for  the  appellation  has  no  claim  to  divine  authority),  and  it  is  well  it 
is  so,  for  there  seems  no  means  of  determining  it  with  any  thing  like 
certainty.  The  term  appears  originally  to  have  meant  an  epistle, 
directed  not  to  one  church,  but  to  all,  or  at  any  rate  to  many  churches, 
_  a  description  which  belongs  to  five  of  the  seven  epistles  so  distin 
guished  ;  the  other  two  being  addressed  to  individuals.  In  the  time 
of  Eusebius,  with  this  sense  seems  to  have  been  connected  the  some* 
what  cognate  one,  of  epistles  publicly  read  in  many,  or  all,  the 
churches,  on  account  of  the  excellence  and  usefulness  of  their  con 
tents;  and,  till  the  writings  of  the  New  Testament  were  collected 
into  one  volume,  it  appears  to  have  been  the  technical  name  by  which 
this  collection  of  epistles  was  distinguished  from  the  Pauline  Epistles.1 
The  object  of  the  apostle  in  this  epistle  is  plainly  to  confirm  the 
disciples  in  the  faith,  profession,  and  obedience  of  the  Gfospel;  by 
deepening  their  conviction  that  the  source  of  happiness,  and  the 
foundation  of  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  God,  were  contained  in  that 
faith  of  the  Eedeemer  which  had  been  announced  to  them,  and  re 
ceived  by  them  into  their  hearts  ;  that  that  doctrine  was  indeed  the 
everlasting  unchangeable  word  of  God,  and  that,  therefore,  they 
ought  to  aim  at  appropriating  it  with  childlike  simplicity,  that  so  they 
might  continually  advance  towards  "  the  measure  of  the  stature  of 
the  fulness  of  Christ  ;"  and  to  exhort  them  to  maintain  their  stead 
fastness  in  the  faith  under  all  persecutions,  and  a  corresponding 
course  of  conduct,  by  which  they  would  "  shine  as  lights  in  the 
world,"  and  refute  the  false  accusations  against  Christianity  and 
Christians.3 

It  is  my  intention,  "if  the  Lord  will,"  to  lay  before  you,  at  irregu 
lar  intervals,  a  series  of  expository  discourses  on  this  "  weighty  and 
powerful"  epistle,  and  the  passage  which  I  have  read  shall  form  the 
subject  of  the  first  of  these  discourses. 

These  verses  contain  the  inscription  and  the  salutation,  according 
to  the  ordinary  usage  of  the  apostolical  epistles  ;  and  naturally  lead 
us  to  speak,  I.  Of  the  writer  of  the  epistle—"  Peter,  an  apostle  of 
Jesus  Christ  ;"  II.  Of  those  to  whom  the  epistle  is  addressed—"  The 
elect  strangers  of  the  dispersion  in  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia, 
and  Bithynia—  elect  according  to  the  foreknowledge  of  God,  by  a 
spiritual  sanctification,  to  obedience  and  to  the  sprinkling  of  the  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ  ;"  and,  III.  Of  the  benevolent  wish  which  he  ex 
presses,  or  the  solemn  prayer  which  he  presents  for  them  —  "  Grace 
unto  you,  and  peace,  be  multiplied." 


I.—  OF  THE  WRITER  OF  THE  EPISTLE. 

The  writer  of  this  epistle,  whose  original  name  was  Simon,  was  & 
native  of  Bethsaida,  at  that  time  an  inconsiderable  village  on  the 
western  shore  of  the  sea  of  Galilee.  He  was  bred  to  the  occupation 


'  E'  "'  23;  Ncesselti  Opuscule,  fasc.ii.;  Michaelia;  Hug;  Scliott;  De 
2  tfeander. 


PART  I.]  THE  AUTHOR.  31 

of  a  fisherman,  which  seems  to  Lave  been  the  family  profession ;  and 
at  the  time  of  his  becoming  acquainted  with  Jesus  Christ,  he  was 
married,  and  had  removed  with  his  family  to  Capernaum.  His 
brother  Andrew,  who  was  a  disciple  of  John  the  Baptist,  having, 
heard  his  master  pronounce  Jesus,  whom  he  had  lately  baptized,  "  the 
Lamb  of  God,"  soli  cited  an  interview  with  him,  which  ended  in  his 
conviction  that  he  was  indeed  the  great  deliverer,  concerning  whom 
the  ancient  prophets  had  uttered  so  many  glorious  predictions,  and 
whose  appearance,  without  delay,  was  at  this  period  generally  ex 
pected  by  the  Jews.  He  communicated  the  joyful  intelligence  to  his 
brother  Simon,  whom  he  introduced  to  Jesus.  HE  also  appears  to 
have  become  from  that  day  a  believer ;  and,  in  the  exercise  of  that 
knowledge  of  the  secrets  of  the  heart  and  of  futurity  by  which  he 
was  distinguished,  Jesus,  in  reference  to  the  dispositions  he  should 
discover,  and  the  services  he  should  perform,  surnamed  him  Cephas, 
or  Petros — the  one  a  Chaldseo-Syriac,  the  other  a  Greek  word — both 
signifying  a  stone  or  rock. 

For  some  time  after  this,  these  two  brothers  continued  to  follow 
their  profession  as  fishermen.  But  one  day  Jesus,  after  having  con 
firmed  their  faith  by  a  miraculous  draught  of  fishes,  which  he  inti 
mated  was  emblematical  of  the  vast  multitudes  who,  through  their 
instrumentality,  were  to  become  his  followers,  required  their  constant 
attendance  on  him ;  and  when  he  soon  afterwards  selected  twelve 
of  his  disciples,  whom  he  termed  apostles,  and  intrusted  with  miracu 
lous  powers,  we  find  Peter's  name  holding  the  first  place  in  the  list. 
He  obviously  from  the  beginning  was  "  among  the  chief  of  the  apos 
tles,"  and  occupied  a  high  place,  comparatively  as  well  as  really,  in 
his  Master's  esteem  and  affection.  Of  this  we  have  satisfactory  evi 
dence  in  his  being,  along  with  John  and  James,  the  sons  of  Zebedee, 
chosen  to  witness  his  Lord's  glory  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration, 
and  his  agony  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane. 

None  of  the  apostles  was  more  firmly  persuaded  of  the  divinity 
of  Jesus'  mission,  more  affectionately  attached  to  his  person,  or  more 
zealously  devoted  to  his  cause.  When  many  of  his  disciples  who  had 
expected  from  the  Messiah  a  worldly  kingdom,  became  offended  with 
a  discourse  in  which  he  had  intimated  that  the  blessings  he  came  to 
procure  and  bestow  were  of  a  heavenly  kind,  and  "went  back,  and 
walked  no  more  with  him,"  Jesus  turned  to  his  little  chosen  band, 
and  asked  them  the  touching  question,  "  Will  ye  also  go  away  ?" 
Peter  exclaimed,  "  To  whom  can  we  go  but  to  thee  ?  thou  hast  the 
words  of  eternal  life.  And  we  know  and  art  sure  that  thou  art  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  On  another  occasion,  when  our 
Lord,  having  inquired  of  his  disciples  what  were  the  opinions  gen 
erally  entertained  of  him  by  his  countrymen,  put  the  question  to 
them,  "  Who  say  ye  that  I  am  ?"  Peter  immediately  replied,  "  Thou 
art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  His  warm  attachment  to 
his  Lord  was  as  strongly,  though  not  so  wisely,  manifested,  in  his  dis 
suading  him  from  submitting  to  suffering  and  death,  in  his  refusing 
to  allow  him  to  wash  his  feet,  in  his  declaration  that,  though  he 
should  die  with  him,  he  would  never  deny  him,  in  his  singly  drawing 
his  sword  against  a  numerous  body  of  armed  men  in  his  defence,  and 


32  INTRODUCTORY.  [DISC.  L 

in  his  persisting  to  follow  him  when  the  rest  of  the  disciples  had  for 
saken  him  and  fled. 

To  teach  Peter  his  own  weakness,  he  was  permitted  to  fall  before 
the  temptations  to  which  he  had  rashly  exposed  himself.  Thrice  in 
the  course  of  a  very  short  period  he  denied,  with  execrations,  that  he 
knew  Him  for  whom  he  had  so  lately,  both  by  words  and  deeds, 
shown  that  he  was  then  ready  to  lay  down  his  life.  _  The  fact  is  re 
corded,  not  for  Peter's  shame,  but  for  our  instruction ;  and  it  pro 
claims "Let  him  who  thinketh  he  standeth,  take  heed  lest  he  fall;" 

"  be  not  high-minded,  but  fear ;"  "  without  Christ  ye  can  do  nothing." 

"  Beware  of  Peter's  word, 

Nor  confidently  say, 
'I  never  will  deny  my  Lord ;' 

But  '  grant  I  never  may.' " 

When  our  Lord,  in  the  midst  of  his  sufferings,  cast  on  his  recreant 
disciple  a  look  of  wounded  but  unchanging  affection,  he  "  came  to 
himself,"  and,  stung  to  the  heart  at  the  thought  of  his  base  ingrati 
tude,  hastened  into  solitude,  and  "  wept  bitterly." 

It  is  a  striking  proof  of  Jesus'  peculiar  affection  to  our  apostle, 
that  in  the  message  he  sent  by  the  angel  to  his  disciples  by  Mary 
Magdalene,  to  whom  he  first  appeared  after  his  resurrection,  Peter  is 
particularly  mentioned.  "  Go  tell  the  disciples,  and  Peter."  This 
token  of  kindness  was  not  lost  on  him.  He  ran  immediately  to  the 
sepulchre,  and  went  into  it  to  ascertain  that  the  body  was  indeed  not 
there ;  and  he  had  the  high  honor  of  being  the  first  among  the  apos 
tles  who  saw  his  risen  Eedeemer,  though  we  have  no  particular  ac 
count  of  the  interview. 

Some  time  after  the  resurrection,  •  our  Lord  gave  Peter  a  most 
overwhelming  proof  of  his  regard,  and  afforded  him  an  honorable 
opportunity  of  manifesting,  in  the  presence  of  his  brethren,  his  una 
bated  love  for  his  Master,  and  his  increased  distrust  of  himself.  It 
would  be  injustice  to  tell  the  story  in  other  words  than  those  of  the 
inspired  historian,  John  xxi.  15-19.  "  So,  when  they  had  dined,  Jesus 
saith  to  Simon  Peter,  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  more  than 
these  ?  He  saith  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love 
thee.  He  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my  lambs.  He  saith  to  him  again 
the  second  time,  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  ?  He  saith 
unto  him,  Yea,  Lord ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He  saith  unto 
him,  Feed  my  sheep.  He  saith  unto  him  the  third  time,  Simon,  son 
of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  ?  Peter  was  grieved  because  he  said  unto 
him  the  third  time,  Lovest  thou  me  ?  And  he  said  unto  him,  Lord, 
thou  knowest  all  things ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  Jesus  saith 
unto  him,  Feed  my  sheep.  Yerily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  When 
thou  wast  young,  thou  girdest  thyself  and  walkedst  whither  thou 
wouldest :  but  when  thou  shalt  be  old,  thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy 
hands,  and  another  shall  gird  thee,  and  carry  thee  whither  thou 
wouldest  not.  This  spake  he,  signifying  by  what  death  he  should 
glorify  God.  And  when  he  had  spoken  this,  he  saith  unto  him,  Fol 
low  me." 


PART  I.J  THE    AUTHOR.  33 

Peter  was  present  with  his  brethren  on  that  memorable  day,  when 
Jesus  "  led  them  out  as  far  as  to  Bethany,  and  lifted  up  his  hands  and 
blessed  them ;  and  while  he  blessed  them,  he  was  parted  from  them, 
and  carried  up  into  heaven."  Not  one  of  them  gazed  with  a  moie 
eager  eye  upward  till  the  form  of  the  Saviour  vanished  in  the  cloud 
of  glory,  or  with  a  heart  more  full  of  solemn  gladness  returned  to 
Jerusalem. 

Immediately  after  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  Peter  was 
honored  to  open  the  gates  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  the  Jews,  by 
preaching  the  first  Gospel  sermon  properly  so  called,  and  that  sermon 
was  blessed  to  the  conversion  of  three  thousand  souls. 

After  having,  along  with  John,  performed  a  miracle  of  healing,  he 
delivered  an  eloquent  and  convincing  discourse,  by  means  of  which 
multitudes  were  induced  to  embrace  the  Gospel ;  and  when  brought 
before  the  council,  he  showed  how  completely  our  Lord's  promise  had 
been  performed,  that  he  would  give  to  his  apostles  "  a  spirit  and  a 
wisdom  which  all  their  adversaries  would  be  unable  to  resist." 

At  his  reproof  Ananias  and  Sapphira,  who  had  attempted  to  im 
pose  on  the  apostles,  were  struck  with  instantaneous  death. 

Many  of  the  Samaritans  having  embraced  Christianity  in  conse 
quence  of  the  preaching  of  Philip,  Peter  visited  them,  and  by  the 
laying  on  of  his  hands  they  received  the  supernatural  gifts  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  We  find  him  afterwards  at  Lydda,  healing  Eneas,  who 
had  been  eight  years  confined  to  his  bed  by  palsy ;  and  at  Joppa 
raising  Tabitha  from  the  dead. 

He  who  had  opened  the  gate  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  the 
Jews,  was  called  on  also,  in  the  case  of  the  centurion  Cornelius  and 
his  family,  to  open  the  same  gate  to  the  Gentiles.  In  consequence 
of  a  divine  mission  he  preached  to  them  the  Gospel,  and  while  he  was 
preaching  it,  "the  Lord  gave  testimony  to  the  word  of  his  grace," 
and  shed  forth  on  them  abundantly  the  Holy  Ghost. 

On  his  return  to  Jerusalem,  Herod  Agrippa  cast  him  into  prison 
with  the  intention  of  putting  him  to  death  by  public  execution,  but 
he  was  miraculously  delivered  by  an  angel,  and  restored  to  liberty. 

At  the  meeting  of  what  is  ordinarily  termed  the  council  or  synod 
of  Jerusalem,  Peter  strongly  asserted  the  freedom  of  believing  'Gen 
tiles  from  all  obligation  to  observe  the  law  of  Moses,  and  urged  the 
circumstances  of  the  conversion  of  Cornelius  and  his  family,  as  an 
irrefragable  proof  of  the  doctrine  which  he  taught  on  that  subject. 
Some  time  after  this,  being  at  Antioch,  he  acted  on  this  liberal  prin 
ciple,  by  maintaining  an  unrestricted  freedom  of  intercourse  with  the 
converted  Gentiles,  till  a  fear  of  offending  some  Jewish  Christians, 
zealous  for  the  law,  induced  him,  from  a  mistaken  notion  of  ex 
pediency,  to  "  withdraw  himself."  This  inconsistent,  rather  than  un 
principled,  conduct  drew  on  him  the  honest  reproof  of  the  apostle 
Paul,  who  in  a  very  convincing  manner  showed  that  his  fellow-apos 
tle  was  now  contradicting  by  action  what  he  had  asserted  in  words, 
and  building  up  again  what  he  had  destroyed. 

We  have  no  further  account  of  the  apostle  Peter  in  the  New  Tes 
tament.  A  careful  attention  to  the  hints  met  with  in  authentic  church 
history,  has  led  the  best  informed  writers  to  believe,  that,  having  re- 

3 


34  INTRODUCTORY.  [DISC.  I. 

turned  to  Judea  from  Antioch,  he  remained  at  Jerusalem  for  some 
years,  and  that  he  then  returned  into  Syria,  and  from  thence  visited 
'hose  provinces  mentioned  in  the  inscription  of  this  epistle,  and  formed 
an  acquaintance  with  those  churches  for  whose  edification  his  two 
epistles  were  intended.  On  leaving  these  parts,  he  probably  went 
into  the  Parthian  empire,  where  he  appears  to  have  been  laboring 
when  this  epistle  was  written. 

The  remaining  history  of  the  apostle  is  involved  in  obscurity.  It  is 
not  impossible  that  he  went  to  Rome  after  Paul  had  left  it  for  the  last 
time ;  and  there,  now  an  old  man,  sealed  his  testimony  with  his  blood, 
and  obtained  the  crown  of  martyrdom,  being  put  to  death  by  the 
order  of  the  inhuman  Nero.  It  is  storied  that  he  was  crucified  with 
his  head  downward — himself  observing  with  characteristic  affection 
and  humility,  "  that  he  was  unworthy  of  the  honor  of  being  crucified 
in  the  same  way  as  his  Master  was." l  This  observation,  savoring 
so  much  more  of  the  morbid  piety  of  what  is  called  ancient  Chris 
tianity,  than  of  simple  apostolic  humility,  goes  far  to  discredit  the 
whole  story.  It  seems  certain,  however,  that  he  was  crucified,  and 
that  thus  was  the  enigmatic  prophecy  of  our  Lord  explained  by  its 
fulfilment,  in  which  he  signified  by  what  death  Peter  should  glorify 
God — John  xxi.  18,  19,  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  When  thou 
wast  young,  thou  girdedst  thyself,  and  walkedst  whither  thou  wouldest : 
but  when  thou  shalt  be  old,  thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy  hands,  and 
another  shall  gird  thee,  and  carry  thee  whither  thou  wouldest  not. 
This  spake  he,  signifying  by  what  death  he  should  glorify  God.  And 
when  he  had  spoken  this,  he  saith  unto  him,  Follow  me." 

Such  is  a  short  outline  of  the  more  important  facts  known  in  refer 
ence  to  the  venerable  writer  of  this  epistle.2 

Peter  describes  himself  as  an  "Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ."  The 
word  apostle  signifies  a  person  sent  by  another,  a  messenger.  The 
term  is,  in  the  New  Testament,  generally  employed  as  the  descriptive 
appellation  of  a  comparatively  small  class  of  men  to  whom  Jesus 
Christ  intrusted  the  organization  of  his  Church,  and  the  dissemination 
of  his  religion  among  mankind.  At  an  early  period  of  his  ministry 
"  he  ordained  twelve"  of  his  disciples,  "  that  they  should  be  with  him." 
These  he  named  apostles.  Some  time  afterwards,  "  he  gave  to  them 
power  against  unclean  spirits,  to  cast  them  out,  and  to  heal  all  man 
ner  of  disease;"  and  "he  sent  them  to  preach  the  kingdom  of  God."3 
To  them  he  gave  "  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  and  consti 
tuted  them  princes  over  the  spiritual  Israel,  that  people  whom  God 
was  to  take  "  from  among"  the  Jews  and  "  the  Gentiles  for  his  name."  * 
Previously  to  his  death  he  promised  them  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  fit  them 
to  be  the  founders  and  governors  of  the  Christian  Church.5  After 
his  resurrection,  he  solemnly  confirmed  their  call,  saying,  "  As  the 
Father  hath  sent  me,  so  send  I  you;"6  and  gave  them  a  commission 

'  Clem.  Rom.  Ep.  1  ad  Corinth,  c.  v.    Euseb.  H.  E.  ii.  25,  iii.  1.    Chron.  ad  an.  xiv 
JNeroms.    Lactot.  dc  mort.  persecut.,  c.  ii.  Inst.  div.  iv.  21. 
For  the  authorities  of  the  above  statement,  see  note  D. 
Mnrk  iii.  14.    Matt.  x.  1-5.    Mark  vi.  7.    Luke  vi.  13 :  ix.  1. 
Matt.  xvi.  19 ;  xviii.  18 ;  xix.  28.    Luke  xxii.  30. 
John  xiv.  16,  17,  26;  xv.  26,  27;  xvi.  7-15. 
&jr«rraA«£  ju  5  IlarJJp,  /caya)  ir^jru  fyof. 


PART  I.]  THE    AUTHOR.  35 

to  "  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature/' l  After  his  ascension,  he, 
on  the  Day  of  Pentecost,  communicated  to  them  thosesupernatural 
gifts  which  were  necessary  to  the  performance  of  the  high  functions 
he  had  commissioned  them  to  discharge  ;  and  in  the  exercise  of  these 
gifts,  they,  in  the  Gospel  history,  and  in  their  epistles,  with  the  apoca 
lypse,  gave  a  complete  view  of  the  will  of  their  Master,  in  reference 
to  that  new  order  of  things  of  which  he  was  the  author.  They 
"had  the  mind  of  Christ."  They  spoke  "the  wisdom  of  God  in  a 
mystery."  That  mystery  "  God  revealed  to  them  by  his  Spirit,"  and 
they  spoke  it  "  not  in  words  which  man's  wisdom  teacheth,  but  which 
the  Holy  Ghost  teacheth."  They  were  "  ambassadors  for  Christ," 
and  besought  men  "  in  Christ's  stead  to  be  reconciled  to  God."  They 
authoritatively  taught  the  doctrine  and  law  of  the  Lord  ;  they  organ 
ized  Churches,  and  required  them  to  "  keep  the  traditions,"  that  is, 
the  doctrines  and  ordinances  "delivered  to  them."2 

The  characteristic  features  of  the  apostles  as  official  men  were, 
that  they  had  seen  the  Lord,  and  been  eye  and  ear  witnesses  of  what 
they  testified  to  the  world ; 3  that  they  had  been  called  and  chosen 
immediately  by  Christ ;  *  that  they  were  infallibly  inspired  to  declare 
his  doctrine  and  laws;5  that  they  possessed  the  power  of  working 
miracles;6  and  that  their  commission  was,  strictly  speaking,  catholic, 
extending  to  the  whole  Church, — to  the  whole  world.7 

It  must  be  obvious,  from  this  scriptural  account  of  the  apostolical 
office,  that  the  apostles  had — could  have,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the 
term — no  successors.  Their  qualifications  were  supernatural,  and 
their  work  once  performed,  remains  in  the  infallible  record  of  the 
New  Testament  for  the  advantage  of  the  Church  and  the  world  in 
all  future  ages.  They  are  the  only  authoritative  teachers  of  Chris- 
tian  doctrine  and  law.  All  official  men  in  Christian  churches  can 
legitimately  claim  no  higher  place  than  that  of  expounders  of  the 
doctrines,  and  administrators  of  the  laws,  found  in  their  writings. 
Few  things  have  been  more  injurious  to  the  cause  of  Christianity, 
than  the  assumption,  on  the  part  of  ordinary  office-bearers  in  the 
Church,  of  the  peculiar  prerogatives  of  "  the  holy  Apostles  of  our 
Lord  Jesus."  Much  that  is  said  of  the  latter  is  not  at  all  applicable 
to  the  former,  and  much  that  admits  of  being  thus  applied,  can  be  so, 
in  accordance  with  truth,  only  in  a  very  secondary  and  extenuated 
sense.8 

To  this,  the  highest  and  holiest  office  ever  held  by  mere  man,  the 
author  of  this  epistle  had  been  called  by  his  Master ;  and  it  appears 
that,  in  the  exercise  of  its  important  functions,  his  labors  were  chiefly, 
though  not  exclusively,  devoted  to  his  "brethren,  his  kinsmen  ac 
cording  to  the  flesh." 9  Though  there  is  no  ground  for  the  assertion, 

1  John  xx.  21-23.    Matt,  xviii.  18-20. 

3  Acts  ii.     1  Cor.  ii.  16 ;  ii.  7,  10,  13.     2  Cor.  v.  20.     1  Cor.  xi.  2. 

"  John  xv.  27.    Acts  i.  21,  22.     1  Cor.  xv.  8 ;  ix.  1.    Acts  xxii.  14,  15. 

Luke  vi.  13.     Gal.  i.  1. 

John  xvi.  13.     1  Cor.  ii.  10.    Gal.  i.  11,  12.    John  xiv.  26. 

Mark  xvi.  20.    Acts  ii.  43.     1  Cor.  xii.  8-11.    2  Cor.  xii.  12. 

2  Cor.  xi.  28.     Acts  xvi.  4.     1  Cor.  v.  3-6.     2  Cor.  x.  8;  xiii.  10. 

Vide  Campbell's  Lectures  on  Ecclesiastical  History,  Lect.  v :  Kitto's  Cyclopaedia  of 
Bib.  Lit,  vol.  i.  p.  179,  <fec. 
9  Gal.  ii.  8.  9 


3o  INTRODUCTORY.  [DISC.  I. 

that  Peter  was  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  or  had  even  a  permanent 
presidency  among  them,  yet  there  can  be  no  doubt  he  stood  very  high 
in  the  estimation  of  his  brethren — was  among  those  who  "  seemed  to 
be  pillars/'—"  the  very  chiefest  apostles."  l 


IL    OF  THOSE  TO  WHOM  THE  EPISTLE  IS  ADDRESSED. 

The  persons  to  whom  the  epistle  is  addressed,  come  next  to  be  con 
sidered.  They  are  described  first,  generally,  as  "  elect,"  or  chosen, 
and  then,  particularly,  both  as  to  their  external  circumstances  and  to 
their  spiritual  state  and  character.  With  regard  to  the  former,  they 
are  "  the  strangers  scattered  abroad,  throughout  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cap* 
padocia,  Asia,  and  Bithynia."  With  regard  to  the  latter,  they  are  "elect, 
according  to  the  foreknowledge  of  God,  through  sanctification  of  the 
Spirit,  to  obedience  and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ." 

It  has  been,  and  is  a  question  among  expositors,  who  are  the  per 
sons  to  whom  this  epistle  is  addressed.  It  is  plainly  addressed  to 
Christians,  and  to  Christians  resident  in  the  countries  specified ;  but, 
according  to  one  class  of  interpreters,  it  is  addressed  to  the  Jew 
ish  converts  resident  in  these  regions  ;  by  another  class,  it  is  consid 
ered  as  addressed  to  the  Gentile  converts  resident  there ;  by  a  third 
class,  it  is  considered  as  addressed  to  those  who  are  called  "proselytes 
of  the  gate," — persons  by  birth  Gentiles,  but  who  had  embraced 
Judaism,  and  had  afterwards  been  converted  to  Christianity. 

We  apprehend  that  the  true  view  of  the  matter  is,  that  the  Epistle 
was  addressed  to  the  Christian  converts  generally,  whether  Jews  or 
Gentiles,  residing  in  the  countries  mentioned.  As  a  majority  of 
these  were  Jews,  and  as  Peter  was  not  only  a  Jew,  but  the  Apostle 
of  the  Circumcision,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  the  circumstances  and 
duties  of  the  persons  addressed  are  spoken  of,  so  frequently,  I  had  al 
most  said,  so  uniformly,  in  language  referring  to  the  peculiarities  of 
the  Jewish  economy.2 

These  persons  are  described, — first,  generally  as  "  elect"  or  chosen. 
It  appears  to  me  a  doctrine  not  only  very  plainly  revealed  in  Scrip 
ture,  but  necessarily  resulting  from  the  principles  of  natural  religion, 
that  all  who  enjoy  the  blessings  of  Christianity,  the  saving  benefits  of 
pardon,  sanctification,  and  eternal  life,  do  so  in  consequence  of  the 
sovereign  free  love  of  God,  which,  like  himself,  is  necessarily  eternal ; 
or,  in  other  words,  were  elected  from  unbeginning  ages  to  the  happi 
ness  bestowed  on  them.  This  doctrine  is  taught  with  peculiar  plain 
ness  in  the  1st  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  3-5  :  "Blessed 
be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  blessed  us 
with  all  spiritual  blessings  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ;  according  as 
he  hath  chosen  us  in  him  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  that  we 
should  be  holy  and  without  blame  before  him  in  love :  having  pre 
destinated  us  unto  the  adoption  of  children  by  Jesus  Christ  to  himself, 
according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  his  will/' 

1  Gal.  ii.  9.     2  Cor.  xi.  5. 

9  Vide  Michaelis'  Introduction,  by  Marsh,  vol.  iv.  315-325;  Schott  Isagoge  in  lib. 
N.  F.  Sac.  p.  403.  For  a  particular  account  of  the  countries  here  referred  to,  vid» 
Steiger  Exp.  of  the  First  Ep.  of  Peter,  Introd.  sec.  6,  vol.  i.  pp.  14-19. 


PART  II.]  THE    ADDRESS.  37 

At  the  same  time,  I  apprehend,  the  word  "  elect "  here,  and  in  a 
number  of  other  places  in  the  New  Testament,  does  not  refer  directly 
to  what  has  been  termed  the  electing  decree,1  but  to  the  manifesta 
tion  of  it  in  the  actually  selecting  certain  individuals  from  amidst  a 
world  lying  in  wickedness,  that  they  may  be  set  apart  to  God,  and 
become  his  peculiar  people.  The  remark  of  Leighton  appears  to  me 
very  judicious  :  "  Election  here  means  the  selecting  them  out  of  the 
world  and  joining  them  to  the  fellowship  of  the  people  of  God."  This 
is  the  election  which  our  Lord  speaks  of  when  he  says,  "  Because  ye 
are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen  " 2 — selected — "  you  out  of  the 
world,  therefore  the  world  hateth  you ;" 3  and  the  apostle  Paul  plainly 
speaks  of  the  election  and  the  vocation  of  the  Corinthians,  as  the  same 
thing.  "  Ye  see  your  calling — for  God  hath  chosen  the  foolish  things 
of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise ;  and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak 
things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  things  which  are  mighty ;  and 
base  things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are  despised,  hath  God 
chosen,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to  bring  to  naught  things  that 
are :  that  no  flesh  should  glory  in  his  presence."4  As  Israel,  as  a  na 
tion,  was  selected  to  be  a  peculiar  people  to  Jehovah,  so  true  Chris 
tians  are,  as  individuals,  selected  to  be  a  part  of  God's  spiritual  "pur 
chased  inheritance,"  or  peculiar  people. 

These  selected  or  chosen  persons  are  described,  first,  as  to  their  ex 
ternal  condition.  They  are  represented  as  "strangers5  scattered 
abroad."  The  appellation  is  borrowed  from  the  term  generally  given 
to  Jews  dwelling  in  Gentile  lands.6  The  situation  of  Christians, 
while  on  earth,  does  not  resemble  that  of  Israel  dwelling  irr  peace  and 
security  in  Canaan,  but  that  of  Israelites  sojourning  among  strangers 
and  enemies.  The  selected  people  of  God,  while  here  below,  are  not 
gathered  into  one  place,  assembled  together  as  citizens  of  the  same 
city — children  of  the  same  family.  They  will  be  so  by-and-by,  but 
now  they  are  "  strangers,"  "  pilgrims,"  "  sojourners,"  being  a  small 
minority  among  a  people  whose  habits  of  thought  and  feeling,  whose 
pursuits  and  whose  pleasures,  are  altogether  alien  from  theirs  ;  and 
"scattered"  strangers,  as  being  not  merely  far  from  home,  but  often 
far  from  each  other,  and  but  imperfectly  enjoying  the  comfort  and 
support  arising  from  intimate  communion  with  persons  of  kindred 
sentiments  and  affections.  Such  was  the  external  state  of  the  Chris 
tians  to  whom  this  epistle  was  addressed — such  is  the  external  state 
of  true  Christians  still. 

The  particular  description  of  the  spiritual  state  of  these  selected 
and  dispersed  strangers  now  requires  our  attention.  They  are  "elect 
according  to  the  foreknowledge  of  God" — they  are  " elect  through 
sanctification  of  the  spirit" — they  are  "elect  to  obedience  and  sprink 
ling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus." 

They  are  "  elect  according  to  the  foreknowledge  of  God."  7  Here 
is  the  doctrine  of  election  very  plainly  stated.  They  were  selected 

1   'H  «car*  c*Xoy>>  itp6Qsais. — Rom.  i*.  11.  *  John  XV.  19. 

*  See  note  E.  4  1  Cor.  i.  20-29. 

Ilaf£iri%oif.    The  word  expresses  two  ideas:  not  natives  of  the  country  in  which 
they  are  •  not  settled  residents  in  that  foreign  country. 

8  4H  <5ia<77ropd.— John  vii.  35.  7  gee  note  F. 


38  INTRODUCTORY.  [DISC.  I. 

from  the  rest  of  mankind,  not  because  they  were  better  than  others. 
They  were  selected  in  accordance  with  the  sovereign  will  of  Him 
"  to  whom  all  his  works  are  known  from  the  beginning  of  the  world." 
They  are  the  " called"  or  chosen  "according  to  his  purpose;"  and 
the  purpose  in  reference  to  his  choice  of  them  stands,  '  not  of  works, 
but  of  him  that  calleth."  No  cause  can  be  assigned  for  them  being 
selected  rather  than  others,  but  the  sovereign  free  love  of  God.  "  He 
hath  mercy  on  whom  he  will  have  mercy ;  he  hath  compassion  on 
whom  he  will  have  compassion."  When  the  Lord  set  his  love  on  Is 
rael,  and  chose  them  to  be  his  peculiar  people,  the  cause  was  not  in 
them,  but  in  himself;  it  was  just  because  he  loved  them — "  because 
he  had  a  delight  in  them  to  love  them  ;"  and  it  is  equally  true  that  the 
selection  of  certain  individuals  to  enjoy  the  better  blessings  of  the 
better  economy,  can  be  traced  by  us  to  nothing  but  the  sovereign 
kindness  of  Him  \vho  "  worketh  all  things  according  to  the  counsel  of 
his  own  will."1 

They  are  "  elect  through  sanctification  of  the  spirit."  Sanctifica- 
tion  means  here,  as  usually  in  the  New  Testament,  separation — set 
ting  apart ;  and  sanctification  of  the  spirit2  means  spiritual  separa 
tion,  as  exposed  to  external  or  bodily  separation.3  When  Israel  was 
chosen  to  be  God's  peculiar  people,  in  being  separated  from  all  na 
tions,  they  were  marked  by  a  great  variety  of  external  distinctions. 
They  lived  in  a  country  of  their  own,  were  distinguished  by  peculiar 
civil  laws  and  customs,  and  were  warned  to  abstain  from  all  intimate 
intercourse  of  any  kind  with  the  surrounding  nations.  The  peculiar 
people  of  God,  under  the  new  dispensation,  are  also  separated  from 
the  rest  of  mankind  :  but  their  separation  is  of  a  spiritual  kind.  They 
are  separated  from  them  not  civilly,  but  religiously — separated  from 
them  in  their  sentiments  and  affections.  Spiritually  they  "  come  out 
from  the  world,  and  are  separate  ;"  but  in  reference  to  the  affairs  of 
this  world,  they  are  not  a  separate  society.4 

They  are  "  elect,  according  to  the  divine  foreknowledge,  and  by 
this  spiritual  separation  to  obedience."5  The  full  expression  is  "  the 
obedience  of  faith,"  or  the  obedience  of  the  truth  ;  and  to  obey  the 
faith  or  the  truth,  is  just  to  believe  the  Gospel  and  live  under  its  influ 
ence.  That  the  New  Testament  writers  use  the  word  "  obedience" 
simply,  when  they  mean  "  the  obedience  of  faith,"  is  evident  from  the 
following  passage  in  the  epistle  to  the  Romans,  ch.  vi.  16,  17  :  "Know 
ye  not,  that  to  whom  ye  yield  yourselves  servants  to  obey,  his  ser 
vants  ye  are  to  whom  ye  obey ;  whether  of  sin  unto  death,  or  of  obe 
dience  unto  righteousness  ?  But  God  be  thanked,  that  ye  were  the 
servants  of  sin;  but  ye  have  obeyed  from  the  heart  that  form  of  doc 
trine  which  was  delivered  you."  When  Israel  became  the  peculiar 
people  of  God,  by  his  selecting  them  according  to  his  sovereign  good 
pleasure,  and  externally  separating  them  to  himself,  it  was  that  they 
might  be  subject  to  his  laws.  In  like  manner,  when  individuals  are 
selected  by  God  to  form  a  part  of  his  peculiar  people  under  the  better 
economy,  according  to  his  foreknowledge,  and  are  spiritually  separa 
ted  and  set  apart,  it  is  that  they  may  obey  its  law— that  they  may  be- 

*  Rom.  ix.  11,  15.    Deut.  x.  15.    Eph.  i.  11.       2  'Ei/  Aym^  wttuaros,  not  rot 

•  See  note  G.  «  See  note  H.  6  See  note  I 


PART  III.]  THE    SALUTATION.  39 

lieve  the  Gospel,  and  give  up  their  whole  inner  and  outer  man  to  be 
regulated  by  its  influence — it  is  that,  taught  by  "  the  grace  of  God, 
which  brings  salvation,"  they  may  "  deny  ungodliness  and  worldly 
lusts,  and  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in  this  present  world ; 
looking  for  that  blessed  hope,  and  the  glorious  appearing  of  the  great 
God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ :  who  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he 
might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar 
people,  zealous  of  good  works."1 

Still  farther,  they  are  "  elect — to  the  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ."  When  Israel  were  chosen  to  be  God's  people,  and  exter 
nally  set  apart  for  this  purpose,  it  was  not  only  that  they  might  be 
subject  to  his  law,  but  that  they  might  share  in  the  effects  of  that  law's 
expiatory  offerings — that,  being  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  the  sacri 
fices  by  which  that  covenant  was  ratified,  their  ceremonial  guilt  might 
be  pardoned,  their  ceremonial  pollution  removed,  and  that  they  might 
be  fitted  for  external  fellowship  with  Jehovah  as  their  God  and  King. 
When  God,  in  accordance  with  his  sovereign  purpose  of  mercy,  selects 
individuals,  and  sets  them  spiritually  apart  for  his  people,  it  is  that, 
through  the  faith  of  the  Gospel,  they  may  be  personally  interested  in 
the  blessings  procured  by  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ  as  a  propitiatory 
sacrifice  for  the  sins  of  men — that  their  sins  may  be  forgiven  them, 
that  the  jealousies  of  guilt  may  be  removed,  that  they  may  be  enabled 
and  disposed  with  a  true  heart  to  approach  to  God,  as  rich  in  mercy, 
ready  to  forgive,  "  God  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  to  himself ;" 
and  in  spiritual  fellowship  with  him,  with  minds  conformed  to  his 
mind,  and  wills  conformed  to  his  will,  serve  him  with  their  souls  and 
bodies,  which  are  his,  not  only  because  they  are  made  by  him,  but 
because  they  have  been  "  redeemed"  to  him,  "  not  by  corruptible 
things  as  silver  and  gold,  but  by  precious  blood,  the  blood  of  Christ, 
as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without  £pot."  2 

Such  is  the  apostle's  description  of  the  spiritual  state,  character,  and 
circumstances  of  those  whom  he  addresses.  They  are  selected  by 
God  according  to  his  own  sovereign  purpose,  and  spiritually  set  apart 
for  him,  that  believing  the  Gospel,  they  may  enjoy  all  the  blissful 
results  of  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ  the  just  one,  in  the  room  of  the 
unjust.3 

Ill— THE  SALUTATION  OF  THE  EPISTLE. 

The  benevolent  wish  or  solemn  prayer  which  the  apostle  presents 
for  those  to  whom  he  writes,  now  calls  for  our  consideration  :  "  Grace 
unto  you,  and  peace,  be  multiplied." 

"  Grace"  is  free  favor — sovereign  kindness — the  principle  in  the 
divine  mind  from  which  all  blessings  to  sinful  men  flow.  The  word 
is  often  used  as  a  general  name  for  those  blessings  which  flow  from 
this  sovereign  kindness.  Grace  here  plainly  is  the  grace  of  God. 
The  prayer,  "  Grace  be  multiplied  unto  you,"  implied  that  they  were 
already  objects  of  the  grace  of  God,  and  is  equivalent  to — '  God  loves 
you,  and  has  given  you  proofs  of  his  love.  Had  he  not  loved  you, 
would  he  have  selected  you — would  he  have  spiritually  set  you  apart 
l  Tit.  ii.  11-14.  3  1  Pet.  i.  18,  19.  »  See  note  K. 


40  INTRODUCTORY.  [DISC.  I. 

for  himself— would  he  have  brought  you  to  the  obedience  of  the  truth 
— would  he  have  sprinkled  you  with  the  blood  of  Jesus  ?  May  you 
have  continued,  increasing,  and  multiplied  proofs  that  God  loves  you, 
in  the  continuance,  and  increase,  and  multiplication  of  all  heavenly 
and  spiritual  blessings !' 

"  Peace"  is  not  so  much  a  different  thing  from  "  grace,"  as  a  differ 
ent  view  of  the  same  thing.  We  call  spiritual  blessings  "  grace,"  as 
springing  from  God's  sovereign  kindness.  We  call  them  "  peace,"  as 
calculated  to  tranquillize  our  minds  and  make  us  happy.  The  prayer, 
"  Peace  be  multiplied  to  you,"  is  equivalent  to — '  You  already  enjoy 
peace  and  happiness/  For  "  they  who  believe,  do  enter  into  rest." 
'  May  your  happiness  be  continued — may  it  increase  !'  May  "  the 
peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding,  keep  your  hearts  and 
minds  in  Christ  Jesus  !" 

Having  thus,  very  cursorily,  considered  the  interesting  topics  sug 
gested  by  this  passage  of  Scripture,  let  us,  my  brethren,  endeavor  to 
turn  them  to  practical  account.  A  great  majority  of  us  are  professors 
of  Christianity.  Does  the  description  given  in  the  text  suit  us  ? 
Have  we  any  satisfactory  evidence  that  we  have  been  selected  by 
God — called  by  his  grace — spiritually  separated  to  his  service — that 
we  have  believed  the  truth,  and  are  enjoying  the  happy  consequence 
of  the  belief  of  the  truth,  in  having  the  heart  sprinkled  from  an  evil 
conscience  by  the  blood  of  Christ  ?  Do  we  feel  that  here  we  are 
"strangers  of  the  dispersion,"  and  are  waiting  for  "the  gathering 
together,"  at  the  period  when  all  the  citizens  of  heaven  shall  be  assem 
bled  in  the  New  Jerusalem,  where  all  the  children  of  God  shall  be 
brought  home  to  their  Father's  house  ?  If  this  is  the  case  with  you, 
brethren,  then  let  your  conduct  correspond  with  your  privileges  ;  and 
"  may  grace  and  peace  be  multiplied  to  you,  and  to  all  the  Israel  of 
God." 

If  it  be  otherwise,  we  call  on  you  now  to  obey  the  truth,  and, 
through  the  obedience  of  the  truth,  to  submit  your  hearts  and  con 
sciences  to  the  pacifying  and  purifying  influence  of  the  atoning  blood 
of  Jesus.  We  know  nothing  about  the  purpose  of  God  in  reference 
to  individuals  till  that  purpose  is  manifested  in  its  execution  ;  but  we 
do  know  the  purpose  of  God  in  reference  to  lost  men  generally,  and 
we  proclaim  it  as  the  appointed  means  of  gathering  from  among  men 
the  elect  of  God.  "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  be 
gotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life.  God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn 
the  world,  but  that  the  world  through  him  might  be  saved."  "  Be  it 
known  unto  you,  men  and  brethren,  that  through  this  man  is  preached 
unto  you  the  forgiveness  of  sins  ;  and  by  him  all  who  believe  aie 
justified  from  all  things,  from  which  they  could  not  have  been  justified 
by  the  law  of  Moses."1 

1  John  iiL  16,  17.    Acts  xiii.  38,  3i. 


DISC.  I.]  NOTES.  41 


NOTE  A.  p.  29. 

The  following  are  the  principal  references  to  the  Old  Testament  in  the  epistle  :  —  Chap. 
i!6;  Lev.  xi.  44.  Oh.  i.  24,  25;  Isa.  xl.  6,  <fcc.—  Ch.  ii.  3;  Psal.  xxxiv.  9.  Ch.  ii.  4; 
PsaL  cxviii.  16.  Ch.  ii.  6;  Isa.  xxviii.  16.  Ch.  ii.  7  ;  Psal.  cxviii.  22.  Ch.  ii.  9;  Exod. 
xix.  5.  6  ;  Isa.  xliii.  20,  21.  Ch.  ii.  10  ;  Hos.  ii.  23.  Ch.  ii.  17  ;  Prov.  xxiv.  21.  Ch.  ii.  22  ; 
Isa.  liii.  4,  6,  7,  9.—  Chap.  iii.  6  ;  Gen.  xviii.  12.  Ch.  iii.  10-12  ;  Psal.  xxxiv.  13,  &c.  Ch 
iii.  14,  15  ;  Isa.  viii.  12,  <fec.  Ch.  iii.  20;  Gen.  vi.  3,  12.  —  Chap.  ir.  8  ;  Prov.  x.  12  ;  comp. 
xvii.  9.  Ch.  iv.  18  ;  Prov.  zi.  31.—  Chap.  v.  5  ;  Prov.  v.  34.  Ch.  v.  7  ;  Psal.  Iv.  23. 

NOTE  B.  p.  29. 

Of  the  assertion  in  the  text  the  reader  will  be  furnished  with  ample  evidence,  in  com 
paring  the  passages  here  noted  :  —  1  Pet.  i.  3.  Eph.  i.  3.  1  Pet.  i.  20.  Rom.  iv.  24  ;  xvi. 
25.  Col.  i.  26.  1  Pet.  ii.  13.  Rom.  xiii.  1-5.  1  Pet.  ii.  16,  &c.  Gal.  v.  13.  1  Pet.  ii. 
18  ;  iii.  1.  Eph.  vi.  5.  Col.  iii.  18.  1  Pet.  iii.  3,  4.  1  Tim.  ii.  9.  1  Pet.  iii.  22.  Eph.  i.  20, 
<fcc.  1  Pet.  iv.  10.  Rom.  xii.  6,  <fcc.  1  Pet.  v.  1.  Rom.  viii.  18.  1  Pet.  v.  8.  1  Thess. 
v.  6.  1  Pet.  v.  14.  1  Cor.  xvi.  20.  Rom.  xvi.  16.  1  Thess.  v.  26.  WETSTEIX  notices  a 
very  remarkable  character  of  style  which  Peter  has,  in  common  with  Paul.  "  Ita  ser- 
monem  suum  ordinat  ut  membrum  sequens  ex  precedentis  fine  inchoet  et  cum  eo  connec- 

tat.      I.  4.  —  £/f   v(udf.       5.  —  Qpovpovpivovs  —  iv   xatr)~)    ecr^drw.      6.  —  ev    «T.      *l.—'I.riffov    XOIOTOV. 
8.  —  S/  tl$6rts,      9.  —  trwrripiav  i//u^c5v.      10.  —  rrspl  /Jf  awr/jfia?  —  Trpo<prircvyavrcs.      11.  —  ipsvviovrts. 

The  same  peculiarity  strongly  marks  the  first  paragraphs  of  Rom.  v.  and  Eph.  i.,  and  also 
the  proem  of  the  Gospel  of  John. 

NOTE  C.  p.  29. 

The  following  similarities  between  Peter  and  James  are  remarkable  :  —  1  Pet.  i.  6,  7  ; 
James  i.  2,  3.  1  Pet.  i.  24;  James  i.  10,  11.  1  Pet.  i.  3,  23  ;  James  i.  18.  1  Pet.  ii.  1,  2  ; 
James  i,  21.  1  Pet.  iv.  8;  James  v.  20.  "Videtur  omnino  vel  Jacobo  Petri  prior  vel 
Petro  Jacobi  Epistola  ob  oculos  versata  fuisse  ;  maxime  si  utraquc  Epistola  ad  easdem 
ecclesias  pertinuerit."  —  STORE,  Opuscula,  ii.  52. 

NOTE  D.  p.  34. 

Matt.  iv.  18,  19.  Luke  v.  3-11.  John  i.  40^2.  Mark  v.  37.  Matt.  xvi.  16-23;  xiv. 
28-31;  xvii.,  1-4,  24-27;  xiii.  3,  4.  Lnke  xxii.  8.  John  xiii.  6.  Matt.  xxvi.  36,37. 
John  xviii.  10,  11.  Matt.  xxvi.  31-35,  69-75.  John  xx.  2-7.  Mark  xvi.  7.  John  xxi. 
Acts  i.  ;  xii.  17  ;  xv.  6-11,  14.  Gal.  i.  18  ;  ii.  7-9,  11-14.  Vide  NEANDER'S  Planting  and 
Training  of  the  Christian  Church  —  Vol.  ii.  p.  23-41. 

NOTE  E.  p.  37. 

"There  is  an  election  to  sanctification,  as  performed  by  the  power  of  the  Gospel,  sepa 
rating  the  fore-ordained  from  the  mass  of  forlorn  men  unto  holiness  of  life.  This  is  noth 
ing  else  than  effectual  vocation."—  BYFIELD.  "  Hie  non  proprie  seterna  electio  significatur 
sed  electio  in  tempore  e  communi  turba  hominum  ac  imprimis  Judaeorum,  quoa  electio  in 
Scriptura,  alio  modo,  etiam  vocatio,  Rive  vocatio  secundum  Dei  propositum  appellatur."  — 
BELG  ANNOT.  "'EKASKTOI;  vocati  secundum  electionem."  —  SCIIOTANUS. 


NOTE  F.  p.  37. 

I  think  it  right  to  mention  that  CEcumenius  and  a  number  both  of  ancient  and  modern 
interpreters,  have  connected  Kara  -npoyvwaiv  K.  T.  A.  with  'ATroan/Xof,  and  not  with  tvAc*™??. 
referring  to  Rom.  i.  1,  and  especially  to  Acts  xv.  7.  This  exegesis  is  so  unnatural  as  not  to 


a  purpose. 

NOTE  G.  p.  38. 


'Ay«i(r/vo?  segregatio  ilia  sive  criBentium  consecratio,  separatio  a  reliquis  hominibus 
extra  Christum  perituris. — BEZA.  "  II  vous  a  so  pares  effectivement  d'avec  eux,  non  pas 
en  vous  sanctifiant  comme  il  fit  le  peuple  d'Israel  au  desert,  d'une  sanctification  externe  et 
corporelle  settlement,  lorsqu'il  le  fit  arroser  du  sang  de  la  victirne,  qui  ratifia  par  sa 
mort  1'alliance  de  la  loy ;  mais  en  vous  consacrant  d'une  sanctification  interieure  et  spirit- 


42  NOTES.  [DISC.  I. 

uclle  lorsque  par  la  vertu  de  sa  vocation  il  vous  a  amenos  a  1'obeissance  de  son  Evangile 
et  a  rcccvoir  1'aspersion  du  sang  de  Jesus  Christ  epandu  pour  1'establissement  de  1'al- 
liance  de  grace  en  remission  des  pechcs."—  AMYRAUT.  SEMLEE,  usually  no  safe  guide, 
seems  right  here  ;  he  considers  the  phrase  as  equivalent  to  iv  ayiacpo  wci>«r«w. 


H.  p.  38. 

In  the  EirittToXri  TT^O?  Atoyvrjrov,  incorrectly  attributed  to  Justin  Martyr—  written  proba 
bly  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  second  century  —  the  nature  of  the  separation  of  Christians 
from  mankind  generally  is  thus  described  :  —  "  The  Christians  are  not  separated  from  other 
men  by  earthly  abode,  by  language,  or  by  customs.  They  dwell  nowhere  in  cities  by 
themselves  ;  they  do  not  use  a  different  language,  nor  affect  a  singular  mode  of  life. 
They  dwell  in  the  cities  of  the  Greeks  and  of  the  barbarians,  each  as  his  lot  has  been 
cast  ;  and,  while  they  conform  to  the  usages  of  the  country  in  respect  to  dress,  food,  and 
other  things  pertaining  to  the  outward  life,  they  yet  show  a  peculiarity  of  conduct  won 
derful  and  striking  to  all.  They  dwell  in  their  own  country  but  as  sojourncrs  ;  they  abide 
on  earth,  but  they  are  citizens  of  heaven.  In  a  word,  they  are  in  the  world  what  the 
BOU!  is  in  the  body.  The  soul  is  diffused  through  all  the  members  of  the  body,  and  Chris 
tians  through  the  cities  of  the  world.  But  the  soul,  though  dwelling  in  the  body,  is  not 
of  the  body  ;  and  Christians  dwell  in  the  world,  but  are  not  of  the  world." 

NOTE  L  p.  88. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  find  an  instance  in  which  attachment  to  an  artificial  system  of 
Christian  doctrine  has  been  carried  farther  into  the  interpretation  of  Scripture,  than  the 
explaining,  as  NISBET  does,  "  election  into  obedience,  aud  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ,"  of  election  to  a  participation  in  the  active  and  passive  righteousness  of  Christ,— 
obedience  standing  for  the  first,  and  blood  for  the  second.  In  this  instance  of  TroLoep/irivtia, 
our  worthy  countryman  is  not  original.  SCHOTANUS  had  given  the  same  sense  before  him. 
His  note  is  "  Ea  est  obedientia  de  qua  Apostolus,  Rom.  v.  19." 

NOTE  K.  p.  39. 

The  exposition  given  of  this  passage  is  that  which  the  principles  of  a  strict  exegesis  seem 
to  require  ;  and  it  is  free  from  many  difficulties  which  attend  interpreting  the  passage 
according  to  our  received  translation.  "  Elect,"  in  the  sense  of  eternally  chosen,  "  accord 
ing  to  the  foreknowledge  of  God,"  is  language  which  seems  to  suit  a  conditional  better 
than  a  sovereign  choice.  "  Elect,  according  to  the  foreknowledge  of  God  through  sancti 
fication  of  the  Spirit,"  presents  a  very  strange  arrangement  of  ideas.  Is  "  the  foreknowl 
edge  of  God,"  or  "  election"  according  to  that  foreknowledge,  through  sanctification  of 
the  Spirit?  Surely  "sanctification  of  the  Spirit,"  meaning  by  that,  sanctification  by  the 
Spirit,  is  the  result  of  the  divine  decree,  —  the  object  of  the  divine  foreknowledge,  —  the 
cause  or  means  of  neither.  Then,  what  is  to  be  made  of  "  obedience,"  as  placed  before 
"sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus?"  Is  not  all  obedience,  which  deserves  the  name,  tho 
consequence  of  being  justified  through  the  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  being 
sanctified  by  the  Spirit?  and  does  the  Spirit  sanctify  any  who  are  not  sprinkled  with  the 
blood  of  Jesus  ?  All  these  difficulties,  which  I  confess  I  cannot  solve,  are  got  rid  of  in 
the  exegesis  proposed.  "  Selected  according  to  the  divine  foreknowledge,"  which  is  just 
equivalent  to  the  divine  purpose  (Acts  ii.  23  ;  1  Pet.  i.  20),  "  by  a  spiritual  separation  unto 
obedience,"  that  they  "might  obey  the  truth,"  i.  e.  believe  the  Gospel  —  "and,"  through 
that  "  obedience"  to  the  truth,  "  be  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  Jesus,"  —  enjoy  all  the 
saving  results  of  the  death  of  Christ—  in  pardon,  sanctification,  and  eternal  life.  In  the 
only  other  passage  ('2  Thees.  ii.  13)  where  the  phrase  ayia^ds  rrj/cv/xaro?  occurs,  it  must  be 
interpreted  in  the  same  way.  The  "  choice"  there  seems  plainly  selection  :  by  a.  n.  spirit 
ual  separation  and  "  belief  of  the  truth." 


DISCOURSE  II. 

THE  CHRISTIAN  SALVATION"  DESCRIBED  AND  ACKNOWLEDGED. 

1  PET.  i.  3-5. — Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which,  accord 
ing  to  his  abundant  mercy,  hath  begotten  us  again  unto  a  lively  hope,  by  the  resurrection 
of°Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,  to  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  and  undefiled,  and  that 
fadeth  not  away,  reserved  in  heaven  for  you,  who  are  kept  by  the  power  of  God  through 
faith  unto  salvation,  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time. 

IT  has  been  finely  remarked  by  a  pious  writer,  that  "  it  is  a  cold 
and  lifeless  thing  to  speak  of  spiritual  things  on  mere  report :  but 
when  men  can  speak  of  them  as  their  own — as  having  share  and  in 
terest  in  them,  and  some  experience  of  their  sweetness — their  dis 
course  of  them  is  enlivened  with  firm  belief  and  ardent  affection : 
they  cannot  mention  them,  but  straight  their  hearts  are  taken  with 
such  gladness  as  they  are  forced  to  vent  in  praises.".1 

Thus  the  apostle  Paul,  in  his  epistle  to  the  Ephesian  Church,  when 
about  to  unfold  the  numerous,  and  varied,  and  invaluable  benefits  of 
the  Christian  salvation,  instead  of  commencing  with  a  mere  formal 
statement  of  them,  bursts  forth  into  a  hymn  of  thanksgiving,  "  Blessed 
be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  blessed 
us  with  all  spiritual  blessings  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ ;  according 
as  he  hath  chosen  us  in  him  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  that 
we  should  be  holy  and  without  blame  before  him  in  love ;  having 
predestinated  us  unto  the  adoption  of  children  by  Jesus  Christ  to 
himself,  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  his  will,  to  the  praise  of  the 
glory  of  his  grace,  wherein  he  hath  made  us  accepted  in  the  Beloved  : 
In  whom  we  have  redemption  through  his  blood,  the  forgiveness  of 
sins,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace  ;  wherein  he  hath  abounded 
toward  us  in  all  wisdom  and  prudence ;  having  made  known  unto  us 
the  mystery  of  his  will,  according  to  his  good  pleasure,  which  he  hath 
purposed  in  himself:  That  in  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times, 
he  might  gather  together  in  one,  all  things  in  Christ,  both  which  are 
in  heaven,  and  which  are  on  earth,  even  in  him ;  in  whom  also  WE 
have  obtained  an  inheritance,  being  predestinated  according  to  the 
purpose  of  him  who  worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own 
will ;  that  we  should  be  to  the  praise  of  his  glory,  who  first  trusted 
in  Christ.  In  whom  YE  also  trusted  (or  rather  have  obtained  an  in 
heritance),  after  that  ye  heard  the  word  of  truth,  the  Gospel  of  your 
salvation  :  in  whom  also,  after  that  ye  believed,  ye  were  sealed  with 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  which  is  the  earnest  of  our  inheritance, 
until  the  redemption  of  the  purchased  possession,  unto  the  praise  ol 
his  glory."  2 

1  Leighton.  a  Eph.  i.  3-14. 


44  THE    CHRISTIAV    SALVATION.  [DISC.  II. 

And  in  the  epistle  before  us,  the  apostle  Peter,  whose  object  plainly 
is  to  confirm  the  converts  to  whom  he  wrote  in  the  faith  and  practice 
and  profession  of  Christianity,  notwithstanding  all  the  difficulties  and 
trials  to  which  they  were  exposed,  in  bringing  forward  the  vast  mag 
nitude  and  the  absolute  security  of  the  happiness  which  the  Gospel 
reveals  and  secures  as  one  of  the  most  powerful  motives  to  perse 
verance,  presents  it  in  the  impressive  and  animating  form  of  devout- 
ascription  of  praise  to  a  redeeming  God,  in  the  name  of  himself  and 
his  believing  brethren :  "  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  which,  according  to  his  abundant  mercy,  hath  begotten 
us  again  unto  a  lively  hope,  by  the  resurrection  of  Christ  from  the 
dead,  to  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not 
away,  reserved  in  heaven  for  you,  who  are  kept  by  the  power  of 
God  through  faith  unto  salvation,  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time." 

In  illustrating  this  very  interesting  passage  of  Scripture,  our  atten 
tion  must  be  directed, — I.  To  the  blessings  acknowledged ;  and,  II. 
To  the  acknowledgment  of  these  blessings. 

The  blessings  acknowledged  are  these  :  (1.)  the  privilege  of  being 
the  children  of  God — "  God,  even  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  hath  begotten  us  again  ;"  (2.)  an  inheritance  corresponding 
with  this  privilege — the  "  salvation  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last 
time."  which  is  "  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  unfading, 
reserved  in  heaven,"  and  for  which  Christians  are  "  kept  by  the  power 
of  God  through  faith :"  and  (3.)  a  present  well-grounded  and  joyful 
hope  of  this  inheritance. 

The  acknowledgment  of  these  blessings  naturally  turns  our  atten 
tion  (1.)  to  the  author  of  these  blessings — God  ;  (2.)  to  the  character 
in  which  he  bestows  them — "  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;"  (3.)  to  the  principle  from  which  they  flow — 
"his  abundant  mercy;"  (4.)  to  their  vast  magnitude  and  incalculable 
value  ;  and  (5.)  to  the  proper  method  of  Christians  expressing  their 
sense  of  their  magnitude  and  value,  by  blessing  their  Divine  Author. 
Such  is  the  outline  which  I  shall  endeavor  to  fill  up  in  the  remaining 
part  of  this  discourse. 

I.  OF  THE  BLESSINGS  ACKNOWLEDGED. 

Let  us  then,  according  to  this  plan,  consider,  in  the  first  place,  the 
blessings  which  the  apostle  here  so  gratefully  acknowledges. 

§  1. — Divine  Sonship. 

The  first  of  these  is  the  privilege  of  being  children  of  God,  "  God, 
even  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  hath  begotten  us 
again."  When  it  is  said,  God  hath  "  begotten  us,"  the  meaning  is, 

God  hath  made  us  his  children ;"  and  when  it  is  said  that  God  hath 
"  again,"  anew,  a  second  time,  "  begotten  us,"  the  meaning  is,  '  we 
were  his  children  in  one  sense  before,  but  in  another,  a  higher,  a  bet 
ter  sense,  a  sense  in  which  we  were  not  his  children,  he  has  now 
made  us  his  children.' 


PART  I.]  ITS    BLESSINGS    DESCRIBED.  45 

As  his  rational  creatures,  the  Objects  of  his  kind  providential  care, 
all  men  are  the  children  of  God.  "Have  we  not  all  one  Father? 
Hath  not  one  God  created  us  ?"  He  is  "  the  Father  of  the  spirits  of 
all  flesh."  "  We  are  all  his  offspring."  l  But,  as  Christians,  we  have 
become  the  children  of  God  in  a  sense  in  which  all  men  are  not  his 
children.  The  appellation,  children  of  God,  as  applied  to  true  Chris 
tians  in  a  mystical,  spiritual  sense,  like  most  of  their  peculiar  appella 
tions,  is  borrowed  from  one  of  the  titles  bestowed  on  the  peculiai 
people  of  God  under  the  former  economy  :  "  Israel,5'  said  Jehovah, 
"  is  my  son,  my  first-born."  "  Ye  are  the  children  of  the  Lord  your 
God,"  says  Moses.  Jehovah  is  spoken  of  as  "  the  Rock  that  begat 
them."2 

When  Christians  are  represented  as  the  children  of  God,  there  are 
two  ideas  suggested  by  the  appellation.  They  are  brought  by  him 
into  the  relation  of  children — and  they  are  formed  by  him  to  the 
character  of  children. 

The  relation  in  which  every  human  being  stands  to  God  in  the 
present  state,  previously  to  his  being  personally  connected  with  Jesus 
Christ  as  the  Saviour,  is  that  in  which  a  violator  of  the  law,  convicted 
and  condemned,  stands  to  his  sovereign.  He  is  the  appropriate  object 
of  Divine  displeasure;  in  the  language  of  Scripture,  "The  wrath  of 
God  abideth  on  him." 3  His  ultimate  happiness,  if  he  remains  in 
this  state,  is  incompatible  with  the  honor  of  God,  the  good  order  of 
his  moral  administration,  and  the  well-being  of  his  rational  and  ac 
countable  subjects. 

But  in  the  case  of  genuine  Christians,  a  change  of  state  takes 
place.  The  obedience  to  the  death  of  God's  incarnate  Son,  makes 
the  salvation  of  sinners  consistent  with,  conducive  to,  the  illustration 
of  the  perfections  of  the  Divine  character,  and  subservient  to  the  in 
terests  of  the  Divine  government.  Faith  in  Christ  is  that  which, 
according  to  the  Divine  constitution,  interests  the  individual  sinner 
in  the  "  obedience  to  death"  of  God's  Son.  On  believing  the  truth, 
then,  the  individual  who  was  condemned  is  no  longer  condemned — 
he  is  forgiven ;  he  who  was  a  sentenced  criminal,  is  now  a  beloved 
child.  The  relation  in  which  he  now  stands  to  God,  is  that  of  a  son 
to  a  father.  God  no  longer  frowns  on  him — he  smiles  on  him.  He 
no  longer  curses  him — he  blesses  him.  He  was  "  angry  with  him, 
but  he  now  comforts  him."  4 

When  God  makes  men  his  children,  he  not  only  brings  them  into 
the  relation  of  children,  but  he  forms  them  to  the  character  of  chil 
dren.  When  he  gives  men  the  privilege  of  being  his  children,  he 
"sends  forth  into  their  hearts  the  Spirit  of  his  Son,"  who  forms  in 
them  an  habitual  temper  and  disposition,  which  may  be  termed  "  the 
spirit  of  adoption." s  Our  sentiments  in  reference  to  God,  while  in 
our  natural  condition,  are  not  child-like.  Our  state  is  that  of  con 
demned  criminals,  and  our  character  corresponds  with  our  state. 
The  leading  feelings  of  the  unrenewed  man  towards  God,  are  dislike, 
and  jealousy,  and  fear — "  the  fear  that  hath  torment."  But  when 
God  makes  us  his  children,  he  forms  us  to  the  affectionate,  confiding 

1  Mai.  ii.  10.    Acts  xvii.  26-28.  9  Exod.  iv.  22.    Deut.  xiv.  1 ;  xxxii.  18 

John  iii.  36.  4  Isa.  adi  1.  '  Gal.  iv.  4-7.     Rom.  via.  15. 


46  THE    CHRISTIAN    SALVATION.  [DISC.  II. 

character  of  children.  While  he  leads  us  to  "sanctify  him  in  our 
hearts,"  and  to  fear  him  without  being  afraid  of  him,  he  disposes  us 
to  love  him  as  infinitely  amiable  and  infinitely  kind ;  and  to  trust  in 
him,  as  perfectly  knowing  what  is  good  for  us— perfectly  able  to 
secure  our  welfare — perfectly  disposed  to  make  us  happy. 

To  be  thus  brought  into  the  state  and  formed  to  the  character  of 
God's  children,  form  the  two  great  elements  of  true  happiness,  as 
they  form  the  two  grand  fundamental  blessings  of  the  Christian  sal 
vation.  They  are  most  intimately  connected  together.  The  being 
brought  into  the  state  of  children  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the  being 
formed  to  the  character  of  children.  It  is  impossible  to  form  a  slave 
to  the  character  of  a  freeman,  without  making  him  free.  And  the 
formation  of  .us  to  the  character  of  children,  is  the  great  design  of 
God  in  bringing  us  into  the  state  of  children.  He  regards  and 
treats  us  as  his  children,  that  we  may  regard  him  and  treat  him  as 
our  Father. 

We  become  the  children  of  God — both  in  reference  to  state  and 
character,  to  condition  and  disposition — through  the  belief  of  the 
truth ;  and  this  belief  of  the  truth  is  produced  and  maintained  by 
the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  are  "  the  children  of  God  by 
faith  in  Christ  Jesus."  We  are  "  begotten"  or  "  born"  again,  "  not 
of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the  word  of  God,  which 
liveth  and  abideth  forever."  It  is  through  the  faith  of  the  truth  that 
the  condemned  sinner  is  forgiven  and  justified  :  "  He  that  believeth 
is  not  condemned,  and  can  never  come  into  condemnation ;"  while 
on  him  that  believeth  not,  "the  wrath  of  God  abideth."  And  it  is 
through  the  faith  of  the  truth  that  the  unholy  sinner  is  sanctified. 
The  heart  is  "  purified  by  the  faith."  It  is  through  the  knowledge 
and  belief  of  the  truth,  with  regard  to  God's  character  as  a  Father, 
that  we  are  formed  to  the  disposition  and  feelings  of  children.  And 
this  faith  of  the  truth  is  the  result  of  the  influence  of  the  Divine 
Spirit ;  so  that,  when  born  again — born  from  above — we  are  "  born 
of  the  Spirit."  J  So  much  for  the  illustration  of  this  first  blessing, 
for  which  the  apostle  presents  his  acknowledgments. 

§  2. — The  inheritance  provided  for  them. 

The  second  blessing  is  the  future  inheritance  which  God  has  pro 
vided  for  us  as  his  children.  He  has  "  begotten  us  again  to  an  in 
heritance," — that  is,  that  we  may  obtain  an  inheritance,  &c.  "  If 
children,"  says  the  apostle,  "  then  heirs,"  2 — that  is,  '  if  he  bring  us 
into  the  relation  and  form  us  to  the  character  of  children,  he  will 
give  us  the  treatment  of  children/ 

When  God  made  ancient  Israel  his  children — brought  them  into  a 
covenant  relation  with  him — he  assigned  to  them  an  inheritance. 
That  inheritance  was,  like  the  economy  to  which  it  belonged,  ma 
terial  and  temporal.  It  was  the  large  and  fertile  land  of  Canaan, 
which  they  were  to  possess  in  security  and  peace,  but  into  whioh 
they  were  to  enter  not  immediately — not  till  after  a  long  course  of 
wandering  in  the  wilderness. 

1  Gal.  iii.  26.    1  Pet.  i.  23.    John  Ui.  18.    Acts  xv.  9.    Ty  iriV™.  a  Rom.  TOii.  17. 


PART  I.]  ITS    BLESSINGS    DESCRIBED.  47 

When  God  brings  men  into  the  relation  of  children  under  the  new 
and  spiritual  and  eternal  economy,  he  assigns  to  them  an  inheritance 
which  corresponds  with  the  character  of  that  new  dispensation — an 
inheritance  of  which  they  are  not  to  obtain  the  full  possession,  till 
"  the  end  come— the  consummation  of  all  things."  The  inheritance 
here  is  obviously  the  celestial  blessedness,  properly  so  called — the 
final  state  of  good  men — that  state  which,  commencing  with  the 
general  resurrection,  is  to  be  continued  unchanged,  except  by  indefi 
nite  progress,  forever  and  ever.  What  is  figuratively  termed  "  the 
inheritance,"  v.  4,  is  literally  described,  v.  5,  "  as  the  salvation  ready 
or  prepared  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time." 

Of  that  state  we  can  form  but  very  inadequate  conceptions,  for  it 
has  not  yet  been  "revealed."  It  does  not  yet  appear  what  we 
shall  be ; l  it  will  be  fully  unveiled  by-and-by,  but  not  till  "  the  last 
time" — the  period  of  "  the  glorious  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  But  we  may  form  correct  conceptions,  so  far  as  they  go ; 
and  it  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  we  should  do  so.  It  is  a 
state  of  complete  freedom  from  evil,  both  moral  and  physical,  in  all 
its  forms,  and  in  all  its  degrees;  and  it  is  aL state  of  perfect  holy 
happiness,  suited  to  a  spiritual  nature,  endowed  with  intellect  and 
affection  and  active  power,  united  to  a  material  frame,  every  way 
suited  to  minister  to  its  progressive  improvement  and  enjoyment ;  a 
state  in  which  every  capacity  of  blessedness  shall  be  filled  to  over 
flowing,  and  in  which  the  growing  capacity  shall  never  outrun  the 
increasing  blessedness. 

Knowledge  and  holiness  are  the  two  great  elements  of  the  celes 
tial  happiness.  The  holy  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect,  clothed 
upon  with  their  house  from  heaven — the  immortal,  incorruptible, 
powerful,  glorious  resurrection  body,  shall  be  perfectly  conformed  to 
God,  so  far  as  their  limited  capacities  admit,  in  knowledge  and  purity 
and  happiness.  God's  mind  shall  be  their  mind — God's  will,  their 
•will — God's  happiness,  their  happiness.  They  shall  "  know  Him  as 
he  is — and  they  shall  be  like  him."  2  This  is,  I  am  persuaded,  the 
justest  view  we  can  take  of  the  celestial  happiness.  This  is  i(  the 
inheritance." 

The  celestial  blessedness  receives  here,  and  in  many  other  passages 
of  Scripture,  the  appellation  of  "  the  inheritance,"  for  two  reasons — 
to  mark  its  gratuitous  nature,  and  to  mark  its  secure  tenure. 

An  inheritance  is  something  that  is  not  obtained  by  the  individual's 
own  exertions,  but  by  the  free  gift  or  bequest  of  another.  The 
earthly  inheritance  of  the  external  people  of  God,  was  not  given 
them  because  they  were  greater  or  better  than  the  other  nations  of 
the  earth.  It  was  "  because  the  Lord  had  a  delight  in  them  to  love 
them."  "They  got  not  the  land  in  possession  by  their  own  sword, 
neither  did  their  own  right  hand  save  them  ;  but  thy  right  hand,  and 
thine  arm,  and  the  light  of  thy  countenance,  for  thou  hadst  a  favor 
unto  them." 3  And  the  heavenly  inheritance  of  the  spiritual  people 
of  God  is  entirely  the  gift  of  sovereign  kindness.  "  By  grace  are  we 
saved ;"  "  eternal  life  is  the  sift  of  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord."* 

1  1  John  iii.  3.          a  Ibid.  iii.  2.  '  Psd.  xliv.  3.        *  Eph.  ii.  5.    Rom.  vi.  23. 


48  THE    CHRISTIAN    SALVATION.  [DISC.  II. 

A  second  idea  suggested  by  the  figurative  expression,  "  the  inherit 
ance,"  when  used  in  reference  to  the  celestial  blessedness,  is  the 
security  of  the  tenure  by  which  it  is  held.  No  right  re  more  inde 
feasible  than  the  right  of  inheritance.  If  the  right  of  the  giver  or 
bequeather  be  good,  all  is  secure.  The  heavenly  happiness,  whether 
viewed  as  the  gift  of  the  Divine  Father,  or  the  bequest  of  the  Divine 
Son,  is  "  sure  to  all  the  seed."  If  the  title  of  the  claimant  be  but  as 
valid  as  the  right  of  the  original  proprietor,  their  tenure  must  be  as 
secure  as  the  throne  of  God  and  his  Son. 

The  idea  of  the  security  of  this  happiness  is  brought  forward, 
however,  more  distinctly  in  the  description  of  the  inheritance  which 
immediately  follows.  It  is  described  as  "  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and 
unfading — reserved  in  heaven"  for  Christians,  while  they  "  are  kept 
by  the  power  of  God  through  faith." 

In  this  description  of  the  inheritance,  there  are  two  things  which 
require  consideration — the  excellence  of  the  inheritance  itself;  and 
the  security  that  the  Christian  shall  in  due  time  enjoy  it. 

The  excellence  of  the  inheritance  itself,  consists  in  being  "  incor 
ruptible,  undefiled,  and  unfading."  l  These  epithets  may  seem  in  a 
great  degree  synonymous,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  permanent, 
unchanging  excellence  is  the  leading  idea  in  them  all ;  yet,  on  look 
ing  a  little  more  closely  at  them,  we  shall  find  that  each  of  them 
presents  that  general  idea  in  an  instructive  and  pleasing  peculiarity 
of  aspect. 

The  celestial  happiness  viewed  as  an  inheritance,  is  "  incorrup 
tible."  There  is  nothing  in  its  own  nature  which  can  lead  to  its  dis 
solution.  It  is  not  material,  but  spiritual.  It  is  not  composed  of 
"  such  corruptible  things  as  silver  and  gold,"  but  of  knowledge  and 
of  holiness.  It  is  not  "  meat  and  drink," — it  is  not  costly  and  splen 
did  apparel — it  is  not  stately  buildings,  no.r  extensive  estates.  It  is 
"joy  and  peace"  and  happiness  arising  from  sources  which,  from 
their  very  nature,  are  inexhaustible, — possession  of  the  Divine  favor 
— conformity  to  the  Divine  image — intercourse  and  fellowship  with 
God. 

It  is  not  only  incorruptible,  and  therefore  everlasting,  but  it  is 
"undefiled."  It  is  debased  by  no  extrinsic,  heterogeneous  ingredi 
ent.  In  all  our  enjoyments  on  earth,  however  pure  and  exalted  in 
themselves,  there  is  a  mixture.  There  is  always  something  wanting 
— something  wrong ;  and  sin,  that  vilest  of  all  things,  taints  and 
pollutes  them  all.  But  into  heaven  there  enters  "  nothing  that  de- 
fileth."  There  is  knowledge,  without  any  mixture  of  error — holi 
ness,  without  any  mixture  of  sin — love,  without  any  mixture  of 
malignity ;  the  highest  dignities  excite  there  no  pride— the  richest 
possessions,  no  covetousness.  The  inheritance  is  undefiled. 

Still  farther  the  heavenly  inheritance  is  "unfading!"  It  "  fadeth 
not  away."  2  The  garland  worn  by  the  blessed  is  of  amaranth — it 
never  withers.  The  idea  here  seems  to  be,  It  not  only  is  everlasting 

1  *A<£0apro?  seternum  durens.  'A/unvro;  purum — cui  nihil  mali,  nihil  vitii  est  admixtum— 
ut  purum  gaudium— gaudium  cui  nihil  tristitia  admiscetur.  'Apapav ros  non  marcescena. 
— MORUS. 


PART  I.]  ITS    BLESSINGS    DESCRIBED.  49 

in  its  own  nature,  but  it  will  never  cease  to  give  happiness  to  the  pos 
sessor.  How  often  do  worldly  possessions  wither, — cease  to  give  the 
happiness  they  once  gave  to  those  who  continue  to  hold  rather  than 
to  enjoy  them !  It  has  been  beautifully  remarked,  that  "  the  sweetest 
earthly  music,  if  heard  but  for  one  day,  would  weary  those  who  are 
most  delighted  with  it.  But  the  song  of  Heaven,  though  forever  the 
same,  will  be  forever  new."  l  Here  we  are  often  sated  but  never 
satisfied — there,  there  is  constant  satisfaction,  but  there  never  will  be 
satiety.  Such  is  the  excellence  of  the  celestial  inheritance. 

'But,'  may  the  Christian  say,  'the  inheritance  is  indeed  inestima 
bly  precious  ;  but  will  it  ever  be  mine  ?'  It  is  as  secure  as  it  is  pre 
cious,  says  the  apostle.  It  is  "  reserved  in  heaven  for  you,"  and  you 
are  "  kept  for  it  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith." 

This  inheritance  is  "reserved  in  heaven"  for  Christians — that  is, 
it  is  secured  beyond  the  reach  of  violence  or  fraud.  Many  a  person, 
born  to  a  rich  inheritance,  has  never  obtained  possession  of  it,  but 
has  lived  and  died  in  poverty ;  but  this  inheritance  is  liable  to  none 
of  the  accidents  of  earth  and  time.  It  is  "  in  heaven,"  under  the 
immediate  guardianship  of  DIVINE  power,  wisdom,  and  love. 

'But  the  inheritance  may  itself  be  secure,  but  not  secure  for  me. 
There  may  be  perfect  happiness  in  heaven,  but  I  may  never  reach  it 
there/  To  meet  this  suggestion  the  apostle  adds,  "  Ye  are  kept  by 
the  mighty  power  of  God  through  faith."  2  The  apostle's  doctrine  is, 
and  it  is  quite  accordant  with  the  doctrine  of  his  Master  and  the  other 
apostles,  that  all  who  are  begotten  again  by  God  shall  be  preserved 
to  the  enjoyment  of  the  inheritance.  None  of  them  shall  fall  in  the 
wilderness.  "  I  give  unto  my  sheep  eternal  life,"  says  Jesus  Christ ; 
"  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  one  pluck  them  out  of 
my  hand.  My  Father,  who  gave  them  me,  is  greater  than  all ;  and 
none  can  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's  hand."3  "  Who  shall  sepa 
rate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ  ?  shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  perse 
cution,  or  famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword  ?  Nay,  in  all 
these  things  we  are  more  than  conquerors,  through  him  that  loved  us. 
For  I  am  persuaded,  that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  prin 
cipalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor 
height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us 
from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  * 

They  are  "kept" — preserved  safe — amid  the  many  dangers  to 
which  they  are  exposed,  "  by  the  power  of  God."  The  expression, 
"power  of  God,"  may  here  refer  to  the  divine  power  both  as  exer 
cised  in  reference  to  the  enemies  of  the  Christian,  controlling  their 
malignant  purposes,  and  as  exercised  in  the  form  of  spiritual  influence 
on  the  mind  of  the  Christian  himself,  keeping  him  in  the  faith  of  the 
truth,  "  in  the  love  of  God,  and  in  the  patient  waiting  for  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  It  is  probably  to  the  last  that  the  apostle  principally 
alludes,  for  he  adds  "by  faith."  It  is  through  the  persevering  faith 
of  the  truth  that  the  Christian  is  by  divine  influence  preserved  from 

1  Leighton. 

a  Hereditas  scrvata  est :  heredea  custodiuntur.    Neque  ilia  his,  neque  hi  deerunt  illi — 

1  John  x.  28.  4  Rom.  viii.  35-39. 


50  THE    CHRISTIAN    SALVATION.  [DISC.  II 

falling,  and  kept  in  possession  both  of  that  state  and  character  which 
are  absolutely  necessary  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  heavenly  inheri 
tance.1  ,  . 

The  perseverance  thus  secured  to  the  true  Christian  is  perseve 
rance  in  faith  and  holiness,  and  nothing  can  be  more  grossly  absurd 
than  for  a  person  living  in  unbelief  and  sin,  to  suppose  that  he  can  be 
in  the  way  of  obtaining  celestial  blessedness. 

So  much  for  the  illustration  of  the  second  blessing  for  which  the 
apostle  gives  thanks— the  future  inheritance  which  God  has  provided 
for  his  children. 

§  3. —  The  living  hope  of  the  inheritance. 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  consider  the  third  of  these  blessings :  The 
living  or  lively  hope  of  the  inheritance,  through  the  resurrection  of 
Christ  Jesus  from  the  dead.  God  hath  "  begotten  us  again  to  a 
lively  hope" — that  is,  in  making  us  his  children,  he  has  excited  in  us 
an  influential  and  enduring  hope  of  final  and  complete  happiness. 

Mankind  in  their  natural  state  are  said  to  "  have  no  hope"  :  —that 
is,  they  are  without  any  well-grounded  rational  hope  of  final  happi 
ness.  This  is  true  of  all  men  without  exception,  of  the  elect  of  God 
as  well  as  of  others.  They  have  broken  the  divine  law ;  they  have 
incurred  the  divine  displeasure.  They  are  guilty,  and  depraved,  and 
miserable.  They  deserve  everlasting  destruction ;  if  mercy  inter 
pose  not,  they  must  meet  with  their  desert. 

It  is  then  an  inquiry  of  very  deep  moment,  how  is  the  well-ground 
ed  hope  of  final  happiness  excited  and  maintained  in  the  human 
mind  ?  Now  there  are  two  questions  which  must  be  resolved,  in  or 
der  to  our  distinctly  apprehending  the  truth  on  this  subject ;  the  first, 
what  is  the  ground  of  the  hope  referred  to  in  our  text  ?  and  the  sec 
ond,  how  is  an  individual  brought  to  cherish  the  hope  of  final  hap 
piness  on  this  ground  ? 

With  reference  to  the  former  of  these  questions,  it  is  obvious  that 
the  ground  of  hope  is  not  anything  in  the  sinner  himself.  It  is  not 
that  he  is  innocent ;  it  is  not  that  he  is  less  guilty  than  others.  It  is 
not  that  a  great  change  has  been  produced,  or  is  to  be  produced,  on 
him.  When  he  looks  at  himself  in  the  light  of  the  divine  law,  a  sinner 
may  well  perceive  abundant  reason  for  fear,  abundant  reason  for  de 
spair;  but  he  can  never  perceive  any  sufficient  reason  for  hope. 

The  ground  of  hope  is  not  in  us,  but  in  God.  The  ground  of  the 
sinner's  hope — (and  the  ground  of  the  saint's  hope  is  just  the  ground 
of  the  sinner's  hope;  for  what  is  a  saint  but  a  saved  sinner?) — is 
sometimes  represented  as  the  sovereign  benignity  of  God  ;  sometimes 
as  the  obedience  to  death,  the  finished  work,  the  perfect  atonement, 
of  Christ ;  and  sometimes  as  the  free  untrammelled  revelation  of  mercy 
in  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel.  These  are  all  but  different  as- 

1  When  lv  and  &&  are  connected  in  one  sentence,  oiu  refers  to  external  mean?,  whilst  If 
relates  ^to  that  which  is  effected  in  or  on  a  person,  as  if  adhering  to  him.  Eph.  i.  7, — *» 
V  (xfO  *X°ltev  T/>  <iiro\vT{>wiv  <5ii  roC  at'/jaroj  IIVTOV.  Even  when  impersonal  things  are 
Bpoken  of,  the  distinction  between  lv  (of  an  internal  psychological  state  or  power),  and  Siat 
of  means,  is  apparent:  as  1  Pet,  i.  5.— rovj  i*  tW.'ip.  tW  tpwpov^vs  <5<i  ^Vrtwj ;  and  T. 

22, iv  ry  vrrcLKoy  rfjs  d\r)dita^  6iu  xvev-aroj. — WlNEB,  Part  Hi.  S6C.  52,  p.  312. 

8  Eph.  ii.  12. 


PART  I.]  ITS    BLESSINGS    DESCRIBED.  51 

pects  of  the  same  thing,  and  the  truth  on  this  subject  may  be  thus 
stated  :  The  ground — the  sole  ground — of  a  sinner's  hope  is  the  sove 
reign  mercy  of  God,  manifested  in  consistency  with,  in  glorious  illus 
tration  of,  his  righteousness,  in  the  obedience  to  death  of  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ,  the  just  one  in  the  room  of  the  unjust,  of  which  we  have 
a  plain  and  well-accredited  account  "  in  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the 
gospel."  The  ground  of  hope  is  exhibited  in  such  passages  of  Scrip 
ture  as  the  following : — "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his 
only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  might  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life/'  "  The  righteousness  of  God  without  the 
law  is  manifested,  being  witnessed  by  the  law  and  the  prophets  ;  even 
the  righteousness  of  God,  which  is  by  the  faith  of  Christ  unto  all  and 
upon  all  them  that  believe ;  for  there  is  no  difference :  for  all  have 

•  1  1  (*       t    1  1  f*          /~^  1  1"  "  A     *    f*  1  f*  IT 


propitiation 

is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus 
came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners  ;  of  whom  I  am  chief."  "  God 
is  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  to  himself,  not  imputing  their  tres 
passes  to  them  ;  for  he  hath  made  him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no 
sin,  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him."  "  The 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin.  He  is  able 
to  save  to  the  uttermost  them  that  come  unto  God  by  him,  seeing  he 
ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  them."  l 

The  second  question  is,  how  is  the  sinner  brought  to  cherish  the 
hope  of  eternal  life  on  this  ground?  Now,  if  the  preceding  remarks 
have  been  understood,  there  can  be  no  difficulty  in  answering  this 
question.  The  free  sovereign  mercy  of  God,  manifested  in  a  consis 
tency  with  his  righteousness,  is  revealed  in  the  gospel ;  and  it  can 
only  be  by  that  gospel  being  understood  and  believed,  that  the  indi 
vidual  sinner  can  obtain  the  hope  of  eternal  life.  If  I  believe  this  rev 
elation,  I  hope  for  eternal  life,  and  I  hope  for  eternal  life  on  this 
ground.  .  If  I  do  not  believe  this  revelation,  I  either  have  no  hope  of 
eternal  life,  or,  if  I  have,  it  is  a  hope  built  on  another  and  a  false 
foundation.  It  is  in  the  faith  of  the  truth  that  the  sinner  finds  hope. 
Not  that  the  sinner's  faith  is  the  ground  of  his  hope,  but  that  it  is 
through  believing  alone  that  he  can  discover  the  ground  on  which  his 
hope  must  rest.  When  Elisha's  servant  was  overwhelmed  with  fears 
lest  his  master  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Syrians,  these  fears 
were  turned  into  assured  hope,  when,  with  enlightened  eyes,  he  be 
held  the  heavenly  host  with  which  they  were  surrounded.  His  hope 
rested,  not  on  his  seeing  that  host,  but  on  their  being  there ;  but  still 
his  seeing  them  there  was  in  the  nature  of  things  necessary  to  his 
hope.2  In  like  manner  the  sinner's  hope  rests  entirely  on  God's  free 
sovereign  kindness,  manifested  in  harmony  with  his  righteousness ; 
but  it  is  only  in  the  belief  of  the  truth  that  this  sovereign  kindness 
can  be  apprehended  as  a  ground  of  hope. 

The  ground  of  hope  never  varies.  The  ground  of  the  hope  of 
sternal  life  to  an  aged  and  accomplished  saint,  just  about  to  enter 

1  John  iii.  16.     Rom.  iii.  21-25.     1  Tim.  i.  15.     2  Cor.  v.  19,  21.    Heb  vii.  25. 
a  2  Kings  vi.  15-17. 


52  THE    CHRISTIAN    SALVATION.  [DISC.  II. 

Paradise,  is  the  very  same  as  to  the  most  guilty  and  depraved  of  men 
who  has  just  been  brought  to  the  knowledge  and  faith  of  the  truth. 
"  The  beginning  of  our  confidence"  is  the  end  of  our  confidence.  Our 
first  hope  is  our  last  hope. 

It  follows  of  course  that  the  great  means  of  maintaining  and 
strengthening  hope,  is  just  the  continued  and  the  increasing  faith  of 
the  truth.  At  the  same  time  it  is  plain  from  Scripture,  that  as  the 
faith  of  the  truth  uniformly  produces  holiness  as  well  as  hope,  unholy 
tempers  are  in  their  own  nature  calculated  to  cloud  our  hope ;  and 
holy  tempers  and  conduct  to  strengthen  it,  not  by  adding  to  its  foun 
dation,  but  by  affording  evidence  that  we  have  built  on  that  foun 
dation. 

There  are  two  other  questions  respecting  this  hope,  which,  though 
not  of  such  vital  importance  as  those  which  I  have  now  endeavored 
briefly  and  plainly  to  answer,  are  yet  of  very  considerable  interest  at 
all  times,  and  particularly  at  present,  when  much  darkening  of  counsel 
by  words  without  knowledge,  on  this  subject,  seems  to  me  to  prevail.1 
Is  the  hope  of  eternal  life  connected  with  the  faith  of  the  gospel  ?  And 
does  every  believer  enjoy  an  unclouded  hope  of  eternal  life  ? 

With  regard  to  the  first  question,  I  unhesitatingly  reply  in  the 
affirmative.  The  gospel  cannot  be  believed  without,  in  the  degree  in 
which  it  is  believed,  producing  the  hope  of  eternal  life.  It  is  not 
only  not  necessary  that  a  sinner  should  wait  till  the  faith  of  the  gos 
pel  has  proved  its  efficacy  in  a  moral  transformation  of  his  nature, 
before  he  begin  to  cherish  the  hope  of  salvation,  but  he  cannot  believe 
the  gospel  without  cherishing  that  hope  ;  and  it  is  through  means  of 
this  hope  that  the  gospel  believed,  in  a  great  measure,  works  that 
moral  change.  To  believe  the  gospel,  and  to  despair  of  salvation,  are 
two  utterly  incompatible  states  of  mind.  We  hold,  then,  that  every 
believer,  according  to  the  measure  of  his  faith,  has  the  hope  of  eternal 
life. 

And  in  this  principle  we  also  find  the  true  answer  to  the  second 
question;  'Does  every  believer  enjoy  the  unclouded  hope  of  eternal 
life  ?'  He  does  enjoy  that  hope  according  to  the  measure  of  his  faith. 
If  he  is  strong  in  faith,  he  abounds  in  hope.  But  as  every  believer  in 
the  present  state  has  but  an  imperfect  apprehension  both  of  the  truth 
and  of  its  evidence,  and  is  still  to  a  certain  extent  under  the  influence 
of  false  views,  every  believer,  while  in  the  present  state,  is  imperfect 
both  in  holiness  and  in  hope.  At  the  same  time,  his  imperfection  in 
both  is  not  more  his  misfortune  than  his  fault.  A  perfect  faith  of  a 
completely  understood  gospel  would  produce  unshaken,  unclouded 
hope,  and  enable  the  Christian  at  all  times,  in  all  circumstances,  to 
"  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God." 

This  hope  of  eternal  life,  grounded  on  the  sovereign  mercy  of  God 
manifested,  in  harmony  with  his  holiness  and  righteousness,  through 
the  mediation  of  Christ,  revealed  in  the  gospel ;  and  excited,  main 
tained  and  strengthened  by  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  is  described  here 
as  "  a  lively,"  or  rather  "  a  living  hope."  2  The  hope  of  the  Christian' 

*  The  reference  here  is  to  the  speculations  about  Universal  Pardon,  which,  at  the  time 
this  discourse  was  delivered,  December  1830,  were  very  prevalent  in  this  country. 

• 


PART  I.]  ITS    BLESSINGS   DESCRIBED.  53 

is  a  "  living'*  hope,  in  opposition  both  to  a  dead  and  a  dying  hope — in 
opposition  to  the  dead  hope  of  the  hypocrite,  and  the  dying  hope  of 
the  self-deceiver. 

The  apostle  James  speaks  of  "  a  dead  faith,"  which,  on  examination, 
turns  out  to  be  no  faith  at  all,  but  merely  a  man's  saying  he  has  faith.1 
There  is  also  a  dead  hope,  which  is  in  reality  no  hope  at  all,  but 
merely  a  profession  of  it.  A  mere  professed  hope,  founded  on  a  mere 
professed  faith,  is  a  dead  thing — it  can  make  a  man  neither  holy  nor 
happy — it  cannot  animate  to  duty — it  cannot  support  under  suffering. 
But  the  hope  of  the  Christian  is  "  a  living  hope."  It  fills  him  with 
joy  and  peace  in  the  degree  in  which  it  prevails  ;  and  it  leads  him  to 
purify  himself,  even  as  he  in  whom  he  places  his  confidence  is  pure. 
The  hope  of  eternal  life  is  the  well-grounded  expectation  of  perfect 
holy  happiness.  Now  is  it  not  perfectly  plain,  so  plain  as  to  need  no 
illustration,  that  this  must  be  a  living  operative  hope,  and  that,  just  in 
the  degree  in  which  it  exists,  it  must  make  him  in  whom  it  dwells 
both  holy  and  happy  ?  It  will  induce  a  man  to  submit  to  the  great 
est  evils  rather  than  renounce  the  faith  of  Christ ;  and  it  will  keep  him 
cheerful  and  happy  amidst  all  the  sacrifices  which  he  may  be  called 
on  to  make  in  the  cause  of  his  Saviour. 

This  hope  is  termed  "  a  living  hope,"  not  only  in  opposition  to  a 
dead  hope,  but  also  in  opposition  to  dying  hopes.  There  are  many 
hopes  which  are  not  merely  professed,  but  really  entertained,  that  will 
never  be  realized.  This  is  true  both  as  to  worldly  hopes  and  as  to 
religious  hopes.  With  regard  to  worldly  hopes,  have  we  not  all  from 
experience  discovered  the  truth  of  the  remark, — "  They  are  not  liv 
ing,  but  lying,  dying  hopes.  They  often  die  before  us,  and  we  live  to 
bury  them,  and  see  our  own  folly  and  simplicity  in  trusting  to  them, 
and  at  the  utmost  they  die  with  us  when  we  die,  and  can  accompany 
us  no  farther."  2  With  regard  to  religious  hopes,  it  is  a  happy  thing 
when  all  of  them,  not  founded  on  the  faith  of  the  truth,  die  before  we 
die  ;  for  till  these  dying  hopes  expire,  the  living  hope  cannot  exist. 
All  hopes  of  eternal  life,  excepting  that  which  we  have  been  endeav 
oring  to  describe,  will  most  assuredly  expire  when  we  expire,  and 
make  those  who  relied  on  them  ashamed  and  confounded  world  with 
out  end.  But  this  hope  lives  in  death.  This  hope  remains  un 
shaken  by  all  the  calamities  which  can  befal  the  believer  here  ;  for  he 
knows  nothing  can  separate  him  from  the  love  of  God.  Death  and 
judgment  and  eternity  do  not  destroy,  they  fulfil  this  hope  ;  and  as 
the  object  of  the  hope  is  ever-enduring  holy  happiness,  it  is  plain  that 
hope  as  well  as  enjoyment  must  continue  forever. 

This  "hope  makes  not  ashamed,"  that  is,  it  never  disappoints ;  and, 
if  you  would  know  the  reason,  you  will  find  the  apostle  Paul  assigning 
it,  from  the  5th  to  the  10th  verse  of  the  5th  chapter  of  the  epistle  to 
the  Romans  :  "  Hope  maketh  not  ashamed,  because  the  love  of  God 
is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  is  given  unto 
us.  For  when  we  were  yet  without  strength,  in  due  time  Christ  died 
for  the  ungodly.  For  scarcely  for  a  righteous  man  will  one  die;  yet 
perad  venture  for  a  good  man  some  would  even  dare  to  die.  But  God 
comrnendeth  his  love  toward  us,  in  that,  while  we  were  yet  sinners, 
1  James  ii.  17.  2  Leirfitou. 


54  THE    CHRISTIAN    SALVATION.  [DISC.  II. 

Christ  died  for  us.  Much  more  then,  being  now  justified  by  his  blood, 
we  shall  be  saved  from  wrath  through  him.  For  if,  when  we  were 
enemies,  we  were  reconciled  to  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son ;  much 
more,  being  reconciled,  we  shall  be  saved  by  his  life." 

This  living  hope  is  produced  "  by"  means  of  "  the  resurrection  of 
Christ  Jesus" from  the  dead."'  The  resurrection  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  is  one  of  the  most  striking  and  satisfactory  proofs  of  the  divin 
ity  of  his  mission,  and,  of  course,  of  the  truth  of  all  its  doctrines  ;  and, 
among  the  rest,  of  that  grand  characteristic  doctrine  of  his  gospel  on 
which  the  hope  of  eternal  life  is  founded.  It  is,  indeed,  not  so  much 
one  evidence  as  "  a  cloud  of  witnesses."  It  is  the  fulfilment  of  Old 
Testament  predictions  respecting  the  Messiah,  and  thus  proves  him 
to  be  the  Messiah — it  is  the  fulfilment  of  his  own  predictions,  and 
therefore  proves  him  to  be  a  true  prophet.  It  is  God  determining  the 
controversy  between  him  and  his  unbelieving  countrymen.  He  de 
clared  himself  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  and  they  put  him  to  death  be 
cause  he  declared  himself  to  be  the  Son  of  God  ;  and  God  interposed, 
and  by  doing  for  him  what  none  but  God  could  have  done,  proved 
that  He  was  right,  and  they  were  wrong.  Most  powerfully  was  Jesus 
Christ  demonstrated  to  be  the  Son  of  God  by  the  resurrection  from 
the  dead.3 

But  there  is  a  more  intimate  connection  than  this  between  the  res 
urrection  of  Christ  from  the  dead,  and  the  hope  of  eternal  life.  Christ's 
resurrection  from  the  dead  is  a  clear  proof  of  the  reality  and  efficacy 
of  his  atoning  sacrifice.  He  "  who  was  given  for  our  offences,  has 
been  raised  again  for  our  justification."4  When  God  "  brought  again 
from  the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus,  that  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  by 
the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant,"  he  manifested  himself  to  be 
"the  God  of  peace,"  the  pacified  Divinity.  He  "  raised  him  from  the 
dead,  and  gave  him  glory,  that  our  faith  and  hope  might  be  in  him 
self."  Had  Jesus  not  risen,  "  our  faith  had  been  vain  ;  we  should 
have  been  still  in  our  sin," 5  and  without  hope.  But  now  that  he  has 
risen — 

"  Our  surety  freed,  declares  us  free, 

For  whose  offences  He  was  seized  ; 
In  His  release  our  own  we  see, 
And  joy  to  view  Jehovah  pleased." 

But  even  this  is  not  all.  Our  Lord's  resurrection  is  to  be  viewed 
not  only  in  connection  with  his  death,  but  with  the  following  glory. 
Raised  from  the  dead,  he  has  received  "all  power  in  heaven  and  on 
earth,  that  he  may  give  eternal  life  to  as  many  as  the  Father  had 
given  him."  How  this  is  calculated  to  encourage  hope,  may  be 
readily  apprehended.  "  Because  he  lives,  we  shall  live  also." 
Having  the  keys  of  death  and  the  unseen  world,  he  can  and  will 
raise  us  from  the  dead,  and  give  us  eternal  life.  He  sits  at  the  right 
hand  of  God.  "  Our  life  is  hid  with  him  in  God  ;  and  when  he  who  is 
our  life  shall  appear,  we  shall  appear  with  him  in  glory."  We  are 

1  The  above  remarks,  somewhat  amplified,  have  been  repeatedly  published,  under  the 
title  of  "  Hints  on  Hope." 

3  At  dvas-aatwi.    Hoc  pendet  a  gu<mv.    Col.  v.  21.— BENGEL.  3  Rom.  i.  4 

«  Horn.  iv.  25.  &  Heb.  xiii.  20.     1  Pet.  i.  21.     1  Cor.  xv.  17 


PART  IT.]  ACKNOWLEDGMENT    OP    ITS    BLESSINGS.  55 

not  yet  in  possession  of  the  inheritance  ;  but  he,  our  head  and  repre 
sentative,  is.  "  We  see  not  yet  all  things  put  under  us  ;  but  we  see 
Him/3  the  Captain  of  our  salvation,  "  for  the  suffering  of  death  crown- 
ed  with  glory  and  honor." l  The  resurrection  of  Christ,  when  con 
sidered  in  reference  to  the  death  which  preceded,  and  the  glory 
which  followed  it,  is  the  grand  means  of  producing  and  strengthening 
the  hope  of  eternal  life. 

Let  us  all  beware  of  false  hopes.  Let  him  who  never  hoped,  now 
receive  the  truth  in  the  love  of  it,  and  begin  to  hope.  Let  those  who 
have  believed  abound  in  hope.  There  is,  there  can  be,  no  danger  of 
hoping  too  confidently,  if  the  hope  be  but  placed  on  the  right  founda 
tion;  "  We  desire  that  every  one  of  you  do  show  the  same  diligence, 
to  the  full  assurance  of  hope  unto  the  end  ;2  that  ye  be  not  slothful, 
but  followers  of  them  who  through  faith  and  patience  inherit  the 
promises." 

II.— OF  THE  ACKNOWLEDGMENT  OF  THESE  BLESSINGS. 

The  devout  acknowledgment  of  these  blessings  comes  now  to  be 
considered :  "  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  and  Sa 
viour  Jesus  Christ,  which,  according  to  his  abundant  mercy,  hath  be 
gotten  us  again  unto  a  lively  hope,  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ  from  the  dead,  to  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  and  undefiled, 
and  that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved  in  heaven  for  you,  who  are  kept 
by  the  power  of  God  through  faith  unto  salvation,  ready  to  be  reveal 
ed  in  the  last  time."  This  devout  acknowledgment  naturally  leads 
the  mind  to  reflect  on  God  as  the  author  of  these  blessings — on  the 
character  in  which  he  bestows  them,  "  the  God  and  Father  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ/' — on  the  principle  in  which  the  be 
stowal  of  these  blessings  originates,  "abundant  mercy" — on  their 
vast  magnitude  and  inestimable  value — and  on  the  proper  manner  of 
Christians  expressing  their  sense  of  this  magnitude  and  value. 

§  1. — God  is  the  author  of  these  blessings. 

The  first  remark  suggested  by  this  devout  acknowledgment  is,  that 
God  is  the  author  of  the  blessings  acknowledged.  This  is  not  only 
implied  in  making  the  acknowledgment — for  when  we  return  thanks 
for  a  favor,  to  whom  do  we  offer  our  acknowledgment  but  to  him 
who  has  bestowed  it  ? — but  it  is  distinctly  expressed  :  God  has  begot 
ten  us  again.  God  has  provided  us  an  inheritance.  God  has  given 
us  a  living  hope. 

God  is  the  author  of  all  good.  All  the  holiness  and  all  the  happi 
ness  in  the  universe  come  from  him.  "  Every  good  gift  and  every 
perfect  gift  is  from  above,  and  cometh  down  from  the  Father  of 
lights."  In  the  new  creation,  "  All  things  are  of  God." 3  The  bless 
ings  enjoyed  by  Christians  are  all  the  free  gifts  of  his  sovereign  good 
ness.  HE  makes  us  his  children.  HE  brings  us  into  the  relation  of 
children.  HE  forms  us  to  the  character  of  children.  When  we  are 

1  John  xiv.  19.    Rev.  i.  18.    Col.  ill  3.    Heb.  ii.  9.  a  Iva.    Heb.  vL  11,  12. 

3  James  L  17.     2  Cor.  v.  18 


56  THE    CHRISTIAN    SALVATION.  ["DISC.  II. 

brought  into  the  relation  of  children,  our  sins  are  forgiven,  and  we 
are  justified  freely  by  God's  grace.  But  "  who  can  forgive  sins,  but 
GOD  only  ?"  "  It  is  GOD  that  justifieth."  The  sentence  of  the  law 
can  be  remitted  only  by  the  great  Lawgiver.  The  privilege  of  being 
the  sons  of  God  can  be  conferred  by  none  but  God.  As  it  is  God 
who  brings  us  into  the  relation  of  children,  it  is  £od  who  forms  us  to 
the  character  of  children.  "  For  we  are  His  workmanship,  created 
anew  in  Christ  Jesus."  It  is  God  who,  by  the  agency  of  his  own 
Spirit,  through  the  instrumentality  of  his  own  word  understood  and 
believed,  transforms  the  character  of  a  condemned  felonious  slave 
into  that  of  a  beloved  and  dutiful  child.  It  is  HE  who  takes  "  the 
hard  and  the  stony  heart  out  of  our  flesh,  and  gives  us  a  heart  of 
flesh."  It  is  HE  who  disposes  us  to  venerate,  and  esteem,  and  love, 
and  trust  him.  It  is  HE  who  enables  us  cheerfully  to  obey  his  com 
mandments,  and  submit  to  his  appointments.  It  is  HE  who  sends 
forth  his  Spirit  into  our  hearts,  teaching  us  to  cry,  "  Abba,  Father."  3 

As  it  is  God  who  makes  us  his  children,  bringing  us  into  the  filial 
relation,  forming  us  to  the  filial  character,  so  it  is  God  who  has  pro 
vided,  and  who  will  bestow  on  his  people,  the  inheritance  correspond 
ing  to  the  relation  into  which  he  has  brought  them,  and  the  charac 
ter  to  which  He  has  formed  them.  "  It  is  the  FATHER'S  good  pleasure 
to  give  them  the  kingdom."  The  final  happiness  of  the  saints  is  en 
tirely  the  result  of  DIVINE  love,  and  wisdom,  and  power.  "  Eternal 
life  is  the  gift  of  God."3  God  himself  is,  indeed,  if  I  may  use  the  ex 
pression,  the  very  substance  of  the  celestial  blessedness.  To  know 
him — to  see  him  as  he  is — to  find  in  him  the  adequate  object  of  all 
our  unbounded  capacities  of  knowledge,  and  affection,  and  enjoyment 
— to  love  him,  and  to  be  loved  by  him,  and  to  know  that  we  are 
loved  by  him — to  be  like  him,  having  no  mind  different  from  his,  no 
will  opposed  to  his — to  enter  into  his  joy,  and  thus  to  have  our  joy 
made  full — this  is  the  inheritance ;  and  who  can  thus  give  us  God, 
but  God  himself? 

And  all  that  was  necessary,  in  order  to  make  the  communication 
of  such  a  happiness  to  such  creatures  as  we  are — guilty,  righteously 
condemned — consistent  with  the  honor  of  the  divine  character  ;  and 
all  that  is  necessary  to  make  such  depraved  creatures  as  we  are, 
capable  of  such  a  happiness,  is  the  work,  not  of  men  nor  of  angels, 
but  of  God.  His  love  originated  the  purpose — his  wisdom  formed 
the  plan — his  power  will  workout  the  accomplishment,  of  his  people's 
salvation. 

As  the  inheritance  is  his  gift,  so  also  is  the  hope  of  the  inheritance. 
It  is  God  who  gives  us  the  living  hope.  The  ground  of  that  hope  is 
His  sovereign  kindness — that  kindness  is  displayed  in  harmony  with 
righteousness,  in  His  giving  His  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  the 
sins  of  men.  This  display  of  his  sovereign  kindness  is  made  in  His 
revelation,  of  His  will  by  "  holy  men  who  spoke  as  they  were  moved 
by  His  Spirit ;"  and  this  revelation,  in  the  belief  of  which  alone  the 
condemned  sinner  can  find  hope,  is  understood  and  believed  by  the 
individual  sinner,  in  consequence  of  the  effectual  working  of  His 

1  Mark  ii.  7.     Rom.  viii.  33.  '  Eok  ii.  10.     Ezek.  xi.  19.     Gal.  iv.  6. 

•  Luke  xii.  32.    Rom.  vi.  23. 


PART  II.]  ACKNOWLEDGMENT    OF    ITS    BLESSINGS.  57 

Spirit.  It  was  HE  who  "  delivered  his  Son  for  our  offences."  It 
was  HE  who  "  raised  him  again  for  our  justification."  It  is  He  who 
disposes  us  to  believe  this  revelation  of  mercy.  It  is  HE  who  thus 
gives  us  "  good  hope  through  grace."  Every  measure  of  the  living 
hope,  from  the  faint  dawn  which  opens  on  the  mind  of  the  sinner 
coming  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  to  the  clear  unclouded  radi 
ance  which  enlightens  the  mind  of  him  who  has  received  "  the  full 
assurance  of  understanding,"  every  measure  of  this  living  hope  is  the 
gift  of  God ;  and  we  end  as  we  began  the  illustration  of  this  particu 
lar  with  the  sublime  declaration  of  the  apostle  respecting  the  new 
creation,  "  All  things  are  of  God."  "  Of  HIM,  and  through  him,  and 
to  him,  are  all  things."  "  God  is  all  in  all."  1 

§  2. — It  is  as  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  God 
bestows  these  blessings. 

The  second  remark  suggested  by  this  devout  acknowledgment  is, 
that  in  bestowing  the  favors  here  acknowledged,  God  acts  in  the 
character  of  "  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  God 
is  infinitely  holy,  and  cannot  but  disapprove  sin — cannot  but  loathe 
and  abhor  it  in  a  degree  of  which  we  can  form  no  adequate  concep 
tion.  God  is  inflexibly  just,  and  can  "  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty." 
He  is  "  not  a  God  that  hath  pleasure  in  wickedness,  neither  shall  evil 
dwell  with  him.  The  foolish  shall  not  stand  in  his  sight ;  and  he  hates 
the  workers  of  iniquity."  "Snares,  fire  and  brimstone,  and  a  furious 
tempest  will  he  rain  on  the  wicked  ;  this  pertains  to  them  as  a  por 
tion  of  their  cup." 2  How  is  it  then,  that  this  holy  and  righteous  God 
blesses  sinful  men  with  all  heavenly  and  spiritual  blessings  ?  How 
is  it  that  he  makes  them  his  children ;  gives  them  a  heavenly  inherit 
ance,  and  cheers  them  with  a  living  hope  ? 

It  is  as  "  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  that  he 
does  all  this.  In  the  riches  of  his  sovereign  mercy  he  determined  to 
save  an  innumerable  multitude  of  sinful  men,  and  in  the  depth  of  his 
wisdom  he  formed  a  plan  for  realizing  the  determination  of  his  mer 
cy,  not  merely  in  consistency  with,  but  in  glorious  illustration  of,  his 
holiness  and  justice.  The  leading  feature  in  that  plan  is,  the  appoint 
ment  of  his  only  begotten  Son  to  be  the  representative  of  those  who 
were  to  be  saved,  to  be  dealt  with  as  they  deserved  to  be  dealt  with, 
that  they  might  be  dealt  with  as  he  deserved  to  be  dealt  with.  The 
second  person  of  the  glorious  Trinity  is  essentially  his  Father's  equal 
— possessed  of  the  same  divine  essence  and  perfections  ;  but  in  this 
assumed  character  he  is  the  Father's  inferior;  he  acts  a  subordinate 
part  in  the  economy  of  salvation.  God,  essentially  considered,  in  the 
person  of  the  Father,  is  the  God  of  "  the  Mediator  between  God  and 
man  ;"  and  he  is  his  Father,  not  merely  essentially,  as  he  is  the  second 
person  of  the  Trinity,  but  also  economically,  as  he  is  the  head  of  the 
chosen  family — "  the  first-born  among  many  brethren." 

The  great  truth  intended  to  be  taught  us  by  God  being  represented 
as  the  author  of  spiritual  blessings  to  men,  in  the  character  of  the 

1  Rom.  iv.  25.     2  Thess.  ii.  16.     2  Cor.  v.  18.     Rom.  xi.  36.     1  Cor.  xv.  28. 
a  Exod.  xxxiv  7.    Psal.  v.  4,  5  ;  xi  6. 


58  THE    CHRISTIAN    SALVATION.  [DISC.  II. 

God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is  this— that  it  is  only  as 
viewed  in  connection  with  him ;  or,  as  the  inspired  writers  usually 
express  it,  as  « in  him,"  that  we  sinners  can  obtain  any  saving  bless- 
ino-  from  God.  Tiie  order  is,  "  all  things  are  ours,  we  are  Christ's, 
Christ  is  God's."  He  is  our  God  because  he  is  his  God,  our  Father 
because  he  is  his  Father.1  Take  the  blessings  mentioned  in  the  text 
as  an  illustration.  God  makes  us  his  children,  that  is,  he  pardons  our 
sins,  he  receives  us  into  his  favor,  he  conforms  us  to  his  image. 
Now,  how  does  he  do  this  ?  He  gives  "  us  redemption  in  Christ, 
the  forgiveness  of  sins."  He  makes  us  "  accepted  in  the  beloved." 
"  We  are  his  workmanship,  created  anew  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good 
works."  He  gives  us  an  inheritance.  How?  in  Christ.  "In  him," 
says  the  apostle,  "  we  have  obtained  an  inheritance."  He  makes  us 
to  "  sit  in  heavenly  places  in  him."  :  He  gives  us  a  living  hope. 
How  ?  While  "  without  Christ,"  -viewed  as  unconnected  with  Christ, 
there  is  no  hope  for  man;  all  his  well-grounded  expectations  of  hap- 
piness  must  be  founded  on  what  Christ  has  done,  and  is  doing,  as  the 
representative  of  his  people.  While  in  the  new  creation,  all  things 
are  "  of  God,"  all  things  are  "  through  Christ  Jesus."  It  is  as  well 
pleased  with  Him,  that  God  is  well  pleased  with  us  ;  and  it  is  as  his 
God  and  Father,  that  he  blesses  us  "  with  all  heavenly  and  spiritual 
blessings  in  him." 

§  3. —  These  blessings  originate  in  the  "  abundant  mercy"  of  God. 

The  third  remark  suggested  by  this  devout  acknowledgment  is, 
that  in  the  bestowing  of  these  blessings  on  us  by  God,  there  is  a  re 
markable  display  of  the  divine  benignity.  It  is  "  according  to  his 
abundant  mercy,  that  he  begets  us  again  unto  a  lively  hope,  by  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,  to  an  inheritance  incor 
ruptible,  and  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved  in  heaven 
for  you,  who  are  kept  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith  unto  salva 
tion;  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time."  This  remark  invites  us 
into  a  very  wide  field  of  most  interesting  and  improving  illustra 
tion  ;  but  I  must  satisfy  myself  with  merely  opening  to  you  a  few 
tracks  of  thought,  which  you  will  do  well  to  pursue  in  private  medi 
tation. 

Think  on  the  character  of  him  who  bestows  these  blessings, — the 
absolute,  independent  Jehovah,  perfectly,  infinitely,  unchangeably 
happy  in  himself.  How  could  the  self-incurred  ruin  of  guilty  man 
kind  affect  his  interest  ?  It  might  illustrate  his  holiness,  his  right 
eousness,  his  faithfulness,  but  how  could  it  disturb  his  peace,  or  lessen 
his  blessedness?  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  the  communication  of 
saving  blessings  to  man,  to  originate  in  any  principle  in  the  divine 
mind  but  sovereign  benignity.  If  man  is  saved,  it  is  "  only  because 
God  had  a  delight  in  him  to  love  him." 

Think  on  the  nature  of  the  blessings, — the  very  highest  which  can 
be  conferred  on  creatures,  the  noblest  in  their  own  nature,  and  in 
their  measure  limited  by  nothing  but  the  capacity  of  the  recipient. 

1  2  Cor.  iii.  22,  23.    John  xx.  17.  a  Epli.  i.  3-13. 


PART  II.]  ACKNOWLEDGMENT    OF    ITS    BLESSINGS.  59 

"Behold,  what  manner  of  love"  is  this,1  to  be  God's  sons,  to  see  him 
as  he  is,  to  be  like  him,  and  all  this  forever  and  ever  ! 

Think  on  the  character  of  those  on  whom  they  are  bestowed, — • 
sinners,  guilty,  depraved,  righteously  condemned  ;  deserving  everlast 
ing  destruction ;  in  the  state  in  which  mercy  finds  them,  forgetters, 
haters,  contemners  of  God.  Surely  the  mercy  which  confers  such 
blessings  on  such  sinners  is  abundant  mercy,  and  the  apostle  may  well 
say,"  Behold  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed  on  us, 
that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God." 

Think  of  the  number  of  those  on  whom  these  blessings  are  bestow 
ed, — "  the  nations  of  the  saved"  are  a  numerous  host.2  The  sons 
who  are  to  be  brought  to  glory  are  "  many  sons."  They  are  "  a  great 
multitude,  an  innumerable  company,  out  of  every  kindred,  and  peo 
ple,  and  tongue,  and  nation ;"  and  all  these  are  blessed  up  to  their 
largest  capacity  of  enjoyment,  during  the  whole  eternity  of  their  be 
ing.  Is  not  this  abundant  mercy  ? 

Once  more,  think  of  the  means  through  which  the  blessings  are 
communicated, — the  incarnation,  the  sacrifice  of  God's  own  Son. 
He  did  not  spare  him,  he  delivered  him  up  for  us  all,  that  he  with 
him  might  freely  give  us  all  things.  "  Herein  surely  is  love,  not  that 
we  loved  God  but  that  God  loved  us,  and  sent  his  Son  to  be  the  pro 
pitiation  for  our  sins."  "God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his 
only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  might  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life."  3 

Surely  it  is  in  his  "abundant  mercy"  that  "  God,  even  the  Father 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  has  blessed  us  with  all  heavenly  and  spirit 
ual  blessings." 

§4. —  These  blessings  are  of  vast  magnitude  and  incalculable  value. 

The  fourth  remark  suggested  by  this  devout  acknowledgment  is, 
that  the  blessings  acknowledged  are  of  vast  magnitude  and  of  incal 
culable  value.  The  plain  meaning  of  the  acknowledgment  is  this : 
"for  conferring  these  blessings  on  us,  God  richly  deserves  to  be 
thanked  and  praised  uninterruptedly,  everlastingly."  For  every 
blessing,  even  for  a  breath  of  air,  a  crust  of  bread,  a  draught  of  water, 
a  moment  of  ease,  we  ought  to  give  thanks  ;  for  we  are  unworthy 
of  any  favor.  Everything  in  the  shape  of  blessing  coming  to  us  from 
God  should  excite  our  gratitude.  But  the  blessings  mentioned  in  the 
text  are  obviously  peculiarly  valuable.  They  are  not  "  such  corrupt 
ible  things  as  silver  and  gold."  They  include  in  them  deliverance 
from  guilt,  depravity,  degradation,  death,  everlasting  misery ;  the  en 
joyment  of  the  favor  of  God,  tranquillity  of  conscience,  ever-growing 
conformity  to  the  divine  image  in  holiness  and  happiness,  throughout 
eternity.  Just  look  at  them  as  here  described,  and  say  if  they  are  not 
unspeakably  great,  incalculably  valuable.  What  is  said  of  the  love 
in  which  they  originate  may  be  equally  applied  to  them :  They  have 
"  a  height  and  a  depth,  a  length  and  a  breadth,  which  pass  knowl 
edge."  4 

1  1  John  iii.  1.  a  Rev.  xxi  24 ;  vii.  9. 

3  1  John  iv.  10.     John  iii.  16.  4  Eph.  iii.  18,  19. 


60  THE    CHRISTIAN    SALVATION.  [DISC.  II. 

§  5. —  The  proper  method  of  acknowledging  these  benefits  is,  to  "bless" 
their  munificent  giver. 

The  fifth  and  last  remark  suggested  by  this  devout  acknowledg 
ment  is,  that  the  appropriate  manner  of  expressing  our  sense  of  the 
magnitude  and  value  of  these  blessings  is,  to  bless  their  munificent 
author.  When  God  blesses  men,  he  confers  on  them  blessings,  he 
makes  them  blessed;  when  men  bless  God,  they  merely  declare  that 
he  is  infinitely  excellent  and  blessed  in  himself— that  he  deserves  to 
have  his  infinite  excellencies  acknowledged  and  celebrated — that 
they  recognize  this  obligation  as  lying  on  them — and  that  they  wish 
to  express,  by  every  proper  method,  their  sense  of  the  infinite  praise- 
worthiness  of  the  Divinity. 

Nothing  surely  can  be  more  reasonable  than  that  those  who  have 
received  such  blessings  as  are  here  acknowledged,  should  bless  Him 
who  has  bestowed  them.  This  is  one  of  the  purposes  for  which  they 
are  begotten  again.  "This  people,"  may  Jehovah  say  of  them,  'I 
have  formed  for  myself,  that  they  may  show  forth  my  praise."  "  Ye 
are  a  chosen  generation,"  says  the  apostle,  "  a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy 
nation,  a  peculiar  people  ;  that  ye  should  show  forth  the  praises  of 
him  who  hath  called  you  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  light." * 
Christians  ought  to  cultivate  the  feelings  of  gratitude  for  the  blessings 
they  have  received,  and  which  they  hope  to  receive,  and  often  to  ex 
press  their  feelings  in  thanksgiving  and  praise.  Indeed  their  whole 
lives  should  be  a  hymn  of  praise  to  the  God  of  their  salvation.  The 
habitual  language  of  their  heart  should  be,  "What  shall  I  render  to 
the  Lord  for  all  his  benefits !"  "  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and 
never  be  forgetful  of  his  benefits!  who  forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities; 
who  healeth  all  thy  diseases ;  who  redeemeth  thy  life  from  destruc 
tion  ;  who  crowneth  thee  with  loving-kindness  and  tender  mercies." 
"  I  will  praise  thee,  O  Lord  my  God,  with  all  my  heart ;  and  I  will 
glorify  thy  name  for  evermore.  For  great  is  thy  mercy  toward  me ; 
and  thou  hast  delivered  my  soul  from  the  lowest  hell."  2 

If  we  really  feel  gratitude  to  God  for  his  abundant  goodness,  we 
shall  express  it  not  merely  by  our  lips,  but  by  our  lives.  Constrained 
by  "  the  mercy  of  God,  we  shall  present  our  bodies,  ourselves,  living 
sacrifices,  holy,  and  acceptable,  which  is  our  reasonable  service." 
While  we  through  Christ  "  offer  to  him  continually  the  sacrifice  of 
praise,  the  fruit  of  our  lips,  giving  thanks  to  his  name ;"  we  will  also, 
"do  good  and  communicate,"  knowing  that  "  with  such  sacrifices 
God  is  well  pleased ;"  and  while  we  feel  ashamed  of  the  coldness  of 
our  feelings  of  gratitude,  and  the  imperfection  of  our  services  of 
acknowledgment,  we  will  look  forward  with  earnest  longings  to  that 
happy  period,  when,  having  been  made  partakers  of  the  inheritance. 
we  shall,  under  the  influence  of  the  gratitude  which  "  the  salvation 
which  is  in  Christ,  with  eternal  glory,"  fully  possessed,  is  fitted  to 
exert  over  a  thoroughly  sanctified  human  heart,  join  in  the  rapturous 
anthem  of  eternity:  "Blessing,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  power,  be 
to  him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb  forever  and  ever." 8 

1  Isa.  xliii.  21 :  1  Pet.  ii.  9.  2  Psal.  ciii.  1-4:  Ixxxvi.  12,  13. 

8  Rom.  xii.  1.    Heb.  xiii.  15,  16.    Rev.  v.  13. 


DISCOURSE  III. 

THE  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE  STATE  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN 
CONTRASTED. 

1  PET.  i.  6-9. Wherein  ye  greatly  rejoice,  though  now  for  a  season  (if  need  be)  ye  ara 

in  heaviness  through  manifold  temptations  ;  that  the  trial  of  your  faith,  being  much  more 
precious  than  of  gold  that  perisheth,  though  it  be  tried  with  fire,  might  be  found  unto  praise, 
and  honor,  and  glory,  at  the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ:  Whom  having  not  seen,  ye  love; 
in  whom,  though  now  ye  see  him  not,  yet  believing,  ye  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable,  and 
full  of  glory :  Receiving  the  end  of  your  faith,  even  the  salvation  of  your  souls. 

THE  first  step  towards  the  satisfactory  interpretation  of  a  long, 
complicated,  parenthetical  sentence  like  that  just  now  read,  is  to 
analyze  it.  The  sentence  consists  of  a  direct  assertion,  with  a  long 
parenthesis  interposed.  The  direct  assertion  is,  "  In  that  time,  the 
last  time,  ye  greatly  rejoice  ;  ye  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full 
of  glory,  receiving  the  end  of  your  faith,  even  the  salvation  of  your 
souls."  The  parenthetical  statement  is,  "  though  now  for  a  season, 
if  need  be" — or,  "  since  there  is  need,  ye  are  in  heaviness  through 
manifold  temptations,  that  the  trial  of  your  faith,  being  more  precious 
than  that  of  gold  which  perisheth,  though  it  be  tried  with  fire,  might 
be  found  unto  praise,  and  honor,  and  glory,  at  the  appearing  of  Jesus 
Christ,  whom  though  you  have  not  seen,  ye  love,  not  seeing  him,  but 
believing  in  him." 

With  respect  to  the  direct  assertion,  a  careful  reader  will  easily  per 
ceive,  that  though  expressed  in  the  present  time,  it  refers  to  the  future. 

The  time  of  the  Christian's  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory,  is 
the  last  time,  contrasted  with  the  time  of  his  trial — "  now ;"  l  when 
he  shall  receive  the  end  of  his  faith,  even  the  salvation  of  his  soul — • 
the  same  period  which  is  described  as  that  of  "  the  appearing"  or 
manifestation  "of  Jesus  Christ."  Instances  of  an  assertion  made 
in  the  present  tense,  when  it  plainly  refers  to  the  future,  are  not  un- 
frequent.  "  Yet  a  little  while  I  am,"  that  is,  shall  be,  "  with  you,  and 
then  I  go,"  that  is,  shall  go,  "  unto  him  that  sent  me.  Ye  shall  seek 
me,  and  shall  not  find  me  :  and  where  I  and,"  that  is,  shall  be,  "  thither 
ye  cannot,"  that  is,  shall  not  be  able  to,  "  come."  "  How  are,"  that 
is,  shall  be,  "  the  dead  raised,  and  with  what  bodies  do,"  that  is,  shall, 
"  they  come  ?"  "  And  if  any  man  will  hurt  them,  fire  proceedeth," 
that  is,  shall  proceed,  "out  of  their  mouth,  and  devoureth,"  that  is, 
shall  devour,  "  their  enemies."  2 

The  phrases,  "  a  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory,"  are  too  strong 


1  It  is  rendered  by  the  future  in  the  Latin  Vulgat 
*  John  vii.  33,  34.     1  Cor.  xv.  35.    Rev.  xi.  5. 


e,  and  versions  made  from  it. 


62  CONTRAST    OF    THE    PRESENT  [DISC.  III. 

to  describe  the  Christian's  habitual  feelings  in  the  present  state ;  and 
we  find  the  very  same  words  employed,  in  reference  to  the  happiness 
of  the  final' state,  in  an  after  part  of  the  epistle.  "But  rejoice,  inas 
much  as  ye  are  made  partakers  of  Christ's  sufferings ;  that  when  his 
glory  shall  be  revealed,  ye  may  be  glad  also  with  exceeding  joy."  l 

The  meaning  of  the  apostle  would  have  been  more  evident  to  an 
English  reader,  had  the  assertion  been  rendered  in  the  future  time ; 
"in^  which  time,"  that  is,  in  the  last  time,  ye  shall  greatly  rejoice — 
(though  now  for  a  season,  since  it  is  needful,  ye  are  in  heaviness 
through  manifold  temptations ;  that  the  trial  of  your  faith,  which  is 
more  precious  than  that  of  gold  which  perisheth,  though  it  be  tried 
with  fire,  might  be  found  to  praise,  and  honor,  and  glory,  at  the  ap 
pearing  of  Jesus  Christ:  whom,  not  seeing  him,  but  believing  on 
him,  ye  love,  though  ye  have  not  seen  him) — "ye  shall  rejoice  with 
joy  unspeakable,  and  full  of  glory:  receiving  the  end  of  your  faith, 
the  salvation  of  your  soul."  a 

The  passage,  "thus  interpreted,  contains  in  it  a  beautiful  and  in 
structive  comparison,  or  rather  contrast,  of  the  state  of  Christians  in 
the  present  and  in  the  last  time,  on  earth  and  in  heaven.  The  points 
of  comparison  or  contrast  are  the  following : — I.  Now  and  here, 
Christ,  the  great  object  of  their  affection,  is  not  bodily  present  with 
them,  is  but  imperfectly  known  by  them,  and  all  their  knowledge  of 
him,  and  all  their  intercourse  with  him,  are  by  means  of  faith — Then 
and  there,  he  will  be  bodily  present  with  them,  intimately  known  by 
them,  and  their  knowledge  and  intercourse  will  be  direct  and  imme 
diate.  II.  Now  and  here,  they  are  exposed  to  manifold  trials — Then 
and  there,  they  will  enjoy  the  glorious  results  of  these  trials.  III.  Now 
and  here,  complete  salvation  is  a  subject  -of  faith  and  hope — Then 
and  there,  it  shall  be  the  subject  of  enjoyment.  IV.  Now  and  here, 
they  are  for  a  season  in  heaviness — Then  and  there,  they  shall 
"greatly  rejoice;"  they  shall  "rejoice  with  a  joy  unspeakable  and 
full  of  glory."  In  the  remaining  part  of  the  discourse  I  shall  en 
deavor  shortly  to  illustrate  this  contrasted  view  of  the  present  and 
the  future  state  of  the  true  Christian. 


L- CHRIST  ABSENT  AND  BELIEVED  ON,  CONTRASTED  WITH  CHRIST 
PRESENT  AND  SEEN. 

The  first  point  of  contrast  is,  that  now  and  here,  Christ,  the  great 
object  of  their  affection,  is  bodily  absent  from  them — is  but  imper 
fectly  known  by  them — and  all  their  knowledge  of  him  is  by  means 
of  faith ;  then  and  there,  Christ  will  be  revealed— manifested  :  he 
will  be  bodily  present  with  them ;  he  will  be  intimately  known  by 
them,  and  their  knowledge  and  intercourse  will  be  direct  and  imme 
diate. 

1  Ch.  iv.  13.    The  parallelism  of  the  two  passages  is  striking: — Ch.  i.  6,  8,—ii>  w  (i.  e. 

ky&rta    icatpu)  dyaXXta<r0£  ^apn   dmAaXijrw  Kal  8etot<vrpivy.     Ch.  iv.   13, — s»   TTJ  a7roKaXvt//«  rfc 
o6$t]S  aiirov,  •xaprjTS  dyaXXiw^ej/oi. 

3  The  interpretation  we  have  been  led  to  prefer,  is  that  supported  by  CEcumenius  and 
Theophylact  among  the  Greek  Fathers ;  by  the  translators  of  the  Vulgate  •  by  Luther,  Va- 
tablus,  ClariuB,  Benson,  Pott,  and  others.  To  'AyaAX.aafc  tori  ui\\oVros  «lX*ra«.— CEc* 

IfWVTITQ 


1IKNIUS. 


PART  I.]       AND  FUTURE  STATE  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN.  63 

Christ  is  the  great  object  of  his  people's  affection ;  he  is,  by  way 
of  eminence,  HE  whom  they  love.  This  is  an  essential  element  of 
the  Christian  character.  When  a  person  is  brought  under  divine 
influence  to  understand  and  believe  the  Gospel,  he  perceives  that  in 
Christ  Jesus  centres  every  amiable  excellence  in  absolute  perfection  ; 
and  that  the  benefits  which  he  has  obtained  for  us,  are  infinite  in 
number,  value,  and  duration.  He  appears  at  once  infinitely  lovely 
and  infinitely  kind.  Contemplating  his  glory,  "  the  glory  as  of  the 
only  begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  of  truth,"  the  believer 
says  in  his  heart,  "  He  is  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand,  and  alto 
gether  lovely. "  "  This  is  my  beloved,  and  this  is  my  friend."  1  Re 
flecting  on  what  he  has  done  and  what  he  has  suffered  ;  what  he  has 
given,  and  what  he  has  promised — the  believer  says  in  his  heart,  "  I 
love  him,  because  he  first  loved  me."  I  love  him  who  "  loved  not 
his  life  to  the  death,"  for  my  salvation.  I  love  him  who  hath  "  washed 
me  from  my  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  made  me  a  king  and  a  priest 
to  God,  even  his  Father."  2  The  Christian  has  other  objects  of  affec 
tion  besides  his  Saviour ;  but  HE  is  the  object  of  his  supreme  affec 
tion.  In  comparison  of  HIM,  "  he  hates  even  his  father  and  mother."  3 

It  is  of  the  essence  of  love  to  seek  union  with  its  object.  We  nat 
urally  wish  to  be  present  with,  to  become  intimately  acquainted  with, 
to  have  frequent  intimate  intercourse  with,  the  object  of  our  affection. 
These  wishes  of  the  Christian,  in  reference  to  the  great  object  of  his 
affection,  are — can  be,  but  very  imperfectly  gratified  in  the  present 
state.  He  whom  we  love  was  once  a  man  among  men.  Yes,  "  the 
Word  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  men."  "  Inasmuch  as  the 
children  were  partakers  of  flesh  and  blood,  he  also  took  part  of  the 
same."  4  There  was  a  time  when  it  was  possible  to  have  become,  in 
the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term,  familiarly  acquainted  with  Jesus 
Christ;  and  I  believe  very  few  Christians,  not  naturally  deficient  ki 
the  imaginative  and  ^  affectionate  parts  of  our  nature,  have  ever  read 
the  history  of  his  going  out  and  in  among  his  chosen  followers,  with 
out  in  some  measure  envying  their  enjoyments.  Who  has  not  occa 
sionally  felt  a  wish  rising  in  his  heart  that  he  had  come  into  existence 
eighteen  centuries  sooner,  and  that  he  had  had  his  lot  cast  in  that 
land  gladdened  and  dignified  above  all  lands  by  the  presence  of  the 
incarnate  Divinity — that  so  he  might  have  contemplated  the  humble 
shrine  of  the  divine  glory,  and  seen  its  radiance  bursting  through  in 
miracles  of  power  and  mercy — that  he  might  have  gazed  on  that  coun 
tenance  which  beamed  with  divine  intelligence  and  benignity,  and 
listened  to  that  voice  which  poured  forth  a  stream  of  divine  wisdom, 
and  truth,  and  kindness  ?  Who  has  not  sometimes  said  in  his  heart, 
O  happy  family  of  Bethany,  all  whose  members  were  the  objects  of 
Jesus'  peculiar  love,  and  under  whose  hospitable  roof  he  spent  so 
many  of  his  hours !  O  that,  like  the  three  favored  disciples,  we  had 
been  admitted  to  witness  the  glory  on  "  the  Holy  Mount,"  and  to 
watch  and  weep  with  him  amid  his  agony  in  the  garden  of  Gethsem- 
ane  !  O  that  we  had  seen  him  displaying  at  once  the  tokens  of  his 
unexampled  love,  and  the  proofs  of  the  reality  of  his  resurrection !  O 

1  John  i.  14.     Cant,  v.  10,  16.  2  John  iv.  19.     Rev.  i.  5. 

3  Luko  xiv.  26.  «  John  i.  14.     Heb.  ii.  14. 


64  CONTRAST    OF    THE    PRESENT  [DISC.  III. 

that  we  had  been  with  the  two  disciples  when  he  so  opened  the  Scrip 
tures  ahout  himself,  as  to  make  their  hearts  burn  within  them  !  O 
that  we  had  heard  the  cheering  salutation,  "  Peace  be  unto  you,"  and 
felt  his  warm  breath  when  he  said,  "  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost !" 
Such  wishes  are  natural,  I  believe,  to  the  renewed  mind ;  and  though 
they  belong,  it  may  be,  to  the  weakness  of  regenerated  humanity,  I 
do  not  think  they  will  be  severely  judged  by  Him  "who  knows  our 
frame,  and  remembers  we  are  dust." 

In  the  present  state,  however,  these  longings  cannot  be  gratified* 
On  the  day  on  which  he  "  led  out  his  disciples  as  far  as  to  Bethany, 
and  lifted  up  his  hands,  and  blessed  them,"  "  the  heavens  received 
him,"  and  they  must  "  retain  him  till  the  times  of  the  restitution  of 
all  things."  l  And  with  this  arrangement  we  have  good  reason  to  be 
satisfied,  both  for  his  sake  and  our  own.  For  his  sake  :  for  what  has 
earth  to  offer  in  the  shape  of  dignity  and  enjoyment,  in  comparison 
of  that  "  name  above  every  name,"  which  he  bears  in  the  heaven  of 
heavens,  or  of  those  "  rivers  of  pleasures"  that  are  at  his  Father's  right 
hand  ?  "  If  we  loved  him,  we  would  rejoice  that  he  has  gone  to  the 
Father."  For  our  own  :  for  "  it  was  expedient  for  us  that  he  should 
go  away;  for  if  he  had  not  gone  away,  the  Comforter  would  not  have 
come  ;  but  having  gone,  he  has  sent  him  to  us."  Yet  still,  though  we 
know  and  believe  all  this,  we  feel  that  our  happiness  would  be  in 
creased  were  we  allowed  to  see  his  face,  and  to  hear  his  voice ;  for 
we  are  sure  "  his  voice  is  sweet,  and  his  countenance  is  comely."  2 

But  not  merely  is  Jesus  Christ,  the  great  object  of  his  people's  love, 
bodily  absent  from  them  in  the  present  state ;  while  they  are  here, 
they  can  be  but  very  imperfectly  acquainted  with  him.  They  are  ac 
quainted  with  him,  and  they  would  not  part  with  their  knowledge  of 
him  for  all  the  stores  of  human  science.  They  feel  that  "it  is  life 
eternal  to  know  him;"  and  they  "count  all  things  but  loss  for  the 
excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  3  They  know, 
and  they  are  following  on  to  know,  him.  They  are  studying  his 
word,  and  they  are  studying  his  providence,  which  are  both  manifes 
tations  of  Him,  and  they  are  thus  gradually  becoming  better  acquainted 
with  him.  But  there  is  much  in  his  word  that  they  but  imperfectly 
comprehend.  There  is  much  in  his  providence  which  perplexes  and 
confounds  them.  If  it  were  not  their  own  fault,  they  might  know 
much  more  of  him  than  they  do  ;  for  he  is  not  backward  to  manifest 
himself  to  his  people  in  another  way  than  he  does  to  the  world.  A 
more  careful  study  of  the  Bible,  and  a  more  careful  study  of  provi 
dential  dispensations  in  the  light  of  the  Bible,  would  be  found  ex- 
haustless  sources  of  satisfactory  information  about  Him  whom  we 
love,  affording  most  amazing  displays  of  his  wisdom  and  power,  and 
faithfulness  and  kindness.  Yet,  however  carefully  these  means  might 
be  improved,  still  would  it  be  true  that  here  "we  see  through  a  glass 
darkly  ;  we  know  but  in  part,"  4  in  reference  to  him  whom  we  love. 

While  in  the  present  state,  our  knowledge  of  him,  and  our  inter 
course  with  him,  are  through  the  medium  of  faith.  "  We  do  not  see 
him — we  believe  in  him."  His  mind  and  his  heart  are  made  known 

1  Luke  xxiv.  20,  21.    Acts  iii.  21.        2  Phil.  ii.  9.    Psal.  xvi.  11.   John  xiv.  28  ;  xvl  7. 
John  xvii.  3.     Phil.  iii.  8.  *   l  Cor.  xiii.  12. 


PART  I.]        AND  FUTURE  STATE  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN.  65 

to  us  in  his  word.  It  is  only  so  far  as  we  understand  this  word  that 
we  know  him  ;  and  it  is  only  so  far  as  we  believe  it  that  we  have  in 
tercourse  with  him;  his  mind  then  becoming  our  mind,  and  his  will 
our  will.  It  is  true  that  we  have  "  the  Spirit  whom  he  hath  given 
us ;"  l  but  that  Holy  Spirit  does  not  directly  give  us  information 
about  Christ ;  he  only,  by  his  enlightening  influence,  enables  us  to  un 
derstand  and  believe  the  information  contained  in  the  Scriptures  ;  and 
while,  if  we  are  Christians,  we  are  "joined  to  the  Lord,"2  and  are 
"  one  Spirit"  with  him  we  love,  the  intercourse  of  holy  desire  and 
affection  is  carried  on  entirely  by  means  of  clear  and  impressive 
views  of  revealed  truth.  Such  is  the  Christian's  situation  while  here 
below,  in  reference  to  the  object  of  his  supreme  love.  He  is  not 
bodily  present  with  us — he  is  but  imperfectly  known  by  us  :  and  all 
our  knowledge  of  him,  and  intercourse  with  him,  are  through  the  me 
dium  of  faith. 

It  will  be  otherwise  by-and-by.  In  "  the  last  time"  there  will  be 
"  a  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ."  At  the  appointed  season  He  will  bodily 
return  to  earth  for  the  entire  salvation  of  his  chosen  ones.  He  will 
then  deliver  them  completely  from  "  the  last  enemy"  by  raising  them 
from  the  dead  ;  and  in  his  glorified  body  will  forever  dwell  in  the 
midst  of  his  people,  all  of  them  possessed  of  bodies  "fashioned  like  unto 
his  glorious  body."  "  Ye  men  of  Galilee,"  said  the  angels  to  the  dis 
ciples  who  stood  gazing  up  to  heaven,  after  the  cloud  had  received 
the  ascending  Saviour  out  of  their  sight — "  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why 
stand  ye  here  gazing  up  to  heaven  ?  this  same  Jesus,  which  is  taken 
up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have 
seen  him  go  into  heaven."  "  Behold,"  says  John  the  divine,  hurried 
forward  by  the  inspiring  Spirit  to  "the  last  time,"  even  "  the  time  of 
the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ," — "  Behold,  he  cometh  with  clouds,  and 
every  eye  shall  see  him."  The  man  Christ  Jesus,  ordained  to  be  the 
judge  of  the  world,  shall  descend  from  heaven,  and  having  raised  the 
dead,  and  pronounced  and  executed  righteous  judgment  on  all  the  liv 
ing  and  the  dead,  shall  return  to  heaven,  and  spend  the  endless  years 
of  eternity  amid  his  reanimated  and  completely  redeemed  people,  a 
glorified  man  amid  glorified  men,  their  Lord  and  yet  their  brother,  the 
visible  Head  of  his  visible  body,  the  Church — "  the  fulness  of  him 
who  filleth  all  in  all."  3 

That  the  happiness  of  the  saints  will  be  greatly  increased  by  the 
bodily  presence  of  their  Lord  and  Saviour  and  Brother,  there  can  be 
no  doubt.  But  "  the  Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ"  seems  to  me  to  im 
port  something  more  than  this — something  still  more  closely  connected 
with  the  happiness  of  his  people.  He  will  not  only  be  bodily  present 
with  them,  but  he  will  be  much  more  extensively  known  by  them. 
A  much  more  complete  manifestation  will  be  made  of  his  excellence 
and  kindness,  and  they  will  be  rendered  much  more  capable  of  com 
prehending  this  manifestation.  Every  obscurity  in  his  word  will  then 
be  removed.  Every  dark  dispensation  will  be  explained.  "  In  his 
light  they  shall  see  light  clearly." 4  The  excellencies  of  his  personal 

1  1  John  iii.  24.  2  l  Cor.  vi.  17. 

*  Acts  i.  11.  Rev.  i.  3.  1  Cor.  xv.  26,  42-55.  1  Thess.  iiL  15-17.  Phil.  iii.  20,  21. 
LPh-  »•  23.  *  Psal  xxxvi.  9. 

5 


66  CONTRAST    OF    THE    PRESENT  [DISC.  III. 

character,  the  wisdom  and  benignity  of  his  mediatorial  administration, 
and  the  nature  and  transcendent  dignity  of  his  mediatorial  honors, 
will  all  be  apprehended  to  an  extent,  and  with  a  clearness,  of  which  at 
present  we  have  no  conception.  The  meaning  of  the  scriptural  de 
scriptions  of  his  excellencies  will  then  be  distinctly  understood  by  his 
people ;  and  they  will  find  that  he  is  excellent  and  amiable  "  above 
all  that  they  have  thought."  The  whole  of  his  varied  dispensations 
in  the  administration  of  universal  government,  shall  appear  a  consis 
tent  display  of  infinite  wisdom,  righteousness,  and  benignity;  and  the 
glories  of  that  higher  order  of  administration  which  is  to  characterize 
the  celestial  state,  shall  be  as  fully  displayed  to  them  as  the  limited 
faculties  of  their  glorified  nature  admit. 

The  only  other  idea  which  I  wish  to  bring  before  your  minds  just 
now,  in  illustration  of  the  point  of  contrast  between  the  present  and 
the  future  state  of  the  Christian,  is,  that  whereas  now,  all  our  knowl 
edge  of,  and  all  our  intercourse  with  Christ,  is  through  the  medium 
of  faith,  then  it  will  be  direct  and  immediate.  How  knowledge  is 
then  to  be  communicated  to  us  by  him,  how  our  intercourse  with  him 
is  to  be  carried  on,  we  cannot  distinctly  say,  we  cannot  clearly  con 
ceive.  We  know  it  will  be  as  different  from  our  present  mode  of 
obtaining  knowledge  and  maintaining  intercourse,  as  seeing  a  thing 
is  from  merely  crediting  a  report  about  it.  We  shall  live,  not  by 
faith,  but  by  sight.  We  shall  see  no  longer  as  "  by  means  of  a  mir 
ror,1  but  face  to  face;  we  shall  know  no  longer  in  part;  we  shall 
know  as  we  are  known."  Our  knowledge  will  not  be  infinite,  but  it 
will  be  very  extensive  and  perfectly  clear,  altogether  unmixed  with 
error  or  doubt.  So  much  for  the  illustration  of  the  first  point  of  con 
trast. 


EL— THE  TRIALS  OF  CHRISTIANS  IN  THE  PRESENT  STATE  CONTRASTED 
WITH  THEIR  RESULTS  IN  THE  FUTURE  STATE. 

The  second  point  of  contrast  between  the  present  and  future  state 
of  Christians  is,  that  now  and  here,  Christians  are  exposed  to  numer 
ous  and  varied  trials ;  then  and  there,  they  shall  enjoy  the  glorious 
results  of  these  trials.  Christians  in  the  present  state  are  exposed  to 
"  temptations,"  to  "  manifold" — that  is,  numerous  and  varied,  "  temp 
tations."  Temptation  is  ordinarily  used  to  signify  enticement  to  sin ; 
but  in  the  New  Testament  it  frequently  signifies  afflictions  generally, 
viewed  as  trials,  and  this  is  obviously  its  meaning  in  the  passage  be 
fore  us.  The  apostolical  assertion  then  is,  Christians  are  exposed  in 
the  present  state  to  numerous  and  varied  afflictions,  and  these  numer 
ous  and  varied  afflictions  are  trials  of  the  reality  and  strength  of 
their  faith,  and  hope,  and  love,  and  patience,  and  other  graces. 
^  An  abstract  consideration  of  the  divine  character,  and  of  the  rela 
tion  in  which  true  Christians  stand  to  God,  would  lead  us  to  expect 
that  they  should  be  completely  exempted  from  affliction.  He  is  in 
finitely  powerful,  and  wise,  and  good.  They  are  the  objects  of  his 
peculiar  love.  Is  it  not  natural,  then,  to  conclude,  that  from  the  mo 
ment  they  are  brought  into  the  relation  of  children  to  him  by  faith  in 

At'  i<r6jrrpov,  in  amy/iarj. — 1  Cor.  xiii.  12. 


PART  II. J       AND  FUTURE  STATE  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN.  67 

Christ  Jesus,  they  should  be  freed  from  evil  in/  all  its  forms  and  degrees, 
and  made  happy  up  to  their  largest  capacity  of  happiness  ?  But 
"  his  ways  are  not  our  ways  ;  nor  are  his  thoughts  our  thoughts.  As 
the  heavens  are  high  above  the  earth ;  so  are  his  thoughts  above  our 
thoughts,  and  his  ways  above  our  ways."1 

Christians  are  not  exempted  from  the  ordinary  evils  of  life.  It  is 
true  of  them,  as  of  mankind  generally,  that  they  are  "  born  to  trouble 
as  the  sparks  fly  upward."  They  are  "  of  few  days  and  full  of 
trouble."  Poverty,  reproach,  sickness,  disappointment,  sorrow,  pain, 
and  death,  are  the  lot  of  the  saint  as  well  as  the  sinner.  Many  who 
are  "  rich  in  faith,"  are  "  poor  in  this  world,"  strangers  to  the  com 
forts  and  conveniences,  and  but  scantily  furnished  with  even  the 
necessaries  of  life.  They  may  be,  they  often  are,  the  subjects  of  the 
most  painful  and  loathsome  diseases,  and  the  general  law  of  mortality 
holds  in  their  case  equally  as  in  that  of  their  irreligious  neighbors, — 
"  Dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return."  Indeed,  in  very 
many  cases  a  larger  proportion  of  suffering  than  ordinary  seems  to 
fall  to  the  lot  of  the  children  of  God.  "  Whom  the  Lord  loveth  he 
chasteneth,  and  he  scourgeth  every  son  whom  he  receiveth." 2 

Besides  the  afflictions  which  are  common  to  the  saint  as  a  man, 
there  are  others  which  are  peculiar  to  him  as  a  Christian.  He"  is 
exposed  to  suffering  from  the  world  "  lying  under  the  wicked  one," 
and  he  is  exposed  to  suffering  from  the  wicked  one  himself.  "  In  the 
world,"  said  our  Lord  to  his  followers,  "ye  shall  have  tribulation;" 
and  the  faithful  witness  did  not  lie.  All  who  have  lived  godly  in  this 
world  have  suffered,  "  all  who  will  live  godly  must  suffer,  persecu 
tion."  Some  of  them  have  *'  had  trial  of  cruel  mockings  and  scourg- 
ings ;  yea,  moreover,  of  bonds  and  imprisonments.  They  were 
stoned,  they  were  sawn  asunder,  they  were  tempted,  they  were  slain 
by  the  sword,  they  wandered  about  in  sheep's  skins  and  goat's  skins 
— destitute,  afflicted,  tormented,  they  wandered  in  deserts  and  in 
mountains,  in  dens  and  in  caves  of  the  earth."  8  And  even  where 
they  are  not  exposed  to  open  violence,  they  find  that  "  this  world  is 
not  their  friend,  nor  this  world's  law ;"  that  the  world  which  hated 
their  Lord  and  Master  does  not  love  them ;  and  that  a  malignant 
influence  in  reference  to  their  best  interests  is  constantly  proceed 
ing  forth  from  "  the  present  evil  world." 

In  addition  to  trials  from  the  world,  the  Christian  is  exposed  to 
affliction  from  the  assaults  of  his  unseen  enemies.  He  has  to  strive, 
not  only  "  with  flesh  and  blood,  but  with  principalities  and  powers, 
with  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  with  spiritual  wickedness 
in  high  places."  "  His  enemy,  the  devil,  goeth  about  like  a  roaring 
lion,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour."  *  His  fiery  darts,  when  not 
warded  off  by  the  shield  of  faith,  sink  deep  into  the  heart,  and  inflict, 
though  not  a  deadly,  yet  a  most  painful  wound  ;  and  the  buffetings 
of  some  of  his  messengers  are  all  but  intolerable. 

All  these  afflictions,  from  whatever  quarter  they  come,  are  "  trials." 
They  are  intended  to  prove  and  to  improve  the  Christian,  to  try  at 
once  the  reality  and  the  vigor  of  his  gracious  principles;  and  not 

1  Isa.  lv.  8,  9.  *  Job  v.  7 ;  xiv.  1.    James  ii.  5.     Gen.  iii.  19.    Heb.  xii.  6. 

8  John  xvi.  33.    2  Tim.  iii.  12.    Heb.  xi.  36-38.  *  Eph.  vi.  12.     1  Pet.  v.  8. 


08  CONTRAST    OF    THE    PRESENT  [DISC.  III. 

only  to  try  them,  but  to  strengthen  them.  This,  then,  is  the  state  of 
the  Christian;  while  here,  he  is  exposed  to  numerous  and  varied 
afflictions,  by  means  of  which  he  is  tried  and  improved. 

But  in  the  state  of  final  happiness  there  will  be  no  affliction.  The 
trial,  having  served  its  purpose,  shall  cease,  and  nothing  but  the  glo 
rious  result  of  the  trial  will  remain.  "  The  trial  of  the  Christian's 
faith"  by  means  of  these  manifold  afflictions,  "  is  more  precious  than 
the  trial  of  gold."  The  apostle  does  not  here  directly  contrast  faith 
and  gold,  but  the  trial  of  faith  and  the  trial  of  gold.1  Trial  by  fire 
improves  gold ;  it  frees  it  from  all  debasing  alloy,  but  it  does  not  ren 
der  it  indestructible.  Refine  gold  as  you  will,  it  is,  after  all,  a  perish 
ing  thing.  But  the  trial  of  the  faith  of  the  Christian  has  a  nobler 
result.  Purified  and  strengthened  by  the  trials  it  is  exposed  to  under 
the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  faith,  with  all  the  graces  which  grow 
out  of  it,  survives  the  wreck  of  all  material  things,  and,  "at  the  reve 
lation  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  found  to  praise,  and  honor,  and  glory."  The 
results  of  all  the  trials  to  which  they  have  been  exposed  in  the  pres 
ent  state,  will  be  found  in  that  character  of  perfect  conformity  to 
the  image  of  God,  in  which  consist  at  once  their  perfect  holiness  and 
their  perfect  happiness. 

"  Praise,  honor,  and  glory,"  are  synonymous  expressions,  and  are 
equivalent  to  a  very  strong  superlative.  The  praise,  glory,  and 
honor,  may  be  referred  either  to  the  saints  themselves  or  to  their  Lord 
and  Saviour;  to  the  saints  themselves,  for  we  know  that  "praise, 
and  honor,  and  glory,"  shall  be  to  every  saint  "in  the  day  when 
Jesus  Christ  shall  judge  the  secrets  of  all  hearts  ;"  to  their  Lord  and 
Saviour,  for  we  know  that  "he  shall  be  glorified  in  his  saints,  and 
admired  in  all  them  that  believe."2  It  has  been  beautifully  remark 
ed,  "  These  two  will  well  agree  together ;  that  it  be  both  to  their 
praise  and  to  the  praise  of  Christ ;  for  certainly  all  their  praise  and 
glory  will  end  in  the  praise  and  glory  of  their  head,  Christ  who  is 
God  over  all,  blessed  forever.  They  have  each  their  crown,  but 
their  honor  is  to  cast  them  all  down  before  His  throne." 


III.—  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  PRESENT  STATE    A   STATE  OF  EXPECTATION- 
HIS  FUTURE  STATE,  A  STATE  OF  ENJOYMENT. 

The  third  point  of  comparison  or  contrast  between  the  present  and 
future  state  of  Christians  is,  that  now  and  here  complete  salvation  is 
the  object  of  faith  and  hope  ;  then  and  there  it  will  be  the  object  of 
enjoyment. 

Saints  in  the  present  state  are  made  partakers  of  many  of  the 
blessings  of  the  Christian  salvation.  So  far  as  the  purchase  of  sal 
vation  is  concerned,  immediately  on  believing  the  truth  they  are  in 
terested  indefeasibly  in  that  all-perfect  work  of  Christ  which  secures 
their  everlasting  happiness.  They  obtain  the  forgiveness  of  all  their 
sins.  "  In  him  they  have  redemption  through  his  blood  —  the  forgive 
ness  of  sins."  They  obtain  deliverance  from  the  prevailing  power 


vo\v  rt/Kwrepov  xpvviov  —  i.  e.  TOV  SaKi^iuv  rov  •vfivaiav.  —  GROTIUS. 

9  Rom.  ii.  10.     2  Thess.  i.  10.  »  Leighton. 


PART  III.]  AND    FUTURE    STATE    OF    THE    CHRISTIAN.  69 

of  sin.  "  Sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  them."  l  They  obtain  a 
joy,  and  peace,  and  satisfaction,  to  which,  till  they  believed,  they 
were  strangers.  But  still  they  are  but  very  imperfectly  possessed  of 
the  Christian  salvation — complete  deliverance  from  evil  in  all  its 
forms  and  all  its  degrees. 

We  have  seen,  that  they  are  still  exposed  to  the  ordinary  calamities 
of  life,  to  the  persecution  of  the  world,  and  to  the  temptations  of 
Satan.  They  are  still  but  imperfectly  delivered  from  their  innate 
depravity.  Sin,  though  it  no  longer  reigns,  yet  dwells  in  them. 
There  is  still  much  darkness  in  the  understanding,  much  disorder  in 
the  affections,  much  perversity  in  the  will.  They  are  far,  very  far, 
from  being  "  holy  as  God  is  holy,  perfect  as  he  is  perfect."  This 
mortal  has  not  yet  put  on  immortality.  This  corruptible  has  not  yet 
put  on  incorruption.  In  one  word,  perfect  holy  happiness — complete 
salvation,  is,  in  the  present  state,  the  object,  not  of  enjoyment,  but 
of  faith  and  hope.  "  We  ourselves,"  says  the  apostle,  "  who  have  the 
first  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  even  we  ourselves  groan  within  ourselves, 
waiting  for  the  adoption,  to  wit,  the  redemption  of  our  body" — the 
final  deliverance  on  the  day  of  the  resurrection ;  "  for  we  are  saved 
by  hope" — that  is,  our  salvation  at  present  is  not  in  possession,  but 
in  expectation :  we  are  not  so  much  saved  as  we  hope  to  be  saved : 
"  For  hope  that  is  seen  is  not  hope ;  for  what  a  man  seeth,  why  doth 
he  yet  hope  for  ?"  * 

In  the  future  state,  however,  Christians  shall  obtain,  in  all  its  ex 
tent  and  perfection,  "the  salvation  that  is  in  Christ  with  eternal 
glory."  They  shall  receive  "the  end  of  their  faith,  even  the  salva 
tion  of  their  soul." 

The  final  salvation  is  termed  the  salvation  of  "the  soul,"  not  to 
exclude  the  salvation  of  the  body ;  "  for  we  look  for  the  Saviour  from 
heaven,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  change  these  vile  bodies, 
and  fashion  them  like  unto  his  own  glorious  body ;"  but  because  the 
soul  in  itself,  immaterial  and  immortal,  is  both  the  nobler  part  of 
human  nature,  and  the  immediate  seat  of  that  holy  happiness  in 
which  the  Christian  salvation  essentially  consists.3 

This  salvation  is  said  to  be  "the  end  of  their  faith" — that  is,  I  ap 
prehend,  the  termination  of  their  faith.4  The  attainment  of  com 
plete  salvation  shall  no  more  be  a  matter  of  faith  ;  it  shall  be  a  matter 
of  experience.  They  will  no  more  believe  that  they  shall  be  saved ; 
they  will  know  that  they  are  saved.  We  are  persuaded  that  faith 
will  continue  forever  in  heaven ;  but  the  object  of  faith  will  then  be, 
not  the  attainment  of  a  complete  salvation,  but  the  eternal  continu 
ance  of  the  enjoyment  of  a  complete  salvation  already  attained.  In 
one  word — here  Christians  believe  they  shall  be  saved,  here  they  hope 
to  be  saved ;  there  they  are  saved. 

1  Eph.  i.  7.    Rom.  vi.  14.  »  Rom.  viii.  23-25. 

»  Phil.  iii.  20,  21.     See  note  A. 

Heb.  x.  39. — 'Y7rocrroA«  tends  to,  ends  in  'AjrwAsia.    IL'ffnj  tends  to,  ends  in 
^u^j— the  same  thing  as  currjpia 


70  CONTRAST    OF    THE    PRESENT  [DISC.  III. 


IV.  -THE  SORROWS  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  PRESENT  STA  TECONTRASTED 
WITH  THE  JOYS  OF  HIS  FUTURE  STATE. 

The  fourth  point  of  contrast  is,  Now,  and  Here,  Christians  are 
"for  a  season  in  heaviness"  on  all  these  accounts ;  Then,  and  There, 
they  will  "  rejoice,  greatly  rejoice,  rejoice  with  a  joy  that  is  unspeak 
able  and  full  of  glory."  The  hodily  absence  of  Jesus  Christ,  their 
imperfect  knowledge  of  him,  their  indirect  and  interrupted  inter 
course  with  him,  their  manifold  trials,  their  imperfect  enjoyment  of 
the  blessings  of  the  Christian  salvation — all  these  naturally  produce, 
to  a  certain  degree,  a  depression  of  spirit.  The  Christian  is  "in 
heaviness."  He  mourns  the  absence  of  his  Lord,  and  says  in  his 
heart,  "Oh!  that  I  knew  where  I  could  find  him,  that  I  might  come 
even  to  his  seat."  Under  the  pressure  of  bodily  affliction  or  mental 
distress,  he  is  constrained  to  cry  out,  "  I  am  oppressed — undertake 
for  me."  Harassed  with  the  movements  of  remaining  corruption, 
he  groans  out,  "  Wretched  man  that  I  am ;  who  will  deliver  me  ?" 
And  feeling  that  he  is  saved  but  in  hope,  he  sighs  out,  "  How  long, 
O  Lord,  how  long  ?"  "  When  shall  I  come  and  appear  before  God  ?"  * 

This  heaviness  of  heart  is  but  for  a  season — it  is,  at  least  in  an 
oppressive  degree,  not  constant,  but  only  occasional,  and  at  any  rate 
it  is  only  for  the  season,  the  short  season,  of  mortal  life.  And  what 
should  still  further  prevent  Christians  from  murmuring,  is  the  thought 
that,  if  they  are  in  heaviness  even  for  a  season  for  these  causes,  it  is 
"since  there  is  need  for  it."2  All  is  ordered,  and  all  is  well  ordered. 
HE  does  not  "  afflict  willingly,  nor  grieve  without  a  cause."  3  Every 
thing  in  the  saint's  lot  is  arranged  in  the  way  best  suited  to  promote 
his  true,  his  everlasting  welfare. 

But  in  the  future  state  there  will  be  no  heaviness,  no,  not  even 
"for  a  season."  It  will  no  more  be  needful.  Affliction  will  have 
served  its  purpose,  and  will  forever  cease.  There,  then,  will  be 
nothing  but  unmingled  happiness  and  unending  rejoicing.  "  They 
shall  rejoice;  they  shall  rejoice  with  a  joy  which  is  unspeakable," 
which  cannot  be  adequately  expressed,  "and  full  of  glory" — that  is, 
either  in  the  highest  degree  glorious  and  excellent,  or  full  of  gloriation 
or  triumph.  It  is  needless  for  us  to  attempt  to  illustrate  this  subject ; 
we  can  do  nothing  but  quote  a  few  passages  of  Scripture,  which,  in 
all  their  extent  of  meaning,  seem  applicable  only  to  this  final  state  of 
happiness.  "  The  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  return  and  come  to 
Zion,  with  songs,  and  with  everlasting  joy  on  their  head ;  they  shall 
obtain  joy  and  gladness,  and  sorrow'and  sighing  shall  flee  away." 
"  Thy  sun  shall  no  more  go  down,  neither  shall  thy  moon  withdraw 
her  shining ;  for  the  Lord  God  shall  be  thy  everlasting  light,  and  the 
days  of  thy  mourning  shall  be  ended."  "  God  himself  shall  be  with 
them,  and  be  their  God  ;  and  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither 
sorrow,  nor  crying ;  neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain,  for  the 
former  things  are  passed  away.  The  Lamb  who  is  in  the  midst  of 

^obxxiii.  3.    Isa.  xxxviii.  H.    Rom.  vii.  24.     Rev.  vi.  10.     Psal.  xlii.  2. 
*  <('  iiov  earl.  '  Lara.  ii.  83. 


PART  IV.J      AND  FUTURE  STATE  OP  THE  CHRISTIAN.  71 

the  throne  shall  feed  them,  and  lead  them  to  fountains  of  living 
waters ;  and  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes."  l 

Thus  have  I  shortly  considered  the  beautiful  and  instructive  con 
trast  contained  in  the  text  between  the  saint's  condition  on  earth 
and  in  heaven.  And  now,  in  conclusion,  ought  not  all  Christians, 
with  the  apostle,  to  "  reckon,"  judge,  conclude,  on  the  most  satisfac 
tory  premises,  "  that  the  sufferings  of  the  present  time  are  not  worthy 
to  be  compared  with  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed  in  them" — and 
that,  however  heavy  and  long  continued,  that  "affliction"  is  but 
"light,"  and  "for  a  moment,"  which  "  worketh  out  for  them  such  a 
far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory."  2 

Who  would  not  be  a  Christian  ?  For  ah !  how  different  are  the 
prospects  of  the  unbeliever  ?  He,  too,  must  see  Christ  Jesus,  whom 
he  does  not  love,  but  it  will  be  as  a  righteous  judge,  coming  "  in 
flaming  fire  to  take  vengeance"  on  him  as  an  adversary  of  God. 
His  afflictions  here  will  prove  to  have  been  but  "  the  beginning  of 
sorrows ;"  what  he  now  fears  he  will  then  feel,  and  feel  to  be  far 
worse  than  he  feared ;  and,  instead  of  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory,  there  will  be  woe,  unutterable  but  in  "  weeping,  and  wailing, 
and  gnashing  of  teeth."  3 

Let  Christians  live  like  those  who  have  such  prospects.  Let  them 
"be  steadfast,  immovable,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
forasmuch  as  they  know  their  labor  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord ;"  and, 
"  having  such  promises,"  let  "  them  cleanse  themselves  from  all 
filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  and  perfect  holiness  in  the  fear  of 
God." 


NOTE  A.  p.  69. 


Perhaps  there  is  in  the  expression  o-om/piai/  ^u^,  a  reference  to  the  scriptural  trichot 
omy  of  human  nature.  —  1  Thess.  v.  23.     Heb.  iv.  12.     Phil.  i.  2Y.    Luke  i.  47.     1  Cor. 


all  equally,  according  to  their  nature,  enjoy  the  ffwr^ia.  Rom.  viii.  10,  11.  Bengel  con 
siders  i>  Y/J  as  used  generally  of  the  spiritual  part  of  man.  His  note  is,  as  usual,  brief 
but  significant.  "  Anima  praecipue  salvatur :  corpus  in  resurrectione  participat."  It  has 
been  thought  by  some,  that  there  is  here  a  tacit  reference  to  the  Jewish  hope  of  external 
bodily  deliverance,  from  slavery  and  oppression,  by  the  Messiah.  The  Christian's  hop* 
is,  "  the  salvation  of  the  soul." 

1  Isa.  xxxv.  10.    Ibid.  Ix.  19,  20.    Rev.  xxi.  3,  4.          3  Rom.  viii.  18.     2  Cor.  iv.  11 
•  2  Thess.  L  8.    Matt.  viii.  12. 


DISCOURSE   IV, 

THE  FINAL  HAPPINESS  OF  CHRISTIANS  THE  SUBJECT  OF  OLD 
TESTAMENT  PREDICTION,  NEW  TESTAMENT  REVELATION,  AND 
ANGELIC  STUDY. 

1  PET.  i.  10-12. — Of  which  salvation  the  prophets  have  inquired  and  searched  dili 
gently,  who  prophesied  of  the  grace  that  should  come  unto  you :  searching  what,  or 
what  manner  of  time,  the  Spirit  of  Christ  which  was  in  them  did  signify,  when  it  testi 
fied  beforehand  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that  should  follow.  Unto  whom 
it  was  revealed,  that  not  unto  themselves,  but  unto  us,  they  did  minister  the  things 
which  are  now  reported  unto  you  by  them  that  have  preached  the  gospel  unto  you 
with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven ;  which  things  the  angels  desire  to 
look  into. 

IF  we  would  satisfactorily  understand  any  book,  or  any  passage  in  a 
book,  there  are  two  points  which  we  must  distinctly  apprehend,  and 
never  lose  sight  of.  These  are,  what  is  the  subject  of  which  the  au 
thor  treats,  and  what  is  the  object  which  he  has  in  view  in  treating  it. 
Let  us  endeavor  to  ascertain  those  two  points  with  regard  to  that 
paragraph  which  I  have  just  read,  and  which  I  intend  to  make  the 
subject  of  the  following  discourse. 

The  subject  of  the  apostle  is,  plainly,  the  final  deliverance  and 
complete  happiness  which  Christians  are  to  obtain  at  the  second  com 
ing  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  spoken  of  as  "  the  inheritance  incor 
ruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved  in  heaven ;" 
as  "  the  salvation  prepared  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  times ;"  as  "  the 
grace  which  is  to  be  brought  to  Christians  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus 
Christ."  This  is  plainly  the  subject  of  the  paragraph. 

With  regard  to  the  object  of  the  apostle  in  treating  this  subject, 
it  is  obviously  to  sustain  the  minds  of  the  Christians  to  whom  he 
wrote,  amid  the  manifold  trials  to  which  they  were  exposed — to  ena 
ble  them  to  remain  "steadfast  and  immovable"  in  the  profession  of 
the  faith,  and  in  the  practice  of  the  duties  of  their  high  and  holy  call 
ing.  He  states  the  truth  with  regard  to  the  immeasurable  grandeur, 
and  absolute  certainty,  of  this  final  salvation,  that  they  might  be  in 
duced  to  "  gird  up  the  loins  of  their  mind,  be  sober,  and  hope  to  the 
end,"  that  they  might  "fashion  themselves  as  obedient  children,"  and 
"be  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation,  as  he  who  had  called  them  is 
holy." 

No  means  could  be  better  fitted  to  gain  the  end  proposed,  than 
that  adopted  by  the  apostle;  for  if  they  firmly  believed  that  such  a 
salvation  certainly  awaited  every  one  who  "  held  fast  the  beginning  of 
his  confidence  steadfast  to  the  end,"  l  it  is  obvious  that  the  smiles  and 

1  Heb.  iii.  14. 


PART  I.]  THE    FINAL    HAPPINESS    OF    CHRISTIANS,    ETC.  73 

the  frowns,  the  allurements  and  the  terrors  of  the  world,  would  be 
equally  powerless  to  shake  their  attachment  to  that  Lord  who  will  in 
due  time  so  munificently  reward  all  his  faithful  followers. 

The  manner  in  which  the  apostle  brings  the  magnitude  and  cer 
tainty  of  this  salvation  before  their  minds,  shows  that  he,  as  well  as 
his  ""beloved  brother  Paul,"  speaks  "  according  to  the  wisdom  given 
to  him."1  He  first  describes  it  generally,  as  "an  inheritance  incor 
ruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved  in  heaven  foi 
them,  while  they  are  kept  to  it  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith." 
Then  he  brings  out  more  prominently  its  characteristic  excellencies, 
by  describing  it  in  contrast  with  the  present  state  of  the  people  of 
God.  In  opposition  to  a  state  in  which  Jesus  Christ,  the  object  of 
the  Christian's  supreme  affection,  is  bodily  absent  from  him,  in  which 
his  knowledge  of  him  is  limited  and  obscure,  and  his  intercourse  with 
him  carried  on  entirely  through  the  medium  of  believing — it  is  exhibit 
ed  as  a  state  in  which  Christ  is  bodily  present  with  his  people,  in  which 
their  knowledge  of  him  is  extensive  and  distinct,  and  their  commu 
nion  with  him  direct  and  immediate ;  in  opposition  to  a  state  in  which 
they  are  exposed  to  numerous  and  varied  trials — it  is  exhibited  as  a 
state  in  which,  freed  from  all  trials,  they  shall  enjoy  the  glorious  re 
sults  of  those  trials  to  which  in  a  previous  state  they  had  been  sub 
jected  ;  in  opposition  to  a  state  in  which  complete  deliverance  and 
happiness  are  objects  merely  of  faith  and  hope — it  is  exhibited  as  a 
state  in  which  they  are  the  objects  of  enjoyment ;  and.  in  fine>  in  op 
position  to  a  state  in  which  they  are  "  for  a  season,  since  it  is  needful, 
in  heaviness" — it  is  exhibited  as  a  state  in  which  they  shall  forever 
"greatly  rejoice  ;  rejoice  with  a  joy  which  is  unspeakable,  and  full  of 
glory." 

In  the  paragraph  which  forms  our  text,  the  apostle  takes  another 
and  an  equally  efficient  method  of  bringing  before  the  minds  of  his 
readers,  the  greatness  and  the  certainty  of  this  final  salvation,  by  rep 
resenting  it  as  one  great  or  leading  subject  of  Old  Testament  prophe 
cy,  apostolic  preaching,  and  angelic  study.  "  Of  this  salvation  the 
prophets  prophesied" — of  this  salvation  "  they  who  preached  the  Gos 
pel  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven  made  a  report" — 
and  "  into  this  salvation  the  angels  desire  to  look."  In  the  remaining 
part  of  this  discourse,  then,  I  shall  turn  your  attention  to  the  view 
which  the  apostle  gives  us  of  the  final  salvation  of  Christians,  first, 
as  the  subject  of  Old  Testament  prophecy;  secondly,  as  the  subject 
of  apostolical  preaching  ;  and,  thirdly,  as  the  subject  of  angelic  study. 


I.-THE  FINAL  HAPPINESS  OF  CHRISTIANS  THE  SUBJECT  OF  OLD 
TESTAMENT  PROPHECY. 

Let  us  first,  then,  attend  to  the  statement  which  the  apostle 
makes  as  to  this  final  salvation  being  the  subject  of  Old  Testament 
prophecy. 

"Of,"  or  concerning,  "this  salvation  the  prophets2  inquired  and 

1  2  Pet,  iii.  15. 

Articulus  hie  praetermissus  grandem,  ut  ssepe  etiara  apud  Germanos.  facit  orationem. 
— BENGEL. 


74  THE    FINAL    HAPPINESS    OF    CHRISTIANS  [DISC.  IV. 

searched  diligently,  who  prophesied  of  the  grace  that  should  come 
unto  you ;  searching  what,  or  what  manner  of  time,  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  which  was  in  them  did  signify,  when  it  testified  beforehand 
the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that  should  follow.  Unto 
whom  it  was  revealed,  that  not  to  themselves,  but  to  us,  they  did 
minister." 

The  truths  taught  us  in  these  words  are  the  following : — The  an 
cient  prophets,  inspired  by  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  predicted  that  final 
salvation  which  remains  for  the  people  of  God  ;  they  diligently  in 
quired  into  the  meaning  of  their  own  predictions ;  and  they  obtained 
information  that  these  predictions  referred  to  blessings  not  to  be  con 
ferred  during  the  economy  under  which  they  were  placed,  but  during 
that  higher  one  which  was  to  supersede  it.  The  first  of  these  truths 
is  taught  us  in  these  words,  **  The  prophets  prophesied  of  the  grace 
which  should  come  to  you" — "  The  Spirit  of  Christ  which  was  in 
them  did  testify  beforehand  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory 
that  should  follow."  The  second  of  these  truths  is  taught  us  in  these 
words — '"  Concerning  this  salvation  the  prophets  inquired  and  search 
ed  diligently,  searching  what,  or  what  manner  of  time,  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  which  was  in  them  did  signify."  And  the  third  truth  is  taught 
in  these  words — "  To  them  it  was  revealed,  that  not  to  themselves, 
but  to  us,  they  did  minister."  l 

The  ancient  prophets  predicted  that  final  salvation  which  will  be 
bestowed  on  the  people  of  God  at  the  coming  of  Jesus  Christ.  "  They 
prophesied  of  the  grace  which  should  come  to  us."  "  The  grace 
which  should  come  to  us"  has  often  been  considered  as  a  general  ex 
pression  for  the  blessings  of  -the  New  Testament  economy,  on  earth 
as  well  as  in  heaven — "  the  grace  which  came  by  Jesus  Christ ;"  but 
if  we  look  closely  at  the  passage,  we  shall  find  the  sole  subject  to  be 
the  final  and  complete  salvation  awaiting  Christians,  or,  as  it  is  ex 
pressed  more  fully,  "the  grace  that  is  to  be  brought  to  Christians  at 
the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ."  The  words,  "  they  prophesied  of  the 
grace  which  should  come  to  us,"  are  then  just  equivalent  to,  '  they 
predicted  the  final  salvation  which  awaits  the  people  of  God.' 

The  same  sentiment  is,  I  apprehend,  repeated  in  another  form  of 
words,  when  it  is  said,  "the  Spirit  of  Christ  which  was  in  them  did 
testify  beforehand  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that  should 
follow." 

"  All  Scripture  is  given  by  divine  inspiration."  "  Prophecy  came 
not  in  old  time  by  the  will  of  man,  but  holy  men  of  God  spake  as  they 
were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  2  The  Holy  Ghost  is  termed  "  the 
Spirit  of  Christ,"  inasmuch  as  he  is  essentially  related  to  the  second 
person  of  the  Trinity,  who  is  Christ,  as  well  as  to  the  Father;  and 
inasmuch  as  previously,  no  less  than  subsequently  to  his  incarnation, 
all  communications  of  the  divine  will  were  made  by  the  Son  through 
the  Spirit.  Never  was  there  a  time  when  the  Father  immediately 
revealed  himself.  "  The  only  begotten  Son,  who  is  in  his  bosom,  he 
declared  him"— declared  him  by  the  Spirit.  This  divine  person,  in- 


John  i.  17. 


a  2  Tim.  iii.  16.     2  Pet,  i.  21.     A  valuable  dissertation  on  the  last  of  these  passages 
to  be  found  in  "Kn-  ,-pii  Scripta  Varii  Argument!." 


PART  1.1  PREDICTED  BY  THE  PROPHETS.  75 

spiring  the  prophets,  taught  them  what  things  to  reveal,  and  in  what 
Words  to  reveal  them.  To  use  the  language  of  one  of  themselves, 
"  He  spake  by  them,  and  his  word  was  on  their  tongue."  ] 

The  Spirit  of  Christ,  then,  "  testified  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and 
the  glory  that  should  follow  them."  These  words  naturally  suggest, 
and  have  been  ordinarily  understood  of,,  the  personal  sufferings  and 
glories  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  degradation  and  sorrows  to  which  the  in 
carnate  Son  was  exposed,  when,  "  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  he 
humbled  himself,  and  became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of 
the  cross  ;"  and  the  high  dignity  and  inconceivable  happiness  to  which 
he  was  raised  when  "  God  highly  exalted  him,  and  gave  him  a  name 
which  is  above  every  name,"  "  angels,  and  authorities,  and  powers, 
being  made  subject  to  him."2  I  am  persuaded,  however,  that  if  we 
attend  to  the  connection  of  the  words,  and  to  the  words  themselves, 
we  will  find  they  do  not  refer  to  the  personal  sufferings  and  glories  of 
Christ,  but  to  the  sufferings  of  his  people  during  the  present  state,  and 
the  glories  which  are  to  follow  "in  the  last  time,"  "  at  the  revelation 
of  Jesus  Christ."  It  is  not  the  sufferings  of  Christ  personally,  and  the 
subsequent  glories,  which  are  the  subject  of  the  apostle's  discussion, 
but  the  manifold  trials  to  which  Christians  are  exposed  for  a  season, 
and  the  glory  which  is  to  be  theirs  in  the  last  time.  Looking  at  the 
construction  of  the  passage,  we  naturally  conclude  that  the  clauses, 
"the  prophets  prophesied  of  the  grace  which  is  to  be  brought  to  us," 
and,  "  the  Spirit  of  Christ  testified  beforehand  of  the  sufferings  of 
Christ,  and  the  glory  which  should  follow,"  are  parallel — that  the 
prophecy  of  the  prophets,  and  the  testimony  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ, 
refer  to  the  same  thing. 

Besides,  the  original  expression  is  quite  peculiar,3  and  is  altogether 
different  from  that  ordinarily  rendered  "  the  sufferings  of  Christ."4  It 
is  literally — "  the  sufferings  in  reference  to  Christ,"  that  is,  on  Christ's 
account,  in  Christ's  cause — or  the  sufferings  till  Christ,  that  is,  the 
sufferings  to  be  undergone  by  his  body  the  Church,  and  by  every 
member  in  particular,  till  he  come  "  the  second  time,  not  as  a  sin-of 
fering,  but  for  their  salvation."  The  sufferings  till  Christ,5  and  the 
subsequent  glories,  are  then  just  "the  afflictions  of  the  present  time, 
and  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us,"6  and  the  apostle's  state 
ment  is,  the  'prophets,  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  pre 
dicted  the  sufferings  to  which  Christians  are  to  be  exposed  in  the  pres 
ent  state,  and  the  glories  which  are  to  be  bestowed  on  them  at  the 
second  coming  of  their  Lord.' 

Let  us  then  show,  by  the  quotation  of  particular  passages  from  the 
Jewish  Scriptures,  that  the  final  salvation  of. the  people  of  God  was 
indeed  the  subject  of  Old  Testament  prediction.  Before  commencing 
these  quotations,  however,  let  us  recollect  that  we  are  not  in  the  Old 
Testament  declarations  to  expect  what,  for  perspicuity  and  distinct 
ness,  can  compare  with  the  declarations  "  which  they  who  have 
preached  the  gospel  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven," 
have  made  to  us.  It  is  enough  that  we  meet  with  declarations  of  a 

1  2  Sam.  xxiii.  2.  a  Phil.  ii.  8,  9.     1  Pet.  iii.  22. 

*  Tu  itaQnjiara  ftj  XptOTrfv.  *    Ta  TraOiyzarri  rov  XOJOTOV. 

'  See  note  A.  *  Rom.  viii.  18. 


76  THE    FINAL    HAPPINESS    OF   CHRISTIANS  [DISC.  IV. 

completeness  of  deliverance  and  a  perfection  of  happiness,  far  sur 
passing  anything  ever  yet  enjoyed  by  the  Church  on  earth — far  sur 
passing  anything  the  New  Testament  warrants  her  to  expect  till  her 
Lord  return,  t  think  it  right  also  to  add,  that  I  am  not  prepared  to 
assert  that  all  the  passages  which  I  quote  have  a  direct  reference  to 
the  heavenly  state,  though  it  is  only  in  that  state  that  the  blessings 
predicted  will  be  enjoyed  in  that  perfection  which  will  completely  ex- 
liaust  the  meaning  of  the  prophetic  oracles. 

The  first  prediction  I  quote,  of  the  final  and  complete  salvation  of 
the  people  of  God,  is  the  prophecy  of  Enoch,  "  Behold  the  Lord  com- 
eth  with  ten  thousand  of  his  saints." '  This  may  seem  a  prophecy 
rather  of  the  destruction  of  God's  enemies  than  of  the  salvation  of  his 
people ;  but  the  two  events  are  closely  connected,  and  it  seems  to  me 
probable  that  the  apostle  refers  to  this  prophecy  when  he  says,  "  Them 
who  sleep  in  Jesus,  God  will  bring  with  him."2 

The  next  prediction  that  I  shall  refer  to,  is  that  wonderful  passage 
in  the  19th  chapter  of  Job,  "  Oh  that  my  words  were  now  written — 
Oh  that  they  were  printed  in  a  book — that  they  were  graven  with  an 
iron  pen,  and  with  lead  in  the  rock  forever  :  For  I  know  that  my  Re 
deemer  liveth,  and  that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the 
earth  ;  and  though,  after  my  skin,  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my 
flesh  shall  I  see  God,  whom  I  shall  see  for  myself,  and  mine  eyes 
shall  behold,  and  not  another,  though  my  reins  be  consumed  with 
in  me." 3 

I  now  turn  your  attention  to  a  passage  in  the  8th  Psalm,  "  What  is 
man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ?  and  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  vis- 
itest  him  ?  for  thou  hast"  (after  he  had  been  in  a  state  equal  to  the 
angels  as  to  immortality)  "made  him  a  little"  (rather  for  a  short  sea 
son)  "  lower  than  the  angels  ;  and"  (then,  afterwards)  "  hast  crowned 
him  with  glory  and  honor;  thou  hast  made  him  to  have  dominion 
over  the  works  of  thy  hand — thou  hast  put  all  things  under  his  feet." 4 
That  this  refers  to  the  final  salvation  of  the  redeemed  from  among 
men,  is  obvious  from  the  apostle's  commentary  on  it  in  the  Epistle  to 
the  Hebrews.  He  plainly  applies  it  to  redeemed  man,  "  For  unto  the 
angels  hath  he  not  put  in  subjection  the  world  to  come,  whereof  we 
speak?  But  one  in  a  certain  place  testified,  saying,  What  is  man, 
that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ?  or  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest 
him  ?  Thou  madest  him  a  little  lower  than  the  angels  ;  thou  crown- 
edst  him  with  glory  and  honor,  and  didst  set  him  over  the  works  of 
thy  hands  :  thou  hast  put  all  things  in  subjection  under  his  feet.  For 
in  that  he  put  all  things  in  subjection  under  him,  he  left  nothing  that 
is  not  put  under  him.  But  we  see  not  yet  all  things  put  under  him" 
(redeemed  man) :  "  But  we  see  Jesus"  (who  was  a  man — the  head  of 
the  ransomed  race),  "who  was  made  a  little"  (for  a  season)  "  lower 
than  the  angels,  for  the  suffering  of  death,  crowned  with  glory  and 
honor ;  that  he  by  the  grace  of  God  might  taste  death  for  every  man." 
He  suffered,  and  then  was  glorified,  and  thus  shall  it  be  with  all  his 
people.5 

There  are  other  quotations  from  the  Psalms  that  deserve  notice : 

1  Jude  14.  3  l  Thess.  iv.  14.  3   Job  xix  23-27. 

4  Psal.  viii.  4-6.  6  Heb.  ii.  5-9. 


PART  I.]  PREDICTED  BY  THE  PROPHETS.  77 

"  As  for  me,  I  shall  behold  thy  face  in  righteousness  :  I  shall  be  satis 
fied,  when  I  awake  in  thy  likeness."  "  Surely  goodness  and  mercy 
shall  follow  me  all  the  days  of  my  life,  and  I  shall  dvvell  in  the  house 
of  the  Lord  forever."  "  How  excellent  is  thy  loving-kindness,  O 
God !  therefore  the  children  of  men  put  their  trust  under  the  shadow 
of  thy  wings.  They  shall  be  abundantly  satisfied  with  the  fulness  of 
thy  house  ;  and  thou  shall  make  them  drink  of  the  river  of  thy 
pleasures.  For  with  thee  is  the  fountain  of  life  ;  in  thy  light  shall  we 
see  light." l 

The  following  quotations  from  the  prophets  Isaiah,  Daniel,  Hosea, 
and  Malachi,  will  serve  as  further  specimens  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  prophets  prophesied  of  the  grace  which  is  to  be  brought  to  us,  and 
in  which  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  which  was  in  them,  testified  beforehand 
of  the  glories  which  were  to  follow  the  sufferings  till  Christ :  "Then 
the  moon  shall  be  confounded  and  the  sun  ashamed,  when  the  Lord 
of  hosts  shall  reign  in  Mount  Sion,  and  before  his  ancients  glorious 
ly."  "  He  shall  swallow  up  death  in  victory,  and  the  Lord  God  shall 
wipe  away  tears  from  off  all  faces,  and  the  rebuke  of  his  people  shall 
he  take  away  from  off  all  the  earth,  for  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it." 
"Thy  dead  men  shall  live ;  together  with  my  dead  body  shall  they 
arise  :  Awake  and  sing,  ye  that  dvvell  in  dust ;  for  thy  dew  is  as  the 
dew  of  herbs,  and  the  earth  shall  cast  out  the  dead."  "  The  sun  shall 
be  no  more  thy  light  by  day,  neither  for  brightness  shall  the  moon  give 
light  unto  thee :  but  the  Lord  shall  be  thy  everlasting  light,  and  the 
days  of  thy  mourning  shall  be  ended."  "  And  many  of  them  who 
sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth  shall  awake,  some  to  everlasting  life, 
and  some  to  shame  and  everlasting  contempt."  "  I  will  ransom  them 
from  the  power  of  the  grave :  I  will  redeem  them  from  death :  O 
death  !  I  will  be  thy  plague  :  O  grave !  I  will  be  thy  destruction  ;  fe- 
pentance  shall  be  hid  from  mine  eyes."  "  They  shall  be  mine,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  in  that  day  when  I  make  up  my  jewels  ;  and  I 
will  spare  them  as  a  man  spareth  his  own  son  thatserveth  him.  Then 
shall  ye  return  and  discern  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked, 
between  him  that  serveth  God  and  him  that  serveth  him  not."2  All 
these  oracles  speak  of  "  suffering"  as  the  lot  of  a  peculiar  people 
down  to  a  particular  period,  and  of  "  glory  that  is  to  follow"  that 
period. 

These  prophetic  oracles  were  but  imperfectly  understood  by  those 
who  uttered  them.  We  are  not  to  suppose,  however,  that  in  uttering 
them,  their  minds  were  entirely  passive,  and  that  the  Holy  Spirit  em 
ployed  only  their  organs  of  speech  to  express  words  to  which  they  at 
tached  no  idea.  They  understood  the  meaning  of  the  words;  they 
were  the  expression  of  thoughts  communicated  to  their  minds.  They 
knew  that  they  referred  to  great  blessings  to  be  bestowed  on  the 
Church ;  but  as  to  the  precise  nature  and  extent  of  these  blessings, 
and  as  to  the  period  when,  and  the  manner  in  which,  they  were  tolje 
bestowed,  they  were  much  in  the  dark.  "  The  prophecy  came  not 

Psal.  xvii.  15  ;  xxiii.  6 ;  xxxvi.  7-9. 

Isa.  xxiv.  23 ;  xxv.  8 ;  xxvi.  19  ;  Ix.  19,  20.    Daniel  xii.  2.    Hosea  xiii.  14.    Mai.  ill 


78  THE    FENAL    HAPPINESS    OF    CHRISTIANS  [DISC.  IV« 

by  their  own  will."  "  It  was  not  of  sdf -interpretation"  l  Either  the 
event  referred  to,  or  another  explicatory  revelation,  was  necessary  to 
unfold  fully  its  meaning. 

These  holy  men  were  desirous  of  knowing  all  that  could  be  known 
on  the  subject.  They  "inquired  and  searched  diligently"  concerning 
the  salvation — the  grace  which  was  to  come  to  us;  "they  searched 
what,  or  what  manner2  of  time,  the  Spirit  of  Christ  did  signify,  when 
he  testified  beforehand  the  glory  which  was  to  follow  the  sufferings 
until  Christ."  They  wished  to  know  when,  and  in  what  circum 
stances,  these  glorious  predictions  were  to  be  fulfilled  ;  and  the  means 
they  employed  for  that  purpose  were  the  study  of  the  Scriptures — • 
comparing  one  passage  with  another,  and  fervent  supplication  to  God. 
We  have  an  example  of  this  in  the  case  of  Daniel,  in  reference  to  an 
other  class  of  prophecies :  "  I,  Daniel,  understood  by  books  the  number 
of  the  years ;  and  I  set  my  face  unto  the  Lord  God,  to  seek"  (further 
insight  as  to  what  and  what  manner  of  time)  "  by  prayer  and  suppli 
cations,  with  fasting,  and  sackcloth,  and  ashes."3 

The  prophets  did  not  obtain  all  the  information  they  desired ;  but- 
it  was  revealed  to  them,  that  "  not  to  themselves,  but  to  us,  they  did 
minister  those  things  which  have  been  reported  to  us  by  those  who 
preached  the  gospel  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven." 
"  Those  things  which  have  been  reported,"  &c. — are,  I  apprehend, 
the  statements  made  by  the  apostles  with  regard  to  the  final  salvation 
of  the  people  of  God.  It  was  revealed  to  the  ancient  prophets,  that 
this  glorious  salvation  was  not  to  be  enjoyed  under  the  Jewish 
economy — that  it  was  to  take  place  "  in  the  latter  days" — "  in  the 
last  times" — in  the  days  of  the  Messiah.  They  were  made  to  per 
ceive  that  their  predictions  would  be  better  understood,  and  therefore 
would  be  more  useful  to  those  who  lived  under  the  Messiah,  than 
they  were  to  themselves.  "  They  ministered  not  to  themselves,  but 
to  us  ;"  that  is,  these  predictions,  uttered  by  them,  though  not  useless 
to  them  (for  they,  like  Abraham,  wished  to  see  the  day  of  Christ,  and 
"saw  it  afar  off,  and  were  glad,")  are  still  more  useful  to  us  who  have 
had  them  explained  by  a  further  revelation.  The  apostle's  idea  has 
been  very  finely  illustrated  by  the  following  beautiful  figure — "  The 
sweet  stream  of  their  doctrine  made  its  own  banks  fertile  and  pleasant, 
as  it  ran  by  and  flowed  still  forwards  to  after  ages,  and,  by  the  con 
fluence  of  more  such  prophecies,  grew  larger  as  it  proceeded,  till  it 
fell  in  with  the  main  current  of  the  gospel  revelation  ;  and  thus  united 
into  one  river  clear  as  crystal,  this  doctrine  of  salvation  hath  still 
refreshed  the  city  of  God,  and  shall  continue  to  do  so  till  it  empty 
itself  into  the  ocean  of  eternity."4 

How  strikingly  does  the  fact,  that  the.  final  salvation  was  the  sub 
ject  of  prophetic  testimony  from  the  beginning,  illustrate  at  once  the 
grandeur  of  this  salvation,  and  the  certainty  that  it  shall  in  the  ap 
pointed  season  be  conferred  on  the  people  of  God !  That  must  be  a 
glorious  object  to  which  God,  by  his  Spirit,  directed  the  admiring 

1  'LJi'aj  «r«AO<T£coj  oi>  yivtrat. — 2  Pet.  i.  20. 

Ei'$  riva  5)  -rtnov.     Quod  innuit  tempus  per  se  quasi  dicis  ceram  suis  numeris  notatam. 
Quale  dicit  tempug  ex  eventibus  variis  noscendum. — BENGEL. 
3  Dan.  ix.  2,  3.  « 


PART  I.]  PREDICTED  BY  THE  PROPHETS.  79 

eyes  of  inspired  prophets,  while  at  the  distance  of  so  many  thousand 
years.  The  highest  conceptions  we  can  form  of  it  must  come  incon 
ceivably  short  of  the  truth,  when  we  think  of  it  as  the  glorious  ter 
mination  of  the  whole  wondrous  systems  of  nature,  and  providence, 
and  grace,  which  have  been  in  operation  for  nearly  six  thousand 
years. 

And  the  fact  that  it  is  the  subject  of  Old  Testament  prophecies, 
proves  not  only  its  grandeur,  but  its  security.  We  have  "  the  word 
of  prophecy  more  confirmed" l  than  the  Old  Testament  believers. 
They  had  enough  to  make  it  most  reasonable  in  them  to  believe,  that 
whatever  was  predicted  in  the  Scriptures  should  be  fulfilled ;  but  we 
have  far  more  evidence  than  they  had  for  the  second  coming  of  the 
Lord,  and  the  complete  salvation  that  is  to  accompany  it.  We  have 
the  fulfilment  of  the  predictions  as  to  the  first  coming,  and  many  suc 
ceeding  events,  to  confirm  our  faith.  The  final  salvation  of  believers, 
at  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord,  is  one  of  those  things  which  ought 
to  be  "most  surety  believed  among  us."  If  we  do  not  believe  it,  it  is 
not  for  want  of  evidence.  "  He  will  come  the  second  time ;  and  to 
all  who  look  for  him,  he  will  come  unto  salvation." 

If  it  was  the  duty  of  the  ancient  prophets  to  inquire  into  the  mean 
ing  of  the  oracles  revealed  by  them,  respecting  the  great  salvation  of 
the  people  of  God  at  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  it  certainly  must  be  our 
duty  to  do  so.  Every  part  of  divine  revelation  deserves  and  requires 
study  ;  and,  surely,  those  portions  of  it  which  have  a  reference  to  the 
coming  of  Christ,  and  the  complete  salvation  of  his  people,  have  a 
peculiar  claim  on  our  attention.  The  extravagancies  into  which 
some  students  of  prophecy  have  run,  ought  not  to  prevent  us  from 
imitating  the  ancient  prophets  in  "  inquiring  and  searching  diligently 
concerning  this  salvation,"  knowing  that  a  blessing  is  pronounced  on 
him  "  that  readeth,  and  on  them  that  hear  the  words  of  that  prophetic 
book  which  is  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ."  2  "  Were  the  prophets 
not  exempted  from  the  pains  of  search  and  inquiry,  that  had  the 
Spirit  of  God  not  only  in  a  high  degree,  but  after  a  singular  manner 
— how  unbecoming,  then,  is  slothfulness  and  idleness  in  us  !  Whether 
is  it,  that  we  judge  ourselves  advantaged  with  more  of  the  Spirit  than 
those  holy  men,  or  that  we  esteem  the  doctrines  and  mysteries  of 
salvation,  on  which  they  bestowed  so  much  of  their  labor,  unworthy 
of  ours  ?  We  do  ourselves  much  injury,  if  we  bar  ourselves  from 
sharing  in  our  measure  of  the  search  of  those  same  things  that  were 
the  study  of  the  prophets,  and  which,  by  their  studying  and  publishing 
them,  are  made  more  accessible  and  easy  to  us.  These  are  the  golden 
mines  in  which  the  abiding  treasures  of  eternity  are  to  be  found,  and 
therefore  worthy  of  all  the  digging  and  p'ains  we  can  bestow  upon 
them."  3 

1   £,Y"^i>  ffeffaiortpov  TOV  irpo<prjTiKov  \6yov. — 2  Pet  I  19.  8  Rev  i.  3. 

8  Leigh  ton. 


80  THE    FINAL    HAPPINESS    OF    CHRISTIANS  [DISC.  IV. 


II— THE  FINAL  HAPPINESS  OF  CHRISTIANS  THE  SUBJECT   OF 
APOSTOLICAL  PREACHING. 

The  final  salvation  of  the  people  of  God,  at  the  second  coming  of 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  subject  of  apostolical  preaching.  Things  in  refer 
ence  to  that  salvation,  concerning  which  the  prophets  prophesied  and 
made  inquiry,  "  have  been  reported  to  us  by  those  who  preached  the 
gospel  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven." 

"  Those  who  preached  the  gospel  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down 
from  heaven,"  are,  we  apprehend,  the  apostles  and  other  miraculously 
gifted  teachers  of  the  primitive  age.  They  "preached  the  gospel ;" 
that  is,  they  published  the  glad  tidings  of  a  full,  free,  and  everlasting 
deliverance  from  sin  and  all  its  dreadful  consequences,  through  the 
mediation  of  the  incarnate  Son  of  God,  who  having  expiated  sin 
by  the  shedding  of  his  own  precious  blood,  which  cleanses  from  all 
sin,  has  been  raised  from  the  dust  of  death,  and  invested  with  all  power 
in  heaven  and  earth,  that  he  may  be  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all 
coming  to  God  by  him. 

They  preached  this  gospel  "  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from 
heaven."  These  words  intimate,  either  that  their  preaching  the 
gospel  was  accompanied  with  miraculous  works,  proving  the  truth 
and  the  divinity  of  what  they  taught, — works  which  they  were  enabled 
to  perform  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  whose  miraculous  influence  was  "sent 
down  from  heaven," — that  is,  communicated  to  them  by  God : — or 
that  their  preaching  was  accompanied  by  the  influence  of  the  divine 
Spirit  on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  those  to  whom  it  was  addressed, 
leading  them  to  attend  to,  to  understand,  and  to  believe  it;  "  opening 
their  understandings"  to  understand  the  truth,  and  "  their  hearts  to 
receive  the  love  of  the  truth,  so  as  to  be  saved  by  it."  Both  these 
statements  are  true,  and  I  think  it  not  improbable  that  the  words  of 
the  apostle  were  meant  to  include  both.  "  The  Lord  the  Spirit" 
"  bore  testimony  to  the  word  of  grace"  in  both  ways.  "  The  great 
salvation  was  begun  to  be  spoken  by  the  Lord,  and  was  confirmed 
unto  us  by  them  who  heard  him  ;  and  God  bore  witness  by  signs  and 
wonders,  and  divers  miracles,  and  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  according 
to  his  will."1  When  Peter  was  preaching  the  gospel  to  Cornelius  and 
his  friends,  "  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  all  them  which  heard  the  word." 
When  Paul  preached  to  the  Thessalonians,  "Our  gospel,"  says  he, 
that  is,  the  gospel  as  preached  by  us,  "  came  not  to  you  in  word  only, 
but  in  power,  and  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with  much  assurance :"  * 
with  abundant  evidence  given  by  him,  and  apprehended  by  them. 

These  holy  apostles  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  who,  in  words  taught  not 
by  men  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  preached  the  gospel  with  evidence 
and  efficacy  both  derived  from  the  divine  Spirit,  "  made  a  report" 
concerning  the  things  of  which  the  prophets  had  prophesied,  and  into 
which  they  had  inquired ;  that  is,  they  made  a  report  concerning 
the  final  salvation  which  is  to  be  bestowed  on  believers  at  the  second 
coming  of  their  Lord.  Much  of  their  preaching  was  occupied  in 
telling  us  what  is  the  nature  of  that  salvation ;  what  Jesus  Christ  had 

»  Heb.  ii.  3,  4.  3  Acts  x.  44.     1  Thess.  i.  5. 


PART  II.]  ANNOUNCED   BY   THE   APOSTLES.  81 

done  and  suffered  in  order  to  procure  that  salvation ;  how  the  indi 
vidual  sinner  is  to  become  a  partaker  of  its  blessings  ;  and  in  showing 
that  there  is  a  present  salvation  from  guilt  and  the  dominion  of  sin, 
and  the  tormenting  fear  of  divine  displeasure  and  everlasting  misery. 
But  it  also  included  in  it  a  plain  statement  of  the  fact,  that  the  full 
salvation  of  the  Christian  is  not  to  be  bestowed  on  him  till  the  second 
coming  of  his  Lord,  and  a  description  more  or  less  particular  of  the 
varied  and  complete  blessedness  which  was  then  to  become  his  por 
tion. 

They  "  reported "  these  things.  In  making  these  declarations, 
they  did  not  utter  the  dreams  of  their  own  imagination,  or  the  de 
ductions  of  their  own  reason.  They  merely  "spoke  the  things  which 
they  had  heard.1'  They  made  known  to  others  what  had  been  made 
known  to  themselves.  This  was  true  of  all  they  said  ;  and,  in  par 
ticular,  in  reference  to  things  which  they  reported  concerning  the 
final  salvation  of  the  people  of  God.  "  They  did  not  follow  cun 
ningly-devised  fables  when  they  made  known  the  power  and  com 
ing  of  our  Lord  Jesus."  "  The  things  which  God  had  laid  up  for 
them  who  love  him,  were  things  which  eye  had  not  seen,  which 
ear  had  not  heard,  and  which  it  never  could  have  entered  into  the 
mind  of  man  to  conceive ;  but  God  revealed  them  to  them  by  his 
Spirit;"1  and  of  this  revelation  they  made  a  faithful  report. 

Let  us  attend,  then,  to  the  report  which  those  men  who  preached 
the  gospel  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven  have  made 
respecting  this  salvation,  which  is  to  be  brought  to  Christians  at  the 
revelation  of  Jesus  Christ.  Their  report  refers  both  to  what  their 
Lord  and  Master  revealed  on  this  subject  when  he  was  on  earth,  and 
to  what  was  revealed  to  them  by  that  Holy  Spirit  whom  he  promised 
to  send  to  them,  to  "  lead  them  into  all  the  truth." 

Let  us  attend  first,  then,  to  the  report  they  have  given  us  of  what  oui 
Lord,  when  on  earth,  revealed  respecting  this  salvation.  The  fol 
lowing  passages  of  Scripture  contain  that  report : — "  Yerily  I  say 
unto  you,  that  ye  which  have  followed  me  in  the  regeneration,  when 
the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  in  the  throne  of  his  glory,  ye  also  shall  sit 
upon  twelve  thrones,  j  udging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  And  every 
one  that  hath  forsaken  houses,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  01 
mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  my  name's  sake,  shall  re 
ceive  an  hundred-fold,  and  shall  inherit  everlasting  life."  "  When 
the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with 
him,  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory ;  and  before  him 
shall  be  gathered  all  nations  ;  and  he  shall  separate  them  one  from 
another,  as  a  shepherd  divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats :  And  he 
shall  set  the  sheep  on  his  right  hand,  but  the  goats  on  the  left.  Then 
shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  his  right  hand,  Come  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  founda 
tion  of  the  world :  For  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat :  I  was 
thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink :  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in  : 
Naked,  and  ye  clothed  me :  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me :  I  was  in 
prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me.  Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  him, 
saying,  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  and  fed  thee  ?  01 

1  2  Pet.  i.  16.     1  Cor.  ii.  7-10. 
6 


82  THE   FINAL   HAPPINESS   OF   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  IV. 

thirsty,  and  gave  thee  drink  ?  "When  saw  we  thee  a  stranger,  and 
took  thee  in  ?  or  naked,  and  clothed  thee  ?  Or  when  saw  thee  sick, 
or  in  prison,  and  came  unto  thee  ?  And  the  King  shall  answer  and 
say  unto  them,  Yerily  I  say  unto  you,  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it 
unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  "brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me ; 
and  the  righteous  shall  go  away  into  life  eternal."  ' l  In  the  end  of 
the  world  the  Son  of  man  shall  send  forth  his  angels,  and  they  shall 
gather  out  of  his  kingdom  all  things  that  offend,  and  them  who  do 
iniquity,  and  cast  them  into  a  furnace  of  fire ;  there  shall  be  weeping 
and  gnashing  of  teeth.  Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as  the 
sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father."  "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him 
might  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  "  He  that  believeth  my 
word,  and  believeth  on  him  who  sent  me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and 
shall  not  come  into  condemnation ;  but  is  passed  from  death  to  life. 
The  hour  is  coming  when  all  that  are  in  their  graves  shall  hear  the 
voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  come  forth  ;  they  who  have  done  good 
to  the.  resurrection  of  life."  "  This  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me, 
that  every  one  which  seeth  the  Son,  and  believeth  on  him,  may  have 
everlasting  life ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day."  "  In  my 
Father's  house  are  many  mansions :  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have 
told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  pre 
pare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  my 
self;  that  where!  am  there  ye  may  be  also.  And  whither  I  go  ye 
know,  and  the  way  ye  know." l 

The  following  passages  embody  revelations  made  directly  to  the 
apostles  by  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  Heaven  : — "  God  will 
render  to  every  man  according  to  his  deeds — to  them  who,  by  patient 
continuance  in  well-doing,  seek  for  glory,  and  honor,  and  immortality, 
eternal  life.  Glory,  honor,  and  peace  shall  be  to  every  man  that 
worketh  good  in  the  day  when  God  shall  judge  the  secrets  of  men 
by  Jesus  Christ."  "  The  Bufferings  of  this  present  time  are  not  wor 
thy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us. 
For  the  earnest  expectation  of  the  creature  waiteth  for  the  manifesta 
tion  of  the  sons  of  God.  For  the  creature  was  made  subject  to  van 
ity,  not  willingly,  but  by  reason  of  him  who  hath  subjected  the  same, 
in  hope  that  the  creature  itself  also  shall  be  delivered  from  the  bond 
age  of  corruption  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God. 
For  we  know  that  the  whole  creation  groaneth  and  travaileth  in  pain 
together  until  now :  And  not  only  they,  but  ourselves  also,  which 
have  the  first-fruits  of  the  Spirit,  even  we  ourselves  groan  within 
ourselves,  waiting  for  the  adoption,  the  redemption  of  our  body." 
"  Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead,  and  become  the  first  fruits  of  them 
that  slept.  For  since  by  man  came  death,  by  man  came  also  the  res 
urrection  of  the  dead ;  for  as  in  Adam  all  die,  so  in  Christ  shall  all 
be  made  alive.  The  last  enemy,  death,  shall  be  destroyed.  It  is 
sown  in  corruption,  it  is  raised  in  incorruption :  it  is  sown  in  dishonor, 
it  is  raised  in  glory  :  it  is  sown  in  weakness,  it  is  raised  in  power  :  it 
is  sown  a  natural  body,  it  is  raised  a  spiritual  body.  This  corrupti- 

1  Matt.  xix.  27-29 ;  xxv.  31-10, 46;  xiii.  41,  43.   John,!!!.  16  ;  v.  24,  26,  29 ;  vi.  38. 
40 ;  xi  7.  2 — 1. 


PART  II.]  ANNOUNCED   BY   THE   APOSTLES.  83 

ble  must  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  must  put  on  immortality. 
The  saying  that  is  written  shall  be  brought  to  pass,  Death  is  swallowed 
up  in  victory."  "  We  know  that  if  our  earthly  house  of  this  taber 
nacle  were  dissolved,  we  have  a  building  of  God,  a  house  not  made 
with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  "  Your  life  is  hid  with  Christ 
in  God.  When  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear,  we  also  shall  ap 
pear  with  him  in  glory."  "  The  Lord  shall  descend  with  a  shout,  with 
the  voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God  ;  and  the  dead 
in  Christ  shall  first  arise.  Then  we  which  are  alive,  and  remain,  shall 
be  caught  up  together  with,  them  in  the  clouds  to  meet  the  Lord  in 
the  air,  and  so  shall  we  be  forever  with  the  Lord."  "  It  is  a  righteous 
thing  with  God  to  recompense  to  you  who  are  troubled  rest  with 
us,  when  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  be  revealed  from  heaven."  "  An  en 
trance  shall  be  ministered  unto  us  abundantly  into  the  everlasting 
kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  "  We,  according  to 
his  promise,  look  for  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwell- 
eth  righteousness."  "  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the 
tree  of  life  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God.  I  will  give  him  a 
crown  of  life.  He  shall  not  be  hurt  with  the  second  death.  I  will 
give  him  to  eat  of  the  hidden  manna,  and  will  give  him  a  white  stone, 
and  in  the  stone  a  new  name,  which  no  man  knoweth  save  he  who 
receiveth  it ;  and  I  will  give  him  the  morning  star.  He  shall  be 
clothed  in  white  raiment,  and  I  will  not  blot  his  name  out  of  the  book 
of  life ;  but  will  confess  his  name  before  my  Father,  and  before  his 
angels.  I  will  make  him  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  God,  and  he 
shall  no  more  go  out.  I  will  grant  him  to  sit  with  me  on  my  throne, 
even  as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  on  his 
throne."  "  And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes ;  ana 
there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow  nor  crying,  neither 
shall  there  be  any  more  pain ;  for  the  former  things  are-  passed 
away."  "  And  there  shall  be  no  more  curse ;  and  there  shall  be  no 
night  there ;  and  they  shall  reign  forever  and  ever."  * 

These  are  "the  things  which  have  been  reported  to  us  by  them 
who  have  preached  the  Gospel  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from 
heaven."  There  is  a  good  deal  in  those  descriptions  which  is  dark 
through  excessive  brightness, — imperfectly  intelligible  by  us,  because 
descriptive  of  a  state  more  pure,  and  felicitous,  and  glorious,  than 
our  limited,  obtuse,  sensualized  faculties  can  distinctly  apprehend ; 
but  what  is  clear,  and  what  is  dark,  equally  prove  that  this  happi 
ness,  with  the  love  in  which  it  originates,  has  a  height,  and  a  depth, 
a  length  and  a  breadth,  that  pass  knowledge.  And  0,  delightful, 
solemnizing  thought !  this  is  no  airy  dream.  "  These  are  the  true 
and  faithful  sayings  of  God."  The  period  referred  to  is  hastening 
on  apace ;  and  all  this  happiness  must  either  be  gained  or  lost  by 
every  one  of  us — gained  or  lost  forever. 

1  Rom.  ii.  6,  <fec. ;  Rom.  viii.  18-25.  1  Cor.  XT.  20,  &c.  2  Cor.  v.  2,  3.  Col.  iii.  3,  4. 
1  Thess.  iv.  13.  2  Thess.  i.  6,  &c.  2  Pet.  i  11.  Rev.  ii.  passim;  Rev.  iii.  passim; 
xxi.  4 ;  xvii.  1-5. 


84  THE   FINAL   HAPPINESS   OP   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  IV. 


UL— THE  FINAL  HAPPINESS  OF  CHRISTIANS  THE  SUBJECT  OF  ANGELIC 

STUDY. 

It  only  remains  that  I  turn  your  attention  to  the  last  view  which 
the  apostle  gives  us  of  the  final  salvation  of  Christians, — as  the 
mbject  of  angelic  study :  "Into  these  things  the  angels  desire  to 
look." 

Into  what  things  ?  Obviously  into  the  things  "  of  which  the 
prophets  prophesied,  and  into  which  they  inquired" — into  the  things 
"  repeated  to  us  by  them  who  preached  the  Gospel  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven,"  that  is,  into  the  things  respecting 
"the  salvation  prepared  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time" — into  the 
things  respecting  "  the  grace  to  be  brought  to  Christians  at  the  reve 
lation  of  Jesus  Christ" — into  those  things  the  angels  desire  to  look. 
The  meaning  of  these  words  is  obviously,  the  angels  have  an  in 
tense  desire  to  understand  the  whole  truth  in  reference  to  the  final 
salvation  of  the  people  of  God. 

The  angels  here  spoken  of  are,  without  doubt,  "  the  elect  angels," — 
those  holy,  happy,  unembodied  spirits  who  retain  their  original  in 
tegrity,  who,  infinitely  beneath  God,  are  yet  far  superior  to  men  in 
the  scale  of  being,  who  excel  in  wisdom  and  strength,  and  who  find 
their  happiness  in  contemplating  the  divine  excellencies,  and  in 
doing  the  divine  will. 

These  exalted  spiritual  beings  are  represented  as  "  desirous  to  look" 
into  the  things  which  respect  the  final  salvation  of  the  redeemed  from 
among  men.  The  original  expression  is  very  beautiful.  They  are 
with  earnest  desire  bending  down,  fixing  their  intensest  gaze  on  these 
things.1  The  peculiar  mode  of  expression  probably  alludes  to  the 
figures  of  the  cherubim  above  the  mercy-seat,  who  with  downcast 
eyes  were  represented  as  looking  on  the  mercy-seat,  as  if  seeking  to 
penetrate  the  mystery  of  wisdom  and  kindness  which  the  fiery  law, 
covered  by  the  blood-sprinkled  golden  propitiatory,  embodied. 

"We  have  no  reason  to  think  that  the  angels  directly  know  anything 
more  about  the  final  salvation  of  the  redeemed  among  men  than  we 
do.  It  is  "  by  the  Church,"  that  is,  by  the  dispensations  of  God  to 
the  Church,  that  "  the  principalities  and  powers  in  the  heavenly 
places"  become  acquainted  with  that  revelation  of  "the  manifold 
wisdom  of  God  " a  contained  in  the  plan  of  human  redemption.  We 
have  no  doubt  that  they  know  all  that  is  revealed  in  the  Bible  on  this 
subject ;  and  that,  from  their  higher  faculties,  and  their  more  diligent 
study,  and  their  j  uster  and  more  extended  views  of  the  divine  perfec 
tions,  and  of  what  constitutes  the  happiness  of  intelligent  creatures, 
they  understand  what  is  revealed  there  much  better  than  we  do. 

But  still  they  are  not  satisfied — they  are  desirous  to  understand 
these  wondrous  divine  declarations  more  completely,  and  they  are 
looking  forward  with  intense  desire  to  the  period  when  fulfilment 
shall  develop  the  full  extent  of  their  meaning.  Nor  is  it  at  all  diffi 
cult  to  divine  what  are  the  principles  in  the  minds  of  angels  which 
make  them  thus  desire  to  look  into  these  things.  Enlightened  curl- 

1  <i  txidvfiovalv  dyycAot  napaKfyai.  9   Eph.  iii.  10. 


III.]  STUDIED   BY  ANGELS.  85 

osity,  piety,  and  benevolence,  all  combine  in  turning  their  attention 
with  unwearied  interest  towards  this  subject. 

Enlightened  curiosity,  or  the  desire  of  useful  knowledge,  is  one 
of  the  characteristic  features,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  of  angelic 
as  well  as  human  minds.  They  know  far  more  than  we  do,  but  there 
is  much  they  do  not  know ;  and  it  is  probable  their  thirst  for  knowl 
edge  exceeds  ours  just  in  a  similar  proportion  to  their  possession  of 
knowledge.  It  is  easy  to  conceive  how  desirous  they  must  be  of 
knowing  what  it  is  for  "  corruption  to  put  on  incorruption,"  what  it 
is  for  "  mortality  to  be  swallowed  up  of  life."  Enlightened  philoso 
phers  have  great  pleasure  in  witnessing,  and  in  expecting  to  witness, 
experiments  tending  to  throw  light  on  the  processes  of  nature,  A 
world  in  flames,  the  elements  melting  with  fervent  heat,  and  the 
heavens  flying  away  like  a  scroll,  and  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth 
rising  out  of  the  fiery  chaos,  are  spectacles  which  it  is  not  wonderful 
the  angels  should  look  forward  to,  with  eager  desire  and  almost  holy 
impatience. 

Their  piety  interests  them  still  more  deeply  in  the  subject.  This 
salvation  is  to  be  the  full  manifestation  of  the  divine  excellences,  as 
displayed  in  the  whole  of  that  wonderful  economy  which  shall  then 
be  completed.  Angels  will  then  see  more  of  the  power,  and  wisdom, 
and  holiness,  and  benignity  of  God,  than  they  had  ever  seen,  than 
they  had  ever  conjectured ;  and  then,  in  the  final  pulling  down  of 
everything  which  opposes  his  will  or  obscures  his  glory,  they  will 
obtain  the  fullest  gratification  of  the  strongest  wish  of  a  loyal  crea 
ture's  heart — "  that  God  may  be  all  in  all." 

Their  benevolence,  too,  keeps  their  minds  fixed  on  the  subject. 
"  They  are  all  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister  to  those  who 
shall  be  heirs  of  salvation."  They  "encamp  round  about  them  that 
fear  God,  and  deliver  them."  *  They  have  a  kind  interest  in,  a  tender 
affection  for,  those  committed  to  their  care.  They  regard  their  mani 
fold  trials  with  a  benignant  pity,  though  themselves  strangers  to  pain ; 
and  they  take  a  generous  interest  in  those  events  which  are  to  con 
summate  their  blessedness.  They  wonder  at  the > height  of  glory  re 
served  for  th,e  redeemed  among  men ;  and,  completely  free  from  envy, 
they  desire  to  understand  what  is  meant  by  "  all  things  being  put 
under  their  feet,"  and  by  men  who  have  overcome  through  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb,  sitting  down  with  him  on  his  throne,  as  he,  when  he 
overcame,  sat  down  on  his  Father's  throne. 

The  practical  use  to  be  made  of  these  truths  it  is  not  difficult  to 
discover.  If  these  things  have  been  reported  to  us  by  men  who 
preached  the  gospel  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven, 
surely  we  should  believe  them.  And  if  we  believed  them — if  we 
really  believed  them — 0  what  an  influence  would  they  have  on  our 
temper  and  conduct !  A  faith  of  this  truth  would  induce  the  man, 
who  is  yet  uninterested  in  the  Christian  salvation,  immediately  to 
seek  a  share  in  its  heavenly  and  spiritual  blessings,  and  would  make 
those  who  are  interested  in  it  very  holy,  very  happy,  very  active, 
and  Derfectlv  contented  amid  all  the  calamities  and  trials  of  life. 


66  THE   FINAL    HAPPINESS    OF   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  IV. 

What  is  the  subject  of  the  constant,  intense  contemplation  of  an 
gels,  surely  deserves  our  most  careful  study.  We  are  far  more  closely 
connected  with,  far  more  deeply  interested  in,  the  subject  of  study, 
than  they.  The  salvation  they  desire  to  look  into  will  promote,  but 
it  will  but  indirectly  promote  their  happiness.  Their  happiness  may 
be  secure  without  reference  to  it.  But  as  to  us,  this  salvation  must 
be  ours,  or  we  are  undone  forever  and  ever.  It  is  now  that  an  in 
terest  is  to  be  obtained  in  it,  if  obtained  at  all.  It  is  only  by  know 
ing  and  believing  the  truth  about  this  salvation,  that  an  interest  in 
it  can  be  obtained.  Oh,  then,  let  us,  with  intensest  ardor,  seek  the 
knowledge  of  this  salvation  1  If  we  die  unacquainted  with  it,  we 
die  uninterested  in  it ;  and  if  we  die  uninterested  in  it,  it  never, 
never  can  become  ours.  "  JSTow  is  the  accepted  time,  now  is  the  day 
of  salvation." 


NOTE  A,  p.  75. 

Ta  sir  Xpicrbv  KafaifUiTa — the  till-Christ  sufferings. — Gal.  iii.  24.  Ei>  Xpiarbv=elf 
fjfj-epav  Xpiarov. — Phil.  i.  10.  The  view  we  have  taken  of  the  expression  r.  e.  X.  TT.  K. 
T.  p.  T.  6.  is  substantially  that  taken  both  by  Luther  and  Calvin.  Calvin's  remark 
savors  of  his  ordinary  exegetical  sagacity :  "  Non"  tractat  Petrus  quid  Christo  sit  pro- 
prium,  sed  de  universal!  ecclesise  statu  disserit."  Le  Clerc's  note  is  good :  "  Ta  elf 
XpiGTov  Tcadrjrja-a  intellexerit  de  piorum  perpessionibus,  Christi  causa  exantlandis: 
quas  praeviderant  obscurius  Prophetas,  et  gioriara  fidelium  post  sequuturam ;  sed 
quarum  nescierunt  tempora  nisi  quod  revelatura  eis  est,  ipsorum  sevo  eas  non  event- 
uras  Htec  egregie  consentiunt  cum  serie  orationis  Petri  qui  loquitur  de  malis  qui- 
bus  religionis  causa  afficiebantur  Christian!."  Winer,  though  he  does  not  adopt  our 
exegesis,  distinctly  says  that  the  expression  before  us  is  incorrectly  taken  for  T£ 
Xpiarov  Trad/j/iara. — Gram.  Part.  iii.  sec.  30,  p.  157.  The  Ta  ei?  Xptarov  TraOtfuara 
seem  to  denote  the  same  thing  as  ?}  Ohwie'LijaovXpic-ov  of  the  Apocalypse,  chap.  i.  9, 
of  which  John  represents  himself  and  those  to  whom  he  wrote  as  avyicoivuvoi. 


•     DISCOURSE  V, 

CHRISTIAN  DUTY— MEANS  OF,  AND  MOTIVES  TO,  ITS 
PERFORMANCE. 

1  PET.  i.  13-21. — "Wherefore  gird  up  the  loins  of  your  mind,  be  sober,  and  hope  tc 
the  end,  for  the  grace  that  is  to  be  brought  unto  you  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ : 
as  obedient  children,  not  fashioning  yourselves  according  to  the  former  lusts  in  your 
ignorance :  but  as  he  which  hath  called  you  is  holy,  so  be  ye  holy  in  all  manner  of  con 
versation  ;  because  it  is  written,  Be  ye  holy ;  for  I  am  holy.  And  if  ye  call  on  the 
Father,  who  without  respect  of  persons  judgeth  according  to  every  man's  work,  pass 
the  time  of  your  sojourning  here  iiv  Tear:  forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  ye  were  not  re 
deemed  with  corruptible  things,  as  silver  and  gold,  from  your  vain  conversation  re 
ceived  by  tradition  from  your  fathers ;  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as  a  lamb 
without  blemish  and  without  spot :  who  verily  was  fore-ordained  before  the  founda 
tion  of  the  world,  but  was  manifest  in  these  last  times  for  you,  who  by  him  do  believe 
in  God,  that  raised  him  up  from  the  dead,  and  gave  him  glory ;  that  your  faith  and 
hope  might  be  in  God. 

AMONG  the  numerous  mistaken  notions  of  Christianity  which  pre 
vail  among  its  professors,  few  are  more  common,  and  none  more  fatal, 
than  that  in  which  it  is  viewed  merely  as  a  theory — a  system  of  ab 
stract  principles,  which,  however  true,  are  but  remotely  connected 
with  human  interests ;  and  which,  therefore,  can  but  feebly  influence 
human  character  and  conduct.  It  is  but  too  evident  that  the  grand 
characteristic  doctrines  of  Christianity,  such  as  the  trinity,  the  incar 
nation,  the  atonement,  justification  by  faith,  sanctification  by  divine 
influence,  are,  with  many  who  readily  admit  their  truth,  and  who 
would  indeed  be  shocked  at  having  their  orthodoxy  called  in  ques 
tion,  mere  inoperative  opinions,  which  exercise  no  more  practical 
influence  over  their  temper  and  conduct  than  the  philosophical  doc 
trines  respecting  the  nature  of  space  and  time,  or  the  size  and  dis 
tance  of  the  celestial  bodies,  or  the  historical  facts  respecting  the 
victories  of  Alexander  or  the  discoveries  of  Columbus. 

It  is  painful  to  think  that  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  a  person  to 
be  able  to  talk  plausibly  about  these  principles  of  Christianity,  to 
reason  conclusively  in  their  support,  and  to  be  zealous  even  to  rancor 
against  those  who  deny,  or  even  doubt,  their  truth ;  while  he  yet  con 
tinues  a  total  stranger  to  their  transforming  efficacy,  the  slave  of  sel 
fishness,  malignity  and  worldliness.  And  what  is  the  most  lamenta 
ble  part  of  this  sad  history,  the  infatuated  man  seems  in  a  great 
measure  unaware  of  the  shocking  inconsistency  he  is  exhibiting,  in 
displaying  the  most  unchristian  tempers  in  defence  of  Christian  truth. 
He  mistakes  his  knowledge  and  zeal  about  certain  propositions — 
which,  it  may  be,  embody  Christian  truth — for  Christianity  itself;  and 
looking,  it  would  seem,  on  orthodoxy  of  opinion  as  the  sum  and  sub 
stance  of  religious  duty,  wraps  himself  up  in  an.  overweening  concep- 


88  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC.  v. 

tion  of  his  own  attainments,  and  resigns  himself  to  the  pleasing 
dreams  of  a  fancied  security,  from  which  but  too  frequently  he  is 
first  and  forever  awakened  by  hearing  the  awful  mandate,  "  Depart 
from  me,  I  never  knew  you;'7  and  by  finding  his  place  assigned  him 
with  the  hypocrites,  in  the  regions  of  hopeless  misery. 

It  is  an  interesting  inquiry,  and,  if  properly  conducted,  would  cer 
tainly  elicit  some  important  results — How  comes  it  that  men,  with 
the  Bible  in  their  hands,  can  practice  such  fatal  impositions  on  them 
selves  ?  How  comes  it  that  the  mere  speculator  should  so  readily 
conclude  himself  a  sound  believer  ?  How  comes  it  that  the  truth  of 
doctrines  should  not  only  be  readily  admitted,  but  zealously  main 
tained,  while  their  appropriate  influence  is  altogether  unfelt,  and  in 
deed,  steadily  resisted  ?  It  would  lead  us  too  far  out  of  our  way  just 
now  to  engage  in  such  an  inquiry  ;  but  I  must  be  permitted  to  ob 
serve,  that  whatever  influence  deficient  human  representations  of 
divine  truth  may  have  had  in  producing  so  mischievous  and  lamenta 
ble  a  result  (and  I  believe  that  influence  has  been  extensive  and 
powerful),  the  truths  of  the  Gospel  themselves,  and  the  scriptural 
representation  of  them,  cannot  be  justly  charged  as  in  any  degree 
the  cause  of  this  evil.  The  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  are  of  such  a 
nature,  that,  if  apprehended  in  their  meaning  and  evidence, — if  un 
derstood  and  believed, — they  must,  from  the  constitution  of  the  mind 
of  man,  have  a  commanding  influence  over  its  principles  of  action ; 
and  these  doctrines,  as  taught  in  the  Bible,  are  not  exhibited  as  mere 
abstract  propositions,  but  are  stated  in  such  a  manner  as  distinctly 
to  show,  how  closely  the  belief  of  them  is  connected  with  every 
thing  that  is  good  in  disposition,  and  right  in  conduct.  The  specu- 
latist  in  religion  must  not  seek,  for  he  will  not  find,  in  the  Bible,  an 
apology  for  his  infatuation  and  inconsistency.  On  the  contrary,  he 
will  meet  with  much  to  prove  him  altogether  inexcusable. 

The  principles  of  Christianity  are  never  in  the  New  Testament 
exhibited  in  an  abstract  systematic  form.  They  are  interwoven  with 
the  injunctions  to  the  cultivation  of  right  dispositions,  and  to  the 
practice  of  commanded  duties,  to  which  in  truth  they  form  the  most 
powerful  motives.  The  Author  of  Kevelation,  who  is  also  the  Au 
thor  of  our  nature,  and  who  is  intimately  acquainted  with  all  its  intel 
lectual  and  moral  obliquities  in  its  present  fallen  state,  has  mercifully 
and  wisely  led  those  "holy  men  who  spoke  as  they  were  moved  by 
his  Spirit,"  to  guard  their  readers  against  that  tendency  to  consider 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity  as  mere  matters  of  speculation,  to  which 
we  have  been  adverting,  by  almost  invariably  following  a  statement 
of  doctrine,  with  a  statement  of  the  practical  consequences  which 
that  doctrine,  understood  and  believed,  is  at  once  calculated  and  in 
tended  to  produce. 

•  Of  this  we  have  a  very  striking  and  instructive  exemplification  in 
the  passage  which  we  have  here  chosen  as  the  subject  of  this  dis 
course,  in  the  preceding  paragraph  we  have  a  statement  of  some  of 
the  most ^  sublime  and  delightful  peculiarities  of  Christian  doctrine. 
We  are  instructed  respecting  that  state  of  ineffable  purity,  dignity, 
and  happiness,  to  which  it  is  the  purpose  of  God  ultimately  to  raise 
men,  through  the  mediation  of  his  incarnate  only  begotten.  This 


DISC,  v.]  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  89 

state  is  described  as  "salvation" — deliverance  from  evil,  in  all  its 
forms  and  degrees,  forever — a  holy  happiness,  filling  to  an  overflow 
all  the  capacities  of  enjoyment  during  the  entire  eternity  of  man's 
being — as  " an  inheritance"  intimating  at  once  the  gratuitousness  of 
the  nature,  and  the  security  of  the  tenure,  of  this  happiness — "  an  in 
heritance  incorruptible,"  having  nothing  in  its  own  nature  which  can 
lead  to  decay  or  termination — •"  undefiled,"  its  pure  elements  unmin- 
gled  with  any  inferior  or  heterogeneous  ingredients — "unfading" 
retaining  unimpaired  its  power  to  communicate  happiness — u  laid  up 
in  heaven,"  pure  and  ethereal  in  its  nature,  and  secured  beyond  the 
reach  of  fraud  or  of  violence ;  while  those  for  whom  it  is  destined, 
those  who,  according  to  the  divine  fore-knowledge,  have  been  selected 
by  a  spiritual  separation  from -the  world  lying  under  the  wicked  one, 
that  they  may  obey  the  truth,  and  be  sprinkled  by  the  blood  of  Jesus 
— that  is,  possess  the  blessings  secured  by  his  atoning  sacrifice' — are 
preserved  for  its  enjo}~ment  amid  all  the  dangers  they  are  exposed  to, 
by  the  power  of  God  and  through  the  instrumentality  of  believing. 

Still  further  to  illustrate  the  glories  of  this  salvation,  this  final  state 
of  blessedness,  we  are  told,  that  unlike  the  present  state,  in  which 
Jesus  Christ  is  bodily  absent  from  his  chosen  ones,  and  in  which  the 
imperfect  knowledge  they  have  of  him  is  obtained  entirely  through 
the  medium  of  believing,  in  which  they  are  exposed  to  numerous 
and  severe  trials,  in  which  complete  deliverance  from  evil  is  the  ob 
ject  of  faith  and  hope,  and  in  which,  owing  to  these  causes,  they  are 
often  in  heaviness — the  future  state  of  Christians  is  a  state  in  which 
Christ  Jesus  is  bodily  present  with  them,  and  maintains  intimate 
and  uninterrupted  intercourse  with  them — a  state  in  which  nothing 
of  their  trials  but  their  blissful  and  glorious,  results  remain — a  state 
in  which  complete  deliverance  is  the  object  of  enjoyment — a  state 
in  which,  in  consequence  of  all  these  things,  they  "  rejoice  with  a 
joy  which  is  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory ;"  and,  as  if  even  all 
this  were  not  enough  to  give  us  just  ideas  of  the  glories  and  felicities 
"  which  God  has  laid  up  for  those  who  love  him,"  we  are  told  that 
this  state  of  final  happiness  is  a  leading  subject  of  Old  Testament 
prophecy,  apostolical  preaching,  and  angelical  study. 

These  delightful^  and  wonderful  announcements  are*  not  brought 
forward  as  abstract  principles, — things- to  speculate  and  to  talk  about. 
They  are  no  sooner  stated  than,  the  apostle  proceeds,to  urge  them  On 
Christians  as  most  powerful  motives  to  the.  duties  of  their  high  and 
holy  calling,  and  equally  powerful  supports  and  consolations  under 
the  afflictions  to  which  the  discharge  of  those  duties  might  expose 
them.  "Wherefore,"  for  those  reasons,  since  these  things  are  so — 
"  Wherefore  gird  up  the  loins  of  your  mind,  be  sober,  and  hope  to 
the  end,  for  the  grace  that  is  to  be  brought  unto  you  at  the  revelation 
of  Jesus  Christ:  As  obedient  children,  not  fashioning  yourselves 
according  to  the  former  lusts  in  your  ignorance :  But  as  he  which 
hath  called  you  is  holy,  so  be  ye  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation ; 
because  it  is  written,  Be  ye  holy ;  for  I  am  holy.  And  if  ye  call  on 
the  Father,  who  without  respect  of  persons  judgeth  according  to 
every  man's  work,  pass  the  time  of  your  sojourning  here  in  fear. 
Forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  ye  were  not  redeeemed  with  corruptible 


90  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC.  v. 

things,  as  silver  and  gold,  from  your  vain  conversation  received  by 
tradition  from  your  fathers  ;  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ, 
as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without  spot :  Who  verily  was 
fore-ordained  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  but  was  manifest 
in  these  last  times  for  you,  who  by  him  do  believe  in  God,  that 
raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  gave  him  glory  ;  that  your  faith  and 
hope  might  be  in  God." 

In  this  admirable  paragraph  we  have  a  most  instructive  view — I. 
Of  Christian  duty ;  II.  Of  the  means  of  performing  it ;  and  III.  Of  the 
motives  to  its  performance.  Of  CHRISTIAN  DUTY — described,  first, 
generally,  as  obedience,  Christians  being  exhorted  to  act  "  as  obedient 
children,  "rather  children  of  obedience  ;  and  then  described  more  par 
ticularly — first  negatively,  "  Not  fashioning  yourselves  according  to 
your  former  lusts  in  your  ignorance ;"  and  then  positively — "  Be  holy 
in  all  manner  of  conversation."  Of  the  MEANS  OF  PERFORMING  CHRIS 
TIAN  DUTY  ;  first,  determined  resolution — "  Gird  up  the  loins  of  your 
mind ;"  secondly,  moderation  in  all  our  estimates,  and  desires,  and 
pursuit  of  worldly  objects — "  Be  sober ;"  thirdly,  hope — "  Hope  to  the 
end,"  hope  perfectly ;  fourthly,  fear — "  Pass  the  time  of  your  sojourn 
ing  here  in  fear."  Of  THE  MOTIVES  TO  THE  PERFORMANCE  OF  CHRISTIAN 
DUTY  ;  first,  the  grandeur  and  excellence  and  security  of  the  Chris 
tian  inheritance,  the  full  possession  of  which  we  can  attain  only  by 
Christian  obedience — "  Wherefore,"  referring  to  the  whole  of  the 
preceding  description  of  the  final  state  of  happiness  which  awaits  the 
saints ;  secondly,  the  holiness  of  God — "  Be  ye  holy,  for  I  am  holy  ;" 
thirdly,  the  equity  of  God — "  The  Father  on  whom  we  call,  without 
respect  of  persons,  judgeth  every  man  according  to  his  works;"  and 
fourthly,  the  wonderful  provision  which  had  been  made  for  securing 
this  holiness,  in  their  having  been  redeemed,  or  brought  back  to  God, 
by  the  blood  of  his  own  Son — "  Forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  ye  were 
not  redeemed  with  corruptible  things,  as  silver  and  gold,  from  your 
vain  conversation  received  by  tradition  from  your  fathers  ;  but  with 
the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  with 
out  spot :  Who  verily  was  fore  ordained  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  but  was  manifest  in  these  last  times  for  you,  who  by  him  do 
believe  in  God,  that  raised  him  up  from  the  dead,  and  gave  him 
glory ;  that  your  faith  and  hope  might  be  in  God." 

Such  is  the  outline  which  I  shall  attempt  to  fill  up  in  the  subse 
quent  illustrations. 

I.— CHRISTIAN  DUTY. 
§  1. — General  view — obedience. 

According  to  the  plan  which  has  just  been  sketched,  our  attention 
must  be  first  directed  to  the  view  of  Christian  duty  with  which  W6 
are  presented  in  the  passage  before  us. 

Christian  duty  is  in  this  paragraph  represented  generally  as  obedi 
ence.  The  apostle  calls  on  Christians  to  conduct  themselves  "  as  obe 
dient  children,"  or  rather  children  of  obedience,  which  is  the  literal 


PA11T  I.]  GENERAL   VIEW.  91 

rendering  of  the  original  terms.  The  apostle's  meaning  does  not 
seem  to  be  "Behave  yourselves  towards  God  as  obedient  children  do 
towards  their  father,"  but  act  the  part  not  of  children  of  disobedience 
—  a  strong  idiomatic  phrase  for  disobedient  persons  ;  but  of  children 
of  obedience  —  a  strong  idiomatic  phrase  for  obedient  persons.1  Obe 
dience,  then,  is  the  great  duty  of  the  Christian. 

Obedience  has  always  a  reference  to  a  law  to  be  obeyed.  Chris 
tians  are  often,  in  the  epistolary  part  of  the  New  Testament,  repre 
sented  as  not  only  completely  delivered  from  subjection  to  the  law  of 
Moses  ;  but  the  state  into  which  they  are  brought  by  the  faith  of  the 
gospel  is  described  as  a  being  "not  under  law,  but  under  grace."3 
Their  pardon  and  salvation  are  not  to  be  procured  by  their  own  obe 
dience  to  any  law,  but  to  be  received  as  the  "gift  of  God,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  But  though  delivered  from  the  Mosaic  law, 
and  though  "  not  under  law,"  in  the  sense  of  their  final  salvation 
being  the  stipulated  reward  of  stipulated  labor,  they  are  "not  with 
out  law  to  God  ;  they  are  under  the  law  to  Christ."  8 

The  law  to  which  the  Christian  owes  obedience  is  the  revelation 
of  the  divine  will  contained  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  This  law  is,  like 
its  Author,  "spiritual"  and  "holy,"  both  "just  and  good."4  It 
reaches  not  merely  to  action,  but  to  the  principles  of  action,  and  re 
quires  obedience  of  mind,  obedience  of  heart,  and  obedience  of  life. 

Obedience  of  mind  consists  in  the  implicit  belief  of  whatever  is 
revealed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  It  is  counting  true  whatever  God 
has  said,  just  because  God  has  said  it.  A  Christian  is  not  left  to 
think  as  he  pleases.  The  command  of  God  is,  "Let  the  mind  be  in 
you  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus."  B  We  must  think  in  conform 
ity  to  the  mind  of  God,  as  made  known  in  his  word.  We  must  re 
ceive  what  is  written  there,  "  not  as  the  word  of  man,  but  as  it  is  in 
truth  the  word  of  the  living  God."  8 

This  submission  of  mind  to  the  authority  of  God  is  the  fundamental 
part  of  Christian  obedience,  and  naturally  leads  to  that  obedience  of 
heart  which  is  equally  required  by  that  law,  which  is  exceeding  broad. 
By  obedience  of  heart,  I  understand  a  state  of  the  affections  corre 
sponding  to  the  character  of  God  as  revealed  in  the  manifestation  he 
has  made  of  his  will.  He  appears  in  that  manifestation  infinitely 
venerable  and  estimable,  and  amiable  and  trustworthy  ;  and  reverence 
and  esteem,  and  love  and  confidence,  are  the  dispositions  which  these 
excellencies  ought  to  excite  in  our  minds.  To  "  sanctify  the  Lord 
God  in  our  hearts,"  to  "  make  him  our  fear  and  dread,"  to  "  love  him 
with  our  heart,  and  our  soul,  and  our  strength,  and  our  mind,"  and 
"to  trust  in  him  at  all  times,"  7  —  this  is  the  obedience  of  the  heart. 

As  the  obedience  of  the  mind  naturally  leads  to  the  obedience  of 
the  heart,  as  it  is  impossible  to  venerate  and  esteem,  and  love  and 
trust  God,  without  knowing  and  believing  that  he  is  venerable  and 
excellent,  and  amiable  and  trustworthy,  and  impossible  to  believe  him 


ra/coT/f  is  a  Hebraism  of  the  same  kind  as  T£KVO.  QUTOC,  viol  fj/uEpac;,  vibg  diru- 
rnf  ,  viol  aTTEtdeiar,  rinva  bpyrft,  TKKVO,  /carapaf. 

2  Rom.  vi.  14.  si  Cor.  ix.  21.  *  Rom.  vii.  12,  14. 

5  Philii.  5,  6  iThess.  ii.  13. 

*  1  Pet.  iii.  15.    Isa.  viii.  13.    Matt.  xxii.  37.    Psal.  Ixii.  8. 


92  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC,  v 

possessed  of  those  excellencies  without  exercising  those  dispositions, 
so  the  obedience  of  the  mind  and  of  the  heart  naturally  express 
themselves  in  the  obedience  of  the  life. 

The  obedience  of  the  life  is  twofold — active  and  passive :  the  one 
consisting  in  conscientiously  doing  whatever  God  commands ;  and 
the  other  consisting  in  cheerfully  submitting  to  whatever  God  ap 
points.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  Christian  to  "  walk  in  all  God's  com 
mandments  and  ordinances  blameless,"  to  be  ''patient  in  tribulation," 
and  even  to  "  count  it  all  joy  when  brought  into  manifold  trials."  ' 
Such  is  the  general  idea  of  obedience  as  the  duty  of  the  Christian :  a 
conformity  of  mind  and  heart  and  conduct  to  the  revealed  will  of  God. 

There  are  certain  general  characters  which  belong  to  this  obedience 
when  it  is  genuine,  and  which  distinguish  it  from  all  counterfeits.  It 
is  implicit  obedience.  The  Christian  not  only  believes  what  God  re 
veals,  but  he  believes  it  because  God  has  revealed  it;  he  not  only 
does  what  God  commands,  but  he  does  it  because  God  has  command 
ed  it :  he  not  only  submits  to  what  God  appoints,  but  he  submits  to  it 
because  God  has  appointed  it.  It  is  obviously  just  so  far  as  the  faith 
and  conduct  of  a  Christian  have  this  character,  that  they  deserve  the 
name  of  obedience  at  all. 

The  obedience  which  forms  the  sum  and  substance  of  Christian 
duty,  is  impartial  and  universal  obedience.  If  it  be  implicit,  it  will 
be  impartial  and  universal.  If  I  really  regard  the  will  of  God  at  all, 
I  will  regard  it  whenever  I  see  it  clearly  manifested.  I  will  not, 
among  duties  commanded  with  equal  clearness,  choose  which  I  will 
perform,  and  which  I  will  neglect.  I  will  u  esteem  all  hjs  precepts 
concerning  all  things  to  be  right,  and  I  will  hate  every  false  way." a 

Cheerfidness  is  another  essential  character  of  Christian  obedience. 
External  obedience  may  often  be  constrained  and  mercenary ;  but 
the  obedience  of  the  life,  which  proceeds  from,  and  is  the  expression 
of,  the  obedience  of  the  mind  and  heart,  cannot  be  either.  In  obey 
ing,  the  Christian  is  doing  what  he  knows  to  be  right;  and  what  he 
feels ^ to  be  good.  He  "consents  to  the  law  that  it  is. good."  He 
"  delights  in,  the  law  after  the  inward  man."  "When  his  heart  is  en 
larged  by  just  and  impressive  views  of  the  reasonableness  and  excel 
lence  of  the  divine  law,  he  runs  in -the  ways  of  God's  command 
ments,  and  finds  that  "in  keeping  them  there  is  great  reward."8 

The  obedience  which  is  the  sum  of  the  Christian's  duty,  in  fine,  is 
not  an  occasional  and  temporary,  but  a  habitual  and  a  persevering 
obedience.  It  is  the  business  of  his  life :  "  Whatsoever  he  does, 
whether  in  word  or  in  deed,"  ought  to  be  done  ain  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks  to  God  the  Father  by  him."  "  Whether 
he  eats  or  drinks,  or  whatsoever  he  does,"  he  ought  to  do  "  all  to  the 
glory  of  God."  His  obedience  ought  to  be  "  a  patient  continuance 
in  well-doing,"  "  a  steadfast,  immovable,  constant  abounding  in  the 
work  of  the  Lord,"  "  a  forgetting  the  things  which  are  behind,  a 
reaching  forth  to  those  which  are  before,  a  pressing  to  the  mark  foi 
the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 4 

1  Luke  i.  6.     Rom.  xii.  12.     James  i.  2.  2  Psal.  exix.  128. 

3  Rom.  vii.  16,  22.     Psal.  cxix.  32 ;  xix.  11. 

4  Col.  iii.  17      1  Cor.  x.  31,     Rom.  ii.  7.     1-  Cor.  xv.  58.     Phil.  iii.  13,  14. 


PART  I.J  PARTICULAR   VIEW. 


§  2. — Particular  view  of  Christian  Duty.     (1.)  Negative. 
(2.)  Positive. 

The  duty  of  Christians  is  not  only  described  generally  as  obedi 
ence,  but  more  particularly,  first,  negatively,  as  a  "  not  fashioning 
themselves  according  to  the  former  lusts  in  their  ignorance,"  and 
then,  positively,  as  a  "being  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation." 
Let  us  shortly  attend  to  these  very  instructive  descriptions  of  .Chris 
tian  duty. 

(1.)  The  apostle's  negative  statement  is,  that  Christians  ought  not 
to  fashion  themselves  "  according  to  the  former  lusts  in  their  igno 
rance."  While  a  man  continues  unacquainted  with  the  meaning  and 
evidence  of  the  revelation  which  God  has  made  of  himself  in  his  word 
— and  this  is  the  case  with  every  unbeliever,  he  is  in  a  state  of  igno 
rance  respecting  the  most  important  of  all  subjects,  the  character 
and  will  of  God — the  duty  and  happiness  of  man.  While  in  that  state, 
he  does  not  "fashion  himself,"  that  is,  regulate  his  conduct — form  his 
character,  "  according  to  the  will  of  God,"  but  according  to  his 
"lusts," — -his  desires.  The  desires  which  are  natural  to  men  while 
they  are  unrenewed,  are  the  principles  which  regulate  their  conduct 
and  form  their  character.  One  man  loves  pleasure,  another  loves 
money,  another  loves  power,  another  loves  fame.  The  ruling  desire, 
or  lust,  is  the  principle  which  forms  the  character  and  guides  the 
conduct. 

Now  the  Christian,  being  no  longer  in  ignorance,  but  knowing  and 
believing  the  revelation  God  has  made  of  his  will,  must  no  longer 
permit  his  character  to  be  fashioned  by  those  desires,  to  the  guidance 
of  which,  when  in  a  state  of  ignorance,  he  delivered  himself  up.  All 
these  desires,  so  far  as  they  are  sinful,  must  be  mortified,  and,  even 
so  far  as  they  are  innocent,  they  must  cease  to  be  governing  princi 
ples,  and  must  be  subordinated  to  a  higher  principle — the  principle 
of  submission  of  mind  and  heart  to  the  will  of  God. 

The  objects  of  these  desires  are  sensible  and  present  things — things 
which  are  "in  the  world;"  so  that  the  not  fashioning  ourselves  ac 
cording  to  our  former  lusts  in  our  ignorance,  and  our  not  being  "  con 
formed  to  this  world,"  are  but  two  different  modes  of  expressing  the 
same  thing.  An  un regenerated  man's  character  is  entirely  formed 
by  the  desires  of  his  fallen  nature,  excited  by  their  appropriate  objects 
in  the  present  world.  It  was  once  so  with  the  Christian,  but  it  must 
be  so  with  him  no  longer.  On  the  contrary,  "as  he  who  has  called 
him  is  holy,  so  must  he  be  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation." 

(2.)  This  is  the  apostle's  positive  statement  with  respect  to  Chris 
tian  duty.  There  is  no  word,  I  apprehend,  to  which  more  indistinct 
ideas  are  generally  attached,  than  holiness ;  yet,  surely,  there  is  no 
word  of  the  meaning  of  which  it  is  of  more  importance  we  should 
have  a  clear  and  accurate  conception ;  for  "  without  holiness  no  man 
shall  see  the  Lord." 1  The  clearest  and  the  justest  idea  we  can  form 
of  holiness,  as  a  quality  of  an  intelligent  creature,  is  conformity  of 
mind  and  will  with  the  Supreme  Being,  who  alone  is,  in  all  the  extent 

1  Heb.  xii.  14. 


94  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC.  v. 

of  meaning  belonging  to  the  word,  holy.  Holiness  does  not  consist  in 
mystic  speculations,  enthusiastic  fervors,  or  uncommanded  austerities; 
it  consists  in  thinking  as  God  thinks,  and  willing  as  God  wills.  God's 
mind  and  will  are  to  be  known  from  his  word ;  and,  so  far  as  I  really 
understand  and  believe  God's  word,  God's  mind  becomes  my  mind, 
God's  will  becomes  my  will,  and,  according  to  the  measure  of  my 
faith,  I  become  holy. 

And  this  conformity  of  mind  and  will  to  God — this  holiness—  is  to 
be  manifested  "in  all  manner  of  conversation."  "Conversation," 
here,  as  usually  in  the  New  Testament,  signifies  not  colloquial  inter 
course,  but  general  conduct.1  In  every  part  of  your  character  and 
conduct,  let  it  appear  that  the  ruling  principles  of  your  conduct,  the 
forming  principles  of  your  character,  are  no  longer  what  they  once 
were — your  lusts,  your  natural  desires,  but  the  mind  and  the  will  of  him 
who  has  called  you,  even  God,  who  is  holy  ;  his  mind  and  will  having 
become  your  mind  and  will,  through  the  knowledge  and  belief  of  the 
truth,  make  it  evident,  that  these  are  now  the  principles  by  which 
your  character  is  formed  and  your  life  governed.  In  everything 
show  that  you  think  as  God  thinks,  that  you  will  as  God  wills,  that 
you  love  what  God  loves,  that  you  hate  what  he  hates,  that  you  choose 
what  he  chooses,  that  wherein  he  finds  enjoyment,  you  seek  enjoy 
ment.  Such  is  a  short  account  of  the  Christian's  duty. 

There  are  two  conclusions  to  which  these  observations  necessa 
rily  conduct  us,  highly  worthy  of  considerate  reflection.  First,  that 
there  are  many  who  call  themselves  Christians,  who  have  no  title 
to  that  name,  habitual  violators  of  God's  law,  strangers  to  the  very 
principle  of  obedience,  still  "walking  according  to  the  course  of 
this  world,  serving  divers  lusts  and  pleasures." 3  How  vain — how 
much  worse  than  vain,  in  their  profession — how  dangerous  their  cir 
cumstances — how  awful,  if  they  continue  in  their  present  state,  their 
final  doom !  The  second  conclusion  is,  that  those  who  are  really 
Christians  are  still  very  far,  indeed,  from  being  what  they  ought  to 
be — from  being  what  they  might  be.  The  best  Christians,  then,  need 
to  have  such  exhortations  addressed  to  them  as  these :  "  Follow  ho 
liness,"  seek  growing  conformity  of  mind  and  heart  to  God,  and 
recollect  this  can  be  obtained  only  by  growing  knowledge  and  faith 
of  the  truth.  Though  already  not  of  the  world,  even  as  their  Lord  is 
not  of  the  world,  they  need  the  great  intercessor  continually  to  pray 
for  them.  " Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth,  thy  word  is  truth."8 


1L— MEANS  FOR  THE  PERFORMANCE  OF  CHRISTIAN  DUTY. 

"We  now  proceed  to  direct  your  minds  to  the  view  here  given  us 
of  the  means  of  performing  this  duty.    If  we  would  be  "  children  of 


necessary  that  we  should  "  gird  up 

1  The  only  exception  is  Phil.  iii.  20,  where  the  word  in  the  original  i 
but  TTO/U'reiyza — citizenship. 

2  Eph.  ii.  2,  3.     Tit.  iii.  3.  3  John  xvii.  7. 


PART  II.]  MEANS   FOR   PERFORMING   IT.  95 

we  should  be  "sober" — that  we  should  "hope  to  the  end" — and  that 
we  should  "pass  the  time  of  our  sojourning  here  in  fear."  Deter 
mined  resolution,  moderation,  hope,  and  fear,  are  the  means  here  pre 
scribed  for  our  realizing,  in  our  own  character  and  conduct,  those 
views  of  Christian  duty  presented  to  us  by  the  apostle.  Let  us  shortly 
attend  to  them  in  their  order. 

§  1. — Determined  Resolution  a  means  of  Christian  Obedience. 

Determined  resolution  is  one  of  the  instrumental  means  which  we 
ought  to  employ,  in  order  to  our  complying  with  the  apostle's  ex 
hortation.  "  Gird  up,"  says  he,  "the  loins  of  your  mind."1  The  an 
cients  were  accustomed  to  wear  loose,  flowing  garments,  which, 
though  graceful  and  agreeable  on  ordinary  occasions,  were  found 
inconvenient  when  strenuous  and  long-continued  exertion  became 
necessary.  In  such  cases  it  was  usual  to  gather  together  the  folds 
of  the  flowing  drapery,  and,  having  wrapped  them  round  the  waist, 
to  confine  them  by  a  belt  or  girdle.  This  was  termed  girding  up  the 
loins. 

The  phrase  is  here  used  figuratively.  To  inquire,  as  some  have 
done,  what  are  meant  by  the  loins  of  the  mind,  and  to  reply — the  sen 
sual  affections  and  appetites,  the  lower  propensities  of  human  nature ; 
and  to  inquire  what  is  meant  by  girding  up  the  loins  of  the  mind, 
and  to  reply — the  restraint  and  mortification  of  these  debasing  pro 
pensities,  is  rather  ingeniously  to  play  with,  than  satisfactorily  to  ex 
plain,  the  phraseology  of  the  sacred  writer.  "  To  gird  up  the  loins  of 
the  mind,"  is  to  gird  up  the  loins  mentally  ;  that  is,  to  cultivate  that 
state  of  mind  of  which  the  girding  up  of  the  loins  is  the  natural  em 
blem.  "When  a  man  has  nothing  to  do,  or  nothing  which  requires  any 
thing  like  exertion,  he  permits  his  robes  to  flow  in  graceful  negligence 
around  him  ;  or,  even  if  called  on  to  a  sudden,  transient,  though  vigo 
rous  effort,  he  may  not  think  it  worth  his  while  to  make  any  change 
in  his  dress ;  but  if  he  has  a  work  to  perform,  which  requires  at  once 
strenuous  and  continued  exertion, — if  he  is  about,  not  to  take  a  walk 
for  pleasure,  but  to  undertake  a  journey  on  business,  then  he  girds  up 
his  loins.  The  action  is  naturally  emblematical  of  that  state  of  mind 
in  which  a  person  contemplates  a  course  of  conduct,  which,  while  he 
considers  it  as  highly  eligible  and  indispensably  obligatory,  he  plain 
ly  perceives  to  involve  in  it  serious  difficulty,  and  to  demand  the  per 
severing  putting  forth  of  all  his  active  energies. 

The  apostolical  command,  "  Gird  up  the  loins  of  your  mind,"  is 
equivalent  to  '  Set  yourself  with  resolute  determination  to  the  per 
formance  of  these  duties.  Impress  on  your  minds  a  sense  of  their 
importance,  obligation,  advantages,  and  necessity.  Let  there  be  no 
"  halting  between  two  opinions."  Considering  Christian  obedience 
as  the  business  of  life ;  a  business,  the  right  discharge  of  which  will 
require  all  the  care  you  can  devote  to  it ;  a  business,  in  the  prosecu 
tion  of  which  no  exertion  must  be  spared,  no  sacrifice  grudged ;  enter 
on  it  with  a  determination,  that  whatever  may  be  neglected  this 
shall  be  attended  to ;  and  with  a  distinct  understanding,  that  this  is 

1  Exod  xii.  11.     1  Kings  xviii.  46.    Job  xxxviii.  3 ;  xL  7.    Luke  xii.  35. 


96  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC.  v. 

not  to  be  an  occasional  employment  for  your  by -hours,  but  the  ha 
bitual  occupation  to  which  all  your  time  and  all  your  faculties  are 
to  be  devoted.' 

Such  a  spirit  of  determined  resolution  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
the  proper  performance  of  the  duties  involved  in  a  life  of  Christian 
obedience.  These  duties  are  numerous,  varied,  and  laborious.  They 
are  all  in  the  highest  degree  reasonable,  and  to  a  being  whose  moral 
constitution  is  in  a  completely  sound  state,  none  of  them  would  be  in 
the  slightest  degree  grievous.  The  yoke  of  Christian  duty  should  be 
very  easy — the  burden  of  Christian  duty  should  be  very  light.  But 
who  that  believes  the  declarations  of  Scripture — who  that  is  in  any 
degree  conversant  with  the  realities  of  Christian  experience,  needs  to 
be  told  that  the  remains  of  native  depravity,  acted  on  by  the  tempta 
tions  of  Satan,  and  by  the  influence  of  a  world  lying  under  his  power, 
often  make  irksome  what  ought  to  be  delightful,  difficult  what  should 
be  easy,  laborious  what  should  be  spontaneous  ?  How  endless,  varied, 
and  diversified  are  the  circumstances  which  have  a  tendency  to  in 
duce  spiritual  sloth,  and  make  us  become  "  weary  in  well-doing !" 
How  apt  are  we  to  turn  out  of  the  way,  instead  of  proceeding  right 
onwards ;  to  loiter,  when  we  should  quicken  our  pace ;  to  think  we 
have  "attained,  and  are  already  perfect,"  when  we  have  little  more 
than  entered  on  our  Christian  course !  How  often,  when  the  spirit  is 
willing,  is  the  flesh  weak !  Oh,  how  does  "  the  flesh  war  against  the 
spirit,  so  that  we  cannot  do  the  things  that  we  would!"1 

To  meet  this  state  of  things,  nothing  is  more  necessary  than  that 
resolute  determination  here  recommended  by  the  apostle.  Without 
it  we  shall  make  but  little  progress  in  our  Christian  course,  and  the 
little  progress  we  make,  will  be  productive  of  but  little  comfort  to 
ourselves — little  glory  to  our  Lord  ;  everything  will  be  a  difficulty ; 
we  shall  be  constantly  stumbling,  and  but  too  often  falling.  But  with 
it,  our  progress  will  be  steady  and  rapid,  delightful  to  ourselves,  com 
fortable  to  our  brethren,  honorable  to  our  Lord ;  we  shall  "  forget  the 
things  which  are  behind,  reach  forward  to  those  which  are  before,  and 
press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus." a 

This  resolute  determination  must  not  rest  on  the  mistaken  opinion 
of  our  possessing  in  ourselves  all  the  energies  which  are  necessary 
for  the  successful  performance  of  all  the  duties  implied  in  Christian 
obedience,  but  on  an  humble  yet  confident  reliance  on  the  promises 
of  God,  securing  for  us  all  those  supplies  of  divine  influence  which 
are  requisite  for  this  purpose.  It  is  the  faith  of  the-  truth,  and  that 
alone,  that  can  brace  the  mind  for  spiritual  work  and  warfare.  It  is 
this  which  makes  us  "  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power  of  his 
might."  3 

Let  us,  then,  like  the  Israelites  when  leaving  Egypt,  ugird  up  our 
loins,"  resolved  to  prosecute  our  journey,  undeterred  by  the  fury  of 
our  spiritual  enemies  endeavoring  to  bring  us  again  into  bondage,  by 
the  billows  of  the  Red  Sea  of  persecution,  or  by  the  endless  toils  and 
troubles  of  the  wilderness  of  this  world,  till,  having  passed  the  Jordan 
of  death,  we  shall  lay  by  the  staff  and  the  sword  for  the  palm  and  the 

1  Gal.  v.  17.  '  Phil.  iii.  13.  3  Eph.  vi.  10. 


PART  II.]  MEANS    FOR    PERFORMING    IT.  97 

harp,  and  exchange  the  humble  garb  of  the  pilgrim  for  the  flowing 
robes  of  the  victor.  Meanwhile,  to  use  the  language  of  the  heavenly 
Leighton,  "  Let  us  remember  our  way,  and  where  we  are,  and  keep 
our  robes  girt  up,  for  we  walk  among  briers  and  thorns,  which,  if  we 
let  them  down,  will  entangle  and  stop  us,  and  possibly  tear  our  gar 
ments  ;  we  walk  through  a  world  where  there  is  a  great  mire  of  sin 
ful  pollutions,  and  which  therefore  cannot  but  defile  them :  and  the 
crowd  we  are  among  will  be  ready  to  tread  on  them ;  yea,  our  own 
feet  may  be  entangled  in  them,  and  so  make  us  stumble  and  possibly 
fall."  Our  only  safety  is  in  girding  up  the  loins  of  our  mind. 

§  2. — Moderation  a  means  of  Christian  Obedience. 

Moderation  is  another  of  the  instrumental  means  which  the  apostle 
recommends  for  the  performance  of  the  duty  of  Christian  obedience. 
"  Be  sober."  *  To  be  sober,  in  ordinary  language,  is  descriptive  of 
that  particular  variety  of  the  duty  of  temperance  which  is  opposed  to 
the  undue  use  of  intoxicating  liquors.  But  the  word  used  by  the 
apostle  has  a  much  more  extensive  meaning.  The  sobriety  or  tem 
perance  of  the  apostle  is  another  word  for  moderation,  and  is  descrip 
tive  of  that  state  of  the  mind,  and  affections,  and  behavior,  in  refer 
ence  to  "  things  seen  and  temporal,"  "  the  present  world,"  by  which 
a  Christian  should  be  distinguished. 

The  foundation  of  true  Christian  sobriety  or  moderation  lies  in  a 
just  estimate  of  the  intrinsic  and  comparative  value  of  "  all  that  is  in 
the  world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of 
life,"  2 — all  that  the  eye  or  the  flesh  desires — all  of  which  living  men 
are  apt  to  be  proud.  The  Christian  does  not  consider  the  wealth,  and 
the  honor,  and  the  pleasures  of  this  world,  as  destitute  of  value ;  but 
he  sees  that  that  value  is  by  no  means  what  the  deluded  worshippers 
of  Mammon  suppose  it  to  be.  He  sees  that  the  possession  of  them 
cannot  make  him  happy,  nor  the  want  of  them  make  him  miserable. 
They  cannot  obtain  for  him  the  pardon  of  his  sin,  they  cannot  pacify 
his  conscience,  they  cannot  transform  his  character,  they  cannot  give 
him  life  in  death,  they  cannot  secure  him  of  happiness  forever.  They 
appear  to  him  polluted  with  sin,  replete  with  temptation,  pregnant  of 
danger. 

With  these  views,  he  is  moderate  in  his  desires  for  them,  moderate 
in  his  pursuit  of  them,  moderate  in  his  attachment  to  them  while  he 
enjoys  them  ;  moderate  in  his  regrets  for  them ;  when  he  is  deprived 
of  them.  This  is  Christian  sobriety.  It  is  for  those  who  have  earthly 
relatives  to  be  as  if  they  had  them  not ;  for  "  those  who  weep  to  be  as 
though  they  wept  not ;  for  those  who  rejoice  to  be  as  though  they  re 
joiced  not ;  for  those  who  use  this  world  to  use  it  as  not  abusing  it, 
knowing  that  the  fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away  ."  3 

The  cultivation  of  this  sobriety  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the 

1  Subsequent  reflection  has  made  me  doubt,  whether  "  watchfulness,"  or  freedom  from 
mental  intoxication,  be  not  the  apostle's  idea  here  rather  than  moderation.  The  original 
word  favors  this  view.  These  mental  habits  are  described,  Discourses  xviii.  xxiii. ;  and 
the  usefulness,  and,  indeed,  necessity,  of  them  as  instrumental  means  for  the  performance 
of  Christian  duty  are  self-evident. 

a  1  John  ii.  6.  s  Cor.  vii.  29-31 

7 


98  THE    CHRISTIAN  S    DUTY.  [DISC.  V, 

proper  performance  of  the  duties  of  Christian  obedience.  The  su 
preme  love  of  the  world  is  inconsistent  with  Christian  obedience  alto- 
gether.  "  No  man  can  serve  two  masters  :  for  either  he  will  hate  the 
one,  and  love  the  other;  or  else  he  will  hold  to  the  one,  and  despise  the 
other  ;  ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mammon."  l  And,  as  the  supreme 
love  of  the  world  necessarily  makes  and  keeps  men  "  children  of  dis 
obedience/'  so  the  undue  love  of  the  world  prevents  even  those  who 
are  "  the  children  of  God,  through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,"  from  being, 
in  so  high  a  degree  as  they  ought  to  be,  "  the  children  of  obedience." 
What  is  it  that  makes  obedience  so  often  to  be  felt  a  tiresome  task, 
but  the  undue  love  of  the  world :  and  how  do  the  commandments  of 
our  Lord  become  to  us  not  grievous,  but  by  our  victorious  faith  over 
coming  the  world  ? 2  It  has  been  finely  said,  that  "  the  same  eye  can 
not  both  look  up  to  heaven  and  down  to  earth  at  the  same  time." 
And  the  heart  must  be  emptied  of  the  love  of  the  world,  that  it  may 
be  filled  writh  that  love  of  God,  which  is  at  once  the  seminal  principle 
and  the  concentrated  essence  of  all  Christian  obedience.  Those  who 
are  quite  engrossed  with  earth's  business  and  pleasures  cannot  be 
"  seeking  a  country — a  better  country,  that  is,  an  heavenly."  They 
who,  by  their  immoderate  attachment  to  earth,  show  they  are  at 
home,  cannot  be  "  strangers  and  sojourners."  The  Captain  of  the 
Lord's  host,  our  New  Testament  Gideon,  will  not  own  as  his  soldiers 
those  who  lie  down  to  drink  of  the  streams  of  earth's  delight,  but  only 
those  who,  in  passing,  drink  of  them  with  their  hand,  as  of  the  brook 
in  the  way.3 

It  is  much  to  be  desired  that  professors  of  Christianity  were  more 
deeply  impressed  with  this  truth, — that  the  supreme  love  of  the  world 
is  utterly  inconsistent  with  the  very  existence  of  Christianity ;  and 
that  real  Christians  were  more  deeply  impressed  with  the  kindred 
truth,  of  the  utter  inconsistency  of  an  undue  love  of  the  world  with  a 
healthy,  thriving  Christianity,  a  Christianity  bringing  forth  the  fruits 
of  true  holiness  and  true  peace,  fruits  which  are  to  the  glory  of  God, 
and  to  the  happiness  of  the  believer.  It  is,  my  brethren,  this  worldli- 
ness,  this  want  of  Christian  sobriety,  which  spreads  such  a  withering 
blight  over  the  blossoms  of  fair  profession,  and  prevents  their  ever 
ripening  into  fruit.  To  quote  again  the  spiritual  commentator  already 
referred  to :  "  All  immoderate  use  of  the  world  and  its  delights  injures 
the  soul  in  its  spiritual  condition,  makes  it  sickly  and  feeble,  full  of 
spiritual  distempers  and  inactivity,  benumbs  the  graces  of  the  Spirit, 
'and  fills  the  soul  with  sleepy  vapors,  makes  it  grow  secure  and  heavy 
in  spiritual  exercises,  and  obstructs  the  way  and  motion  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  in  the  soul."  4  If  we  would,  then,  be  children  of  obedience,  if 
we  would  not  fashion  ourselves  according  to  the  former  lusts,  if  we 
would  be  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation,  let  us  "  be  sober." 

^  Let  each  of  us,  ere  we  proceed  further,  examine  himself.  Am  I 
girding  up  the  loins  of  my  mind  ?  Am  I,  in  a  dependence  on  the 
promised  aids  of  divine  influence,  honestly,  heartily,  determined  to 
make  the  service  of  God,  through  Christ  Jesus,  my  great  business, 
and  to  make  the  life  I  live  in  the  flesh  a  life  of  subjection  to  his 

1  Matt,  vi.  24.  2  l  Jo]m  y  4> 

"Xeighton.    Heb.  xi.  13,  14.    Judges  vii.  4-7.  *  Leightoa 


PART-II.J  MEANS    FOR    PERFORMING    IT.  99 

will,  and  obedience  to  his  law,  by  making  it  a  life  of  faith  in  his 
Son?  Am  I  sober,  temperate,  moderate,  in  all  things,,  in  my  esti 
mates,  my  desires,  my  pursuits,  my  enjoyments,  my  sorrows  ?  If  we 
are  not  girding  up  the  loins  of  our  minds,  if  we  are  not  sober,  we 
are  not  Christians.  We  may  be  calling  Christ  Lord,  Lord  ;  but  we 
are  not  doing  the  things  which  he  says  to  us ;  and  unless  a  thorough 
change  take  place,  to  us,  at  last,  must  be  addressed  these  heart- wither 
ing  words — "  Depart  from  me,  I  never  knew  you,  ye  workers  of 
iniquity." 

§  3. — Hope  a  means  of  Christian  Obedien'ce. 

<  "*.  * 

We  proceed  now  to  observe,  that  Hope  is  the  third  means  recom 
mended  by  the  apostle  for  securing  the  proper  performance  of  the 
duty  of  Christian  obedience.  If  you  would  be  "  children  of  obe 
dience,"  if  you  would  "not  fashion  yourselves  according  to  your 
former  lusts  in  your  ignorance,"  if  you  would  "  be  holy  in  all  manner 
of  conversation,"  you  must  "hope  to  the  end ;  for  the  grace  which 
is  to  be  brought  to  you  at  the  revelation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

"  The  grace,"  or  favor,  "  which  is  to  be  brought  to  Christians  at 
the  revelation  of  Christ  Jesus,"  that  is,  when  Christ  Jesus  is  re 
vealed,  is  that  perfection  of  holy  happiness  to  which  they  are  to  be 
raised  at  the  close  of  the  present  state  of  things — "  the  salvation  that 
is  ready,"  prepared,  "to-be  revealed  in  the  last  time" — "the  inherit 
ance  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved  in 
heaven  for  them" — "  the  glory  that  is  to  follow"  the  second  coming 
of  the  Lord. 

For  this  "  grace,"  this  manifestation  of  his  sovereign  favor, — for 
the  salvation  of  Christ  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  is  of  grace — 
the  apostle  exhorts  Christians  to  "  hope,"  and  to  "  hope  to  the  end." 

He  exhorts  them  to  hope  for  it,  to  expect  it,  to  consider  it  as  some 
thing  that  is  absolutely  secure,  something  that  in  due  season  they 
shall  certainly  enjoy;  and  he  exhorts  them  to  "hope  to  the  end,"1 
that  is,  either  to  hope  perfectly,  to  cherish  an  undoubting  confidence, 
or  to  persevere  in  hoping  to  the  very  close  of  life,  "  not  casting  away 
their  confidence,"  but  "  holding  it  fast  to  the  end,"  knowing  that 
"  they  have  need  of  patience,"  that  is,  "  the  patience  of  hope ;"  in 
other  words,  knowing  that  they  must  persevere  in  hoping,  in  order 
that  they  may  do  the  will  of  God,  and  that  "  they  may  obtain  the 
promise,"  that  is,  the  promised  blessing.2 

The  practical  truths  here  taught  by  the  apostle  are  these — that  it 
is  the  duty  of  Christians  to  cultivate  a  persevering,  confident  hope  of 
final  salvation ;  and  that  the  cultivation  of  this  persevering,  confident 
hope  of  final  salvation,  is  a  necessary  and  important  means  of 
enabling  them  to  perform  the  duties  of  Christian  obedience. 

(1.)  That  it  is  the  duty  of  Christians,  believers  of  the  truth  as  it 
is  in  Jesus,  to  cherish  the  hope  of  eternal  happiness,  is  exceedingly 
plain.  God  has  distinctly  stated,  that  "whosoever  believeth  on 
Christ  Jesus  shall  not  perish,  but  shall  have  everlasting  life ;"  and 
surely  it  must  be  the  duty  of  the  Christian  to  believe  what  God  says, 

9  Heb.  x  35,  36. 


100  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC.  v. 

and  to  expect  what  God  has  promised.1  For  an  unbelieving  and  im 
penitent  person,  continuing  in  unbelief  and  impenitence,  to  hope  for 
eternal  life  is  the  extreme  of  presumption.  That  were  to  believe 
something  which  God  has  never  said — that  were  to  expect  something 
which  God  has  never  promised.  Nay,  that  were  to  believe  the  re 
verse  of  what  God  says — to  expect  the  reverse  of  what  God  has  de 
clared.  His  declarations  are,  "  Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  perish." 
"  He  that  believeth  not,  shall  be  damned/' 2  The  unbeliever  who  is 
cherishing  the  hope  of  "  grace  to  be  brought"  to  him,  continuing  an 
unbeliever  "  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,"  is  trusting  to  a  hope 
which  will  make  him  "  ashamed  and  confounded  world  without  end." 
For  He  will  be  "  revealed  then  in  flaming  fire,  to  take  vengeance  on 
such  as  know  not  God,  and  obey  not  the  gospel  of  his  Son."  3 

But  let  this  impenitent  man  change  his  mind ;  let  this  unbeliever 
but  credit  the  testimony  of  God,  counting  it  a  faithful  saying,  that 
"God  is  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  to  himself,  not  imputing  to 
men  their  trespasses ;  seeing  he  hath  made  him  who  knew  no  sin  to 
be  sin  in  our  room,  that  we  may  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God 
in  him,"  — and  immediately  that  hope  which,  in  his  previous  state,  it 
would  have  been  absurdity  and  error,  folly  and  presumption,  in  him 
to  cherish,  naturally  grows  up  in  his  mind ;  its  enjoyment  is  one  of 
his  highest  privileges,  and  its  cultivation  one  of  his  most  important 
duties. 

When  we  call  on  Christians  to  cultivate  hope,  we  would  press  upon 
their  attention  the  importance  of  three  things.  First,  let  them  en 
deavor  to  obtain  clear  and  ever-extending  views  of  that  holy  happi 
ness  which  is  the  object  of  their  hope,  of  that  "grace  which  is  to  be 
brought  to  them  at  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus."  Let  them  not 
rest  satisfied  with  some  indistinct  general  notion  of  it  as  a  state  of 
deliverance  from  all  suffering,  and  of  the  enjoyment  of  every  species 
of  blessedness ;  but  let  its  character  as  a  state  of  holy  happiness  be 
familiar  to  their  minds ;  a  state  of  endearing  and  transforming  com 
munion  with  the  Holy,  Holy,  Holy  One,  a  seeing  Him  as  he  is,  a 
being  like  him,  a  beholding  his  face  in  righteousness,  a  being  satisfied 
with  his  likeness,  a  being  holy  as  he  is  holy,  perfect  as  he  is  perfect. 

Secondly,  let  them  never  forget  that  the  holy  ground  on  which 
their  hope  of  obtaining  this  blessedness  rests,  is  the  sovereign  mercy 
of  Him  whose  nature  as  well  as  name  is  love,  exercised  in  perfect 
consistency  with,  in  glorious  illustration  of,  his  righteousness,  through 
the  obedience  to  death  of  his  only  begotten  Son,  made  known  to  them 
in  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel.  That  appeared  to  them  the 
only  ground  of  hope,  when,  in  the  hour  of  conviction,  every  refuge 
of  lies  was  swept  away,  and  they  were  made  to  see  that,  so  far  as 
depended  on  themselves,  so  far  as  depended  on  the  universe  of 
creatures,  there  was  no  hope  for  them.  They  were  then  absolutely 
"  without  hope"  till-  "  the  hope  set  before  them  in  the  gospel"  was  dis 
closed  to  their  mind.  There  is  no  other  ground  of  hope.  Never, 
Christians,  shift  from  this  foundation — never  attempt  to  add  to  this 
foundation.  "  Hold  fast  the  beginning  of  your  confidence,  steadfast 

1  John  iii.  16.  9  Luke  xiii.  3,  5.     Mark  xvi.  16. 

1  2  Thess.  i.  7,  8.  *  2  Cor.  v.  19-21. 


PART  II. J  MEANS    FOR   PERFORMING    IT.  101 

to  the  end."  Let  your  hope  of  eternal  life  be  that  of  a  sinner  who 
knows  that  eternal  death  is  his  merited  portion,  but  who,  believing, 
because  God  has  said  it,  that  "  eternal  life  is  the  gift  of  God  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,"  gladly  and  gratefully  receives  what  is  freely 
given  him  of  God,  and  setting  to  his  seal  that  God  is  true,  confidently 
trusts,  humbly  expects,  that  God  will  do  as  he  has  said. 

Thirdly,  in  hoping  for  this  holy  happiness  entirely  on  the  ground 
of  sovereign  mercy,  let  Christians  expect  to  obtain  it  only  in  the 
way  in  which  God  has  promised  to  bestow  it  on  them.  To  expect 
eternal  life  in  a  course  of  thoughtlessness  and  sin,  is  to  expect  what 
God  has  never  promised.  It  is  "through  faith  and  patience"  that 
the  promised  blessing  is  to  be  inherited.  It  is  "  in  a  patient  continu 
ance  in  well-doing,"  that  "glory,  honor,  and  immortality"  are  to  be 
expected.  It  is  "  after  doing  the  will  of  God  that  we  are  to  receive 
the  promise."  l  Let  Christians,  keeping  these  three  things  in  view, 
expect  only  what  God  has  promised — expect  this  only  on  the  ground 
that  He  who  is  infinite  in  kindness,  and  wisdom,  and  power,  and 
faithfulness,  has  promised  it — and  expect  it  only  in  the  way  and  by 
the  means  which  he  has  appointed  for  obtaining  it ;  and  it  is  impossi 
ble  for  them  to  be  too  confident  in  that  "  hope  for  the  grace  which  is 
to  be  brought  to  them  at  the  revelation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

(2.)  This  confident,  persevering  hope  of  final  salvation,  is  one  of 
the  most  necessary  and  important  means  for  enabling  a  Christian  to 
perform  the  duties  of  Christian  obedience.  There  are  some  theolo 
gians  who  would  represent  the  performance  of  the  duties  of  Christian 
obedience  as  the  ground  of  the  hope  of  eternal  life.  These  are  not 
wise  builders.  They  turn  things  upside  down,  and  place  the  super 
structure  in  the  room  of  the  foundation.  Till  a  man  has,  through 
the  faith  of  the  gospel,  obtained  the  hope  of  eternal  life,  he  will  never 
take  a  step  in  that  path  of  filial  obedience  which  is  the  only  road  to 
heaven,  and  the  more  he  has  of  a  well-grounded  hope  of  eternal  life, 
the  more  rapidly  will  he  run  along  that  road,  the  more  easily  will  he 
master  the  difficulties,  and  surmount  the  obstacles  which  threaten  to 
prevent  his  progress.  When  by  a  lively  hope  the  Christian  is  enabled 
to  feast  on  the  clusters  of  the  grapes  of  the  promised  land,  which 
faith  has  furnished  him  with  in  the  wilderness,  he  is  disposed  to  say 
with  Caleb,  '  It  must  be  a  good  land ;  and,  seeing  it  is  a  good  land, 
let  us  go  up  and  possess  it.  What  though  hosts  of  spiritual  enemies 
oppose  our  progress ;  what  though  the  Jordan  of  death,  that  river 
over  which  there  is  no  bridge,  roll  his  waters  deep  and  dark  between 
us  and  the  Canaan  above,  He  who  is  infinite  in  power  and  in  faith 
fulness,  hath  promised  to  make  us  "  more  than  conquerors,"  and  to 
bring  us  to,  and  make  us  reside  forever  in,  that  good  land.' 

"  It  is,"  to  borrow  the  well-considered  language  of  Leighton,  "  a 
foolish  misgrounded  fear,  and  such  as  argues  inexperience  of  the  na 
ture  and  workings  of  divine  grace,  to  imagine  that  the  assured  hope 
of  salvation  will  beget  unholiness  and  presumptuous  boldness  in  sin. 
Our  apostle  is  not  so  sharp-sighted  as  these'  men  think  themselves : 
he  apprehends  no  such  matter  :  he,  indeed,  supposes  the  contrary  as 
unquestionable :  he  takes  not  assured  hope  and  holiness  as  enemies, 

1  Rom.  ii.  7.    Heb.  vi.  12 ;  x.  36. 


102  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC.  v. 

but  joins  them  as  near  friends.  Hope  perfectly,  in  order  to  your  be 
ing  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation.  The  more  assurance  of  sal 
vation,  the  more  holiness — the  more  delight  in  it,  the  more  study  of 
it,  as  the  only  way  to  that  end ;  and  as  labor  is  then  most  pleasant 
when  we  are  made  surest  that  it  shall  not  be  lost,  nothing  doth  make 
the  soul  so  nimble  and  active  in  obedience  as  this  oil  of  gladness,  this 
assured  hope  of  glory."  Accordingly,  the  apostle  John  says,  "  It  doth 
not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be ;  but  when  he  shall  appear  we  shall 
be  like  him,  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is.  Every  man  that  hath  this 
hope  in  him  purifieth  himself,  even  as  he  is  pure."  In  perfect  accord 
ance  with  these  two  apostles,  their  beloved  brother  Paul,  in  his  Epis 
tle  to  the  Hebrews,  declares  his  desire  "  that  every  one  of  them  would 
give  all  diligence  to  the  full  assurance  of  hope  to  the  end  ;"  would 
sedulously  cultivate  an  unshaken,  confident,  persevering  hope  of  eter 
nal  life,  in  order  that  they  might  not  be  "  slothful,  but  followers  of 
them  who,  through  faith,  and  patience,  are  now  inheriting  the  pro 
mises."  l 

This  is,  I  am  persuaded,  the  only  way  of  securing  habitual  Chris 
tian  obedience.  Let  Christians,  then,  learn  to  say  with  the  Psalm 
ist,  "  But  I  will  hope  continually ;  and  I  will  go  in  the  strength  of  the 
Lord,  making  mention  of  his  righteousness,  even  of  his  only."  2 

It  may  be  proper,  before  leaving  this  part  of  the  subject,  to  remark, 
that  as  the  hope  of  eternal  life  has  a  powerful  influence  on  Christian 
obedience,  so  Christian  obedience  has  a  powerful  influence  on  the 
hope  of  eternal  life.  We  have  seen  that  Christian  obedience  is  not 
the  ground  of  the  hope  of  eternal  life,  but  it  is  its  evidence.  It  is  in 
the  nature  of  things  impossible  that  a  Christian,  while  negligent  about 
the  duty  of  obedience,  should  enjoy  in  any  high  degree  the  privilege 
of  hope.  It  is  the  same  truth  which  inspires  hope  and  stimulates  to 
obedience ;  and  if  it  is  not  present  to  the  mind  doing  the  latter,  it 
cannot  be  present  doing  the  former.  It  .has  been  finely  said,  "  The 
greatest  affliction  does  not  damp  the  hope  of  eternal  life,  so  much  as 
the  smallest  sin  ;  affliction  often  renders  hope  more  vigorous,  sin  uni 
formly  weakens  it."  3  If  Christians  would  be  "  obedient  children," 
they  must  "  hope  to  the  end ;"  and  if  they  would  "  hope  to  the  end," 
they  must  be  "  obedient  children."  These  two  things  are  linked  to 
gether  by  divine  appointment ;  and  "  what  God  has  thus  joined,  let  no 
man  attempt  to  put  asunder." 

§  4. — Fear  a  means  of  Christian  Obedience. 

Fear  is  the  fourth  and  last  instrumental  means  which  the  apostle 
prescribes  for  securing  the  performance  of  the  duties  of  Christian  obe 
dience.  If  we  would  be  "  children  of  obedience,"  if  we  would  not 
"  fashion  ourselves  according  to  the  former  lusts  in  our  ignorance, 
if  we  would  "  be  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation,"  then  must  we 
"  pass  the  time  of  our  sojourning  here  in  fear." 

This  injunction  may  not  at  first  view  appear  to  harmonize  well 
with  that  which  we  have  just  been  illustrating.  It  may  be  said, 

i  1  John  iii.  2,  3.    Heb.  vi.  11,  12.  a  Psal.  Ixxi.  14-16. 

*  Leighton. 


PART  II.]  MEANS    FOR    PERFORMING    IT.  103 

"does  not  perfect  love  cast  out  fear?"  l  and  must  not  "the  full  assur 
ance  of  hope,"  which  the  apostle  has  been  recommending,  cast  it  out 
also  ?  The  discrepancy  is  apparent  only,  not  real.  The  fear  which 
the  apostle  recommends,  so  far  from  being  inconsistent  with  love  and 
hope,  and  destructive  of  that  comfort  and  happiness  to  which  they 
give  origin,  naturally  grows  out  of  those  views  of  the  divine  charac 
ter  which  excite  love  and  hope,  and  acts  the  part  of  guardian  to  the 
comfort  and  happiness  which  they  produce  in  the  mind. 

The  fear  recommended  by  the  apostle  is  beyond  doubt  the  fear  of 
offending  God,  and  of  the  consequences  of  offending  God.  Such  a 
fear  is  not  only  consistent  with  love  and  hope,  but  is  their  insepara 
ble  companion.  The  more  highly  I  value  the  favor  of  God,  the  more 
must  I  fear  that  which,  in  the  degree  in  which  it  prevails,  deprives 
me  of  the  sense  of  this  favor.  The  more  I  delight  in  the  anticipation 
of  the  holy  happiness  of  heaven,  the  more  must  I  be  afraid  of  that,  the 
direct  and  certain  effect  of  which  is  to  deprive  me  of  this  delight. 
The  happiness  of  Christians  is  in  the  love  of  God,  and  the  light  of  his 
countenance  is  the  life  of  their  life.  It  matters  little  to  them  that  the 
world  frowns  on  them,  if  he  smiles  ;  and  it  matters  little  to  them  that 
the  world  smiles,  if  he  frowns.  Nothing  in  the  world  can  deprive 
them  of  the  tokens  of  their  Father's  love  but  sin  ;  and,  therefore,  they 
consider  it  as  of  all  things  the  most  terrible.  "  By  this  fear  of  the 
Lord  they  are  made  to  depart  from  evil."  It  is  implanted  in  their 
hearts  by  God  for  this  express  purpose,  "  I  will  put  my  fear  in  theii 
hearts,  and  they  shall  not  depart  from  me." 2  It  naturally  leads  them 
to  keep  at  a  distance  from  sin ;  to  guard  against  temptation,  to  be 
ware  of  what  may  lead  to  the  interruption  of  their  delightful  commu 
nion  with  their  reconciled  Father;  and  involve  in  clouds  of  perplexity 
and  doubt  the  prospect  of  future  blessedness.  "  Happy  is  the  man  who 
thus  feareth  always."  3  When  a  Christian  believer  thinks  of  the  remains 
of  corrupt  principle  within,  and  the  number  and  force  of  temptations 
without ;  when  he  sees  how  many  fall  before  these  temptations,  and 
make  shipwreck  of  faith  and  a  good  conscience,  surely  it  must  be  good 
for  him  to  "be  not  high-minded,  but  fear."  4 

There  is  a  system  which  passes  with  many  for  a  peculiarly  pure 
Christianity,  the  object  of  which  seems  to  be  to  set  believers  free  from 
every  species  of  fear  as  inconsistent  with  faith,  which,  according  to 
them,  consists  in  believing  that,  at  all  events,  the  individual  shall  be 
saved.  Every  species  of  fear  is  run  down  under  the  name  of  unbe 
lief.  Now,  it  is  quite  plain  the  apostles  had  a  very  different  view  of 
the  subject,  since  Paul  exhorts  the  Hebrew  Christians  to  "  fear,  lest, 
a  promise  of  entering  into  God's  rest  being  left  to  them,  any  of  them 
should  seem  to  come  short  of  it," 5  and  since  Peter,  in  the  words  of 
our  text,  exhorts  Christians  to  "  pass  the  time  of  their  sojourning  here 
in  fear."  They  inculcate  fear  as  a  means  of  preventing  unbelief  and 
its  consequences. 

It  is  justly  remarked  by  a  judicious  divine,0  that  both  "believers 

1  John  iv.  18.  2  Prov.  xvi.  6.     Jer.  xxxii.  40.  3  Pror.  xxviii.  14. 

4  Rom.  xi.  20.  5  Heb.  iv.  1. 

8  The  late  Archibald  M'Lean,  from  whose  writings  I  have  derived  much  advantage.  It 
may  be  worth  stating,  that  when  introduced  to  the  late  Robert  Hall,  one  of  the  first 


104  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC,  v 

and  unbelievers  have  their  fears,  but  they  arise  from  very  different 
sources,  and  have  quite  opposite  effects.  The  fears  of  unbelievers 
arise  from  unworthy  thoughts  of  God ;  a  distrust  of  his  power,  faith 
fulness,  and  goodness  ;  and,  also,  from  a  prevailing  love  of  the  present 
world  and  its  enjoyments,  which  makes  them  more  afraid  of  worldly 
losses  and  sufferings  for  righteousness'  sake,  than  of  forfeiting  the  di 
vine  favor/5  or  incurring  the  divine  displeasure.  "  Such  fears  not  only 
indispose  the  mind  to  obedience,  but  lead  directly  to  sin.  But  that 
godly  fear  which  is  proper  to  believers,  arises  from  a  just  view,  reve 
rence,  and  esteem  of  the  character  of  God,  and  a  supreme  desire  of 
his  favor,  as  their  chief  happiness ;  and  is  a  fear  lest  they  offend  him 
and  incur  his  just  displeasure.  Such  a  fear  outweighs  all  the  allure 
ments  of  sin  on  the  one  hand,  and  all  the  terrors  of  the  present  suffer 
ings  on  the  other." 

Such  is  the  fear  inculcated  by  the  prophet  when  he  says,  "  Sanc 
tify  the  Lord  God  in  your  heart,  and  let  him  be  your  fear  and  your 
dread,  and  he  shall  be  for  a  sanctuary."  Such  is  the  fear  enjoined 
by  our  Lord  on  his  disciples  :  "  Fear  not  him  who,  after  he  has  killed 
the  body,  hath  no  more  that  he  can  do ;  but  fear  him  who,  after  he 
hath  killed  the  body,  can  cast  both  soul  and  body  into  hell  fire ;  yea, 
I  say  unto  you,  fear  him."  Such  is  the  fear  prescribed  by  the  apostle 
in  the  passage  before  us,  as  an  instrumental  means  for  securing 
Christian  obedience :  "  Pass  the  time  of  your  sojourning  here  in 
fear."  l 

This  fear  must  be  habitually  exercised  during  the  whole  continu 
ance  of  our  mortal  life.  None  are  so  highly  advanced  in  grace  here 
below,  as  to  be  out  of  the  need  of  this  principle ;  but  when  their  pil 
grimage  is  finished,  and  they  are  come  home  to  their  Father's  house 
above,  there  shall  be  no  more  fearing.  There  are  no  dangers  there, 
and  therefore  no  fear.  They  shall  indeed  have,  in  a  higher  degree 
than  ever,  a  holy  reverence  of  the  Divine  Majesty,  but  the  fear  of 
offending  God  will  pass  away  writh  the  possibility  of  offending  him. 
In  that  blessed  world  there  is  neither  sin,  nor  temptation  to  sin  ;  no 
more  conflict,  no  more  danger ;  the  victory  is  complete,  the  peace 
secure,  the  triumph  eternal.2 

These  observations  have  been  addressed  exclusively  to  Christians. 
But  I  am  afraid  there  are  persons  now  hearing  me  who  are  not  Chris 
tians.  I  call  on  them  to  fear :  they  have  good  reason  ;  I  dare  not  call 
on  them  to  hope,  while  they  continue  in  unbelief  and  impenitence. 
"  There  is  no  peace  to  the  wicked,  saith  my  God," 3 — no  hope  for  the 
unbelieving.  But  I  present  to  them  "  the  hope  set  before  us"  in  the 
gospel.  I  tell  them,  Christ  Jesus  died  for  sinners ;  for  the  chief  of 
sinners.  I  assure  them  that  "  eternal  life  is  the  gift  of  God,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  I  put  them  in  mind  of  the  solemn  oath  of 
God,  that  he  has  no  pleasure  in  their  death ;  I  put  them  in  mind  of 
the  most  condescending  expostulation,  "  Why,  why,  will  ye  die  ?"  I 
beseech  them  to  despair  of  salvation  in  themselves ;  I  assure  them  that 

things  lie  said  to  mo  was,  "  Sir,  you  have  found  me  reading  your  countryman,  Archibald 
M'Lean.  He  was  a  man  mighty  in  the  Scriptures,  sir :  mighty  in  the  Scriptures." 

ilsaviii.  18.     Matt.  x.  28.    '  a  Leighton. 

*  Isa.  lvii.21. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES    TO    ITS    PERFORMANCE.  105 

Jesus  is  "able  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost/'  and  as  willing  as  able.1 
Oh,  if  they  would  but  believe  "  these  true  and  faithful  sayings  of  God," 
a  hope  that  will  never  make  them  ashamed  would  spring  up  in  their 
hearts ;  and,  along  with  that  fear  of  the  Lord  by  which  men  depart 
from  evil,  a  fear  in  which  there  is  sweet  awful  pleasure,  not  torment, 
in  delightful  harmonious  operation,  would  induce  them,  from  "  chil 
dren  of  disobedience/'  to  become  children  of  obedience  ;  and,  instead 
of  continuing  to  "  fashion  themselves  according  to  their  lusts  in 
their  ignorance/'  would  lead  them  to  "  be  holy  in  all  manner  of  con 
versation." 


III.— MOTIVES  TO  THE  PERFORMANCE  OF  CHRISTIAN  DUTY. 

Let  us  now  illustrate  the  motives  to  Christian  duty,  which  are  un 
folded  in  the  paragraph  under  consideration.  These  are  four  in  num 
ber.  (1.)  The  grandeur,  excellence,  and  security  of  that  inheritance, 
the  full  possession  of  which  can  be  attained  only  in  a  course  of  Chris 
tian  duty :  "  Wherefore/'  says  the  apostle,  referring  to  the  whole  of 
the  preceding  description  of  the  final  happiness  which  awaits  Chris 
tians  at  the  second  coming  of  their  Lord.  (2.)  The  holiness  of  God  : 
"  Be  ye  holy,  for  I  am  holy."  (3.)  The  equity  of  God  :  "  The  Father 
on  whom  ye  call,  or  he  whom  ye  call  Father,  judgelh  every  man 
according  to  his  works."  And,  (4.)  The  provision  made  for  sanctifi- 
cation,  by  the  sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God  :  "  Ye  are  redeemed,  not 
with  such  corruptible  things  as  silver  and  gold,  from  your  vain  con 
versation  received  by  tradition  from  your  fathers  ;  but  with  the  pre 
cious  blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without  spot ; 
who  verily,  was  fore-ordained  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  but 
was  manifest  in  these  last  times  for  you,  who  by  him  do  believe  in 
God,  that  raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  gave  him  glory  ;  that  your 
faith  and  hope  might  be  in  God."  Let  me  turn  your  attention  to 
these  powerful  motives  in  their  order. 

§  1. — The  grandeur,  excellence,  and  security  of  the  Christian  salva 
tion,  a  motive  to  Christian  duty. 

The  grandeur,  excellence,  and  security  of  the  inheritance,  the  full 
possession  of  which  can  be  attained  only  in  a  course  of  Christian  duty, 
is  a  most  powerful  motive  to  obedience,  and  to  the  employment  of  all 
the  means  which  are  fitted  to  secure  it.  When  the  apostle  says, 
"  Wherefore,"  for  these  reasons,  we  naturally  ask,  for  what  reasons  ? 
and  we  readily  find  an  answer.  The  preceding  context  is  principally 
occupied  with  a  description  of  the  final  happiness,  the  eternity  of  holy 
blessedness,  which  awaits  the  genuine  followers  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
last  time,  at  the  revelation  of  the  Saviour. 

Now,  is  not  the  attainment  of  this  eternity  of  holy  happiness  well 
worthy  of  every  exertion  that  man  is  capable  of? — will  it  not  infi 
nitely  more  than  compensate  for  privations  however  great,  sacrifices 
however  costly,  sufferings  however  severe,  that  may  be  required  in 

a  Rom.  vi.  23.     Ezck.  xxxiii.  11. 


106  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC.  v. 

Eursuing  it  ?  When  we  look  around  us,  and  see  "  all  things  so  full  of 
ibor,  that  man  cannot  utter  it ;"  when  we  see  men,  in  order  to  obtain 
some  worldly  advantage,  the  value  of  which  is  in  a  great  measure  im 
aginary,  and  the  possession  of  which  must  be  insecure  and  short 
lived,  rising  early,  sitting  late,  eating  the  bread  of  carefulness,  com- 
passing  sea  and  land,  straining  to  the  utmost  every  faculty  of  exertion, 
and  tasking  to  the  utmost  every  power  of  endurance,  we  cannot  help 
being  painfully  struck  at  the  disproportion  between  the  worthlessness 
of  the  object,  and  the  multitude  and  mightiness  of  the  means.  It  "re 
sembles  ocean  into  tempest  tost,  to  watt  a  feather  or  to  drown  a  fly." 
We  feel  disposed  to  ask  the  infatuated  laborer,  "  Wilt  thou  set  thine 
heart  on  things  which  are  not  ?"  "  Why  do  you  spend  your  money 
for  that  which  is  not  bread,  and  your  labor  for  that  which  satisfieth 
not?"1 

But  there  is  no  such  disproportion  here.  "  The  crown  of  righteous 
ness,"  "  the  crown  of  life,"  is  an  adequate  reward  for  all  the  toils,  and 
privations,  and  fatigues,  and  agonies,  of  the  Christian  race  and  war 
fare  ;  and  all  the  sufferings  of  the  present  state,  to  which  a  Christian 
may  be  exposed  in  the  cause  of  his  religion,  are  not  "  worthy  to  be 
compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us;"  the  afflic 
tions  of  the  present  state,  however  numerous  and  severe,  are  lighter 
than  dust  in  the  balance,  when  weighed  against  that  "  far  more  ex- 
qpeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory."  2 

Is  not  this  calculated  to  arouse  to  active  exertion,  to  prepare  for 
patient  suffering  ?  Is  it  not  most  reasonable,  that,  in  prosecuting 
such  a  pursuit,  our  determination  to  do  nothing  that  can  hazard  fail 
ure,  and  everything  that  can  promote  success,  should  be  most  reso 
lute,  and  that  we  should  look  away  from  everything,  however  other 
wise  attractive,  which  is  calculated  to  divert  our  attention  or  divide 
our  affections?  Is  not  the  attainment  of  such  a  blessing  a  fit  object 
of  hope  ?  Is  not  the  loss  of  such  a  blessing  a  fit  object  of  fear  ? 

But  it  may  be  said,  Is  not  the  "  salvation  which  is  in  Christ,  with 
eternal  glory,"  "  the  gift  of  God,"  and  is  it  not  "  sure  to  all  the  seed  ?" 
Is  it  not  "laid  up  for  them  in  heaven  ?"  and  are  they  not  kept  for  it  by 
the  mighty  power  of  God  ? 3  What  need,  then,  of  all  this  obedience 
and  submission  ?  What  need  of  all  this  determined  resolution,  and 
self-denied  moderation,  and  animating  hope,  and  cautious  fear?  The 
answer  to  those  questions  is  at  hand,  and  it  is  brief  and  satisfactory. 
The  final  salvation  is  the  gift  of  God,  and  the  objects  of  his  love  shall, 
assuredly,  not  come  short  of  it.  But  there  is  a  divinely  appointed 
method  for  obtaining  that  eternal  life  which  is  the  gift  of  God ;  and 
none  can  enjoy  the  well-grounded  hope  of  possessing  it,  who  do  not 
seek  it  in  this  divinely  appointed  method.  Nothing  is  more  distinctly 
slated  in  Scripture,  than  that  it  is  only  in  the  way  of  persevering  faith 
and  holiness  that  heaven  is  to  be  expected  ;  and  that,  in  the  way  of 
persevering  faith  and  holiness,  heaven  cannot  be  too  confidently  ex 
pected.  It  is  in  the  way  of  persevering  faith  and  holiness  alone  that 
we  can  reach  heaven.  "  We  have  need  of  patience,"  that  is,  we  must 
persevere,  "  that,  by  the  will  of  God,  we  may  obtain  the  promised 

1  Prov.  xxiii.  5.     Isa.  Iv.  2.  2  Rom.  viii.  18.     2  Cor.  iv.  17. 

2  Rom.  vi.  23  ;  iv.  16. 


PART   III.]  MOTIVES    TO    ITS    PERFORMANCE.  107 

blessing."  "  Without  holiness  no  man  can  see  the  Lord."  l  Unbelief 
and  disobedience  are  the  road  to  hell ;  and  even  a  true  Christian, 
whe-n,  under  the  influence  of  the  evil  heart  of  unbelief,  he  falls  into 
backsliding,  may  be  justly  said  to  be  on  the  road  to  hell,  though  blessed 
be  God,  it  is  certain  he  will  never  reach  the  termination  of  that  road  ; 
for  the  prayer  of  his  Redeemer,  who  is  mighty,  will  prevent  his  faith 
from  utterly  failing,  and  his  backslidings  will  be  healed,  and  he  will  be 
made  to  retrace  his  steps,  and  walk  onward  in  faith  and  holiness  to 
wards  heaven. 

Still  it  is  a  general  truth  which  all  should  attend  to, "  He  that  lives 
after  the  flesh  shall  die."  "He  that  sows  to  the  flesh,  shall  of  the 
flesh  reap  corruption."  He  that  turns  back,  "  turns  back  towards 
perdition."2  On  the  other  hand,  nothing  is  more  certain  than  that,  in 
a  persevering  course  of  Christian  faith  and  obedience,  the  celestial  bles 
sedness  in  all  its  grandeur  and  excellence  shall  be  realized.  "He 
who,  through  the  Spirit,  mortifies  the  deeds  of  the  body,  shall  live." 
He  who,  '•'  through  a  constant  continuance  in  well-doing,  seeks  for 
glory,  honor,  and  immortality,  shall  obtain  eternal  life.'"  He  who 
I'endureth  to  the  end,  shall  be  saved."  He  who  perseveres  in  believ 
ing,  shall  obtain  "the  salvation  of  the  soul."  He  who  "adds  to  his 
faith  virtue,  and  to  virtue  knowledge,  and  to  knowledge  temperance,  and 
to  temperance  patience,  and  to  patience  godliness,  and  to  godliness 
brotherly  kindness,  and  to  brotherly  kindness  charity;"  he  who  doeth 
these  things,  "  shall  never  fall,  but  thus  an  entrance  shall  be  ministered 
to  him  abundantly,  into  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Sa 
viour  Jesus  Christ." ;  The  attainment  of  the  celestial  blessedness  in  this 
way,  is  not  merely  a  high  probability — even  in  this  case  the  motive 
would  be  a  powerful  one — it  is  an  absolute  certainty.  It  is  as  secure 
as  the  word  and  oath,  the  perfections  and  being  of  God,  can  make  it. 

How  well  fitted  are  such  considerations  to  repress  weariness,  to  re 
kindle  ardor  in  the  Christian  race!  "I  run  not  as  uncertainly,"  I 
keep  along  the  marked  race-course,  and  I  am  sure  of  "  the  prize  of 
the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  How  admirably  calculated 
to  revive  fainting  courage  in  the  Christian  conflict !  "I  fight  not  as 
one  that  beateth  the  air."  I  know  that,  "waxing  valiant  In  fight,  I 
shall  put  to  flight  all  the  armies  of  the  aliens."  "  I  know  in  whom  I 
have  believed."  4  Continuing  to  "fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,"  I 
shall  be  "more  than  conqueror  through  him  that  loved  me."  The 
men  of  the  world,  in  prosecution  of  their  fancied  good,  spare  no 
pains,  shrink  from  no  difficulty,  decline  no  hazard,  though  they  have 
nothing  but  probability,  often* a  very  weak  probability,  to  excite  and 
encourage  them.  How  unnatural,  how  inexcusable,  "on  the  part  of 
those  professing  to  believe  the  gospel  revelation,  to  be  careless  and 
inactive  in  the  pursuit  of  a  happiness  which  "  eye  hath  not  seen,  ear 
hath  not  heard,  and  which  it  hath  never  entered  into  the  heart  of  man 
to  conceive  ;"  and  of  the  attainment  of  which,  in  the  appointed  man 
ner,  we  may  be,  we  ought  to  be,  as  certain  as  we  are  of  our  own  ex 
istence  !  Well  might  the  apostle,  when  his  mind  was  warmed  and 

*  Heb.  x.  36  ;  xii.  14.  -  Rom.  viii.  13.     Gal.  VL  8.     Heb.  x.  30.    E-,-  d™\sia* 

*  Rom.  viii.  13  ;  ii.  7.     Matt  x.  22.     Heb.  x.  39.     2  Pet.  L  5-11. 

*  1  Cor.  ix.  36.     Phil.  ill.  14.     2  Tim.  L  12. 


108  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC.  v. 

elevated  by  the  contemplation  of  the  glories  of  the  final  deliverance, 
say,  "  Wherefore  gird  up  the  loins  of  your  mind,  be  sober,  and  hope 
to*the  end;  and  be  obedient  children,  not  fashioning  yourselves  ac 
cording  to  your  former  lusts  in  your  ignorance  ;  but  be  ye  holy  in 
all  manner  of  conversation." 

This  is  the  effect  which  the  believing  contemplation  of  the  heaven 
ly  blessedness  is  calculated  and  intended  to  have  on  the  mind.  It  is 
not  intended  to  afford  an  indolent  delight,  but  a  powerful  excitement, 
and  to  induce  Christians  to  be  "steadfast  and  unmoveable,  always 
abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord ;  forasmuch  as  they  know  their 
labor  shall  not  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord." 

§  2. — The  holiness  of  God  a  motive  to  Christian  duty. 

The  second  motive  which  the  apostle  presents  to  the  mind  as  urg 
ing  to  Christian  obedience,  is  the  holiness  of  the  Divine  Being — "  Be 


holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation,  as  he  who  has  called  you  is  holy ; 
as  it  is  written,  Be  ye  holy,  for  I  am  holy." 

There  is  none  holy  as  Jehovah.  He  is  "  glorious  in  holiness." 
"  He"  only  "  is  holy" — "  holy  and  reverend"  is  His  name.1  And  those 
intelligent  beings,  who  are  capable  of  apprehending  most  of  the  perfec 
tions  and  beauties  of  his  uncreated  nature,  have  their  attention  chiefly 
fixed  by  this  lovely  attribute,  and  "  day  without  night"  hymn  his  praises 
as  the  "  holy,  holy,  holy"  One.2  The  holiness  of  God  is  just  another 
word  for  the  moral  perfection  of  his  nature.  It  is  not  something  dif 
ferent  from  justice  and  benignity.  It  is  the  absolute  perfection  and 
the  harmonious  union  of  justice  and  benignity. 

The  sum  of  the  Christian's  duty  is  to  be  holy  ;  that  is,  to  be  con 
formed  to  God ;  to  have  the  same  views,  and  judgments,  and  senti 
ments  with  him ;  to  approve  what  he  approves ;  to  disapprove  what 
he  disapproves ;  and  the  strongest  and  best  reason  why  the  Christian 
should  have  these  views,  and  judgments,  and  sentiments,  and  likings 
and  dislikings,  is  just  because  God  has  them.  The  strongest  and 
best  reason  why  he  should  thus  think  and  thus  will,  is  just  that  God 
thus  thinks  and  thus  wills.  To  be  holy,  is  to  be  conformed  to  God ; 
and  to  be  conformed  to  God,  is  at  once  man's  highest  honor,  duty, 
and  happiness  ;  and  what  more  cogent  reason  can  be  given  for  follow 
ing  any  tenor  of  disposition  and  conduct  than  that  it  is  "  the  whole  of 
man," 3  the  whole  of  his  honor,  his  duty,  and  his  happiness  ? 

The  divine  being  is  the  most  glorious  and  venerable  being  in  the 
universe ;  and  it  is  his  holiness  far  more  than  his  power  or  his  wisdom, 
far  more  than  his  eternity  or  his  immensity,  or  his  immutability,  that 
makes  him  so.  His  other  perfections,  separate  from  this,  would 
make  him  an  object  of  terror  rather  than  of  veneration.  He  is  em 
phatically  "glorious  in  holiness;"  and  it  is  this  perfection  which 
clothes  all  the  others  with  moral  attractive  influence,  and  makes  their 
possessor  at  once  infinitely  estimable  and  infinitely  lovely.  When 
an  intelligent  being  bears  no  resemblance  to  God  in  moral  excellence, 
there  is  in  that  being  nothing  really  dignified  and  honorable  ;  no 

1  1  Sam.  ii.  2.     Exod.  xv.  21.    PsaL  xcix.  5  ;  cxi.  9.  2  Isa.  vi  3. 

8  Eccles.  xii.  13. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES    TO    ITS    PERFORMANCE.  109 

proper  cause  of  moral  respect  or  approbation  ;  and  just  in  the  degree 
in  which  there  is  a  resemblance,  is  that  intelligent  being  a  fit  object 
of  moral  esteem ;  honorable  and  honored  by  God  and  all  right-think 
ing  angels  and  men.  This,  then,  is  one  portion  of  the  force  of  the 
motive,  "  Be  holy,  for  I  am  holy/'  Be  holy,  for  to  be  holy  is  to  be 
conformed  to  God,  and  to  be  conformed  to  God  is  true  honor. 

But  there  is  more  in  it  than  this.  To  be  conformed  to  God  is  man's 
highest  duty.  To  think  in  opposition  to  God,  to  will  in  opposition  to 
God,  must  surely  be  the  most  unnatural  and  wicked  of  all  things  in 
beings  capable  of  thinking  and  willing ;  and  to  think  along  with  him, 
to  will  along  with  him,  must,  from  the  very  nature  of  things,  be  their 
first  and  highest  duty.  To  have  the  mind  and  will  and  active  facul 
ties  in  perfect  accordance  with  the  mind  and  will  and  command  of 
God,  is  the  clearest  conception  we  can  form  of  the  moral  perfection 
of  an  intelligent  creature. 

But  even  this  is  not  all.  To  be  conformed  to  God  is  man's  truest, 
highest  happiness.  God  is  the  happiest  being  in  the  universe,  and  the 
reason  is,  he  is  the  holiest  being  in  the  universe.  He  is  perfectly 
happy,  for  he  is  perfectly  holy.  Men  cannot  participate  in  the  hap 
piness  of  God,  but  by  becoming  "partakers  of  his  holiness."  God 
himself  cannot  make  a  being  like  man  really,  permanently  happy,  in 
any  other  way  than  by  making  him  holy.  "  They  who  are  far  from 
him  must  perish ;"  and  there  is  nothing  so  good  for  man  in  all  the 
extent  and  emphasis  of  meaning,  which  belongs  to  the  word  "  good," 
as  the  being  "  near  to  God."  l  The  force  of  this  motive,  then,  briefly 
expressed,  is  this  :  '  to  perform  Christian  duty,  to  be  obedient  children, 
is  to  be  holy ;  and  to  be  holy,  is  to  be  like  God  ;  and  to  be  like  God, 
is  man's  highest  honor,  duty,  and  happiness.'  Surely  he  must  be 
an  obtuse-minded,  he  must  be  an  obdurate-hearted  man,  who  does 
not  perceive,  who  does  not  feel,  the  overwhelming  force  of  such  a 
motive. 

There  is  a  superadded  force  in  the  motive,  as  urged  in  the  passage 
before  us.  There  is  an  additional  power  of  persuasion  in  the  descrip 
tive  appellation,  by  which,  instead  of  one  of  his  proper  names,  the 
Divine  Being  is  in  this  passage  spoken  of:  As  "He  that  has  called 
you  is  holy,  so  be  ye  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation."  When 
they  were  running  the  mad  career  of  error  and  folly  and  sin,  God's 
powerful  voice  reached  their  hearts,  and  "  called  them  out  of  darkness 
into  his  marvellous  light."  '  When  that  Holy  One  called  you,  it  was 
for  a  purpose  consonant  with  his  character.  That  calling  was  "  a 
holy  calling;"  he  called  you,  "not  to  uncleanness,  but  to  holiness." 
He  has  chosen  you,  "  that  you  might  be  holy,  and  without  blame  be 
fore  him  in  love."  ' 2  To  use  the  words  of 'holy  Leighton,  "He  hath 
severed  you  from  the  mass  of  the  profane  world,  and  picked  you  out 
to  be  jewels  for  himself;  he  hath  set  you  apart  for  the  end  that  you 
may  be  holy  to  him.  It  is  sacrilege  for  you  to  dispose  of  yourselves 
after  the  impure  manner  of  the  world,  and  to  apply  to  any  profane 
use  those  whom  God  has  consecrated  to  himself.  He  who  hath  called 
you  is  holy ;  and  therefore,  when  he  called  you,  it  must  have  been  that 
ye  should  be  holy.  Therefore  « Be  ye  holy/  ' 

1  Psal.  kxiii.  27,  28.  a  1  Pet.  ii.  9.     2  Tim.  i.  9.     1  Thess.  iv.  7.     Eph.  i.  4. 


110  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC.  v. 

§  3. — The  strict  equity  of  God  a  motive  to  Christian  duty. 

The  strict  equity  of  God  is  the  third  motive  brought  forward  by 
the  apostle  for  urging  Christians  to  obedience,  and  to  the  use  of  the 
means  calculated  to  facilitate  and  secure  obedience.  "  Be  obedient 
children  ;  fashion  not  yourselves  according  to  the  former  lusts  in  your 
ignorance ;  be  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation  ;  gird  up  the  loins 
of  your  mind ;  be  sober ;  hope  to  the  end ;  pass  the  time  of  your  so 
journing  here  in  fear ;"  "  since  the  Father  on  whom  ye  call/'  or  rather, 
"since  He  whom  ye  call  Father,  without  respect  of  persons,  judgeth 
according  to  every  man's  work."  l 

The  primary  idea  here  plainly  is,  that  the  strict  impartiality  of  God, 
as  the  moral  governor  of  the  world,  should  be  felt  as  a  powerful  mo 
tive  to  Christian  duty.  This  consideration  is  urged  as  a  motive  to 
that  holy  fear,  which  we  have  seen  to  be  one  of  the  great  means  of 
Christian  obedience ;  but  it  is  also  a  powerful,  direct  motive  to  Chris 
tian  duty  in  general. 

God  is  the  moral  governor  of  the  world.  "  The  Lord  hath  pre 
pared  his  throne  for  judgment,  and  he  shall  judge  the  world  in  right 
eousness."  "  The  Lord  hath  prepared  his  throne  in  the  heavens, 
and  his  kingdom  ruleth  over  all."  Every  human  being  is  the  subject 
of  this  government.  All  must  stand  before  his  tribunal.  He  judgeth 
every  man,  and  every  work  of  every  man;  "for  God  will  bring 
every  work  into  judgment,  whether  it  be  good,  or  whether  it  be  evil."3 

In  the  administration  of  this  moral  government,  God  is  regulated 
by  the  principles  of  the  strictest  impartiality  and  righteousness.  "  He 
judgeth  every  man's  work  without  respect  of  persons."  "  To  have 
respect  of  persons"  is  a  Hebrew  mode  of  expression,  descriptive  of 
that  most  iniquitous  and  mischievous  abuse  of  the  judicial  function, 
when  accidental  circumstances,  not  fixed  principles,  guide  the  deci 
sion  ;  when  men  are  rewarded  or  punished,  not  according  to  the 
desert  of  their  conduct ;  when  they  gain  or  lose  their  cause,  not  ac 
cording  to  its  merits  or  demerits,  but  according  to  the  personal  par 
tialities  of  the  judge,  from  arbitrary  caprice,  or  from  his  regard  to  the 
wealth,  or  rank,  or  power,  or  influence  of  the  parties.  The  divine 
administration,  from  the  absolute  independence  and  moral  perfection 
of  the  judge,  is  completely  free  from  this  fault.  "  The  Lord  your 
God,"  says  Moses,  "  is  a  God  of  gods,  and  Lord  of  lords,  a  great  God, 
a  mighty  and  a  terrible  one,  who  regardeth  not  persons,  nor  taketh 
reward."  "  Let  the  fear  of  the  Lord  be  upon  you,"  says  Jehoshaphat 
to  the  judges  whom  he  had  appointed  ;  "for  there  is  no  iniquity  with 
the  Lord  our  God,  nor  respect  of  persons,  nor  taking  of  gifts."  "  Far 
be  it  from  God,"  says  Elihur  "  that  he  should  do  wickedly ;  from  the 
Almighty,  that  he  should  commit  iniquity.  For  the  work  of  a  man 
will  he  render  unto  him,  and  cause  him  to  receive  according  to  his 
ways.  Yea,  surely  God  will  not  do  wickedly,  neither  will  the  Al 
mighty  pervert  judgment.  He  accepteth  not  the  persons  of  princes, 

"  Particula  a  non  est  conditionalis  seel  assertiva,  non  dubitantis,  sed  rem  notam  pre- 
supponentis — quia  patrem  invocatis." — CALVIN.    Others  render  it  "  quandoquidem,"  or 
"  quoniam." — HOTTINGER.     ROSENMULLEE, 
*  Psal.  ix.  7  ;  ciii.  19.    Eccles.  xi.  9. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES    TO    ITS    PERFORMANCE.  Ill 

nor  regardeth  the  rich  more  than  the  poor,  for  they  are  all  the  work 
of  his  hands."  "  Of  a  truth/'  says  Peter,  "  I  perceive  that  God  is  no 
respecter  of  persons  :  but  in  every  nation  he  that  feareth  God,  and 
worketh  righteousness,  is  accepted  of  him/''  "In  the  day  of  the 
revelation  of  his  righteous  judgment,"  says  Paul,  "  God  will  render  to 
every  man  according  to  his  deeds  :  to  them  who,  by  patient  continu 
ance  in  well-doing,  seek  for  glory,  honor,  and  immortality,  eternal 
life ;  but  unto  them  who  are  contentious,  and  do  not  obey  the  truth, 
but  obey  unrighteousness,  indignation  and  wrath,  tribulation  and  an 
guish  to  every  soul  of  man  that  doeth  evil;  to  the  Jew  first,  and  also 
to  the  Greek  :  for  there  is  no  respect  of  persons  with  God.  For  as 
many  as  have  sinned  without  law,  shall  perish  without  law;  and  as 
many  as  have  sinned  in  the  law,  shall  be  judged^by  the  law."  "  God," 
says  he  in  another  passage,  "  accepteth  no  man's  person."  "  There  is 
no  respect  of  persons  with  him." 

This  strict  impartiality  of  the  Divine  Being,  as  the  righteous  judge, 
is  a  very  powerful  motive  to  the  duties  enjoined,  whether  the  injunc 
tion  be  considered  as  addressed  to  professed  Christians  or  to  real 
Christians.  Let  us  endeavor  to  unfold  its  force,  as  bearing  respect 
ively  on  these  two  classes. 

Viewed  as  addressed  to  professors  of  Christianity,  it  is  as  if  the 
apostle  had  said,  'A  mere  profession  of  Christianity  will  avail  you 
nothing.  It  is  to  no  purpose  that  you  have  been  baptized  in  the  name 
of  Christ,  that  you  have  a  place  in  his  church,  that  you  sit  down  at 
his  table,  that  you  perform  the  external  acts  of  worship  which  he  re 
quires,  if  you  are  not  "obedient  children."  If  you  are  not  "renewed 
in  the  spirit  of  your  mind,"  if  you  are  "  not  transformed  by  the  re 
newing  of  your  mind,"  so  as  not  "  to  be  conformed  to  the  world," 
if  you  are  not  "  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation,"  if  you  are  not 
perseveringly  active  in  the  performance  of  Christian  duty,  if  you  are 
not  moderate  in  all  things,  if  you  have  not  the  hope  of  eternal  life, 
and  are  not  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  all  the  day  long,  it  is  madness  in 
you  to  think  that  you  are  in  the  way  of  obtaining  "the  inheritance 
incorruptible  and  undefiled."  Remember  with  whom  you  have  to  do. 
He  is  not  capable  of  being  imposed  upon  by  external  appearances. 
He  is  not  capable  of  being  biased  by  weak  partialities.  He  will 
judge  you,  and  judge  you  according  to  your  works.  You  will  find 
that  the  principle  on  which  his  decisions  go  is  the  plain  one :  "  He 
that  doeth  righteousness  is  righteous.  He  that  doeth  not  righteous 
ness  is  not  righteous."  You  will  find  that  within  the  gates  of  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem  there  is  room  only  for  those  who  do  his  com 
mandments  ;  and  that  "  without,  in  outer  darkness,"  is  the  allotted 
everlasting  habitation  of  "  the  hypocrite,"  as  well  as  "  the  unbeliever," 
of  the  unprofitable  and  unfaithful  servant.  "Not  every  one  that 
calleth  Jesus  Christ,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  ;  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  his  Father  who  is  in  heaven."  ' 3 
The  ultimate  destiny  of  the  worldly  immoral  professor  of  Chris 
tianity  will  be  more  dreadful  than  that  of  the  heathen  or  the  open 

1  Dent.  x.  17.     2  Chron.  xix.  7.    Job  xxxiv.  10-12,  19.    Acts  x.  34,  35.     Rom.  ii.  6-12. 
Gal.  ii.  (>.     Eph.  vi.  9.     Col.  iii.  25. 

3  1  John  iii.  7,  10.    Matt.  xxiv.  51 ;  vii.  21. 


112  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC.  v. 

infidel.  Oh  !  that  sinners  in  Zion  were  afraid.  Oh  !  that  fearful  ness 
might  surprise  the  hypocrites.  The  God,  of  whom  you  say  that  he  is 
your  God,  is  no  respecter  of  persons  ;  he  will  judge  you  according  to 
your  works.  "  Know  ye  not  that  the  unrighteous  shall  not  inherit 
the  kingdom  of  God  ?  Be  not  deceived ;  neither  fornicators  nor 
idolaters,  nor  adulterers,  nor  effeminate,  nor  thieves,  nor  covetous, 
nor  drunkards,  nor  revilers,  nor  extortioners,  shall  inherit  the  king 
dom  of  God."  "  Be  not  deceived ;  God  is  not  mocked.  Whatso 
ever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap  ;  for  if  ye  sow  to  the  flesh, 
of  the  flesh  ye  shall  reap  corruption ;  but  if  ye  sow  to  the  Spirit,  ye 
shall  of  the  Spirit  reap  life  everlasting."  "  If  ye  live  after  the  flesh, 
ye  shall  die ;  but  if  ye  through  the  Spirit  do  mortify  the  deeds  of  the 
body,  ye  shall  live."  l  "  You  profess  the  true  religion,  and  call  him 
Father ;  but  if  you  live  devoid  of  his  fear,  and  be  disobedient  children, 
he  will  not  spare  you  on  account  of  that  relation,  but  rather  punish 
you  more  severely,  because  you  pretend  to  be  his  children,  and  yet 
were  not." 2  Beware  of  supposing  that  a  life  of  irreligion  and  im 
morality,  or  even  a  life  of  indolence,  or  of  worldliness,  under  a  Chris 
tian  profession,  can  have  any  end  but  one — redoubled  damnation. 
How  can  it  be  otherwise,  if  he  with  whom  you  have  to  do,  without 
respect  of  persons,  judgeth  according  to  every  man's  work  ?  How 
fearful  is  the  situation  of  that  man  who  can  hope  for  impunity  and 
salvation,  only  if  the  righteous  Lord  shall  cease  to  judge  righteously! 
Such  is  the  force  of  the  motive  viewed  as  addressed  to  professors  of 
Christianity — who  may  be,  many  of  whom  are,  false  professors. 

Let  us  now  look  at  the  motive  as  it  bears  on  those  who  are  really 
Christians.  While  "  eternal  life  is  the  gift  of  God  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord,"  while  "  the  salvation  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  with 
eternal  glory,"  is  freely  bestowed  on,  not  purchased  by,  those  who 
obtain  it ;  yet  it  is  plainly  the  doctrine  of  Scripture,  as  it  appears  to 
me,  that  the  degrees  of  happiness  in  a  future  world  will  be  propor 
tioned  to  the  degrees  of  holiness  in  the  present  world.  In  judging  of 
the  works  of  the  redeemed,  strict  impartiality  will  be  maintained. 
To  use  the  figurative  language  of  our  Lord,  one  shall  have  authority 
over  ten  cities,  and  another  shall  have  authority  over  five ;  or,  to 
adopt  the  plainer  terms  of  his  apostle,  "  Let  every  man  prove  his  own 
work,  for  every  man  must  bear  his  own  burden."  The  apostle,  as  a 
motive  to  Christian  duty,  assures  the  Hebrews  that  "  God  is  not  un 
righteous  to  forget  the  works  of  faith  and  labor  of  love  of  Christians;" 
and  the  righteous  Judge,  who  will  give  the  crown  of  righteousness  to 
all  who  love  his  appearing,  proclaims :  "  Behold  !  I  come  quickly, 
and  my  reward  is  with  me,  to  give  every  man  according  as  his  work 
shall  be."  When  Christians  stand  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ, 
they  will  "receive  the  things  done  in  the  body,  according  to  what 
they  have  done."  If  any  man's  work,  any  Christian  man's,  abides 
after  the  great  trial  which  it  must  then  undergo,  he  shall  obtain  a 
reward.  If  any  man's  work  do  not  abide  when  tried,  he  shall  suffer 
comparative  loss,  though  he  himself  "be  saved."  There  will  be  a 
difference,  ay,  and  an  important  one,  between  those  Christians  who 
have  added  to  their  "  faith,  virtue  ;  and  to  virtue,  knowledge ;  and  to 

1  1  Cor.  vi.  9,  10.     Giil.  vi.  7.  8.     Rom.  via.  13.  9  Leighton. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES    TO    ITS    PERFORMANCE.  113 

knowledge,  temperance ;  and  to  temperance,  patience ;  and  to  patience, 
godliness ;  and  to  godliness,  brotherly  kindness ;  and  to  brotherly 
kindness,  charity ;  who  have  had  these  things  in  them,  and  so  abounded 
in  them,  that  they  were  neither  barren  nor  unfruitful  in  the  knowl 
edge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;"  and  those  who,  though  true  Chris 
tians,  have  in  consequence  of  indulged  indolence  and  worldliness, 
lone  but  little  to  honor  their  Lord  and  advance  his  cause.  To  the 
brmer,  "  an  abundant  entrance  shall  be  ministered  into  the  everlast- 
,ng  kingdom  ;"  l  they  shall  enter  with  full  spread  sail  and  with  a 
favorable  wind  the  harbor  of  eternal  rest ;  while  of  the  latter  it  may 
be  said,  that  "  some  of  them  on  boards,  and  some  on  broken  pieces  of 
the  ship,  escape  safe  to  land."  It  is  a  general  principle  of  the  divine 
government,  extending  to  other  cases  than  that  of  ministers  receiving 
a  recompense  according  to  their  respective  services  to  the  church  of 
God :  "  Every  man  shall  receive  his  own  reward,  according  to  his 
own  labor."  2 

In  this  point  of  light  the  force  of  the  motive  may  be  thus  expressed : 
"  Be  holy, — for  in  proportion  to  your  attainments  in  holiness  here, 
will  be  your  measure  of  enjoyment  hereafter."  Such  seems  to  me 
the  force  of  this  motive,  viewed  as  addressed  respectively  to  pro 
fessed  Christians  and  to  real  Christians. 

Like  the  preceding  motive,  this  receives  additional  farce  from  the 
peculiarity  of  the  phraseology  in  which  it  is  clothed.  It  is  not,  since 
God,  or  the  righteous  Judge  ;  but  it  is,  since  "  the  Father  on  whom 
ye  call" — or  "  He  whom  ye  call  Father — judgeth  every  man  accord 
ing  to  his  work."  If  we  consider  the  rendering  given  by  our  transla 
tors  as  the  just  one,  then  the  force  of  the  descriptive  appellation  in 
increasing  the  power  of  the  motive,  may  be  thus  expressed :  '  It  is 
not  wonderful  that  your  heathen  neighbors  should  be  characterized 
by  injustice  and  inhumanity ;  it  is  not  wonderful  that  they  should 
"  fashion  themselves  according  to  their  lusts  in  their  ignorance."  He 
whom  they  call  on  as  father, — Jupiter,  their  father  of  gods  and  men, 
— is  a  being  actuated  by  human  passions,  liable  to  human  vices,  arbi 
trary  in  his  dealings,  and  capricious  in  his  acquittals  and  condemna 
tions,  in  his  rewards  and  punishments.  An  unholy  life  is  just  what 
you  might  expect  in  them  from  the  character  of  the  object  of  their 
worship.  But  it  should  be  otherwise  with  you.  He  on  whom  you 
call,  whom  you  worship,  is  the  Father — the  Creator,  Preserver,  Bene 
factor,  Saviour  of  men.  He  is  "  holy  in  all  his  ways,  and  just  in  all 
his  doings."  How  incongruous,  then,  were  you'  not  obedient  and 
holy,  would  the  character  of  the  worshipper  be  with  the  character  of 
the  Deity!' 

If  we  prefer  the  rendering,  "  since  He  whom  ye  call  Father,  judgeth 
every  man  according  to  his  work,"  which  we  are  rather  disposed  to 
do,  then  the  manner  in  which  the  peculiar  phraseology  modifies  the 
motive,  may  be  thus  unfolded  :  '  You  stand  in  the  relation  of  children 
to  a  father,  to  the  great  object  of  religious  and  moral  duty.  He  has 
acknowledged  you  as  his  "  children  through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus," 

2  Pet.  1.11.      Ourw  irXovacwj  c~i%«(>T]yT)Ofiatrat  vp'iv  17  eftroJof  EIS  TTJV  aiuviov 0atJt\ciav.— I.  X. 

8  Luke  xix.  13.  Gal.  vi.  4,  5.  Heb.  vi.  10.  Rev.  xxii.  12.  2  Cor.  v.  10.  1  Cor.  ill 
13-15.  Acts  xxvii.  44.  1  Cor.  iii.  8. 


114  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUT?.  [DISC.  V. 

and  you,  by  his  Spirit  sent  forth  into  your  hearts,  have  called  him 
Father.  May  he  not  then  say  to  you,  "  a  son  honoreth  his  father  ; 
if  I  be  a  Father,  where  is  my  honor"  if  ye  are  not  children  of  obedi 
ence  ?  Surely,  if  you  have  cried  to  him  "  my  Father,"  you  should 
permit  him  to  be  your  guide.  Surely,  when  you  have  called  him 
Father,  you  should  not  turn  away  from  him.1 

And  beware  of  presuming  on  this  endearing  relation,  as  if  it  would 
secure  his  winking  at  your  negligence  and  disobedience.  His  very 
love  as  a  father  would  prevent  this ;  but  this  is  not  all.  The  kind 
Father  is  the  righteous  and  impartial  Judge.  "  He  whom  you  call 
Father,  without  respect  of  persons  judgeth  every  man's  works." 
Again  to  quote  Leighton :  "  The  true  Christian  reasons  thus,  '  I  will 
not  sin,  for  my  Father  is  the  just  Judge ;  but  for  my  frailties  I  will 
hope  for  mercy,  for  the  Judge  is  my  Father/ ): 

§  4. — The  provision  made  for  sanctification  in  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ,  a  motive  to  Christian  duty. 

The  fourth  motive  urged  by  the  apostle  for  the  discharge  of  Chris 
tian  duty,  and  the  employment  of  the  means  calculated  and  intended 
to  secure  and  facilitate  its  performance,  is  drawn  from  the  wonderful 
plan  which  God  has  formed  and  executed  for  making  men  holy,  even 
the  death  of  his  own  Son  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  '  Be  obedient  children  ; 
fashion  not  yourselves  according  to  your  lusts  in  your  ignorance  ;  be 
holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation  ;  and  in  order  to  this,  be  resolutely 
determined,  be  moderate,  hope  to  the  end,  and  pass  the  time  of  your 
sojourning  here  in  fear :  "forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  ye  were  not 
redeemed  with  corruptible  things,  as  silver  and  gold,  from  your  vain 
conversation  received  by  tradition  from  your  fathers ;  but  with  the 
precious  blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without 
spot :  who  verily  was  fore-ordained  before  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
but  was  manifest  in  these  last  times  for  you,  who  by  him  do  believe 
in  God,  that  raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  gave  him  glory ;  that 
your  faith  and  hope  might  be  in  God." 

In  pressing  home  a  motive  adduced  by  an  inspired  writer,  the 
Christian  expositor  has  two  things  to  do:  first,  to  exhibit  distinctly  the 
meaning  of  the  statement  made,  and  then  to  show  how  that  statement 
is  fitted  to  serve  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  made.  In  a  complicated 
sentence,  like  that  which  is  now  the  subject  of  consideration,  it  is  of 
importance  clearly  to  apprehend  what  is  the  primary  sentiment,  and 
what  are  the  secondary  and  subsidiary  ideas  which  are  introduced  for 
the  purpose  of  its  more  impressive  exhibition.  Happily  in  the  case 
before  us,  the  leading  idea  is  so  prominent  as  to  be  easily  recognized. 
It  is  obviously  this  :  *  Jesus  Christ  died  as  a  sacrificial  victim,  in  order 
that  men  might  be  made  holy ;'  and  the  secondary  and  subservient 
ideas,  all  calculated  to  give  additional  force  to  this  wonderful  state 
ment  as  a  motive  to  Christian  duty,  are  the  following  :  the  intrinsic 
value  of  the  sacrifice  ;  its  divine  appointment ;  its  having  been  actually 
offered ;  and  the  abundant  evidence  that  it  has  not  been  offered  in 
vain. 

1  Gal.  Hi.  26.    MaL  i.  6.    Jer.  iii.  4,  19. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES    TO    ITS    PERFORMANCE.  115 

The  primary  idea  is,  Jesus  Christ  died  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  in  order 
to  make  men  holy  ;  the  most  animating  of  all  encouragements,  the 
most  powerful  of  all  motives  to  Christian  duty.  Christ  Jesus  shed  his 
blood  as  a  sacrificial  victim,  to  redeem  or  deliver  men  from  "the  vain 
conversation  received  by  tradition  from  their  fathers." 

"Conversation"  here,  as  in  a  previous  part  of  the  paragraph,  and 
as  indeed  in  almost  every  place  in  the  New  Testament,  signifies. 
character  and  conduct,  habitual  temper  and  behavior.  The  expres 
sion,  "  conversation  received  by  tradition  from  your  fathers,"  l  has 
by  many,  by  most,  interpreters,  been  considered  as  referring  princi 
pally,  if  not  solely,  to  what  may  be  called  the  hereditary  Jewish  re 
ligious  and  moral  character  and  habits,  the  mode  of  thinking  and  feel 
ing  and  acting  formed  in  the  natural  mind  under  the  influence  of  the 
peculiarities  of  the  Jewish  dispensation,  and  handed  down  from 
generation  to  generation.  This  appears  to  me  to  limit  unduly  the 
meaning  of  the  very  expressive  phrase  now  before  us.  The  "con 
versation"  here  mentioned  is  not  anything  peculiar  to  Jews,  it  is 
something  common  to  man  ;  it  is  the  character  and  conduct  formed 
by  men  "  fashioning  themselves  according  to  their  lusts  in  their  igno 
rance  ;"  the  character  and  conduct  which  result  from  the  influence 
of  present  things  on  the  depraved  principles  of  our  fallen  nature  ; 
what  the  apostle  Paul  calls  "the  flesh"  and  "the  old  man,"  in  its 
members  and  operations,  in  his  desires  and  deeds  ;  the  hereditary 
character  of  fallen  man,  received  by  tradition,  handed  down  from 
father  to  son,  from  generation  to  generation.  This  conversation  is 
termed  "vain,"  —  foolish,2  useless  conversation.  This  conduct  in 
some  of  its  varieties,  "  has  a  show  of  wisdom,"  but  in  every  case  it  is 
really  foolish.  They  who  are  distinguished  by  it,  even  when  they  pro 
fess  to  be  wise  —  boast  of  their  wisdom,  show  themselves  to  be  fools.3 
It  serves  no  good  purpose.  It  does  not,  it  cannot,  lead  to  solid  satis 
faction,  to  permanent  happiness.  It  may  well  be  asked,  "  what  fruit 
•had  ye,"  what  fruit  can  ye  have,  "in  these  things?"4 

To  be  "redeemed"  is  to  be  delivered,  and  the  word  "redeem"6  is 
employed  rather  than  another,  because  the  deliverance  referred  to  is 
deliverance  through  the  payment  of  a  ransom.  To  be  delivered  from 
this  character  and  conduct,  this  mode  of  thinking,  feeling,  and  acting, 
which  is  natural,  hereditary  to  fallen  man,  and  which  is  foolish,  be 
cause  vain,  is  just  to  be  delivered  from  depravity,  to  be  made  holy,  to 
be  "  delivered  from  this  present  evil  world,"  to  be  "  redeemed  from 
all  iniquity,"  to  be  rescued  from  the  slavery  of  sin.6 

Having  thus  shortly  illustrated  what  is  peculiar  or  difficult  in  the 
phraseology,  let  us  proceed  with  equal  briefness  to  elucidate  the  state 
ment,  which  plainly  consists  of  two  parts  —  Jesus  Christ  died  as  a 
sacrifice  for  sin,  and  Jesus  Christ  died  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin  to  deliver 
men  from  depravity,  to  make  them  holy. 

Jesus  Christ  died  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  This  is  the  only  satisfactory 
account  which  can  be  given  of  that  most  wonderful  of  all  events  — 
the  death,  the  violent  death,  the  shameful,  painful,  accursed  death  of 


/larafaj,  vana  vivendi  ratio,  quae,  ubi  tempus  prseteriit,  nil  reliqui  fructua  habet.  — 
BKNGKL. 

8  Rom.  i.  21.  4  Ibid.  vi.  21.  6  KvrpuBnTt.  «  Gal.  i.  4.    Tit.ii.  W. 


116  THE    CHRISTIANS    DUTY.  LDISC.  V. 

the  innocent,  the  perfect,  incarnate,  only-begotten  of  God.  This 
event  would  have  been  utterly  inexplicable,  had  we  not  been  informed 
in  a  plain,  well-accredited  divine  revelation,  that  this  immaculately 
holy,  this  absolutely  perfect,  this  infinitely  dignified  person  occupied, 
by  divine  appointment,  and  to  gain  the  most  important  and  otherwise 
unattainable  objects  in  the  moral  government  of  the  universe,  the 
place  of  guilty  men ;  and,  occupying  their  place,  met  with  their  desert, 
did  what  they  were  bound  to  do,  suffered  what  they  deserved  to  suffer, 
did  and  suffered  all  that  was  necessary,  in  the  estimation  of  infinite 
wisdom  and  righteousness,  to  lay  a  foundation  for  their  pardon  and 
salvation.  "We  all,  like  sheep,  had  gone  astray;  we  had  turned 
every  one  to  his  own  way ;  and  the  Lord  made  to  meet  on  him,"as  the 
destined  victim,  "  the  iniquities  of  us  all."  The  consequence  was,  "  ex 
action  was  made,  and  he  became  answerable."  "  It  pleased  the  Lord 
to  bruise  him,"  instead  of  destroying  us ;  and  "  he  was  wounded  for 
our  transgressions,  and  bruised  for  our  iniquities,  and  the  chastise 
ment  of  our  peace  was  on  him,  and  by  his  stripes  we  are  healed." 
"  He  bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,"  was  "  made  sin  in 
our  room,"  died  as  "  the  just  one,  in  the  stead  of  the  unjust,"  "  re 
deemed  us  from  the  curse  by  becoming  a  curse  in  our  room."  l  The 
direct  and  primary  end  of  this  sacrifice,  so  far  as  man  is  concerned, 
was  to  effect  a  change  in  his  relation  to  God — to  lay  a  foundation  for 
an  alteration  in  our  state — to  secure  pardon,  and  restoration  to  the 
enjoyment  of  the  divine  favor ;  but  the  ultimate  and  most  important 
end  of  this  sacrifice  in  reference  to  man  was,  through  this  change  of 
relation  to  effect  a  change  of  disposition ;  through  this  alteration  of 
state  to  secure  a  transformation  of  character. 

This  is  the  second  part  of  the  apostle's  statement.  When  the  blood 
of  Ch::st  was  shed  as  a  victim  for  sin,  it  was  to  deliver  men  from 
"the  vain  conversation  received  by  tradition  from  their  fathers." 
Deliverance  from  depravity  is  an  essential  part,  in  some  points  of 
view  the  most  important  part,  of  the  Christian  salvation ;  and  deliver 
ance  from  guilt,  and  that  sacrifice  which  was  necessary,  and  is  suffi 
cient,  to  secure  deliverance  from  guilt,  are  the  grand  means  of  securing 
this  deliverance  from  depravity.  The  connection  of  the  atonement 
with  sanctification  is  frequently  stated  in  Scripture,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  peculiar  and  important  principles  of  the  Christian  faith.  "  Christ 
gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and 
purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works.' '  "  Christ 
gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem  us  from  this  present  evil 
world."  Christ  "sanctified  himself,  devoted  himself  to  suffer  as  a 
sacrificial  victim,  that  his  people  might  be  sanctified  through  the 
truth."  "  When  he  died  for  all,  all  died  in  him  ;  and  he  died  for  them, 
that  they  might  not  live  to  themselves,  but  to  him  who  died  and  rose 
again."  "  Christ  hath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  having 
become  a  curse  in  our  room,  not  only  that  the  blessing  of  Abraham," 
— a  full  and  free  justification,  "  should  come  upon  us  Gentiles,  but 
that  we  also  might  obtain  the  promised  Spirit,"  the  source  of  all  true 
holiness,  "by  believing."3 

1  Isa.  I'm.  5,  6,  10.     1  Pet.  ii.  24.     2  Cor.  Y.  21.     1  Pet.  iii.  18.     Gal.  iii.  13. 
9  Tit.  ii.  13,  14.    Gal.  i.  4.    John  xviL  19.     Gal.  iii.  13,  14.     2  Cor.  v.  14,  15. 


FART  III.]  MOTIVES   TO   ITS   PERFORMANCE.  117 

The  manner  in  which  the  shedding  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  as 
the  great  sacrificial  victim,  secures  the  holiness  of  all  who  believe  in 
him,  may  be  stated  in  a  few  words,  though  fully  and  satisfactorily  to 
illustrate  it,  would  require  more  space  than  we  can  here  devote  to  it. 

The  atonement,  by  making  it  consistent  with  the  divine  justice  to 
confer  spiritual  blessings  on  sinners,  removes  out  of  the  way  of  their 
sanctification  obstacles  otherwise  unsurmountable  ;  by  procuring  for 
the  Saviour,  as  one  part  of  the  reward  of  his  generous  labors  in  the 
cause  of  God's  glory,  the  power  of  dispensing  divine  influence,  it 
secures  what  is  at  once  absolutely  necessary  and  completely  sufficient 
for  making  men  holy ;  and,  finally,  the  statement  of  the  truth  about 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  suffering  and  dying  in  the  room  of  sinners, 
contained  in  the  Scriptures,  when  understood  and  believed,  is,  under 
divine  influence,  the  grand  means  of  destroying  in  the  sinner's  mind 
that  enmity  against  God  which  is  the  elementary  principle  .of  all  de 
pravity,  and  of  kindling  up  in  his  heart  the  love  of  God,  which  is  the 
elementary  principle  of  all  holiness ;  of  delivering  the  man  from  the 
demoralizing  influence  of  "  the  present  evil  world,"  "  things  seen  and 
temporal/'  and  bringing  him  under  the  sanctifying  influence  of 
"  things  unseen  and  eternal."  This,  then,  is  the  apostle's  statement, 
'  The  blood  of  Christ  has  been  shed  to  redeem  you  from  your  vain 
conversation,  received  by  tradition  from  your  fathers.  The  Son  of 
God  has  died  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  in  order  to  secure  your  holiness.' 

Surely  it  does  not  require  many  words  to  show  that  this  is  a  motive, 
an  all-powerful  motive,  to  the  Christian  to  avoid  sin,  and  practise 
duty.  Has  deliverance  from  depravity  been  secured  at  such  a  cost, 
and  shall  I  pour  contempt  on  the  divine  generosity  ?  Shall  I  counter 
act  the  great  design  of  the  death  of  Christ  ?  Though  he  shed  his 
blood  that  I  might  be  redeemed  from  my  vain  conversation,  shall  I 
still  fashion  myself  according  to  my  former  lusts  in  my  ignorance  ? 
Shall  I  still  hug  the  chains,  to  break  asunder  which  the  Lord  of  glory 
toiled,  and  bled,  and  died  ?  How  can  I,  in  whose  room  Christ  died 
for  sin — how  can  I  any  longer  live  in  sin  ?  Reckoning  myself  as,  if 
I  believe  the  truth  I  well  may,  to  have  died  by  sin  in  Christ  Jesus, 
and  to  be  alive  in  Christ  Jesus  by  God,  surely  it  is  the  most  unnatural 
and  incongruous  of  all  things  in  me  to  allow  sin  to  "reign  in  my  mor 
tal  body,  so  that  I  should  obey  it  by  its  desires."  l  Surely  I  should  not 
"yield  my  members  to  sin  as  instruments  of  unrighteousness ;  but  I 
should  yield  myself  to  God,  as  one  alive  from  the  dead,  and  my  mem 
bers  to  Him  as  instruments  of  righteousness ;''  surely  I  should  be  a 
child  of  obedience,  surely  I  should  "  be  holy  in  all  manner  of  conver 
sation."  2  To  use  the  words  of  Archbishop  Leighton :  "  This  is  an 
answer  for  all  the  enticements  of  sin  and  of  the  world, — '  Except  you 
can  offer  my  soul  something  beyond  the  price  that  was  given  for  it  on 
the  cross,  I  cannot  hearken  to  you.  Far  be  it  from  me  that  I  should 
prefer  a  base  lust,  or  anything  in  this  woVld,  or  it  all,  to  him  who 
gave  himself  to  death  for  me,  and  paid  my  ransom  with  his  blood. 
His  matchless  love  has  freed  me  from  the  miserable  captivity  of  sin, 
and  hath  forever  fastened  me  to  the  sweet  yoke  of  obedience.  Let 

1  Rom.  vi.  8-13.     1  Pet  iv.  1-6.  a  Rom.  vi.  8-13.     1  Peter  iv.  1-6. 


118  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC.  v. 

him  alone  to  dwell  and  rule  in  me,  and  let  him  never  go  forth  from 
my  heart,  who,  for  my  sake,  refused  to  come  down  from  the  cross.' " 

*The  motive,  even  when  presented  in  this  simple,  unadorned  form,  is 
surely  one  of  transcendant  power;  but  it  derives  additional  force 
from* the  circumstances  with  which  the  inspired  writer,  with  obvious 
intention,  surrounds  it  in  the  passage  before  us.  He  fixes  our  mind 
on  a  variety  of  circumstances  respecting  that  sacrifice  for  sin,  by 
means  of  which  we  are  emancipated  from  depravity,  all  of  which 
are  plainly  calculated  to  make  the  consideration  that  such  a  sacrifice 
had  been' offered  for  such  a  purpose,  tell  more  powerfully  on  the  un 
derstanding,  on  the  conscience,  and  on  the  heart. 

And,  first,  there  is  the  intrinsic  worth  of  the  sacrifice.  This  is 
brought  before  the  mind  in  two  ways.  It  was  "not  silver  and  gold, 
those  corruptible  things;"  it  was  "the  blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a  lamb 
without  blemish  and  without  spot."  The  value  of  what  was  given  to 
secure  our  emancipation  from  depravity,  cannot  be  estimated  by  any 
created  mind.  All  the  gold  and  silver  in  the  world,  the  universe  of 
created  things,  are  as  nothing  and  vanity,  when  compared  to  the  life- 
blood  of  the  only  begotten  of  God.  The  blessing  to  be  obtained  was 
too  valuable  to  be  procured  by  such  means.  "  It  could  not  be  gotten 
for  gold,  neither  could  silver  be  weighed  for  the  price  thereof.  It 
could  not  be  valued  with  the  gold  of  Ophir,  with  the  precious  onyx, 
or  the  sapphire.  The  gold  and  the  crystal  could  no-t  equal  it ;  and 
the  exchange  of  it  could  not  be  for  jewels  of  fine  gold.  No  mention 
need  be  made  of  coral,  or  of  pearls ;  for  the  price  of  it  was  above 
rubies.  The  topaz  of  Ethiopia  could  not  equal  it,  neither  could  it  be 
valued  with  pure  gold."1  What  must  be  the  value  of  holiness,  when, 
to  secure  it,  such  a  price  was  paid  ;  and  what  must  be  the  folly  of  him 
who  contemns  so  valuable  a  possession,  secured  to  him  at  so  inesti 
mable  a  cost ! 

A  second  way  in  which  the  value  of  the  sacrifice  is  brought  before 
the  mind,  is  by  describing  it  "  as  the  sacrifice  of  a  lamb  without 
blemish  and  without  spot."2  In  plain  language,  it  was  an  all-perfect 
sacrifice.  The  death  of  Jesus  Christ,  viewed  as  the  crowning  act  of 
a  course  of  perfect  obedience  to  the  precept,  and  of  perfect  submis 
sion  to  the  sanction,  of  the  divine  law,  on  the  part  of  the  most  ex 
alted  being,  both  as  to  essential  dignity  and  moral  worth,  "  magnifies 
the  law  and  makes  it  honorable,"  in  a  degree  which  the  perfect  obedi 
ence  of  a  universe  of  unerring  creatures,  or  the  everlasting  torments 
of  a  universe  of  sinning  creatures,  could  not  have  done  ;  and  sweeps 
away,  as  with  the  force  of  ocean  bursting  from  her  bed,  all  the  ob 
structions  which  human  guilt  had  placed  in  the  way  of  human  holi 
ness.  And  shall  I,  in  opposing  the  ultimate  design  of  this  all-perfect 
sacrifice  in  reference  to  myself,  show  my  contempt  of  it? 

The  second  circumstance  respecting  this  sacrifice,  the  grand  means 
of  holiness,  which  the  apbstle  notices,  is,  that  it  was  the  subject  of 
divine  appointment ;  Jesus,  as  the  victim  for  the  sins  of  men,  and 
thus  the  author  of  holiness  to  men,  was  "  fore-ordained  before  the 

1  Job  xxviii.  15,  <fec. 

*  'Apupov.  Jesus  Christua  in  se  non  habuit  labem.  'Atr?rtXov,  neque  extrinsecus  macu- 
lam  coritraxit. — BENGEL. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES    TO    ITS    PERFORMANCE.  119 

foundation  of  the  world."  He  was  a  voluntary,  but  not  self-appointed 
victim.  He  was  "  set  forth/' l — fore-appointed  "  a  propitiation  in  his 
blood.3'  When  "  Herod  and  Pontius  Pilate,  with  the  Gentiles,  and 
the  people  of  Israel,  were  gathered  together  against  God's  holy  child 
Jesus,  they  but  did  what  his  hand  and  counsel  had  before  determined 
to  be  done."  He  was  "set  up  from  everlasting." 2  And  shall  we,  by 
disregarding  or  counteracting  the  design  of  Christ's  death  as  a  sacri 
fice  for  sin,  to  secure  holiness,  show  that  we  lightly  esteem  what  has 
employed  the  thoughts  of  the  uncreated  mind  from  all  eternity? 

The  third  circumstance  noticed  by  the  apostle  is,  that  this  sacrifice 
has  been  actually  offered.  This  wondrous  scheme  is  not  now  mere 
plan.  The  spotless,  inestimable  price  has  been  paid ;  the  amazing 
expiation  has  been  made ;  the  Lamb  of  God  has  been  manifested  in 
these  last  times,  bearing,  and  bearing  away,  the  sins  of  the  world. 
And  shall  all  this  have  been  done  in  vain,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned  ? 
for  it  is  done  in  vain  if  we  continue  still  in  our  sins. 

The  fourth  and  last  circumstance  noticed  by  the  apostle,  respecting 
the  death  of  Christ  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  designed  for  securing  holi 
ness  to  man,  calculated  to  increase  its  efficacy  as  a  motive  to  avoid 
sin  and  perform  duty,  is  the  abundant  evidence  that  it  has  answered 
the  purpose  for  which  it  was  intended.  The  sacrifice  has  been  offered, 
and  it  has  not  been  offered  in  vain.  Had  not  the  death  of  Christ 
served  its  purpose,  it  could  not  have  been  followed  by  his  resurrec 
tion.  If  he  had  not  risen  again,  then  would  we  have  had  reason  to 
conclude,  "  we  are  yet  in  our  sins,"  guilt  is  unexpiated,  and  the  fetters 
of  depravity  are  unbroken.  But  we  have  abundant  ground  for  con 
cluding  that  "Messiah  cut  oft',  but  not  for  himself,"  has  "finished 
transgression,  made  an  end  of  sin."  If  he  died  "  for  our  offences,"  he 
has  been  "raised  again  for  our  justification."3  "God  has  raised  him 
from  the  dead,  and  given  him  glory."  "  It  is  finished,"  said  the  dying 
Saviour  on  the  cross ;  and  from  the  throne  of  his  glory,  when  he  broke 
the  bands  of  death,  the  Father  responded,  It  is  finished.  In  the  res 
urrection  and  exaltation  of  Jesus,  we  have  a  sure  foundation  laid  for 
our  "  faith  and  hope  in  God,"  as  "  the  God  of  peace,"  the  pacified 
divinity,  "  who  brought  again  from  the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus,  that 
great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting 
covenant." 4  In  this  we  have  a  proof  that  he  is  well  pleased  with 
Christ,  well  pleased  with  sinners  in  Christ,  and  disposed,  as  "  the  God 
of  peace,  to  sanctify  them  wholly,  and  preserve  their  whole  spirit, 
soul  and  body,  blameless,  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."5 
And  shall  we,  notwithstanding  these  proofs  of  God's  approbation  of 
the  sacrifice  of  his  Son — shall  we,  by  not  improving  it  for  the  purpose 
of  our  own  sanctification,  treat  this  "  blood  of  the  covenant,  by  which 
alone  men  can  be  sanctified,  as  if  it  were  a  common  thing,"  destitute 
of  all  power  to  "  purge  the  conscience  from  dead  works,  to  serve  the 
living  God?"6 

Rom.  iii.  25.      HlpoiOero. — There  is  no  doubt  of  the  fact ;  but  it  may  be  doubted 
whether  wpoeflero  refers  to  appointment  or  to  exhibition. 

3  Acts  iv.  27,  28.     Prov.  viii.  23.  3  Dan.  ix.     Rom.  iy.  25. 

*  Heb.  xiii.  20.  *  1  Thess.  v.  23. 

•  Heb.  x.  29.    'Ev  <5  hyi&*0i.    Heb.  ix  14. 


120  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY.  [DISC.  v. 

Such,  then,  is  the  Christian's  duty,  such  are  the  means  of  perform 
ing  it,  and  such  are  the  motives  to  its  performance. 

The  whole  of  this  discourse  has  been  practical,  and  stands  little  in 
need  of  what  is  ordinarily  termed  application  or  improvement.  May 
the  Holy  Spirit  give  efficacy  to  the  word  of  his  grace,  and  may  we 
all  learn  habitually,  through  the  truth  by  the  Spirit,  to  "  cleanse  our- 
'selves  from  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  the  spirit,  and  perfect  holi 
ness  in  the  fear  of  God;"  "denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts, 
living  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in  this  world ;  and  looking  for 
that  blessed  hope,  the  glorious  appearing  of  the  great  God  and  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  who  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem 
us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zeal 
ous  of  good  works !" l 

1  2  Cor.  vii.  1.    Titus  ii.  12-14. 


DISCOURSE    VL 

CHRISTIAN  BROTHERLY  LOVE,  ILLUSTRATED  AND 
RECOMMENDED. 

1  PET.  i.  22-25. — Seeing  ye  have  purified  your  souls  in  obeying  the  truth  through  the 
Spirit  unto  unfeigned  love  of  the  brethren,  see  that  ye  love  one  another  with  a  pure  heart 
fervently :  being  born  again,  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the  word  of 
God,  which  liveth  and  abideth  forever.  For  all  flesh  is  as  grass,  and  all  the  glory  of 
man  as  the  flower  of  grass.  The  grass  withereth,  and  the  flower  thereof  falleth  away: 
but  the  word  of  the  Lord  endureth  forever.  And  this  is  the  word  which  by  the  gospel  is 
preached  unto  you. 

THE  sentence  now  read  as  the  theme  of  discourse,  though  long  and 
somewhat  complicated,  will  be  found,  when  carefully  examined,  to  be 
entirely  occupied  with  one  subject, — the  great  Christian  duty  of  bro 
therly  love.  That  duty  is  at  once  explicitly  enjoined,  and  powerfully 
recommended.  The  injunction  is  contained  in  these  words,  "  See 
that  ye  love  one  another  with  a  pure  heart  fervently."  The  motives 
by  which  compliance  with  this  injunction  is  enforced,  are  brought 
forward  in  the  clauses  which  precede  and  follow  this  injunction : 
"Seeing  ye  have  purified  your  souls  in  obeying  the  truth  through  the 
Spirit  unto  unfeigned  love  of  the  brethren/'  and  "being  born  again, 
not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the  word  of  God, 
which  liveth  and  abideth  forever.  For  all  flesh  is  as  grass,  and  all 
the  glory  of  man  as  the  flower  of  grass.  The  grass  withereth,  and 
the  flower  thereof  falleth  away:  but  the  word  of  the  Lord  endureth 
forever.  And  this  is  the  word  which  by  the  gospel  is  preached  unto 
you." 

The  duty  enjoined,  then,  and  the  motives  which  urge  to  its  per 
formance,  are  the  two  great  topics  to  which  our  attention  must  be 
successively  directed  in  the  illustration  of  this  passage.  The  duty  is 
brought  before  our  minds  in  its  nature, — mutual  love,  "  love  one  ano 
ther,"  "  the  love  of  the  brethren  ;"  and  in  two  of  its  distinctive  char 
acters, — love  "  with  a  pure  heart,"  "  fervent  love."  The  motives  to 
the  cultivation  and  expression  of  this  Christian  affection  are  two, 
which  we  shall  find  it  convenient  to  consider  in  an  order  the  reverse 
of  that  in  which  they  are  stated  in  the  text.  First,  Christians  are 
distinguished  by  a  mutual  relation  extremely  intimate  and  altogether 
indissoluble.  By  their  "  being  born  again,"  they  are  all  of  them  "  the 
children  of  God  through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,"  and  therefore  bre 
thren  ;  and  the  tie  of  that  brotherhood  is  not,  like  that  of  all  natural 
relations,  liable  to  dissolution,  its  bond  being  the  infallibly  true  "word 
of  the  ever-living,  immutable  God,  lodged,  by  being  understood  and 
believed,  in  the  mind  of  immortal  man,  v.  23.  And,  secondly,  Chris- 


122  CHRISTIAN    BROTHERLY    LOVE  [DISC.  VI. 

tians  are  possessed  of  a  common  character  corresponding  to  this  rela 
tion,  to  which  they  have  been  formed  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  the 
operation  of  truth  believed  under  his  influence,  v.  22.  This  mutual 
relation,  and  this  common  character,  equally  call  on  Christians  to 
cultivate  and  exercise  brotherly  love.  Such,  then,  is  the  outline  of 
thought  which  I  shall  endeavor  to  fill  up  in  the  remaining  part  of  the 
discourse. 


L— BROTHERLY  LOVE  ILLUSTRATED. 

§  1. — The  objects  and  elements  of  this  love. 

The  duty  enjoined  is  LOVE.  There  is  a  love  which  every  man 
owes  to  every  other  man,  without  reference  to  his  spiritual  state  or 
character,  merely  because  he  is  a  man, — a  sincere  desire  to  promote 
his  true  welfare.  This  is  the  love  which  the  apostle,  with  obvious 
propriety,  represents  as  "the  fulfilling  of  the  law,"  *  so  far  as  it  refers 
to  our  duties  to  our  fellow-men ;  for  he  who  is  under  its  influence  can 
"do  no  ill"  to  any  man;  he  cannot  intentionally  injure  his  person, 
property,  or  reputation ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  must,  "  as  he  has  op- 
portunity,  do  good  to  all  men."  Good  will  is  the  essence,  the  sole 
component  element,  of  this  love.  The  love  enjoined  in  our  text  is 
obviously  much  more  limited  in  its  range,  and  much  more  compre 
hensive  in  its  elementary  principles. 

(1.)  It  is  called  "the  love  of  the  brethren,"  "brotherly  kindness," 
as  contradistinguished  from  that  "charity"  which  has  for  its  object 
the  whole  race  of  man ;  who,  though  all  brethren,  inasmuch  as  "  they 
have  one  Father,  one  God  has  created  them,"  are  not  all  brethren  in 
the  sense  in  which  this  appellation  is  here  used.  This  appellation  is 
limited  to  what  was  then,  to  what  is  still,  a  comparatively  small  class 
of  mankind, — genuine  Christians.  It  can  be  exercised  only  by  them; 
it  can  be  exercised  only  to  them.  A  man  who  is  w/ichristian,  who  is 
a?zta'christian  in  his  opinions  and  temper  and  conduct,  may  highly  es 
teem,  may  tenderly  love,  a  true  Christian,  but  he  cannot  cherish  to 
wards  him  "  brotherly  kindness ;"  he  loves  him  not  because,  but  not 
withstanding,  he  is  a  Christian.  A  Christian  man  may,  he  does,  cor 
dially  love  all  mankind ;  he  desires  the  happiness  of  every  being  ca 
pable  of  happiness  ;  he  esteems  what  is  estimable ;  he  loves  what  is 
amiable  ;  he  admires  what  is  admirable  ;  he  pities  what  is  suffering, 
wherever  he  meets  with  it ;  but  he  cannot  regard  with  "  brotherly 
kindness"  any  one  but  a  Christian  brother.  None  but  a  Christian  can 
either  be  the  object  or  the  subject  of  this  benevolent  affection. 
None  but  a  Christian  can  either  be  the  agent  or  the  recipient  of  the 
kind  offices  in  which  it  finds  expression. 

This  limitation  is  a  matter,  not  of  choice,  but  of  necessity.  Most 
gladly  would  the  Christian  regard  all  his  fellow-men  as  fellow-Chris 
tians,  if  they  would  put  it  in  his  power,  by  becoming  Christians ;  but 
till  they  do  so,  it  is,  in  the  nature  of  things,  impossible  that  he  should 
feel  towards  them  as  if  they  were  what  they  are  not.  This  affection 
originates  in  the  possession  of  a  peculiar  mode  of  thinking  and  feel- 

1  Roin.  xiil  8-10. 


PART  I.]  ILLUSTRATED.  123 

ing  produced  in  the  mind  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  the  knowledge 
and  belief  of  Christian  truth,  which  naturally  leads  those  who  are  thus 
distinguished  to  a  sympathy  of  mind  and  feeling,  of  thought  and  af 
fection,  with  all  who,  under  the  same  influence,  have  been  led  to  en 
tertain  the  same  views,  and  to  cherish  the  same  dispositions.  They 
love  one  another  "  in  the  truth  ;  for  the  truth's  sake,  that  dwelleth  in 
them,  and  shall  be  with  them  forever."  l 

(2.)  This  circumstance,  which  necessarily  limits  this  principle  as 
to  its  range,  gives  it  greater  comprehension  of  elementary  principles, 
and  greater  intensity  of  influence  and  activity  of  operation.  It  in- 
eludes  good  will  in  its  highest  degree ;  but  to  this  it  adds  moral  es 
teem,  complacential  delight,  tender  sympathy.  This  it  does  in  every 
instance ;  but  the  degree,  in  which  these  elementary  principles  are  to 
be  found  in  individual  cases  of  Christian  brotherly  kindness,  depends 
on  a  variety  of  circumstances,  and  chiefly  on  the  approach  that  is 
made  to  completeness  and  perfection  in  the  Christian  character,  on  the 
part  of  him  who  exercises  it,  and  of  him  towards  whom  it  is  exercised. 
Every  Christian  loves  every  other  Christian  when  he  knows  him ; 
but  the  more  accomplished  the  Christian  is,  whether  the  subject  or 
object  of  Christian  love,  the  more  does  he  put  forth,  or  draw  forth,  its 
holy,  benignant  influence. 

The  end  of  all  love  is  the  good  or  the  happiness  of  its  object,  as  that 
happiness  is  conceived  of  by  its  subject.  The  great  end  which  Chris 
tian  brotherly  love  contemplates,  is  the  happiness  of  its  object,  viewed 
as  a  Christian  man ;  his  deliverance  from  ignorance  and  error  and 
sin,  in  all  their  forms  and  in  all  their  degrees ;  his  progressive,  and 
ultimately  his  complete  happiness,  in  entire  conformity  to  the  mind 
and  will  of  God ;  the  unclouded  sense  of  the  divine  favor,  the  unin 
terrupted  enjoyment  of  the  divine  fellowship,  the  being  like  the  ever- 
blessed  "  holy,  holy,  holy  One."  It  does  not  overlook  any  of  the  in 
terests  of  its  object,  but  it  views  them  all  in  reference,  in  subordina 
tion,  to  the  enjoyment  of  "the  salvation  that  is  in  Christ,  with  eter 
nal  glory."  Such  is  the  general  nature  of  the  brotherly  love  here 
enjoined. 

§  2. —  The  distinctive  characters  of  Christian  love. 

Let  us  now  look  a  little  at  the  characters  by  which  it  is  required 
to  be  distinguished.  (1.)  Christians  are  required  to  love  one  another 
"with  a  pure  heart."  The  leading  idea  here  has  generally  been  sup 
posed  to  be  genuineness — sincerity.  It  must  be  real  love,  not  affect 
ed  or  put  on.  It  must  be  what  the  apostle  Paul  calls,  "  love  without 
dissimulation;"2  what  the  apostle  John  calls,  "loving  not  in  word, 
neither  in  tongue,  but  in  deed  and  in  truth."  3  It  is  an  aflection,  of 
which  the  internal  feeling  and  practical  effects  fully  correspond  to,  rath 
er  outrun  than  fall  short  of,  the  verbal  expression.  While  the  "  law 
of  kindness  is  on  the  lips/'  kindness  itself  is  in  the  heart,  and  the  fruits 
of  kindness,  substantial  benefits,  make  their  appearance  in  the  conduct. 

But  while  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  hypocrisy  is  one  species  of 
"filthiness  of  the  spirit,"  of  the  impurity  of  the  heart,  it  is  not  the 

1  2  John  2.  9  Rom.  xii.  9.  3  t  John  iii.  18. 


124  CHRISTIAN    BROTHERLY   LOVE  [DISC.  VI. 

only  species  which  opposes  the  exercise  of  Christian  love.  The 
"pure  heart"  includes  more  than  sincerity ;  it  includes  freedom  from 
all  low,  selfish  motive's  and  ends.  "  Love  with  a  pure  heart"  sig 
nifies  the  benevolent  affection  that  naturally  flows  from  a  sanctified 
heart,  and  which  can  issue  from  no  other  fountain ;  which  loves 
chiefly  for  such  causes  as  can  excite  affection  only  in  a  sanctified 
heart ;  and  which  seeks  for  its  objects  such  happiness  as  only  a  sanc 
tified  heart  can  desire ;  and  which  seeks  it  by  means  which  only  a 
sanctified  heart  can  dispose,  or  enable,  a  man  to  employ. 

(2.)  But  Christians  are  required  to  "love  one  another,"  not  only 
"  with  a  pure  heart,"  but  "  fervently."  The  term  rendered  "  fer 
vently"  is  a  very  expressive  one,  and  I  do  not  know  any  one  English 
word  which  fully  brings  out  its  meaning.1  It  conveys  the  idea  of 
constancy.  It  is  the  word  used  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  where  it 
is  said — Prayer  was  made  by  the  church  for  Peter  when  in  prison, 
"  without  ceasing."  2  Brotherly  kindness  must  be  constant,  not  fitful. 
Its  causes  are  permanent  and  constant  in  their  operation,  and  so 
should  it  be.  It  should  be  such  love  as  will  prevent  "  weariness  in 
well-doing."  A  Christian  brother,  when  he  acts  like  himself,  "  loves 
at  all  times."  No  change  of  circumstances,  especially  to  the  worse, 
on  the  part  of  its  object,  should  affect  it  except  in  the  way  of  increas 
ing  it. 

But  besides  the  idea  of  constancy,  the  word  conveys  the  idea  of 
intensity  and  power.  It  is  the  term  employed  where  it  is  said  that 
our  Lord,  "  being  in  an  agony,  prayed  more  EARNESTLY."  3  Our 
Christian  love  should  be  strong  as  well  as  genuine,  such  as  slight 
causes  shall  not  be  able  to  destroy,  or  even  materially  to  affect,  and 
such  as  shall  be  capable  of  producing  great  effects,  making  us  willing 
to  make  strenuous  exertions  and  costly  sacrifices  for  its  objects,  when 
these  are  necessary  to  gain  its  ends.  It  should  be  so  fervent  as  that 
"many  waters"  of  neglect,  infirmities,  offences,  petty  injuries,  ''shall 
not  quench  it,"  or  even  damp  its  ardor.  It  has  been  happily,  though 
in  homely  phrase,  said,  "It  should  be  like  the  sacred  fire  which  de 
scended  on  Elijah's  sacrifice,  which  licked  up  the  water  and  mud  in 
the  surrounding  ditch ;  it  should  absorb  a  whole  trenchful  of  such 
stuff,  and  still  retain  strength  enough  to  send  up  to  heaven  the  grate 
ful  fumes  of  the  sacrifices  with  which  God  is  well  pleased."  And  it 
should  manifest  its  strength,  not  merely  by  overcoming  opposing 
obstacles,  but  by  making  exertions  and  sacrifices.  It  should  be  such 
as  would  lead  us  even  "  to  lay  down  our  lives  for  the  brethren,"  4  if 
so  costly  a  sacrifice  were  required  of  us. 

This  love  is  to  be  manifested  in  choosing  for  our  friends  and  asso 
ciates  our -Christian  brethren,  joining  ourselves  to  the  brotherhood, 
casting  in  our  lot  with  them,  "  walking  with  them  in  all  the  ordi 
nances  and  commandments  of  the  Lord  blameless,"  sympathizing 
with  them  in  their  griefs,  rejoicing  with  them  in  their  joys,  communi 
cating  to  them  in  their  necessities,  assisting  them  in  their  labors, 
bearing  with  their  infirmities,  ay,  bearing  their  infirmities ;  admonish 
ing  them,  and  reproving  them,  it  may  be  sharply,  when  they  are  to 
be  blamed,  yet  all  in  kindness,  loving  them  too  well  to  suffer  sin  upon 

a  Acts  xii.  5.  8  Luke  xxii.  44.  4  1  John  iii.  16. 


PART  I.]  ILLUSTRATED.  125 

them ;  delighting  in  their  Christian  attainments  and  triumphs  as  if 
they  were  our  own  ;  never  being  ashamed  of  them,  however  low 
their  place  in  society,  and  however  frowned  on  and  persecuted  by 
the  world — never  "  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren." 

And  it  must  manifest  itself  not  only  in  what  we  do,  but  in  the 
manner  in  which  we  do  it.  To  relieving  a  poor  brother,  it  should  not 
be  necessary  that  he  implore  our  help.  If  "  we  see  him  have  need," 
that  should  be  enough  to  secure  our  assistance.  We  should  be 
"GIVEN/' disposed,  "to  hospitality;"  "READY  to  distribute ;""  WILL 
ING,"  inclined,  "  to  communicate."  Instead  of  waiting  for  the  call 
of  a  distressed  brother,  we  should  run  to  his  help.  We  should  feel 
one  another's  crosses,  bear  one  another's  burdens,  allay  the  sorrows, 
supply  the  wants,  sympathize  with  the  wrongs,  espouse  the  cause, 
protect  the  persons,  and  relieve  the  necessities,  of  our  brethren  in 
Christ. 

(3.)  There  is  one  character  which  it  is  of  peculiar  importance 
that  our  mutual  affection  as  Christians  should  be  distinguished  by.  It 
should  be  love  like  Christ's.  "Little  children,"  said  he  who  "is  not 
ashamed  to  call  us  brethren," — "  Little  children,  a  new  command 
ment  I  give  unto  you,  That  ye  love  one  another ;  as  I  have  loved 
you,  that  ye  likewise  should  love  one  another."  1  And  how  did  he 
love  his  people  ?  His  love  was  free  and  ready,  considerate  and  wise, 
laborious  and  expensive,  generous  and  self-sacrificing;  looking  to  all 
their  interests,  but  chiefly  to  their  highest  interests ;  not  forgetting 
that  they  had  bodies,  but  chiefly  concerned  about  their  souls :  and 
such  should  be  our  brotherly  love.  He  took  an  interest  in  everything 
that  concerned  them ;  he  instructed,'  and  counselled,  and  comforted 
them ;  he  prayed  with  them,  and  for  them  ;  he  vindicated  them  when 
they  were  accused ;  apologized  for  them  when  their  conduct  admitted 
of  apology ;  reproved  them,  but  in  love,  when  they  deserved  it;  bore 
with  their  infirmities ;  made  much  of  what  was  good  in  them,  and 
publicly  owned  them  to  be  dearer  to  him  than  brother,  sister,  or 
mother :  and  thus  should  we  manifest  our  love  to  the  brethren.2 

Like  all  the  commands  of  our  divine  Lord,  this  injunction  is  char 
acterized  by  benignant  wisdom.  It  is  by  loving  one  another  that  the 
highest  interest  of  the  whole  Christian  family  is  promoted.  Every 
thing  thus  becomes  common  property.  I  have  the  advantage  of  all 
that  any  "of  my  Christian  brethren  possesses.  Under  the  influence 
of  this  principle,  the  wise  direct  the  strong,  and  the  strong  protect  the 
wise ;  the  zealous  stimulate  the  considerate,  and  the  considerate  re 
strain  the  zealous.  The  means  of  promoting  holy  happiness  are  thus 
prodigiously  enlarged,  every  one  employing  his  peculiar  gift  and  op- 
3ortunities  for  the  good  of  every  other,  and  thus  advancing  the  com- 
non  benefit  of  all.  Thus  it  is  that  Christians  (MijdBtonse),  "sincere, 
ruthful  in  love,  grow  up  into  all  things  to  him  who  is  the  head,  even 
Christ:  from  whom  the  whole  body  fitly  joined  together  and  com 
peted  by  that  which  every  joint  supplieth,  according  to  the  effectual 
vorking  in  the  measure  of  every  part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body, 
into  the  edifying  of  itself  in  love."  3 

(4.)  This  love  is  obviously  not  to  be  confined — when  it  is  en- 

1  John  xiii.  34.  a  Henry  in  loc.  *  Eph.  iv.  15,  16. 


126  CHRISTIAN    BROTHERLY    LOVE  [DISC.  VI. 

lightened  and  genuine  it  cannot  be  confined — within  the  pale  of  any 
particular  sect  or  denomination  of  Christians.  The  members  of  in 
dividual  churches,  and  of  bodies  of  associated  churches,  have,  no 
doubt,  opportunities  of  cultivating  this  affection  towards  each  other 
which  they  do  not  enjoy  in  an  equal  degree  in  reference  to  Christians 
of  equal,  it  may  be  of  higher,  spiritual  excellence,  with  whom  they 
have  not  the  same  means  of  becoming  acquainted.  But  wherever  I 
recognize  the  character,  I  should  cherish  and  manifest  the  love,  of  a 
brother.  These  are  well-considered  words  of  the  compilers  of  the 
Westminster  Confession  :  "  All  saints  that  are  united  to  Jesus  Christ 
their  head,  being  united  to  one  another  in  love,  have  communion  in 
each  other's  gifts  and  graces,  and  are  obliged  to  the  performance  of 
such  duties,  public  and  private,  as  conduce  to  their  mutual  good,  both 
in  the  inward  and  outward  man.  Saints  by  profession  are  bound  to 
entertain  a  holy  fellowship  and  communion  in  the  worship  of  God, 
and  in  performing  such  other  spiritual  services  as  tend  to  their  mutual 
edification,  as  also  in  relieving  each  other  in  outward  things  accord 
ing  to  their  several  abilities  and  necessities,  which  communion,  as 
God  offereth  opportunity,  should  be  extended  to  '  all  those  who  in 
every  place  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.' "  l 

"  There  is  something  inexpressibly  awful" — I  use  the  words  of  "  a 
brother  beloved" — "  to  a  believer's  mind,  in  the  idea  that  his  Christian 
affection  should  be  confined  within  narrower  limits  than  the  love  of 
Jesus ;  that  he  should  harbor  in  his  heart  any  feeling  inconsistent 
with  love  towards  one  whom  Christ  died  to  redeem;  that  any  should 
be  excluded  from  his  prayer  for  the  household  of  faith  that  have  a 
part  in  the  Saviour's  intercession.  Pitiably  dreary  must  be  the  mind 
of  that  man  who  can  look  around  on  the  wide  world,  and  count  his 
dozen  or  his  score  whom  alone  he  can  salute  as  brethren,  or  expect 
to  accompany  to  heaven.  Far  from  me,  and  from  you,  my  Christian 
friends,  be  such  self-sufficient  bigotry,  which  freezes  the  fountain  of 
love,  and  keeps  the  heart  cold  under  the  melting  beams  of  '  the  Sun 
of  righteousness.' "  2 

To  the  cultivation  and  exercise  of  this  love,  the  fundamental  re 
quisite  is,  the  being  a  genuine  Christian.  The  love  of  God  is  the 
elementary  principle  of  the  believer's  character:  as  no  man  loves 
him  who  begat,  who  does  not  love  them  who  are  begotten  of  him  ; 
so  no  man  can  love  those  who  are  begotten,  who  does  not  love  him 
who  begat  them.  We  must  love  God,  in  order  to  our  loving,  his 
children.  We  must  be  in  the  family,  in  order  to  our  having  the 
family  spirit.  No  man  who  has  not  been  born  of  God  can  love  those 
who  are  born  of  him,  as  His  children ;  and  all  who  are  "  born  of 
God"  are  "  taught  of  God  to  love  one  another."  3  It  is  a  divinely 
implanted  instinct,  as  well  as  a  divinely  commanded  duty. 

But  this  gift  needs  to  be  stirred  up ;  and  the  two  grand  means  of 
stimulating  it  are,  under  divine  influence,  first,  the  cultivation  of  an 
intimate  acquaintance,  the  maintenance  of  a  holy  fellowship,  with  our 
Christian  brethren, — we  cannot  love  those  whom  we  do  not  know,  for 
it  is  the  manifestations  of  the  character  of  our  common  Lord,  which 

1  Westminster  Conf.  xxvi.  1,  2.  a  Wardlaw, 

8  1  Thess.  iv.  9. 


PART  II.]  RECOMMENDED.  127 

our  brethren,  who  have  contemplated  him  "  with  open  face,"  like  so 
many  mirrors,  make,  that  endear  them  to  us,  and  draw  out  our  affec 
tion  to  them;  and  second,  the  keeping  habitually  before  the  mind  the 
truths  stated  in  the  divine  word  respecting  the  spiritual  relation  and 
character  of  the  objects  of  our  Christian  affection,  which  are  calcu 
lated  to  excite  and  strengthen  it. 

In  the  passage  before  us,  the  apostle  employs  the  latter  of  these 
means  for  urging  on  those  to  whom  he  was  writing,  the  duty  of  Chris 
tian  love.  He  brings  before  their  minds  the  intimate  mutual  relation, 
and  the  common  spiritual  character,  of  true  Christians.  The  consid 
eration  of  these,  as  motives  to  Christian  brotherly  love,  shall  form  the 
second  part  of  the  discourse. 


II— BROTHERLY  LOVE  RECOMMENDED. 

In  the  words  of  the  first  part  of  the  twenty-second  verse,  and  in  the 
twenty-third,  twenty-fourth,  and  twenty-fifth  verses,  the  motives  to 
Christian  brotherly  love  are  urged.  Though  the  motive  from  com 
mon  character,  in  this  passage,  precedes  that  drawn  from  mutual  re 
lation,  yet,  as  relation  is  the  basis  of  character,  we  apprehend  some 
advantages  may  be  derived  from  reversing  the  order.  In  the  sequel, 
then,  I  shall  shortly  illustrate  these  two  remarks  : — The  intimate  and 
indissoluble  mutual  relation  among  Christians,  as  brethren,  arisincr 
out  of  their  common,  spiritual,  and  indissoluble  relation  to  God  as 
their  Father,  is  a  strong  motive  to  the  cultivation  and  display  of 
brotherly  kindness ; — and  the  common  character  to  which  they  have 
been  all  formed  by  the  agency  of  the  same  Spirit,  and  the  instru 
mentality  of  the  same  truth,  is  another  powerful  motive  to  cherish 
and  exercise  this  Christian  grace.  Let  us  illustrate  these  two  princi 
ples,  or  rather  let  us  attend  to  the  apostle's  illustration  of  them. 

§  1. —  The  mutual  relation  of  Christians  a  motive  to  brotherly  love. 

The  intimate  and  indissoluble  mutual  relation  between  Christians 
as  brethren,  arising  out  of  their  intimate  and  indissoluble  common  re 
lation  to  God  as  their  Father,  is  a  strong  motive  to  the  cultivation 
and  exercise  of  Christian  brotherly  kindness.  "  See  that  ye  love  one 
another  with  a  pure  heart  fervently  :  being" — since  ye  are — all  of  you 
— "  born  again,"  become  the  children  of  God  by  a  new,  a  spiritual,  a 
heavenly  birth,1  "not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the 
word  of  God,  which  liveth  and  abideth  forever.  For  all  flesh  is  as 
grass,  and  all  the  glory  of  man  as  the  flower  of  grass.  The  grass 
withereth,  and  the  flower  thereof  falleth  away  :  but  the  word  of  the 
Lord  endureth  forever.  And  this  is  the  word  which  by  the  gospel  is 
preached  unto  you." 

These  words  were  originally  addressed  to  churches,  most  of  the 
members  of  which  were  converted  Jews.  These  had,  by  their  first 
and  natural  birth,  been  related  mutually  as  members  of  the  external 
holy  family,  by  their  common  relation  to  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel, 

1  "  Nova  cognatio  novum  desiderat  affectum." — ERASMUS. 


128  CHRISTIAN    BROTHERLY    LOVE  [DISC.  VI. 

through  the  link  of  their  natural  descent  from  Abraham.  That  rela 
tion,  however,  as  belonging  to  the  "  flesh,"  to  things  seen  and  tem 
poral,  was  liable  to  dissolution  ; — in  the  case  of  the  individual  at 
death  ;  in  the  case  of  the  nation  when  the  new  and  better  economy 
was  introduced,  when  the  substance  took  the  place  of  the  shadow,  and 
the  spirit  of  the  letter.  They  had  now,  by  a  spiritual  change  termed 
the  new  or  second  birth,  become  mutually  related  as  brethren,  by  be 
coming  in  common  related  to  God  as  their  spiritual  Father.  This  re 
lation  was  far  superior  to  the  former.  It  bound  them  together  as 
spiritual  beings  to  God,  as  "  the  Father  of  their  spirits  ;"  and  it  was 
effected  in  a  manner  corresponding  to  its  nature.  -It  was  formed  by 
truth  being  introduced  into  their  minds — "  by  the  word  of  God,"  "  the 
word  preached  in  the  Gospel,"  being  understood  and  believed  by 
them.1  They  were  all  ONE,  inasmuch  as  they  were  "all  the  children 
of  God,  through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus."  *  That  faith  bound  them  to 
God,  and  to  one  another,  and  formed  a  bond  suited  to  their  natures 
as  rational  beings. 

The  intimate  relation  thus  formed  was  a  permanent  one.  The 
seed  was  "  incorruptible."  The  phrase,  the  "  word  of  God,"  is  ex 
planatory  of  the  figurative  expression — "  the  seed  not  corruptible,  but 
incorruptible."  The  words,  "which  liveth  and  abideth  forever," 
viewed  by  themselves,  might  refer  to  God,  who  alone  hath  immortal 
ity,  who  is  the  living  One,  inhabiting  eternity ;  but  when,  in  the  pas 
sage  quoted  from  the  prophet  Isaiah,3  apparently  for  the  purpose  of 
illustrating  this  phrase,  we  find  the  terms,  "  the  word  of  the  Lord  en- 
dureth  forever,"  we  cannot  doubt  that  the  epithets,  "  living  and  abid 
ing  forever,"  are  intended  to  be  descriptive  of  "the  word  of  the 
Lord,"  the  grand  link  of  the  common  connection  of  Christians  with 
their  heavenly  Father,  and  of  their  mutual  relation  to  each  other. 

That  word  is  eternal  truth.  That  truth  introduced  into  the  heart 
through  divine  influence,  by  being  understood  and  believed,  becomes 
a  "living,"  active,  operative  principle  there,  producing  holiness  and 
joy.  And  it  "  abideth  forever :"  it  dwells  an  ever-living  principle  in 
an  indestructible  shrine — the  never-dying  human  spirit ;  and  dwelling 
forever  there,  in  the  case  of  all  the  holy  family  it  forms  an  everlast 
ing  link  of  connection  with  their  common  Father,  and  with  each  other. 

This  relation  far  surpasses  all  other  relations.  There  is  no  brother 
hood  like  this,  none  so  intimate,  none  so  lasting.  The  relation  of  a 
Jew  to  a  fellow  Jew  was  very  intimate.  It  was  the  relation  of  man 
to  man,  of  kinsman  to  kinsman,  of  common  heirs  of  the  privileges  of 
the  first  covenant  to  one  another;  but  that  relation,  fruitful  as  it  was 
of  advantages  (for  the  Jew,  during  the  preparatory  economy,  had 
much  and  manifold  advantage),4  had  the  taint  of  mortality.  It  be 
longed  to  the  "  flesh,"  to  what  was  carnal  and  outward,  not  to  what 
was  spiritual  and  inward.  It  was  perishable.  But  this  relation,  as  it 
is  spiritual  in  its  nature,  is  unending  in  its  duration.  Till  mind  ceases 
to  be  mind,  truth  to  be  truth,  God  to  be  God,  it  must  continue,  bind- 

1  Few  things  could  more  strikingly  show  the.  power  of  preconceived  opinion  to  produce 
misinterpretation  than  the  fact,  that  "  the  Word"  has  been  here  explained  of  the  personal 
word,  to  support  a  particular  metaphysical  theory  respecting  the  nature  of  regeneration. 

51  Gal.  iii.  26.  3  Isaiah  xl.  6,  7.  *  Rom.  iii.  1,  2  ;  ix.  4,  5. 


PART  II.]  RECOMMENDED.  129 

ing  believers  in  a  holy,  happy  relation  to  God  as  their  Father,  and  to 
one  another  as  brethren,  to  all  eternity.  Was  it  not  reasonable  and 
right,  then,  that  they  should  "  love  one  another  with  a  pure  heart  fer 
vently  ?"  If  he  is  rightly  considered  as  a  monster  who  refuses  to 
cherish  and  manifest  peculiar  regard  to  those  who  are  connected 
with  him  by  the  ties  of  a  natural  relationship,  which  may  in  a  moment, 
vhich  must  in  a  few  years,  be  dissolved  forever,  what  name  is  to  be 
^iven  to  a  man  calling  himself  a  Christian,  who  does  not  regard  and 
treat  as  brethren  those  who,  if  his  profession  be  a  sincere  one,  stand 
10  him  in  a  relation,  of  the  intimacy  of  which  the  nearest  earthly  re 
lation  is  but  a  feeble  figure,  and  the  duration  of  which  can  be  meas 
ured  only  by  the  years  of  the  Eternal  ? 

§  2. — The  common  character  of  Chistians  a  motive  to  brotherly  love. 

The  common  character  to  which  all  Christians  have  been  formed 
by  the  agency  of  the  same  Spirit,  and  the  instrumentality  of  the  same 
word,  is  a  strong  motive  to  the  cultivation  and  exercise  of  Christian 
brotherly  kindness  :  "Seeing  ye  have  purified  your  souls  in  obeying 
the  truth  through  the  Spirit  to  the  unfeigned  love  of  the  brethren, 
see  that  ye  love  one  another  with  a  pure  heart  fervently."  The  force 
of  this  motive  is,  Ye  are  now  in  a  moral  capacity  for  loving  the 
brethren  constantly  and  fervently;  exert  and  manifest  your  moral 
power. 

It  was  once  otherwise.  The  unpurified  soul,  overrun  with  the 
loathsome  leprosy  of  ungodliness,  worldliness,  selfishness,  and  malig 
nity,  was  morally  incapable  of  the  healthy  functions  of  its  affectionate 
nature.  It  could  not  love  Christ,  Christianity,  or  Christians.  But 
"  old  things  are  passed  away  ;"  there  has  been  a  radical  cure  effected  : 
divine  truth,  under  divine  influence,  has  put  forth  its  healing  power 
over  the  diseased  mind ;  the  moral  capacity  of  loving  what  is  really 
lovely,  has  been  called  into  being ; — and  now  what  remains  but  that 
it  should  be  improved  by  being  exercised  ? 

The  human  heart  is  naturally  a  very  impure  place.  It  is  "  a  hab 
itation  of  devils,  the  hold  of  every  foul  spirit,  the  cage  of  every  un 
clean  and  hateful  bird."  "  He  who  searcheth  the  heart,"  and  is  "  the 
true  and  faithful  witness,"  declares,  that  "out  of  it  proceed  evil 
thoughts,  murders,  adulteries,  and  false  witness."  l  Everything  that 
defiles  the  man  originates  there. 

While  the  heart  remains  unpurified,  the  love  of  Christians,  as 
Christians,  cannot  dwell  there,  There  is  no  harmony,  there  is  direct 
powerful  antagonism,  between  the  modes  of  thinking  and  feeling 
which  characterize  the  natural,  the  unrenewed, — and  the  spiritual,  the 
renewed,  the  Christian  mind.  But  in  the  case  of  those  whom  the 
apostle  was  addressing,  this  impurity  of  soul  was  cleansed.  "  They 
had  purified  their  souls  in  obeying  the  truth/' 

"  The  truth"  is  the  revelation  of  the  character  of  God,  the  great 
reality,  in  the  person  and  work  of  his  Son,  contained  in  the  gospel ; 
"the  word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel,"  a  well-accredited  declaration 
of  the  mind  and  will  of  Him  who  cannot  be  deceived,  and  who  can- 

1  Matt.  xv.  19. 
9 


130  CHRISTIAN    BROTHERLY    LOVE  [DISC.  VI. 

not  deceive ;  the  very  truth  most  sure.  To  obey  that  truth  is  to 
yield  to  its  influence,  and  that,  from  the  constitution  of  man,  can  be 
done  only  by  understanding  and  believing  it.  He  who  refuses  to  at 
tend  to,  to  consider,  to  believe,  the  truth,  rebels  against  it — cannot 
submit  to  its  influence.  He,  on  the  other  hand,  who  attends  to,  con 
siders,  and  believes  it,  cannot  but  yield  to  its  influence. 

The  persons  referred  to  had  believed  the  gospel.  They  had  re 
ceived  the  grace  of  God  not  in  vain,  and  they  had  done  this  "  by  the 
Spirit;"  that  is,  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  the 
Spirit  who  fixes  the  mind  on  the  truth  and  its  evidence,  so  as  to  lead 
to  the  belief  of  the  truth.  It  is  the  man  in  the  exercise  of  his  rational 
faculties  who  believes;  but  he  exercises  these  faculties  under  a 
divine  influence.  It  is  the  man,  not  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  believes  ; 
but  the  man  who  believes,  acts  as  he  is  influenced  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  consequence  of  this  faith,  produced  by  divine  influence,  is  such 
a  purification  of  the  soul  as  leads  to  the  "  unfeigned  love  of  the  breth 
ren."  "  Ye  have  purified  your  souls  to  the  unfeigned  love  of  the 
brethren ;"  that  is,  '  Ye  have  so  purified  your  souls,  as  that  ye  have 
now  an  unfeigned  love  of  the  brethren.'  While  the  soul  remains  un- 
purified,  if  love  to  the  brethren  be  expressed,  it  must  be  feigned, 
hypocritical ;  but  when  the  soul  is  purified,  the  love  of  the  brethren 
is  a  natural,  spontaneous  feeling.  In  the  degree  in  which  the  truth  is 
obeyed,  the  soul  is  purified ;  and  in  the  degree  in  which  the  soul  is 
purified,  the  brethren  are  loved. 

Now,  says  the  apostle,  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  the  faith  of  the 
truth,  has  bestowed  on  you  the  good  gift  of  the  love  of  the  brethren. 
"Neglect  not  the  gift  that  is  in  you."  Cultivate  the  lovely  plant. 
"Quench  not  the  Spirit."1  "Grieve  not  the  Spirit."2  Allow  the 
truth,  under  his  influence,  "to  dwell  in  you  richly,"  "to  reign  in 
your  minds  and  hearts,"  and  fill  them  to  an  overflow  with  the  love 
of  the  brethren. 

A  question  naturally  rises  out  of  these  discussions,  which  well  de 
serves  the  serious  consideration  of  each  of  us.  Do  we  love  the  brethren 
with  a  pure  heart  fervently?  Do  we  love  the  brethren  as  brethren  ? 
Do  we  love  Christians  as  Christians  ?  Do  we  love  them  on  account 
of  their  relation  to  God  and  Christ,  on  account  of  their  attachment 
to  both,  and  on  account  of  their  resemblance  to  both  ?  Do  we  cor 
dially  esteem  them  ?  Do  we  affectionately  love  them  ?  Is  our  "  de 
light"  in  them,  as  "  the  excellent  ones  of  the  earth  ?"  3  as  the  Psalm 
ist  phrases  it.  Have  we  complacency  in  them  ?  Do  we  make  them 
"  the  men  of  our  counsel  ?"  Have  we  pleasure  in  their  society, 
and  are  we  endeavoring,  by  every  means  in  our  power,  to  promote 
their  welfare  ?  If  we  can  answer  these  questions  in  the  affirmative, 
the  apostle  John  authorizes  us  to  consider  this  as  evidence  of  our 
having  undergone  a  saving  change  of  character.  Hereby  do  "  we 
know  that  we  are  passed  from  death  to  life,  because  we  love  the 
brethren."4  Happy  are  we,  if  we  indeed  habitually  cherish  this 
holy  affection  ;  but  let  us  remember,  that  it  is  at  once  our  duty  and 

1  1  Thess.  v.  19.  2  Eph.  iv.  30. 

'  Psal.  xvi.  3.  4  i  J0hn  iii.  14. 


PART  II. J  RECOMMENDED.  131 

our  interest  to  abound  in  this  affection  and  its  fruits  more  and  more. 
Let  us  remember,  that  the  love  of  the  brethren  is  the  evidence  that 
"  we  are  in  the  light/'  and  the  continuance  of  it  is  the  evidence  that 
we  are  "abiding  in  the'  light" — that  we  are  continuing  to  believe  the 
truth,  and  are  "rooted,  grounded,  and  built  up"  in  it. 

Let  us  manifest  our  love  in  deeds  of  Christian  kindness,  and  re 
member  that  that  only  is  the  love  of  the  brethren,  which  is  "  not  in 
word  and  tongue  only,  but  in  deed  and  in  truth."  Let  us  show  our 
love  by  "  walking  in  all  lowliness,  esteeming  each  other  better  than 
ourselves  ;  forbearing  one  another  in  love  ;  endeavoring  to  keep  the 
unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace;  putting  away  all  bitterness, 
and  anger,  and  wrath,  and  clamor,  and  evil  speaking ;  being  kind  to 
one  another,  tender-hearted,  forgiving  one  another,  even  as  God  for 
Christ's  sake  hath  forgiven  us.  Let  us  put  on,  as  the  elect  of  God, 
holy  and  beloved,  bowels  of  mercies,  kindness,  humbleness  of  mind, 
meekness,  and  long-suffering ;  and,  above  all,  let  us  put  on  charity, 
which  is  the  bond  of  perfectness." 

Let  us  "do  good,  and  communicate/'  especially  to  the  household  of 
faith.  If  a  brother  or  sister  be  naked,  and  destitute  of  daily  food,  let 
us  not  be  content  with  saying,  Depart  in  peace,  be  ye  fed,  be  ye 
clothed ;  but  let  us  give  them  the  things  which  are  needful  for  the 
body :  for  whoso  hath  this  world's  goods,  and  seeth  his  brother  have 
need,  and  shutteth  up  his  bowels  of  compassion  from  him,  how  dwell- 
eth  either  the  love  of  God,  or  of  the  brethren,  in  him  P"1 

If  we  would  have  this  affection,  so  closely  connecting  us  with  God, 
for  "  he  who  dwelleth  in  love  dwelleth  in  God,  and  God  in  him,"  and 
never  are  we  surer  of  having  "our  fellowship  truly  with  the  Father 
and  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,"  than  when  we  love  the  brethren — if  we 
would  have  this  godlike  affection  strong  within  us,  constantly,  power 
fully  operative,  we  must  continue  "  purifying  our  souls  by  obeying  the 
truth  by  the  Spirit/'  "  Whence  come  wars  and  fightings  among 
Christians  ?  Come  they  not  from  hence,  even  of  our  lusts  which  war 
in  our  members  ?" 2  And  how  are  these  selfish  desires  to  be  mortified, 
weakened,  destroyed,  but  by  the  growing  faith  and  influence  of  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus  ?  If  we  would  have  our  hearts  warm  with  the  love  of 
the  saints,  we  must  seek  to  have  them  warm  with  the  love  of  the  Sa 
viour  ;  and  if  we  would  have  our  hearts  warmed  with  his  love,  we 
must  keep  near  him,  in  the  believing  study  of  his  word,  and  in  affec 
tionate  intercourse  with  him,  in  all  the  offices  of  Christian  devotion. 
"  Let  us  then  abide  in  Him,"  and  he  will  abide  in  us  ;  and  thus  shall 
we  "bring  forth  much  fruit"3  in  works  and  labors  of  love.  The 
mind  that  was  in  him  will  thus  be  in  us  ;  we  shall  be  "  in  the  world  as 
HE  was  in  the  world,"  and  "  walk  as  he  also  walked."  May  He  whose 
name  and  nature  is  love,  bind  us  as  a  Christian  church  more  and  more 
in  the  bonds  of  a  sincere,  enlightened,  holy  love  ;  and,  as  "  the  God  of 
patience  and  consolation,  grant  us  to  be  like-minded  one  towards  an 
other,  according  to  Christ  Jesus  ;  that  we  may  walk  together  in  love, 
even  as  Christ  has  loved  us  ;  that  we  with  one  mind  and  one  mouth 
may  glorify  God,  even  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ!"4 

1  Eph.  iv.  2,  3,  31.    CoL  iii.  14.    Heb.  xiii.  16.    James  ii.  15,  16.     1  John  iii.  17. 
a  James  iv.  1.  3  John  xv.  4.  4  Rom.  xv.  5,  6. 


132  CHRISTIAN    BROTHERLY    LOVE  [DISC.  VI. 

If  there  be  in  this  audience — as  I  know  there  may  be — as  I  fear 
there  are — some,  whether  with  or  without  a  profession  of  religion, 
whose  hearts  tell  them  that  they  do  not  love  the  brethren,  that  they 
have  no  complacency  in  Christian  excellence,  no  relish  for  Christian 
society,  I  affectionately  beseech  them  to  consider  what  awfully  impor 
tant  facts  are  necessarily  connected  with  that  fact,  to  which  their 
consciences  now  give  testimony — that  they  do  not  love  the  brethren. 
It  is  a  proof,  my  friends,  that  you  have  "not  passed  from  death  to  life;" 
that  you  have  no  part  nor  lot  as  yet  in  the  Christian  salvation ;  that 
you  do  not  love  God,  that  you  do  not  love  Christ ;  that  you  are  not 
God's  children,  not  Christ's  brethren ;  that  you  are  utterly  unfit  for 
heaven,  where  none  of  the  human  race  but  the  brethren  dwell.  You 
have  no  relish  for  their  society  here,  you  would  have  still  less  there  ; 
for  the  peculiarities  of  character  which  make  them  disagreeable  to  you 
on  earth,  will  be  greatly  heightened  in  heaven.  What  a  deplorable 
state  is  that  man  in,  who,  even  if  he  could  get  into  heaven,  the  abode 
of  perfect  happiness,  the  only  place  where  happiness  is  to  be  found  at 
all,  could  not  be  happy ! 

But  into  heaven,  continuing  unprepared,  you  cannot  be  admitted. 
If  you  do  not  love  Christians,  you  do  not  love  Christ ;  and  "  if  any 
man  love  not  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  will  be  anathema  maranatha,"  * 
accursed  at  his  coming.  Oh,  my  friends,  "  you  must  be  born  again, 
not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  even  the  word  of  God, 
which  liveth  and  endureth  forever/'  else  "  you  cannot  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God."  You  must <e  purify  your  souls  in  obeying  the  truth 
by  the  Spirit  to  the  unfeigned  love  of  the  brethren,"  else  you  can 
never  "  sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of 
our  Father."  No,  you  must  be  "  shut  out  into  utter  darkness,  where 
there  is  weeping  and  wailing  and  gnashing  of  teeth."  2  What  a  dread 
ful  prospect  to  every  one  who  loves  not  the  brethren,  especially  who, 
calling  himself  a  brother,  loves  not  the  brethren  !  He  that  loves  not 
his  brother,  hates  him  ;  and  "  he  that  hateth  his  brother  is  in  darkness, 
walketh  in  darkness  ;" 3  and,  though  he  may  not  know  whither  he  is 
going,  "  for  darkness  hath  blinded  his  eyes,"  "  his  feet  go  down  to 
death,  his  steps  take  hold  of  hell,"  and  he  is  moving  onward  to  the 
blackness  of  darkness  forever. 

Oh  that  he  would  but  open  his  eyes  to  "  the  light  of  life  !"  Oh  that 
he  would  but  look  at  the  glory  of  God,  as  it  irradiates  the  countenance 
of  his  incarnate  Son  !  Then  would  he  learn  to  love  God  ;  "  the  love 
of  God  would  be  shed  abroad  in  his  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost  given  to 
him ;"  and,  learning  to  love  God,  he  would  learn  to  love  all  his  chil 
dren,  all  his  children  of  mankind,  especially  all  his  children  by  "faith 
in  Christ  Jesus."  In  the  mutual  kind  offices  of  Christian  friendship, 
he  would  enjoy  a  satisfaction  which  worldly  fellowship  never  can  be 
stow  ;  and  in  due  time  join  the  general  assembly  on  high,  where  love 
has  its  triumphs  ;  where  "all  the  wise,  the  holy,  and  the  just,  whoever 
existed  in  the  universe  of  God,  shall  be  associated  without  any  distress 
to  trouble  their  mutual  bliss,  or  any  source  of  disagreement,  either 
from  within  or  without,  to  interrupt  their  harmony ;  where  the  voice 
of  discord  never  rises,  the  whisper  of  suspicion  never  circulates; 

1  1  Cor.  xvi.  22.  »  Matt,  yiil  11,  12.  *  1  John  ii.  11. 


PART  II.]  RECOMMENDED.  133 

where  each,  happy  in  himself,  participates  in  the  happiness  of  all  the  rest, 
and  by  reciprocal  communications  of  love  and  friendship,  at  once  re 
ceives  from,  and  adds  to,  the  sum  of  general  felicity." l  Who  would 
not  wish  to  belong  to  this  happy  society,  this  goodly  fellowship,  this 
glorious  company  !  The  door  stands  open:  "  Obey  the  truth  by  the 
Spirit."  The  road  lies  plainly  before  you :  "  Purify  yourselves  by 
this  obedience."  Thus  shall  you  come  immediately  into  the  enjoy 
ment  of  the  fellowship  of  the  saints  on  earth,  and  "  being  made  meet 
for,"  shall  ere  long  be  made  partakers  of,  the  "  inheritance  of  the 
saints"  in  heaven. 

1  Hair. 


DISCOURSE  VII 

A  FIGURATIVE   VIEW  OF   THE    STATE   AND   CHARACTER   OF 
CHRISTIANS,  WITH  APPROPRIATE   EXHORTATIONS. 

1  PET.  ii.  1-3. — Wherefore,  laying  aside  all  malice,  and  all  guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and 
envies,  and  all  evil-speakings,  as  new-born  babes,  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that 
ye  may  grow  thereby  ;  If  so  be  ye  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious. 

ON  no  subject  is  it  of  more  importance  that  mankind  should  enter 
tain  correct  views,  than  on  the  nature  and  extent  of  that  inward 
change,  that  moral  revolution,  in  which  genuine  personal  Christianity 
originates,  and  which,  according  to  the  different  aspects  in  which  it 
is  viewed,  is  termed  effectual  calling,  conversion,  repentance,  or  a 
change  of  mind,  regeneration  or  the  new  birth.  This,  if  anything, 
is  a  matter  of  fundamental,  vital,  practical  importance.  Error  here 
cannot  be  innocent  in  either  sense  of  the  word.  It  can  neither  exist 
without  fault,  nor  be  held  without  danger.  Mistakes  on  such  a  sub 
ject  cannot  be  blameless,  must  be  hazardous,  may  be  fatal. 

Yet  on  few  points  do  even  that  part,  that  small  part  of  mankind, 
who  have  made  it  in  some  small  degree  a  subject  of  thought,  err  more 
seriously,  and  in  opposite  directions,  than  on  this.  By  a  large  portion 
of  men,  very  low,  narrow  views  are  entertained  respecting  the  extent 
of  the  change,  and  the  agency  necessary  in  order  to  effect  it.  In  their 
estimation,  there  is  nothing  radically  wrong  with  human  nature.  Man 
has  no  doubt  fallen  into  errors  which  need  to  be  corrected ;  he  has 
formed  bad  habits  which  require  to  be  changed  ;  but  in  order  to  effect 
such  an  alteration  in  human  character  and  conduct,  nothing  more  is 
necessary  than  to  awaken  into  action  the  sleeping  energies  of  his  in 
tellectual  and  moral  nature,  and  direct  them  steadily  towards  the  de 
sired  object ;  and  education  and  self-discipline  are  held  quite  sufficient 
to  answer  this  purpose. 

On  the  other  hand,  not  a  few  seem  to  think  that  the  change  is  so 
entirely  supernatural  as  to  preclude  the  necessity  and  propriety  of 
the  employment  of  human  agency  as  the  means  either  of  originating 
or  advancing  it.  They  seem  to  think,  that  it  is  so  God's  work,  as 
that  in  no  way  is  it,  or  can  it  be,  man's  work ;  that  men  have  nothing 
to  do  in  the  matter,  but  to  wait  till  God  has  made  them  new  creatures, 
and  that,  after  God  has  made  them  new  creatures,  they  need  give 
themselves  no  concern — God  will  look  after  his  own  work ;  and  they, 
being  quite  sure  of  final  salvation,  have  only  to  guard  against  unbelief, 
which,  in  their  way  of  viewing  it,  means  entertaining  doubts  with  re 
gard  to  the  safety  of  their  spiritual  state,  and  the  certainty  of  their 
ultimate  happiness. 


DISC.  VII.]  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  135 

The  passage  of  Scripture  which  I  have  just  read,  especially  in  con 
nection  with  that  which  precedes  it,  cuts  both  these  soul-ruining  errors 
by  the  root.  On  the  one  hand,  it  teaches  us  plainly  that  the  change 
is  no  superficial  one.  It  is  a  new  birth;  there  is  a  new  moral  nature 
produced,  of  which  the  ever-enduring,  ever-living  word  of  God  is  the 
seminal  principle.  It  is  a  change  produced  by  the  Spirit ;  and  the 
soul,  the  heart,  the  inner  man,  is  the  subject  of  this  change.  It  is  no 
such  surface  change  as  the  progress  of  civilization,  the  authority  of 
law,  the  influence  of  education,  the  force  of  self-discipline,  can  effect. 
It  is  a  permanent,  divinely  effected  change  in  the  deepest  springs 
of  human  action — the  understanding,  the  conscience,  and  the  affec 
tions. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  teaches  us  as  plainly,  that  this  change  is 
effected  through  the  knowledge  and  belief  of  the  truth,  in  a  manner 
quite  consistent  with  man's  rational,  moral  nature ;  with  that  freedom 
of  choice  which  is  essential  to  his  being  a  responsible  agent ;  that  the 
change,  though  reaching  every  part  of  man's  nature,  is  in  no  part  of 
that  nature  complete  or  perfect ;  that  though  a  new  creature,  he  is 
but  as  a  new-born  babe,  and  needs  to  grow,  and  must  use  the  appoint 
ed  means  of  growth ;  that  though  he  has  "  put  on  the  new  man,"  he 
needs  more  and  more  to  "put  off  the  old  man,  who  is  corrupt,"  and 
more  and  more  to  "put  on  the  new  man,  who,  after  God,  is  created 
in  righteousness  and  true  holiness ;"  that  though  he  is  made  a  "  par 
taker  of  the  divine  nature,  and  has  escaped  the  corruption  that  is  in 
the  world  through  lust,"  he  must  "  give  all  diligence  to  add  to  his 
faith  virtue,  and  to  virtue  knowledge,  and  to  knowledge  temperance, 
and  to  temperance  patience,  and  to  patience  godliness,  and  to  godli 
ness  brotherly  kindness,  and  to  brotherly  kindness  charity,"  knowing 
that,  "if  these  things  be  in  him  and  abound,  he  is  not  barren  or  un 
fruitful  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;"  and  that  "  in 
doing  these  things,"  for  doing  which  "the  divine  power  has  given  to 
him  all  things  that  pertain  to  life  and  godliness,"  "  he  shall  never  fall, 
but  so  an  entrance  shall  at  last  be  ministered  to  him  into  the  everlast 
ing  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  l 

These  are  the  views  given  us  in  the  context,  and  confirmed  by 
many  other  passages  of  Scripture,  in  reference  to  that  great  change 
by  which  a  natural  man  becomes  a  spiritual  man ;  and  in  perfect  ac 
cordance  with  them  we  find  the  apostle  exhorting  those  who  had  by 
the  Spirit  been  born  again,  to  get  rid,  with  all  possible  speed,  of  all 
the  characteristics  of  their  unregenerate  state,  and  to  seek,  with  un 
tiring  eagerness,  progress  and  perfection  in  all  the  characteristics  of 
their  new  state ;  and,  for  this  purpose,  constantly  to  employ  the  means 
in  their  own  nature  calculated,  and  by  divine  statute  appointed,  to 
gain  these  ends  ;  accompanying  his  exhortation  with  powerful  motives, 
suited  to  the  nature  of  the  duties  enjoined,  and  the  character  and  cir 
cumstances  of  those  to  whom  the  exhortation  is  addressed. 

To  this  exhortation  it  is  rny  purpose  at  present  to  turn  your  minds ; 

and  that  it  may  have  an  appropriate  effect  on  our  understandings, 

consciences,  and  hearts,  let  us  briefly  consider,  I.  Who  the  persons 

are  to  whom  the  exhortation  is  addressed ;  II.  What  are  the  duties 

1  Eph.  iy.  24.     Col.  iii.  10.     2  Pet.  i.  3-11. 


136  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

to  which  the  exhortation  urges ;  and,  III.  What  are  the  motives  by 
which  the  exhortation  is  enforced. 


I— THE  PERSONS  TO  WHOM  THE  EXHORTATION  IS  ADDRESSED. 
§  1. — General  view  of  their  state  and  character. 

The  persons  to  whom  the  exhortation  was  primarily  addressed  were 
the  Christians,  chiefly  recently  converted  Jews,  scattered  abroad 
through  the  regions  of  Asia  Minor.  They  were  a  part  of  the  mysti 
cal  Israel,  the  spiritual  people  of  God.  They  are  described  in  the 
preceding  chapter  as  "  elected,"  chosen,  selected  from  the  rest  of 
their  brethren  and  from  the  world  lying  under  the  wicked  one,  like 
ancient  Israel,  not  on  the  ground  of  their  being  better  than  others, 
hut  on  the  ground  of  the  divine  fore-knowledge  or  appointment, — the 
gracious  sovereign  decree  of  God ;  and,  unlike  their  forefathers,  they 
were  by  their  selection  separated  or  sanctified,  not  by  an  external,  but 
by  a  spiritual  separation,  from  the  unbelieving  part  of  mankind  ;  and 
the  object  of  this  spiritual  separation,  originating  entirely  in  sovereign 
mercy,  was  not  that,  like  their  forefathers,  they  might  obey  the  law  of 
Moses,  and,  being  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  the  victims  by  which 
the  first  covenant  was  ratified,  might  enjoy  the  external  privileges  of 
that  covenant,  but  that  they  might  obey  the  truth,  believe  the  gospel, 
and,  being  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ — that  is,  being 
personally  interested  in  the  saving  results  of  his  atoning  sacrifice 
— they  might  enjoy  the  heavenly  and  spiritual  blessings  of  the  second 
covenant,  of  which  the  shedding  of  the  blood  of  Christ,  as  an  expia 
tory  victim,  was  the  effectual  ratification.  They  were  persons  who 
through  the  resurrection  of  Christ — as  the  seal  of  the  divine  accept 
ance  of  his  atoning  sacrifice,  and  as  one  grand  source  of  that  evidence 
on  which  rests  the  faith  which  interests  men  personally  in  Christ  and 
in  his  salvation — had  been  brought  into  the  state,  and  formed  to  the 
character,  of  the  children  of  God,  secured  of  ultimate  complete  sal 
vation  as  their  inheritance,  and  blessed  with  a  present  living  hope  of 
that  complete  salvation.  They  were  the  sincere  lovers  of  an  unseen 
Saviour;  they  were  devout  worshippers  of  the  Father.  Their  faith 
and  their  hope  were  in  God,  who  had  raised  Christ  Jesus  from  the 
dead,  and  given  him  glory.  They  had  purified  their  souls  in  obeying 
the  truth,  so  as  to  love  the  brethren  unfeignedly ;  and  the  new  relation 
into  which  they  had  been  brought,  both  to  God  and  to  one  another, 
by  their  regeneration,  through  the  eternal  Spirit  and  the  ever-living 
word,  was  a  permanent  and  indissoluble  one. 

Such  are  the  statements  respecting  them  in  the  former  chapter ; 
and  in  the  passage  before  us,  they  are  brought  before  our  minds  as, 
though  regenerate,  by  no  means  perfect ;  really,  but  far  from  being 
completely,  holy ;  having  much  to  part  with,  and  much  to  attain  to, 
before  reaching  "the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ." 
They  have  need  to  "  lay  aside  malice,  and  guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and 
envies,  and  evil-speakings."  These  words  plainly  imply,  that  the  old 
man,  though  mortified,  is  not  dead ;  that,  though  crucified,  he  has  no! 


PART  I.]  THE  PERSONS  ADDRESSED.  137 

yet  expired  ;  that  there  still  clings  to  them,  as  the  fatal  robe  to  the 
fabled  hero,  a  corrupted  nature.  The  putrifying  dead  body  is  still 
attached  to  the  living  man,  which  draws  out  the  deep  groan,  "  Who 
will  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death?"  There  is  still  flesh  as 
well  as  spirit,  though  in  them  the  Spirit  not  only  struggles,  but  pre 
vails  ;  but  in  their  flesh  dwells  nothing  that  is  good  ;  dwells  all  that  is 
evil.  Of  course,  they  need  constant  vigilance  and  energetic  effort  to 
prevent  the  encroachments,  and  to  effect  the  eradication,  of  this  evil 
principle. 

§  2. — Particular,  figurative  view  of  their  state  and  character  as 
"  new-born  babes." 

But  it  is  chiefly  on  the  figurative  representation  in  the  passage, 
"  new-born  babes,"  that  I  wish  to  fix  your  attention.  The  ideas  sug 
gested  by  these  words,  respecting  those  whom  they  describe,  are,  I 
apprehend,  principally  these  three:  They  have  undergone,  lately' 
undergone,  an  important  and  very  beneficial  change;  they  are  pos 
sessed  of  characters,  of  \vhich  some  of  the  distinctive  properties  of  in 
fants  are  suitable  emblems ;  and  Avhile  they  are  not  what  they  once 
were,  they  also  are  not  what  they  shall  be, — they  are  but  "  new-born 
babes ;"  they  are  far  from  being  men  in  stature,  and  vigor,  and  un 
derstanding,  and  acquirement,  and  enjoyment. 

(1.)  They  have  undergone  a  great  and  salutary  change  of  state. 
They  have  been  brought  out  of  a  state  of  darkness,  and  pollution,  and 
confinement,  into  a  state  of  light,  and  purity,  and  glorious  liberty. 
They  are  in  a  new,  a  better,  a  higher  state  of  spiritual  and  moral 
being.  New  spiritual  faculties  have  been  developed.  They  are  in  a 
new  world.  The  Jewish  doctors  were  accustomed  to  call  their  pros 
elytes  little  children.  The  change  from  Paganism  to  Judaism  was 
great,  and  beneficial ;  but  it  was  but  an  imperfect  figure  of  the  mag 
nitude  and  blessedness  of  the  change  from  nature  to  grace. 

(2.)  The  term  "new-born  babes"  seems  intended  to  indicate 
character  and  disposition,  as  well  as  state  and  condition.  To  mark 
the  distinctive  character  of  his  genuine  disciples,  our  great  Master 
states  that  they  must  become  as  "  little  children."  When  his  disci 
ples  came  to  him,  saying,  Who  is  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven?  He  "called  a  little  child  to  him,  and  set  him  in  the  midst 
of  them,  and  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except  ye  be  converted, 
and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  Whosoever  shall  humble  himself  as  this  little  child,  the  same 
is  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  And  on  another  occasion, 
when  "  they  brought  young  children  to  him  that  he  should  touch  them, 
and  his  disciples  rebuked  those  that  brought  them,  Jesus,  on  seeing 
this,  was  much  displeased,  and  said  unto  them,  Suffer  the  little  chil 
dren  to  come  to  me,  and  forbid  them  not ;  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom 
of  God.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  whosoever  shall  not  receive  the  king 
dom  of  God  as  a  little  child,  he  shall  not  enter  therein."  l  It  has  been 
common  to  find  the  points  of  analogy  between  Christians,  especially 
young  Christians — new  converts,  and  little  children,  in  comparative 

1  Matt,  xviii.  3;  xix.  13,  14. 


138  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

innocence  and  gentleness.  But  this  I  apprehend  is  to  mistake  our 
Lord's  meaning.  It  is  their  conscious  helplessness,  their  entire  con 
fiding  dependence  on  others,  their  ready  belief,  as  their  faculties  ex 
pand,  of  everything  told  them,  till  the  falsehood  of  men  teaches  them 
distrust,  that  make  infants  fit  emblems  of  the  disciples  of  Christ. 
They  "  renounce  themselves."  They  believe  what  he  says  to  them, 
because  he  says  it.  They  do  what  he  bids  them,  because  he  bids 
them.  They  feel  that  they  are  entirely  dependent  on  Him  ;  and  they 
are  well  pleased  that  it  should  be  so.  They  confide  in  him,  in  his 
wisdom,  in  his  power,  in  his  grace,  just  as  an  affectionate  child  feels 
safe  and  happy  in  his  father's  house,  or  in  his  mother's  arms,  and  takes 
no  thought  for  himself,  because  he  knows  his  father  and  mother  will 
take  thought  for  him  ;  and  never  doubts  either  their  affection  for  him, 
or  their  following  out  the  dictates  of  that  affection  in  protecting  him 
from  evil,  and  obtaining  for  him  everything  he  needs. 

As  the  reference  here  is  to  "new-born"  infants,  a  leading  idea 
intended  to  be  conveyed  to  the  mind  seems  to  be,  that,  like  new-born 
infants,  the  Christian  has  a  kind  of  instinctive,  unquenchable  desire, 
after  the  suitable,  spiritual  aliment  of  his  new  nature.  He  loves  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  ;  he  is  restless  when  it  is  out  of  the  view  of  the 
mind.  The  whole  world  without  this  cannot  make  him  happy  ;  and 
he  never  enjoys  himself  more,  than  when  clearly  apprehending  the 
meaning  and  evidence  of  those  "  exceeding  great  and  precious  prom 
ises"  by  which  his  new  nature  is  sustained;  like  the  healthy  infant 
on  its  mother's  bosom,  "  he  sucks,  and  is  satisfied  with  these  breasts 
of  consolation :  he  milks  out,  and  is  delighted  with  the  abundance  of 
their  glory."  1 

(3.)  There  is  yet  another  idea  which  we  conceive  the  figurative 
appellation  is  calculated  and  intended  to  bring  before  our  minds. 
Young  Christians  are  very  far  from  being  what  they  are  yet  to  be 
even  on  earth ;  and  all  Christians  are  very  far  from  being  what  they 
will  be  in  heaven. 

The  young  convert  is  to  grow  in  all  Christian  excellence — to 
"grow  up  in  all  things  to  him  who  is  the  head."2  Paul  was  a  very 
different  person  when  it  was  at  first  said  of  him,  "Behold,  he  pray- 
eth" — a  poor  helpless  sinner  falling  into  the  arms  of  the  Saviour, — 
and  when  he  said,  "  I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  who  strength 
ens  me."  "I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my  de 
parture  is  at  hand.  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my 
course,  I  have  kept  the  faith :  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a 
crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  will 
give  to  me ;  and  not  to  me  only,  but  to  all  that  love  his  appearing."3 
And  Paul  even  then  was  but  a  child  in  comparison  of  what  Paul  is 
now;  the  "spirit  of  a  just  man  made  perfect"  "with  the  Lord,"  and 
fully,  so  far  as  his  capacities  admit,  conformed  to  his  mind  and  will, 
'Mike  him,  seeing  him  as  he  is." 

This  view  of  the  subject  is  so  beautifully  illustrated  by  that  heav 
enly  man  Leightpn,  that  I  can  make  no  apology  for  the  length  of  the 
following  quotation :— "  The  whole  estate  and  course  of  the  Chris- 

1  Isaiah  Ixvi.  11.  a  Eph  iv  15 

3  Acts  ix.  11.    Phil.  iv.  13.     2  Tim.  iv.  6-8. 


PART  I.]  THE    PERSONS    ADDRESSED.  139 

tian's  spiritual  life  here  is  called  their  infancy,  not  only  as  opposed  to 
the  corruption  and  wickedness  of  their  previous  state,  but  likewise 
as  signifying  the  weakness  and  imperfection  of  it  at  the  best  in  this 
life,  compared  withjthe  perfection  of  the  life  to  come;  for  the  weak 
est  beginnings  of  grace  are  by  no  means  so  far  below  the  highest  de 
gree  of  it  possible  in  this  life,  as  the  highest  degree  falls  short  of  the 
state  of  glory:  so  that,  if  one  measure  of  grace  is  called  infancy  in 
respect  of  another,  much  more  is  all  grace  infancy  in  respect  of 
glory.  And  sure  as  for  duration,  the  time  of  our  present  life  is  far 
less  to  eternity  than  the  time  of  our  natural  infancy  is  to  the  rest  of 
our  life ;  so  that  we  may  still  be  called  but  new  or  lately  born.  Our 
best  pace  and  strongest  walking  in  obedience  here,  is  but  the  stepping 
of  children  when  they  begin  to  go  by  hold,  in  comparison  of  the  per 
fect  obedience  in  glory,  the  stately,  graceful  steps  with  which,  on  the 
heights  of  Zion,  we  shall  walk  in  the  light  of  the  Lord ;  when  '  we 
shall  follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever  he  goeth.'  All  our  knowledge 
here  is  but  the  ignorance  of  infants,  and  all  our  expressions  of  God 
and  of  his  praises,  are  but  as  the  first  stammerings  of  children 
(which  are,  however,  very  pleasant  both  to  child  and  parent),  in  com 
parison  of  the  knowledge  we  shall  have  of  him  hereafter,  '  when  we 
shall  know  as  we  are  known ;'  and  of  those  praises  we  shall  offer 
him,  when  that  new  song  shall  be  taught  us,"  which  is  sung  before 
the  throne,  and  before  the  four  living  creatures,  and  which  none  can 
learn  but  those  who  are  redeemed  from  the  earth.1  "A  child  hath  in 
it  a  reasonable  soul ;  and  yet,  by  the  indisposedness  of  the  body,  and 
abundance  of  moisture,  it  is  so  bound  up,  that  its  difference  from  the 
beasts,  and  its  partaking  of  a  rational  nature,  is  not  so  apparent  as 
afterwards ;  and  thus  the  spiritual  life  that  is  from  above  infused 
into  a  Christian,  though  it  doth  act  and  work  in  some  degree,  yet  it  is 
so  clogged  with  natural  corruption  still  remaining  in  him,  that  the  ex 
cellency  of  it  is  much  clouded  and  obscured :  but  in  the  life  to  come 
it  shall  have  nothing  at  all  encumbering  and  indisposing  it.  And  this 
is  the  Apostle  Paul's  doctrine:  'For  we  know  in  part,  and  we  proph 
esy  in  part.  But  when  that  which  is  perfect  is  come,  then  that  which 
is  in  part  shall  be  done  away.  When  I  was  a  child  I  spoke  as  a 
child,  I  understood  as  a  child,  I  thought  as  a  child  ;  but  when  I  became 
a  man,  I  put  away  childish  things.  For  now  we  see  through  a  glass, 
darkly  ;  but  then  face  to  face ;  now  I  know  in  part ;  but  then  shall  I 
know  even  as  I  am  known.'2 

"  And  this  is  the  wonder  of  divine  grace,  that  brings  so  small  be 
ginnings  to  that  height  of  perfection  that  we  are  not  able  to  conceive 
of;  that  a  little  spark  of  true  grace,  that  is  not  only  indiscernible  to 
others,  but  often  to  the  Christian  himself,  should  yet  be  the  beginning 
of  that  condition  wherein  they  shall  shine  brighter  than  the  sun  in 
the  firmament.  The  difference  is  great  in  our  natural  life,  in  some 
persons  especially,  that  they  who  in  infancy  were  so  feeble  and  wrap 
ped  up  like  others  in  swaddling-clothes,  yet  afterwards  corne  to  excel 
in  wisdom  and  in  the  knowledge  of  the  sciences,  to  be  commanders 
of  great  armies,  or  to  be  kings :  but  the  distance  is  far  greater  and 
more  admirable,  between  the  weakness  of  these  new-born  babes,  the 

1  Rev.  xiv.  3.  9  1  Cor.  xiil  9-12, 


140  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

small  beginnings  of  grace,  and  their  after  perfection,  that  fulness  of 
knowledge  that  we  look  for,  and  that  crown  of  immortality  that  all 
are  born  to  who  are  born  of  God.  But  as  in  the  faces  and  actions  of 
some  children,  characters  and  presages  of  their  after  greatness  have 
appeared,  as  a  singular  beauty  in  Moses's  countenance,  as  they  write 
of  him,  and  as  Cyrus  was  made  king  among  the  shepherd's  children, 
with  whom  he  was  brought  up,  so  also  certainly  in  these  children  of 
God  there  be  some  characters  and  evidences  that  they  are  born  for 
heaven  by  their  new  birth.  That  holiness  and  meekness,  that  pa 
tience  and  faith,  that  shine  in  the  actions  and  sufferings  of  the  saints, 
are  characters  of  their  Father's  image,  and  show  their  high  original, 
and  foretell  their  glory  to  come ;  such  a  glory  as  doth  not  only  surpass 
the  world's  thoughts,  but  the  thoughts  of  the  children  of  God  them 
selves.  'It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be;  but  we  know 
that,  when  He  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  him ;  for  we  shall  see 
him  as  he  is.'  " l 

Before  proceeding  further  in  the  exposition,  let  me  urge  the  im 
portance  of  putting  this  question  seriously  to  ourselves,  What  part  or 
lot  have  I  in  this  matter  ?  What  is  my  state  before  God  ?  What  is 
my  spiritual  character?  Have  I  been  born  again  ?  Do  I  possess  the 
instincts  and  dispositions  of  the  new  creature  ?  The  question  is  a 
serious  one ;  for  if  I  have  not  been  born  again,  I  am  a  stranger  to 
true  wisdom,  worth,  and  happiness ;  and  should  I  die,  not  having  been 
born  again,  it  had  been  better  for  me  never  to  have  been  born.  For, 
"except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."2  He  can  neither  enjoy  the  peculiar  blessings  of  Chris 
tianity  here  nor  hereafter.  The  question  is  one  which  should  not  be 
difficult  to  answer ;  for  the  characteristic  qualities  of  the  new  crea 
ture  are  sufficiently  palpable.  There  is  one  in  particular,  with  regard 
to  which  no  one  can  mistake  without  absolute  wilfulness :  "  What 
soever  is  born  of  God,  overcometh  the  world."3  He  lives  above  the 
world,  through  the  power  of  faith.  The  terrors  of  the  world  cannot 
drive  him,  the  blandishments  of  the  world  cannot  allure  him,  from 
the  course  on  which  he  has  entered.  When  he  became  a  new  crea 
ture,  he  came  into  a  new  creation ;  and  "  the  world  to  come,"  in  its 
power,  opening  on  his  mind,  delivered  him  from  the  dominant  influ 
ence  of  "  the  present  evil  world."  Are  you  looking  at  things  seen 
and  temporal  ?  Are  present  and  sensible  things  the  chief  subjects  of 
your  thoughts,  the  chief  objects  of  your  affections  ?  Then  you  have 
been  born  only  of  the  flesh.  "  You  must  be  born  again."  You  must 
be  thoroughly  changed,  for  if  you  are  not  so,  you  are  quite  unfit  for 
heaven;  and  heaven  would  be  no  heaven  to  you  even  were  you 
placed  in  it.  You  must  repent,  that  is,  change  your  mind,  for  "  ex 
cept  ye  repent,  ye  must  perish."  There  is  no  preventing  it.  The 
nature  of  things,  the  nature  of  God,  require  that  it  be  so.  But  what 
hinders  you  from  changing  your  mind?  You  are  most  assuredly 
wrong.  Why  should  you  not  believe  the  truth  clearly  stated,  abund 
antly  accredited  ?  "  Repent,  and  believe  the  gospel."  And  in  re 
penting,  and  believing  the  gospel,  ye  will  be  "  born  again,"  "  trans 
formed  by  the  renewing  of  your  minds ;"  and  "  being  born  again  not 

1  John  iii.  2.  2  John  iii  3.  8  1  John,  v.  4. 


PART  II.]  THE    EXHORTATION.  141 

of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the  word  of  the  Lord, 
which  liveth  and  endureth  forever/'  you  will  become  as  "  new-born 
babes,"  and  will  feel,  what  you  cannot  now  do,  how  reasonable  and 
right  it  is  that  ye  "  should  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that 
ye  may  grow  thereby;"  and  "growing  up  into  him  in  all  things  who 
is  the  Head,"  shall  become  every  day  while  in  the  world  more  like 
him  while  he  was  in  the  world — in  it — not  of  it;  and  at  the  ap 
pointed  season,  along  with  all  the  brethren,  when  he  appears,  shall  be 
made,  so  far  as  the  difference  of  your  nature  admits,  like  him,  "  seeing 
him  as  he  is." 

And  you  who  through  the  agency  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  instrumen 
tality  of  the  word,  have  been  born  again,  and  become  as  little  children, 
cultivate  the  childlike  character.  Confide  in  your  heavenly  Father's 
wisdom,  power,  grace,  and  faithfulness ;  trust  not  to  your  own  under 
standing;  implicitly  believe  his  declarations,  unhesitatingly  comply 
with  his  injunctions.  "  Be  anxious  about  nothing ;"  your  heavenly 
Father  knows  what  you  need,  and  can  deliver  you  out  of  every  trial. 
But  while  you  cultivate  the  childlike  character,  seek  in  connection 
with  it  the  vigor  and  activity  of  mature  manhood.  "  In  malice"  be 
always  "children,  but  in  understanding  be  men."  Seek  to  have 
your  spiritual  "  senses  exercised,  to  discern  truth  and  falsehood,  good 
and  evil."  With  the  simplicity  of  childhood  join  the  sagacity  of 
age ;  and  while  in  one  sense  ye  always  are  children,  become  more 
and  more  children ;  in  another,  "  be  no  more  children,  tossed  to  and 
fro,  and  carried  about  with  every  word  of  doctrine,  by  the  sleight  of 
men,  and  cunning  craftiness,  whereby  they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive ;" 
but  seek  to  arrive  at  "  the  unity  of  the  faith  and  knowledge  of  the 
Son  of  God,  at  perfect  manhood,  at  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the 
fulness  of  Christ."  l  Brethren,  we  are  glad  when  ye  are  "strong, 
through  the  word  of  God  abiding  in  you,"  and  enabling  you  to  over 
come  the  wicked  one  :  and  "  this  also  we  wish,  even  your  perfection ;" 
and  this  we  pray,  that  "  your  love  may  abound  yet  more  and  more  in 
knowledge  and  in  all  judgment,  that  ye  may  approve  the  things 
which  are  excellent ;  that  ye  may  be  sincere  and  without  offence  till 
the  day  of  Christ :  being  filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which 
are  by  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  God."  2 

So  much  for  answer  to  the  first  question  proposed,  Who  are  the 
persons  to  whom  the  exhortation  in  the  text  is  addressed  ? 


II.— THE  EXHORTATION". 

Let  us  now  attend  to  the  exhortation  itself;  "  Laying  aside  all 
malice,  and  all  guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and  envies,  and  evil-speakings, 
as  new-born  babes,  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  ye  may 
grow  thereby."  The  exhortation  is  two-fold;  first  dissuasive,  and 
then  persuasive.  The  dissuasive  exhortation  is  in  these  words  :  "  Lay 
aside  all  malice,  and  all  guile,  and  hypocrisy,  and  envy,  and  evil- 
speaking," — an  exhortation  to  seek  complete  freedom  from  sin  in  all 
its  forms  and  in  all  its  degrees,  and  particularly  in  those  forms  which 

1  Heb.  v.  14.    Eph.  iv.  14,  15.  "1  John  ii.  14.     2  Cor.  xiii.  9.    Phil.  i.  9-11. 


142  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VH. 

interfere  with  the  great  Christian  duty  of  brotherly  love,  which  the 
apostle  had  just  been  enjoining  and  recommending.  The  persuasive 
part  of  the  exhortation  is  in  these  words :  "  Desire  the  sincere  milk 
of  the  word,  that  ye  may  grow  thereby."  This  exhortation  resolves 
itself  into  two  parts  :  (1.)  Seek  spiritual  growth  ;  seek  to  grow  wiser, 
better,  happier;  seek  wider,  more  accurate,  more  influential  views 
of  divine  truth;  a  firmer  faith;  deeper  humility;  a  more  assured 
hope ;  a  warmer  zeal ;  a  more  expanded  operative  benevolence  ;  in 
one  word,  "the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ ;"  and 
(2.)  Seek  spiritual  growth  by  appropriate  means  ;  desire  "  the  sin 
cere,"  the  uncorrupted,  and  undeceiving  appropriate  nutriment  of  the 
new  man,  the  "  milk  of  the  word,"  or  the  rational  milk  ;  the  nutriment 
suited  to  a  rational  immortal  being  in  the  season  of  the  development 
of  its  faculties.  There  is  a  connection,  too,  between  the  dissuasive 
and  persuasive  parts  of  the  exhortation,  which  will  require  to  be  no 
ticed,  to  prevent  mistakes,  and  to  secure  all  the  advantages  which 
the  inspired  counsel  is  calculated  to  communicate.  Such  is  the  out 
line  I  mean  to  fill  up  in  the  succeeding  illustrations. 

§  1. — The  Dissuasive  Exhortation. 

Let  us  attend  then,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  dissuasive  part  of  the 
exhortation.  "  Lay  aside  all  malice,  and  all  guile,  and  hypocrisies, 
and  envies,  and  all  evil-speakings." 

(1.)  The  first  evil  habit  against  which  the  apostle  warns  is, 
"malice."1  It  is  the  same  word  which  is  frequently  in  the  New 
Testament  rendered  "  wickedness,"  and  sometimes  stands  for  moral 
evil  in  all  its  forms  and  degrees,  as  in  Acts  viii.  22,  "  Repent  of  thy 
wickedness,"  and  at  verse  16  of  this  chapter,  where  Balaam  is  said 
to  have  been  reproved  for  his  "iniquity;"  and  some  interpreters 
have  understood  it  so  here,  as  if  the  apostle  had  said,  lay  aside  every 
form  of  evil,  all  error,  all  impiety,  all  malignity,  every  form  of  impro 
per  desire  or  pursuit ;  and,  as  if  the  other  terms  mentioned  were 
merely  explanatory  of  this  general  one,  different  forms  of  wickedness. 
At  the  same  time  the  word  is  often  in  the  New  Testament  used  to 
describe  a  particular  form  of  moral  evil,  and  is  not  unfrequently  em 
ployed  as  one  of  a  number  of  words  all  expressive  of  different  modi 
fications  of  sinful  principle  and  conduct.2  I  have  no  doubt  that  here 
it  is  equivalent  to  malignity,  or  ill-will,  or  malevolent  disposition. 

Self-love  is  a  leading  principle  in  human  nature.  In  depraved 
human  nature  this  useful,  necessary  principle  is  in  excess, — supreme 
instead  of  subordinate.  Self-love  thus  becomes  selfishness,  and  being 
connected  with  false  views  of  our  own  interest,  which  we  are  led  to 
think  inconsistent  with  that  of  others,  takes  the  form  of  malignity, 
ill-will  towards  others  whose  interests  seem  to  stand  in  the  way  of 
our  own.  This  disposition  is  the  very  reverse  of  the  love  which 
leads  to  the  fulfilling  of  the  law  in  reference  to  our  fellow-men.  If 
that  is  "  the  fulfilling,"  this  is  "  the  violation"  of  the  law  ;  for  if  love 
doeth,  can  do,  no  injury  to  a  brother,  malice,  ill-will,  can  do  him  no 

*  Rom.  i.  29.    Eph.  iv.  31.     Col.  iii.  8.    Tit.  iii.  3.    James  i.  2L 


PART  II.]  DISSUASIVE    EXHORTATION.  143 

good,  and  will  do  him  all  the  harm  which  it  finds  necessary  to  gain 
its  mere  selfish  objects. 

(2.)  The  objects  malice  seeks  are  not  such  as  can  creditably  be 
avowed  and  prosecuted.  Malice,  therefore,  naturally  leads  to  "  guile" 
or  deceit,  the  second  of  the  evil  habits  denounced  by  the  apostle. 
The  word  is  descriptive  of  all  fraudulent,  deceitful  means  for  gaining 
an  end ;  it  is  a  general  name  for  all  untruthfulness  and  dishonesty, 
from  their  most  refined  to  their  grossest  forms.  To  manage  these 
deceits  with  any  probability  of  success,  a  man  must  not  appear  to  be 
what  he  is  :  he  must  act  a  part,  he  must  be  a  hypocrite,  a  stage-play 
er.  The  known  open  liar,  the  notoriously  dishonest  person,  has  little 
power  to  deceive.  When  Satan  would  deceive,  he  assumes  the  ap 
pearance  of  an  angel  of  light.  When  our  Lord's  enemies  sought  to 
entrap  him,  they  "  sent  forth  spies,  which  should  feign  themselves 
just  men,  that  they  might  take  hold  of  his  words,  that  so  they  might 
deliver  him  to  the  power  and  authority  of  the  governor."  :  Here 
you  see  malice  leading  to  deceit,  and  deceit  to  "hypocrisy." 

(3.)  The  "hypocrisy"  here  forbidden  is  the  pretending  to  be  what 
we  are  not ;  to  have  excellences,  or  degrees  of  excellence,  of  which 
we  are  destitute ;  to  have  respect  or  affection,  when  we  have  it  not, 
or  to  have  it  in  a  degree  far  beyond  what  we  really  feel.  As  the 
opposite  of  malice  is  love,  and  of  deceit  uprightness  ;  so  the  opposite 
of  hypocrisy  is  sincerity,  the  speaking  the  truth  as  it  is  in  the  heart, 
the  expressing  in  language  and  conduct  our  real  sentiments  and  feel 
ings,  the  being  in  appearance  what  we  are  in  reality. 

(4.)  "  Envy"  is  the  fourth  evil  disposition  which  the  apostle  re 
quires  to  be  laid  beside.  It  is  the  natural  effect  of  malice,  or  ill-will. 
The  word  properly  signifies  the  uneasiness  which  a  malignant  man 
feels  in  the  happiness  of  the  object  of  his  ill-will,  and  the  restless,  pain 
ful  desire  he  has  to  deprive  him  of  his  advantages,  especially  of  those 
which  he  possesses  in  larger  measure  than  the  malevolent  person  him 
self.  It  is  the  corruption  of  the  natural  principle  of  emulation,  or  the 
desire  to  excel,  which  seeks  its  gratification  fully  as  much  in  bringing 
its  object  below  our  level,  as  in  raising  ourselves  honorably  to  his 
level,  or  above  it;  and* one  of  the  most  ordinary  methods  which  it 
employs,  in  order  to  gain  this  unworthy  end,  is  the  fifth  and  last  bad 
habit  from  which  the  apostle  here  dissuades. 

(5.)  "  Evil-speakings."  Calumnious  slander  is  the  worst  form  of 
this  evil;  but  all  whisperings  and  backbitings,  all  sly  insinuations, 
hinting  at  faults  and  hesitating  dislike,  every  species  of  statement  hav 
ing  for  its  object  the  lowering  the  reputation  of  another,  which  justice 
does  not  require,  as  well  as  truth  warrant,  are  included.2  The  mouth 
is  as  it  were  the  vent  through  which  the  smoke  and  flames  of  the 
infernal  fire  of  malice  and  envy,  which  rages  as  in  a  furnace  within, 
escape,  polluting  and  withering  all  around. 

Such  are  the  evil  tempers  and  habits  which  the  apostle  dissuades 
from.  You  see  how  closely  they  are  connected,  how  naturally  the 

1  Luke  xx.  20. 

2  Ildjay  KaraXaXiaf.     Multis  modis  committitur  detractio,  aut  bonum  negarul/^  aut  ob- 
fuscando,  aut  diminuendo,  aut  malum  ascribendo,  aut  intentionem  in  bono  opojv  pei  rer- 
tendo. — Jo.  Hus. 


144  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII 

one  produces  the  other ;  and  you  must  observe  how  all  of  them  are 
directly  opposed  to  that  "sincere  fervent  love"  which  he  had  been, 
and  still  is,  inculcating,  as  oije  of  the  Christian's  first  duties. 

The  exhortation  of  the  apostle  is,  "  lay  aside  these  evil  tempers  and 
habits."  This  exhortation  strongly  implies  that  those  addressed  had 
been  originally  depraved,  wholly  depraved  beings,  and  that  they  were 
still  partially  "under  the  influence  of  depravity.  The  exhortation  is 
not,  beware  of  putting  these  on,  but  put  them  off.  Every  renewed 
man  has  in  his  flesh  his  unrenewed  nature, — the  evil  heart, — the 
seminal  principle  of  every  species  of  moral  evil  ;  and  I  do  not  know 
what  is  the  sin  which,  if  he  is  unwatchful,  unprayerful,  exposed  to 
temptation,  and  unrestrained  by  divine  influence,  he  may  not  com 
mit.  Such  exhortations  to  regenerate  persons  loudly  proclaim,  "  Be 
vigilant ;"  repress  the  first  movements  of  evil  ;  shun  even  its  appear 
ance  :  "  Let  him  who  thinketh  he  standeth,  take  heed  lest  he 
fall."  l 

The  exhortation  of  the  apostle  is,  not  to  cover  these  unsightly  de 
formities  of  the  old  man  with  the  veil  of  an  assumed  courteousness 
and  politeness,  or  sanctimony.  In  his  estimation,  and  in  that  of  his 
Master,  these  were,  however  admired  by  men,  abominable  in  God's 
sight,  being  but  forms  of  that  hypocrisy  which  he  so  pointedly  con 
demns.  To  do  this  were  to  add  iniquity  to  iniquity.  The  exhorta 
tion  is  to  "lay  them  aside."  The  object  of  Christianity  is  not  to 
conceal  the  evil  which  still  exists,  and  exists  it  may  be  but  in  the  great 
er  force,  acts  but  with  the  greater  virulence,  because  it  is  concealed; 
but  it  is  to  destroy  it,  so  that  there  may  be  no  need  of  concealment, 
because  there  is  nothing  to  conceal. 

The  apostle  does  not  require  the  modification,  but  the  extinction,  of 
those  evil  principles.  The  filthy  rags  must  not  be  mended,  and  in  some 
measure  purified ;  they  are  to  be  put  off,  and  cast  away.  Christian 
morality  is  very  uncompromising.  Those  polluted  vestments,  fast  as 
they  may  cling  to  the  diseased  mind,  must  be  torn  off.  Every  one 
of  them  ;  all  malice,  all  guile,  hypocrisies,  and  envies,  and  all  evil- 
speakings,  must  be  put  off.  There  is  no  exception  ;  all  sin.  in  all  its 
forms  and  in  all  its  degrees,  must  be  abandoned,  abandoned  forever. 
It  is  impossible  to  read  this  passage  without  being  impressed  with 
the  inward,  thorough  character  of  the  Christian  morality,  the  spir 
ituality  of  "the  royal  law,"  "the  law  of  Christ."  "Malice  and 
envy"  are  forbidden,  as  well  as  "deceit,  and  hypocrisies,  and  evil- 
speakings." 

And  you  will  observe,  too,  the  order  in  which  the  prohibition 
stands.  In  the  world's  morality,  they  set  about  pruning  the  branches 
while  the  root  is  undisturbed;  and  the  evil  tree  is  often  rather 
strengthened  than  weakened  by  the  process  ;  but  here  "  the  axe  is  laid 
to  the  root  of  the  tree."  Lay  aside  malice.  If  that  is  laid  aside,  de 
ceit  and  hypocrisy  will  soon  disappear,  and  never  re-appear.  De 
stroy  the  root ;  the  leaves,  and  even  the  stem,  will  soon  wither  and 
die.  Lay  aside  envies,  and  there  will  be  no  evil-speakings.  Such  is 
the  import  of  the  dissuasive  part  of  the  exhortation. 

And  now,  my  brethren,  let  us  open  our  hearts  to  the  word  of  ex- 

'   1  Peter  i.  8.     I  Cor.  x.  12. 


PART   II.]  DISSUASIVE    EXHORTATION.  145 

hortation  here  addressed  to  us.  Let  us  not  turn  aside  from  these 
statements,  as  too  plain  and  common-place  to  deserve  much  consider 
ation.  Do  some  say,  we  know  all  this  already?  I  answer  with  my 
Master,  "If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them  ;"  but 
if  ye  do  them  not,  it  had  been  better  for  you  that  you  had  not  known 
them.  The  preaching  of  Christian  doctrine  and  law  is  intended  for 
some  other,  some  nobler  purpose,  than  to  add  to  the  stock  of  what  has 
been  termed  "men's  speculative  discoursing  knowledge."  There  is 
something  wrong,  either  with  the  minister  or  the  people,  it  may  be 
with  both,  when  plain  christianly  moral  discourses  are  not  delivered, 
or  not  relished.  It  was  a  proof  of  anything  but  growth  in  spiritual 
strength,  when  the  Israelites  loathed  the  daily  manna,  called  it  dry 
food,  and  required  flesh  to  satisfy  their  lust.  It  is  a  very  bad  sign  of 
a  man  if  he  does  not  like  a  plain  practical  sermon.  "  There  is,"  as 
one  well  remarks,  "  an  intemperance  of  the  mind  as  well  as  the 
mouth.  You  would  think,  and  may  be  not  spare  to  call  it  a  poor, 
cold  sermon,  that  was  made  up  of  such  plain  precepts  as  those  which 
have  been  the  subject  of  discourse.  And  yet  this  is  the  language  of 
God ;  it  is  his  way,  this  foolish  despicable  way,  by  which  he  guides 
and  brings  to  heaven  them  that  believe."  l 

Let  us  never  forget  that  Christianity  is  the  religion  of  love  and  the 
religion  of  truth.  The  spirit  which  the  Father  hath  given  us  is  the 
spirit  of  meekness  and  charity.  That  dovelike  spirit  dwelt  without 
measure  in  our  Head,  and  by  him  is  communicated  in  various  degrees 
to  all  his  members.  "  If  we  have  not  the  spirit  of  Christ,  we  are 
none  of  his."  2  Let  us  remember  that  the  true  way  to  put  off  malice 
is  to  put  on  charity ;  and  the  true  way  to  put  on  charity  is  to  put  on 
Christ ;  so  as  that  the  mind  which  was  in  him  may  be  in  us. 

Let  us  then  "  walk  in  love,"  and  in  truth  as  well  as  in  love.  Let 
us  put  off  all  deceits  and  hypocrisies.  There  is  a  meanness  in  hypoc 
risy  which  should  make  us  despise  it,  a  folly  in  it  which  should  make 
us  ashamed  of  it,  as  well  as  an  impiety  in  it  which  should  make  us 
abhor  it.  Oh,  "  what  is  the  hope  of  the  hypocrite,  when  he  has  gained 
the  whole  world,  when  God  taketh  away  his  soul  ?"  3  "  What  avails 
it  to  wear  this  mask?  A  man  may  indeed,  in  the  sight  of  men,  act 
his  part  handsomely  under  it ;  but  know  we  not,  that  there  is  an  eye 
that  sees  through  it,  and  a  hand  which,  if  we  will  not  put  off  this 
mask,  will  put  it  off  to  our  shame,  either  here  in  the  sight  of  men,  or 
if  we  should  escape  all  our  life,  and  go  fair  off  the  stage  under  it,  yet 
there  is  a  day  appointed  when  all  hypocrites  will  be  unveiled,  and  ap 
pear  what  they  are  indeed,  before  men  and  angels  ?  It  is  a  poor 
thing  to  be  approved  or  even  applauded  by  men,  while  God  condemns, 
by  whose  sentence  ail  must  stand  or  fall.  Let  us  seek  to  be  approved 
and  justified  by  him,  and  then  who  shall  condemn  ?  It  does  not 
matter  who  do.  Oh,  how  lightly  may  the  contempt  and  reproaches 
of  men  lie  on  us,  if  we  are  but  secure  of  his  approbation !  It  is  a 
small  thing  to  be  judged  of  man's  judgment ;  there  is  one  that  judgeth 
rne,  that  is  the  Lord."  4 

There  is  a  common,  and  I  am  afraid  by  no  means  unfounded,  com- 

1  Leighton.  8  Rom.  viii.  9. 

'  Job  xxvii.  8.  *  Leighton. 

10 


146  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

plaint,  that  maty  hearers  of  the  word  are  wholly  unfruitful,  and  that 
others  are  little  edified.  Our  text  furnishes  us  with  the  true  account 
of  this  melancholy  fact.  They  do  not  "  lay  aside  malice,  and  guile, 
and  hypocrisies,  and  envyings,  and  evil-speakings."  Till  they  do  so, 
though  they  were  under  the  ministry  of  an  angel,  they  would  never 
receive  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  they  might  grow  thereby. 
Those  who  wish  to  get  good  from  the  word  of  God,  must  guard  against 
all  those  tempers  which  war  with  truth  and  love. 

There  is  no  keeping  out  of  controversy  at  all  times  in  our  world, 
without  sacrificing  truth;  but  controversy  is  full  of  hazards.  Alas! 
how  seldom  is  it  conducted,  even  on  substantially  the  right  side, 
without  "malice,  and  guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and  envyings,  and  evil- 
speakings  !"  And  so  strangely  deluded  are  men,  that  they  often  seem 
to  think  that  the  more  they  are  under  the  influence  of  those  unchris 
tian  principles,  while  professedly,  and  it  may  be  really,  contending  for 
Christian  truth,  so  much  the  better  Christians  are  they.  They  seem 
to  measure  their  love  for  the  truth,  by  their  hatred  of  those  who  they 
suppose  are  opposing  it.  I  trust  we,  my  brethren,  have  not  so  learn 
ed  Christ;  but  that  "having  heard  him,  and  been  taught  of  him  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  we  are  putting  off,  concerning  the  former  con 
versation,  the  old  man,  who  is  corrupt  according  to  the  deceitful  lusts ; 
and  are  renewed  in  the  spirit  of  our  minds ;  putting  on  the  new  man, 
who  after  God  is  created  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness  ;  and 
putting  away  all  bitterness,  and  wrath,  and  anger,  and  clamor,  and 
evil-speaking,  with  all  malice."  Then  will  "  the  word  of  Christ  dwell 
in  us  richly,"  and  then  will  the  light  of  God  shine  in  our  minds,  and 
"the  peace  of  God  rule  in  our  hearts."  l 

§  2. — The  Persuasive  Exhortation. 

The  persuasive  part  of  the  exhortation  comes  now  before  us  for 
consideration:  "Desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  ye  may 
grow  thereby."2  This  exhortation  refers  both  to  an  end,  and  to  the 
means  by  which  this  end  is  to  be  accomplished.  The  end  is  the  at 
tainment  of  spiritual  growth,  and  the  means,  the  taking  spiritual 
nourishment.  Thus  the  exhortation  naturally  divides  itself  into  two 
parts.  (1.)  Seek  spiritual  growth,  that  is  the  end;  and  (2.)  "Desire 
the  sincere  rnilk  of  the  word,"  that  is  the  means ;  for  it  is  by  the 
right  use  of  this  appropriate  nourishment  that  spiritual  growth  is  to  be 
attained.  Let  us  look  at  these  two  exhortations,  first  separately,  and 
then  in  their  relation  to  each  other. 

(1.)  The  first  exhortation  is,  seek  spiritual  growth.  The  figurative 
view  of  the  state  and  character  of  the  persons  addressed,  "  new-born 
babes,"  and  the  corresponding  view  of  their  daily  "  growth/'  suggest 

1  Eph.  iv.  20-24,  31.     Col.  iii.  15,  16. 

2  It  is  right  to  notice  that  the  words  sis  cw-npinv — "unto  salvation" — follow  "va  iv  ai™ 
ai>fr9r,T£ — "that  ye  may  grow  thereby,"  in  most  of  the  Codd.  and  old  translations,  and  that 
all  the  great  critical  editors  of  the  New  Testament,  with  the  exception  of  Mill,  consider 
them  as  entitled  to  a  place  in  the  text.     They  do  not  materially  change  the  sense.     They 
mark  salvation — complete  deliverance  from  evil  in  every  form  and  degree  — as  the  end 
of  spiritual  growth,  and  spiritual  growth  through  the  use  of  the  ydXa  \oyixdi'  as  the  ap 
pointed  means  of  salvation.     The  phrase  £i'?  vwrripiav  may  be  thus  resolved— us  TO  rvy^u- 
veiv  fyaj  rfc  ffurripici;,  "that  you  may  thus  obtain  salvatioa" — Eph.  iv.  13. 


PART  II.]  PERSUASIVE    EXHORTATION.  147 

the  ideas  ol  life,  of  faculty,  and  of  imperfection.  What  is  dead  can 
not  grow,  what  is  perfect  does  not  need  to  grow.  Life  is  necessary 
to  growth,  vegetable  life  to  vegetable  growth,  animal  life  to  animal 
growth,  rational  life  to  rational  growth,  spiritual  life  to  spiritual 
growth.  The  still-born  babe  never  grows.  It  is  the  living  new-born 
babe  that  grows.  Till  a  man  is  "  born  again,  not  of  corruptible  seed, 
but  of  incorruptible/'  even  of  that  word  which  in  the  gospel  is 
preached  to  us,  he  is  destitute  of  spiritual  life,  and  therefore  he  is  in 
capable  of  spiritual  growth.  On  all  such  men  the  declaration  of  our 
Lord  must  be  urged  :  "  Ye  must  be  born  again,  ye  must  repent  and 
be  converted."  The  persons  addressed  here  are  plainly  persons  who, 
under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  having  been  brought  to  be 
lieve  the  saving  truth,  have  undergone  a  radical  change  of  mind  and 
heart,  of  sentiment  and  disposition.  They  are  spiritually  alive,  they 
can  perform  the  functions  of  spiritual  living  beings,  they  are  capable 
of  spiritual  growth. 

But  the  idea  of  imperfection  is  just  as  plainly  suggested  by  the 
figurative  language  of  the  text  as  that  of  capacity.  They  are  living 
beings ;  but  the  principle  of  life,  though  unextinguishable,  is  as  yet 
feeble.  They  need  to  grow.  They  have  not  been  all  at  once 
brought  into  a  state  of  spiritual  perfection.  Their  emblem  is  not 
Adam,  proceeding  from  the  hand  of  God  in  all  the  completeness  of 
manhood;  it  is  the  new-born  babe.  And  they  need  not  only  to 
grow,  but  to  grow  a  great  deal.  They  are  not  represented  as  youths 
just  approaching  manhood,  they  are  "new-born  babes."  They  have 
entered  on  their  course,  but  only  entered.  Even  in  the  case  of  those 
who  have  proceeded  farthest,  what  is  behind  is  as  nothing  in  compar 
ison  of  what  is  before  them.  They  have  "not  attained."  This  is 
the  testimony  respecting  himself  of  one  who  had  made  more  progress 
perhaps  than  any  other.  "  Not  as  though  I  had  already  attained, 
either  were  already  perfect."  l 

But  we  have  said  enough  of  what  is  presupposed  in  the  injunction, 
to  "  grow  as  new-born  babes."  Let  us  now  inquire  into  its  meaning. 
What  is  it,  then,  to  grow  ?  For  the  natural  new-born  babe  to  grow, 
is  to  increase  in  size,  and  strength,  and  beauty,  and  intelligence,  and 
in  the  active,  graceful  use  of  all  its  various  faculties.  For  the  spir 
itual  new-born  babe  to  grow,  is  to  increase  in  the  knowledge  of  the 
only  true  God  and  his  Son  Jesus,  which  is  eternal  life,  obtaining  more 
extensive,  more  accurate,  more  influential  views,  on  this  boundlessly 
extensive  and  infinitely  important  subject ;  in  the  faith  of  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus ;  in  the  love  of  God,  of  Christ,  of  the  brethren,  of 
all  mankind ;  in  reliance  on  the  free  grace  of  the  Father,  the  finished 
work  of  the  Son,  the  promised  aids  of  the  Spirit ;  in  knowledge  and 
heartfelt  conviction  of  his  own  worthlessness  and  helplessness,  weak 
ness  and  folly ;  in  deep  humility ;  in  hatred  of  sin ;  in  vigilance 
against  temptation  ;  in  love  of  holiness  ;  in  zeal  for  the  divine  honor ; 
in  growing  delight  in  God  as  the  portion  of  the  soul ;  in  weanedness 
from  the  world ;  in  a  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  for  God's  glory  and  man's 
salvation ;  in  desire  for  the  pure  peace,  the  holy  happiness  of  heaven ; 
and  by  the  growth  of  these  principles,  "  being  strengthened  with  all 

1  Phil.  iii.  12. 


148  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

might  in  the  inner  man,"  to  become  more  alert,  and  constant,  and 
persevering  in  performing  all  the  functions  of  the  new  life,  both  in 
ward  and  outward ;  doing  and  suffering  the  will  of  God ;  "  walking 
in  all  the  commandments  and  ordinances  of  the  Lord  blameless ;" 
"denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  and  living  soberly,  right 
eously,  and  godly  in  this  present  world  ;"  walking  at  liberty ;  keeping 
God's  commandments,  "fighting  the  good  fight  of  faith,"  running 
"  the  race  that  is  set  before  him." 

Growth  in  the  knowledge  of  Christian  truth,  is  that  on  which 
spiritual  growth  generally  depends.  The  great  influential  principles 
of  saving  truth  are  few  and  simple,  and  some  are  apt  to  think  that 
they  are  easily,  and  soon,  fully  learned.  But  this  is  a  dangerous  mis 
take.  The  oldest  and  most  intelligent  Christian  may  grow  in  the 
knowledge  of  these  truths.  It  is  a  very  important  remark,  that  after 
a  man  is  really  converted,  growth  in  knowledge  consists  chiefly  in 
knowing  better  the  very  truths  by  which  conversion  has  been  pro 
duced.  He  may  see  more  deeply  into. the  meaning  of  those  truths 
which  he  had  only  a  general  notion  of;  he  may  see  additional  evi 
dence  of  their  truth ;  he  may  see  more  of  their  mutual  connection 
and  dependence  ;  he  may  see  more  of  the  uses  they  are  intended  to 
serve ;  he  may  obtain  more  skill  in  turning  them  to  their  proper  use, 
both  to  himself  and  others  ;  he  may  obtain  a  more  deep  and  exten 
sive  experimental  acquaintance  with  them,  and  he  may  rise  to  a 
much  higher  esteem  for,  and  love  of  them.  The  most  important  kind 
of  growth  in  knowledge  to  a  true  Christian,  is  to  grow  in  the  knowl 
edge  of  what  he  does  know,  rather  than  to  grow  in  knowledge  by 
acquiring  an  acquaintance  with  something  that  he  does  not  know. 
The  addition  of  some  degrees  to  the  more  needful  parts  of  knowl 
edge  which  we  already  possess,  will  go  further  to  promote  spiritual 
growth,  than  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  respecting  less  necessary 
things,  of  which  we  are  ignorant.  Every  Christian  knows  the  doc 
trine  of  Christ  crucified ;  but  many  a  Christian  knows  little  about 
scholastic  questions  respecting  the  decrees  of  God,  and  the  subjects 
of  baptism,  and  the  government  of  the  Church.  His  spiritual  growth 
will  be  more  impeded  by  imperfection  in  the  knowledge  of  the  for 
mer,  than  by  absolute  ignorance  of  the  latter;  and  his  spiritual  growth 
will  be  more  advanced  by  knowing  a  little  more  of  that  which  he  al 
ready  knows,  than  by  obtaining  even  the  most  accurate  information 
on  the  points  of  which  he  is  ignorant.  It  is  an  admirable  observa 
tion  of  an  old  divine,  "  There  is  enough  in  one  of  the  articles  of  our 
faith,  in  one  of  God's  attributes,  in  one  of  Christ's  benefits,  in  one  of 
the  Spirit's  graces,  to  hold  you  in  study  all  your  lives,  and  afford  you 
still  an  increase  of  knowledge.  To  know  God,  the  Father,  Son,  and 
Spirit,  and  their  relations  to  you,  and  operations  for  you,  and  your 
duties  to  them,  and  the  way  of  communion  with  them,  is  a  knowledge 
in  which  we  may,  we  must  be,  still  growing,  till  it  be  perfected  by 
the  celestial  beatifical  vision."  » 

It  is  difficult  to  conceive  a  finer  or  more  complete  description  of 
what  spiritual  growth  is,  than  that  embodied  in  a  prayer  by  the  Apos 
tle  Paul  for  the  Philippian  Christians :  "  And  this  I  pray,  that  your 

1  Baxter. 


PART  II.]  PERSUASIVE    EXHORTATION.  149 

love  may  abound  more  and  more  in  knowledge  and  in  all  judgment ; 
that  ye  may  approve  the  things  that  are  excellent;  that  ye  may  be 
sincere,  and  without  offence,  till  the  day  of  Christ ;  being  filled  with 
the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  by  Jesus  Christ,  unto  the  glory 
and  praise  of  God."  l  To  use  the  words  of  one  far  advanced  towards  ^ 
"  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ,"  "  That  Chris 
tian  is  a  growing  Christian  who  abounds  more  and  more  in  the  varied 
exercises  of  that  holy  love  which  is  the  fulfilment  of  this  royal  law ; 
whose  love  is  directed  and  regulated  by  increasing  knowledge,  wis 
dom,  and  judgment ;  who  acquires  by  exercise,  under  the  teaching  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  habit  of  prudently  examining,  and  accurately 
distinguishing,  between  the  things  that  differ,  abhorring  the  evil,  and 
cleaving  to  the  good  more  entirely  and  heartily  from  day  to  day  ;  who 
becomes  more  known  and  approved  for  sincerity  and  integrity  in  all 
his  professions  and  engagements,  and  more  singly  devoted  to  God  as 
he  advances  in  years;  who  becomes  more  and  more  circumspect  in 
his  words  and  works,  that  he  may  neither  inadvertently  fall  himself, 
nor  cause  others  to  stumble ;  who  becomes  more  fervent  in  prayer, 
to  be  preserved  from  bringing  any  reproach  on  the  gospel  to  the  end 
of  his  course ;  who  becomes  more  abundantly  fruitful  in  the  works 
of  righteousness,  while  at  the  same  time  he  lies  lower  before  God  in 
deep  humility,  and  is  more  willing  than  ever  to  be  abased  among 
men  ;  who  acts  more  and  more  habitually  with  the  invisible  God  and 
the  eternal  world  before  his  mind,  and  relies  more  entirely  on  the 
mercy  and  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  thus  becomes  more  precious 
to  his  soul ;  whose  dependence  on  the  providence  of  God  becomes 
more  uniform,  and  accompanied  with  greater  composure,  submission, 
and  constancy  in  the  path  of  duty.  This  is  the  growing  Christian. 
Nothing  material  to  the  Christian  character  seems  wanting.  The 
various  holy  dispositions  and  affections,  resulting  from  regeneration, 
are  advancing  to  maturity  in  just  proportion  and  coincidence,  and  he 
is  evidently  ripening  for  the  work,  worship,  and  joy  of  heaven."2  <^ 
Take  another  representation  of  spiritual  growth  by  our  apostle  him 
self.  He  grows  spiritually,  who  having  been  called  to  glory  and  vir 
tue,  and  made  a  partaker  of  a  divine  nature,  through  the  exceeding 
great  and  precious  promises  of  the  gospel  understood  and  believed  by 
him,  "adds  to  his  faith,  virtue;  and  to  virtue,  knowledge;  and  to 
knowledge,  temperance ;  and  to  temperance,  patience ;  and  to  pa 
tience,  godliness ;  and  to  godliness,  brotherly  kindness ;  and  to  bro 
therly  kindness,  charity ;  who  has  these  things  in  him,  and  abounding 
in  him,  and  is  not  idle  nor  unfruitful  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  3 

We  have  now  got  the  general  idea  of  spiritual  growth ;  it  is  just 
progressive  sanctification.  Grow  spiritually,  is  in  plain  terms,  be 
come  more  and  more  holy.  But  we  shall  fail  of  getting  all  the  in 
struction  which  the  inspired  writer's  words  are  intended  and  fitted  to 
convey,  if  we  do  not  inquire  whether  there  are  not  some  important 
truths,  in  reference  to  progressive  holiness,  suggested  by  the  figurative 
view  here  given  of  it.  Are  there  not  certain  points  of  resemblance 
between  natural  growth  and  progressive  holiness,  which  deserve 
1  Phil.  i.  9-1 L  2  Scott.  3  2  Pet.  i.  5-7. 


150  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

notice?  We  apprehend  there  are,  and,  principally,  the  following. 
Both  are,  in  the  sense  proper  to  them,  natural;  both  are  gradual,  and 
upon  the  whole  constant ;  both  are  universal  and  generally  simul 
taneous  ;  and  both  of  them  are  perceptible,  and  sometimes  more  per 
ceptible  to  others  than  to  their  subject.  A  word  or  two  of  illustration 
on  these  instructive  points  of  resemblance,  is  all  that  is  necessary. 

1.  It  is  the  order  of  the  natural  world  for  the  child  to  grow.     It  is 
the  order  of  the  spiritual  world  for  the  saint  to  improve.     An  infant 
not  growing,  but  wasting  away,   is  an  unnatural  and  melancholy 
object ;  and  still  more  unnatural,  still  more  melancholy,  is  it  for  one 
who  seems  to  be  a  saint  to  be  seen  becoming  no  wiser,  no  better,  or, 
more  deplorable  still,  becoming  worse.     There  is  want  of  nourish 
ment,  or  disease,  in  both  cases,  where  there  is  not  growth.     Truth, 
it  has  been  said,  does  not  lie  in  the  heart  as  a  stone  on  the  earth,  but 
as  seed  in  the  earth,  which  naturally  germinates. 

2.  Growth  is  gradual — very  gradual,  and  so  is  Christian  improve 
ment.     No  infant  becomes  a  man  at  once,  but  every  day  sees  him 
nearer  manhood  ;  and  so  is  it  in  the  spiritual  world.     The  saint  be 
comes  gradually  wiser  and  better.     Like  the  child,  he  makes  more 
progress  at  some  times  than  others  ;  yet  in  all  cases  the  progress  is 
gentle,  not  sudden.     And  as,  when  in   health,  the  child  is   always 
growing,  so  when  the  Christian  is  not  laboring  under  spiritual  disease, 
he  is  always  making  progress. 

3.  When  the  child  grows,  the  whole  of  its   body  and  mind  grows. 
Swelling,  which  is  a  diseased  unnatural  affection,  may  be  confined  to 
a  part  of  the   body,  but  natural  growth  extends  to  the  whole  of  it. 
And  so  it  is  with  the  spiritual  new-born  babe.     He  grows  in  knowl 
edge,  and  faith,  and  holiness,  and  comfort,  at  the  same  time.     And 
the  growth  in  both  cases,  where  things  are  as  they  ought  to  be,  is 
proportional.     It  also  deserves  notice,  that  though  there  be  general 
growth,  if  any 'part  of  the  system  be  preternaturally  active,  if  any 
member  of  the  body  is  preternaturally  enlarged,  any  faculty  of  the 
mind  preternaturally  developed,  there  is  disease  and  disorder.     And 
so  it  is  in  the  spiritual  world.     If  the  understanding  be  enlightened 
while  the  affections  are  not  proportionally  affected,  or  if  the  affections 
are  strongly  excited  while  the  understanding  is  not  proportionally 
enlightened,  there  is  no   healthy  growth,  no   satisfactory  progress. 
Healthy  nourishment  in  a  healthy  constitution,  whether  bodily  or 
mental,  natural  or  spiritual,  produces  both  universal  and  simultaneous 
growth. 

4.  Where  there  is  real  growth,  it  will  be  perceptible  ;  not  pecepti- 
ble  in  its  progress,  but  perceptible  in  its  effects.     In  the  case  of  a 
healthy  child,  he  who  sees  it  when  new-born,  and  when  it  is  a  twelve 
month  old,  distinctly  perceives  that  there  has  been  growth.     In  the 
same  way,  a  person  who  sees  a  young  convert,  if  he  meets  with  him 
months  or  years  after,  will  perceive  progress  both  in  knowledge  and 
in  holiness.     The  child  is  seldom  sensible  of  growth.     It  requires  to 
look  back,  and  compare  what  it  is  now  with  what  it  recollects  itself 
to  have  been,  to  convince  it  of  its  having  grown.     And  so  it  is  with 
the  spiritual  babe.     It  is  only  by  comparing  what  he  now  is  with 
what  he  was  at  some  previous  period,  that  he  can  be  convinced  that 


PART  II.]  PERSUASIVE    EXHORTATION.  151 

he  is  making  progress.  Indeed,  not  unfrequently,  from  the  increase 
both  of  spiritual  sensibility  and  spiritual  perspicacity,  he  feels  as  if, 
instead  of  becoming  better,  he  was  becoming  worse.  He  is,  in  his 
own  feelings,  less  conformed  to  the  divine  law  as  he  now  sees  it,  than 
he  was,  it  may  be  years  ago,  as  he  then  saw  it.  And  yet  this  may  be, 
indeed  is,  one  of  the  best  proofs  that  there  is  progress  in  knowledge, 
both  of  God's  law  and  of  himself;  and  in  a  corresponding  humility 
and  growing  dependence  on  the  atonement  as  the  ground  of  accept 
ance,  and  on  the  Spirit  as  the  fountain  of  holiness.  The  sight  Chris 
tians  have  of  their  defects  in  grace,  and  their  thirst  after  greater 
measures  of  grace,  make  them  think  they  do  not  grow  when  indeed 
they  do.1 

A  healthy  child  grows  without  thinking  much  about  its  growth. 
It  takes  its  food  and  its  exercise,  and  finds  that  it  is  growing  in  the 
increase  of  its  strength  and  its  capacity  for  exertion.  And  an  anal 
ogous  state  is,  I  believe,  the  healthiest  state  of  the  spiritual  new-born 
babe.  While  self-examination,  rightly  managed,  is  very  useful,  a 
morbid  desire  of  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we  are  improving, 
is  in  danger  of  drawing  the  mind  away  from  the  constant  employ 
ment  of  the  means  of  spiritual  nourishment  and  health.  The  best 
state  of  things  is,  when,  in  the  healthy,  vigorous  condition  of  the 
spiritual  constitution,  ready  for  every  good  work,  we  have  the  evi 
dence  in  ourselves  that  we  are  growing ;  and  when  that  is  wanting, 
application  to  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word  will  do  a  great  deal  more 
good  than  poring  into  ourselves,  to  find  proof  either  that  we  are 
growing  or  not  growing.  So  much  for  the  first  part  of  the  persuasive 
exhortation,  '  Seek  spiritual  growth.5 

(2.)  The  second  part  of  the  exhortation  refers  to  the  means  for 
gaining  this  end — spiritual  growth.  "Desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the 
word,  that  ye  may  grow  thereby."  There  are  here  three  things 
which  we  must  attend  to — 1.  What  is  this  sincere  milk  of  the  word? 
2.  How  is  it  that  we  grow  by  it  ?  3.  And  what  is  it  to  desire  this 
sincere  milk  of  the  word  ? 

1.  The  phrase  "milk  of  the  word'*  is  singular,  and  a  variety  of 
opinions  have  been  entertained  both  as  to  its  reference  and  meaning. 
If  we  can  certainly  fix  the  first,  there  will  be  comparatively  little 
difficulty  in  apprehending  the  second.  Some,  among  whom  we  are 
surprised  to  find  the  judicious  Calvin,  have  supposed  that  the  refer 
ence  is  to  those  Christian  virtues  which  stand  in  direct  opposition  to 
the  vices  which  are  condemned  in  the  previous  verse ;  but  these  can 
not  well  be  represented  as  the  spiritual  food  of  the  spiritual  new-born 
babe.  They  are  rather  the  symptoms  that  the  food  has  produced  its 
proper  effect  in  the  bloom  and  vigor  of  a  healthful  frame.  The  in 
spired  writer  furnishes  us  with  the  means  of  determining  the  refer 
ence.  Whatever  the  milk  of  the  word  be,  it  is  that  by  which  spir 
itual  new-born  babes  are  nourished ;  in  plainer  words,  it  is  that  by 
which  the  sanctification  and  holy  happiness  of  the  regenerate  soul 
are  promoted.  Now  there  can  be  no  doubt,  that  that  is  divine  truth 
understood  and  believed.  It  is  "  by  this  that  men  live  ;  in  this  is  the 

1  Watson. 


152  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

life  of  our  souls."  "  Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth ;  thy  word  is 
truth,"  says  our  Lord.  "  Purifying  their  hearts  by  faith,"  says  the 
Apostle  Peter.  "  Grace,  mercy,  and  peace  are  multiplied  through  the 
knowledge  of  this  truth."  "It  is  by  unity  of  the  faith,  and  knowl 
edge  of  the  Son  of  God,  that  we  come  to  the  measure  of  the  stature 
of  the  fulness  of  Christ,"  says  the  Apostle  Paul.1 

The  reference  then,  without  doubt,  is  to  the  truth  respecting  the 
divine  character  revealed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures ;  but  what  is  the 
precise  meaning  of  the  phrase,  "  the  milk  of  the  word  ?"  The  milk 
is  plainly  equivalent  to  the  appropriate  nourishment ;  what  serves 
the  same  purpose  to  Christians,  especially  new  converts,  that  the 
mother's  milk  does  to  the  new-born  babe.  The  "  milk  of  the  word" 
may  either  mean  the  spiritual  nourishment  which  is  contained  in  that 
word  spoken  of  in  the  previous  context,  "  the  word  of  the  Lord  which 
liveth  and  abideth  forever,  the  word  of  the  gospel  preached  to  us  ;" 
or  it  may  mean  rational  nourishment,  nourishment  suited  to  the 
rational  spiritual  nature  of  man,  as  milk  is  to  his  physical  or  animal 
nature;2  just  as  the  same  word  is  employed  in  Rom.  xii.  1,  "reason 
able  service,"3  rather  national  worship;  the  presenting  our  bodies 
living  sacrifices  being  contrasted  with  the  animal  sacrifices  under  the 
Old  Testament  dispensation.  It  does  not  matter  which  interpretation 
we  prefer,  both  bringing  out  a  truth,  and  an  important  and  appro 
priate  one. 

Spiritual  truth  is  compared  to  milk  ;  to  intimate  its  simplicity,  its 
pleasantness  to  the  unsophisticated  spiritual  palate,  and  its  tendency 
to  produce  spiritual  growth. 

This  milk  of  the  word  is  described  by  the  apostle  as  "  sincere." 
The  application  of  the  term  seems  strange,  sincerity  being  with  us 
always  considered  as  a  moral,  not  a  physical  attribute,  a  quality  not 
of  things,  but  of  persons.  It  is  one  of  the  comparatively  rare  in 
stances  of  the  use  of  a  word  in  an  obsolete  sense  in  our  translation. 
The  original  word,  when  applied  to  persons,  or  figuratively  to  things, 
means  undeceiving;  when  applied  to  things  in  a  proper  sense,  it 
means  pure,  unmixed,  unadulterated.  In  either  sense  it  is  very  ap 
plicable.  The  word  of  God  is  pure  truth,  without  the  slightest  ad 
mixture  of  error;  it  is  only  in  the  degree  in  which  this  pure  truth  is 
contained  in  any  statement,  that  that  statement  is  spiritually  nourish 
ing  ;  and  this  pure  word  is  undeceiving  ;  it  does  what  it  professes  to 
do,  it  really  nourishes.  "  It  converts  the  soul,  it  makes  wise  the  sim 
ple,  it  rejoices  the  heart,  it  enlightens  the  eyes."  It  "  is  able  to  build 
us  up ;  to  save  the  soul." 4 

2.  These  remarks  may  suffice  to  give  us  a  distinct  apprehension  of 
the  meaning  of  the  terms  ;  but  it  is  required  that  we  look  a  little 
deeper  into  the  subject,  and  inquire  how  it  is  that  the  spiritual  new 
born  babe  grows  by  this  pure,  undeceiving  milk  of  the  word  ;  how  di 
vine  truth  produces  spiritual  growth.  It  does  not  operate  as  a  charm. 
The  power  of  truth  to  sanctify  the  believer  is  just  as  much  a  part  of 

1  John  xvii.  17.     Acts  xv.  9.     2  Pet.  i.  2.     Eph.  iv.  13. 

*  Aoytxdv  in  contrast  with  </>t»ruo»>.    "To  \oyucdv  id  est  [ivariKdv,  TO  vorjrdv."    Rom.  xii.  1 
Spirituale  bene  vertit  Syrus. — GEOTIUS. — Geistlich. — LUTHEU. 
8  Aoyj«)>  AarpEiuj/.  *  Psal.  xix.  7.    James  i.  21. 


PART  II.]  PERSUASIVE    EXHORTATION.  153 

the  order  of  the  spiritual  world,  as  the  power  of  milk  to  nourish  the 
new-born  babe  is  of  the  order  of  the  natural  world.  It  is  easy  to  see 
that  spiritual  knowledge  can  be  increased  just  as  it  was  originally  ob 
tained,  only  by  means  of  the  only  revelation  of  spiritual  truth  being 
apprehended  by  the  mind  ;  how  faith  can  grow  only  by  a  growing 
apprehension  of  the  truth  which  is  the  object  of  faith,  and  of  the  evi 
dence  which  is  the  ground  of  faith.  It  is  the  representation  of  the 
loveliness  and  amiableness  of  God  contained  in  the  word,  understood 
and  believed,  that  produces  love  and  confidence  in  him.  It  is  the  rep 
resentation  of  his  awful  majesty  and  infinite  holiness  which  produces 
reverence.  It  is  the  view  it  gives  us  of  sin  and  of  ourselves  that  pro 
duces  humility  and  watchfulness.  The  precepts  show  us  what  to  be 
and  to  do  ;  and  the  promises  and  warnings  furnish  us  with  powerful 
motives  to  comply  with  the  precepts,  and  thus  make  us,  both  in  char 
acter  and  conduct,  what  God  would  have  us  to  be.  Every  portion 
of  divine  truth  is  intended  and  calculated  to  tell  on  the  growth  of  some 
portion  of  the  new  man  ;  on  the  development  of  some  of  his  faculties  ; 
the  strengthening  of  some  of  his  energies  ;  the  beautifying  of  some  of 
his  features.  To  borrow  a  figure  from  the  Apostle  Paul,  Divine 
truth  or  doctrine  is  the  mould  in  which  the  new  creature  is  cast,1 
and  every  portion  of  it  leaves  a  corresponding  impression.  "  Truths 
are  the  seal,  the  soul  is  the  wax,  and  holiness  is  the  impression  made 
by  the  seal  on  the  wax."  2 

3.  Now,  the  exhortation  of  the  apostle  to  those  whom  he  addresses 
is,  that  they  should  "  desire"  this  unadulterated,  undeceiving  nourish 
ment.  in  order  to  their  growth.  The  force  of  the  exhortation, 
"  desire"  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  is,  '  see  that  ye  feel  and  act  in 
reference  to  that  truth  which  is  the  nourishment  of  your  souls,  as 
new-born  infants  do  in  reference  to  that  which  is  the  appropriate 
nutriment  of  their  bodies.  Desire  it  as  new-born  babes  ;  show  that 
you  cannot  do  without  it  ;  that  you  must  have  it  ;  that  nothing  will 
do  as  a  substitute  ;  that  you  relish  it;  that  you  are  satisfied  with  it  ; 
that  you  never  weary  of  it  ;  that  you  return  to  it  again  and  again, 
with  unabated,  with  ever-increasing  delight.'  3  The  temper  enjoined 
is  that  which  is  so  beautifully  embodied  in  the  "  burning  words"  of 
David,  "  O  how  love  I  thy  law  !  it  is  my  meditation  all  the  day.  I  will 
meditate  in  thy  precepts.  I  will  delight  myself  in  thy  statutes.  I  will 
never  forget  thy  word.  My  soul  breaketh  for  the  longing  it  hath  at 
all  times  unto  thy  judgments.  Grant  me  thy  law  graciously.  I  have 
stuck  to  thy  testimonies.  I  have  longed  after  thy  precepts.  I  will 
delight  myself  in  thy  commandments,  which  I  love.  Thy  statutes 
have  been  my  songs  in  the  house  of  my  pilgrimage.  The  law  of  thy 
mouth  is  better  to  me  than  thousands  of  gold  and  silver.  I  will  never 
forget  thy  precepts  ;  for  by  them  hast  thou  quickened  me.  How 
sweet  are  thy  words  to  my  taste  ;  yea,  sweeter  than  honey  to  my 
mouth  !  Thy  word  is  a  lamp  to  my  feet,  and  a  light  to  my  path. 
Thy  testimonies  have  I  taken  as  a  heritage  forever  ;  for  they  are  the 


i-.  —  Rom.  vi.  17.  a  Baxter. 

'ftj  dpnyn.j/jjru.     Ut  modogeniti  qui  nihil  aliud  agunt;  tantum  appetunt.  —  BENGEL. 

p  yap  ra  doTiroKd  TUV  0pt<fiuv  6v6nf  didiaxsi  ri]v  Tpr)(p>)v,  aiiroaara  Si  iKu.avVa.vEi  Kai  oi6-u  sv  roll 

owav  airotj  r/ji>  rpar.cgav  —  Achilles  Tatius,  1.  i.  cit.  ab.  Elsnero. 


154  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

rejoicing  of  my  heart.  I  love  thy  commandments  above  gold,  yea, 
above  fine  gold.  Thy  word  is  very  pure ;  therefore  thy  servant  lov- 
eth  it.  The  righteousness  of  thy  testimonies  is  everlasting.  Give  me 
understanding,  and  I  shall  live.  Consider  how  I  love  thy  precepts  : 
quicken  me,  O  Lord  !  according  to  thy  loving-kindness.  Give  me 
understanding  according  to  thy  word.  My  lips  shall  utter  praise 
when  thou  hast  taught  me  thy  statutes.  My  tongue  shall  speak  of 
thv  word ;  for  all  thy  commandments  are  righteousness.  I  have 
longed  for  thy  salvation,  O  Lord  !  and  thy  law  is  my  delight.  More 
to  be  desired  are  the  judgments  of  God  than  gold,  yea,  than  much 
fine  gold  ;  sweeter  also  than  honey,  and  the  honeycomb.  Moreover, 
by  them  is  thy  servant  warned,  and  in  keeping  of  them  there  is  great 
reward."  I  think  no  one  now  can  have  any  difficulty  in  understand 
ing  what  it  is  to  "  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word  as  new-born 
babes/'  O  that  we  all  knew  more  of  it  by  our  own  personal  expe 
rience  !  In  this  case  we  should  be  both  better  and  happier  men. 

Fully  to  apprehend  the  force  of  the  apostle's  exhortation,  we  must 
connect  the  exercise  enjoined  with  the  end  for  which  it  is  enjoined. 
Desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  ye  may  grow  thereby. 
"Desire  the  word,"  says  the  pious  Leighton,  "not  that  ye  may  only 
hear  it ;  that  is,  to  fall  very  short  of  its  true  end.  Yea,  it  is  to  take 
the  beginning  of  the  work  for  the  end  of  it.  The  ear  is  indeed  the 
mouth  of  the  mind,  by  which  it  receives  the  word,  as  Elihti  compares 
it.  '  The  ear  heareth  words  as  the  mouth  tasteth  meat :'  but  meat 
that  goes  no  farther  than  the  mouth  cannot  nourish.  Neither  ought 
this  desire  of  the  word  to  be  only  to  satisfy  a  custom ;  it  were  an  ex 
ceeding  folly  to  make  so  superficial  a  thing  the  end  of  so  serious  a 
work.  Again,  to  hear  it  only  to  stop  the  mouth  of  conscience,  that  it 
may  not  clamor  more  for  the  gross  impiety  of  contemning  it — this  is 
not  to  hear  it  out  of  desire,  but  out  of  fear.  To  desire  it  only  for 
some  present  pleasure  and  delight  that  a  man  may  find  in  it,  is  not 
the  due  use  and  end  of  it :  that  there  is  delight  in  it,  may  commend 
it  to  those  who  find  it  so,  and  so  be  a  means  to  advance  the  end  ;  but 
the  end  it  is  not.  To  seek  no  more  but  a  present  delight,  that  vanish- 
eth  with  the  sound  by  the  words  that  die  in  the  air,  is  not.  to  desire 
the  word  as  meat,  but  as  music.  To  desire  the  word  for  the  mere 
increase  of  spiritual  knowledge,  or  for  the  venting  of  that  knowledge 
in  speech,  and  frequent  discourses,  is  still  to  miss  the  true  end.  If 
anyone's  head  or  tongue  should  grow  apace,  while  all  the  rest  of  the 
body  stand  at  a  stay,  it  would  certainly  make^  him  a  monster  :  and 
they  are  no  other,  that  are  knowing  and  discoursing  Christians,  and 
grow  daily  in  that,  but  not  at  all  in  holiness  of  heart  and  life,  which 
is  the  proper  growth  of  the  children  of  God."  Our  object  in  desiring 
the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  in  studying  with  intense  interest  the 
truth  as  revealed  in  the  word  of  God,  is,  that  we  may,  as  men  of  God, 
be  "  thoroughly  furnished  for  every  good  work."  l 

The  dissuasive  and  the  persuasive  parts  of  the  exhortation,  are  closely 
connected.  "  Laying  aside  all  malice,  and  all  guile,  and  hypocrisies, 
and  envies,  and  all  evil-speakings,  as  new-born  babes,  desire  the  sin 
cere  milk  of  the  word,  that  ye  may  grow  thereby."  The  idea  in- 

1  2  Tim.  iii.  17. 


PART  II.J  PERSUASIVE    EXHORTATION;  155 

tended  to  be  conveyed  by  thus  connecting  the  two  exhortations,  is 
not,  that  the  one  must  be  fully  complied  with  before  we  can  obey  the 
other,  that  we  must  get  rid  of  all  malice,  and  all  guile,  and  hypoc 
risies,  and  envies,  and  all  evil-speakings,  before  we  at  all  "desire  the 
sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  we  may  grow  thereby."  The  true  view 
of  the  matter  is,  that  the  two  parts  of  the  exhortation  must  be  obeyed 
at  the  same  time.  A  man  full  of  "  malice,  and  all  guile,  and  hypoc 
risies,  and  envies,  and  all  evi!-speakings,"cannot  "  desire  the  sincere 
milk  of  the  word,  that  he  may  grow  thereby."  A  man  who  "  desires 
the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  he  may  grow  thereby,"  cannot  be 
clothed  in  malice,  and  other  evil  habits.  The  two  exercises  mutually 
influence  each  other.  Nothing  can  displace  "  malice,  and  guile,  and 
hypocrisies,  and  evil-speakings,"  but  truth  believed.  But  the  putting 
oifof  malice,  and  the  other  evil  habits,  greatly  promotes  desire  of  the 
sincere  milk  of  the  word  ;  while,  just  as  we  yield  to  this  desire,  "  mal 
ice,  and  guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and  envies,  and  evil-speakings,"  and 
all  other  evil  habits,  are  put  off!  The  body  cannot  grow  in  a  fever, 
the  soul  cannot  thrive  where  sinful  dispositions  are  cherished  :  yet  it 
is  returning  health  which  expels  disease.  It  is  just  like  some  other 
scriptural  injunctions,  "  Cease  to  do  evil,  learn  to  do  well ;"  we  can 
not  cease  to  do  evil  but  in  the  degree  in  which  we  learn  to  do  well ; 
and  in  the  degree  in  which  we  cease  to  do  evil,  do  we  learn  to  do 
well.  "  Repent,  and  believe  the  gospel."  It  is  the  gospel,  coming 
into  the  mind  in  its  meaning  and  evidence,  that  changes  the  mind  ; 
and  it  is  in  that  change  of  mind  that  we  believe  the  gospel. 

If  you  have  listened  attentively,  I  think  you  can  scarcely  have 
failed  to  gain  a  distinct  apprehension  of  the  meaning  of  the  exhorta 
tion  which  has  been  the  subject  of  discourse.  The  important  ques 
tion  is,  Have  you  complied,  are  you  complying,  with  the  exhorta 
tion? 

I  turn,  first,  to  those  who  have  been  "born  again,  not  of  corrup 
tible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,"  and  I  ask  them,  Have  you  not  much 
need  to  grow  ?  Are  you  not  yet  very  infantine,  babes  when  you 
ought  to  have  been  young  men,  if  not  fathers  ?  Have  you  not  much 
need  to  grow  in  knowledge  ?  Are  you  able  ".to  give  an  answer  to 
every  one  that  asketh  you  a  reason  of  the  faith  and  hope  that  is  in 
you?"  Does  "the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  in  all  wisdom  ?" 
Have  you  clear,  satisfactory  views  of  the  economy  of  mercy,  of  the 
system  of  divine  truth?  Can  you  "discern  the  things  that  differ  so 
as  to  approve  the  things  which  are  excellent  ?"  Have  not  too  many 
of  us  reason  to  say,  when  "  for  the  time  we  ought  to  have  been 
teachers,  we  have  neepl  that  some  one  teach  us  again  what  be  the 
first  principles  of  the  oracles  of  God  ;  and  are  become  such  as  have 
need  of  milk,  and  not  of  strong  meat  ?"  l 

Have  you  not  need  to  grow  in  holiness  ?  Is  there  not  much  want 
ing,  much  wrong  ?  Have  you  no  corrupt  propensities  to  resist  and 
subdue  ?  Are  you  "  strong  in  faith  ?"  Do  you  "  abound  in  hope  ?" 
Does  "  the  love  of  God  reign  in  your  hearts  ?"  Ha  Te  you  '-'overcome 
the  world  ?"  Are  you  "  clothed  with  humility  ?"  Is  your  worship 
always  spiritual,  and  your  obedience  impartial,  habitual,  universal, 

1  1  Pet.  iii.  15.    CoL  iii.  16.    Phil.  i.  10.    Heb.  v.  12-14. 


156  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

cheerful  ?  Have  you  not  cause  to  say,  "  my  leanness,  my  leanness ; 
my  soul  cleaveth  to  the  dust."  l 

Have  you  not  need  to  grow  in  holy  happiness?  Have  you,  "believing, 
entered  into  rest  ?"  Are  you  "  anxious  for  nothing  ?"  Do  you  habit 
ually  "joy  in  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  we  have 
received  the  atonement  ?"  Are  you  able  to  "glory  in  tribulation?" 
to  "  rejoice  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God  ?"  Do  you  "  walk  in  the  light 
of  God's  countenance,  rejoice  in  his  name  all  the  day,  and  are  you 
exalted  in  his  righteousness?"  or  are  you  not  beset  with  doubts  and 
perplexities,  walking  in  darkness,  and  having  but  little  light.  It  is 
intended  that  you  should  grow.  An  infant  is  not  born  to  continue 
an  infant,  for  that  were  to  be  a  monster,  but  to  grow  up  to  manhood. 
If  you  do  not  grow,  it  is  not  because  growth  is  unnecessary.  •  There 
are  labors  and  trials  before  you,  which  require  the  vigor  and  intelli 
gence  of  manhood.  To  perform  these  labors  aright,  to  endure  these 
trials  aright,  you  must  "  quit  yourselves  like  men,  and  be  strong." 2 

Now  on  all  who  feel  that  they  need  to  grow,  and  are  sensible  of 
the  importance  of  growth,  I  would  press  the  exhortation  of  the  apostle, 
"Desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word."  Alas,  what  a  multitude  of 
dwarfs,  as  Richard  Baxter  says,  has  Christ,  that  are  but  like  infants, 
though  they  have  numbered  ten,  twenty,  thirty,  forty,  fifty,  or  even 
sixty  years  of  spiritual  life.  Go  not  to  yourselves,  go  not  to  your 
fellows ;  go  to  God  in  his  word  for  his  Spirit,  and  seek  growth  there. 
That  is  the  only  way  to  grow.  True  holiness,  true  happiness,  can  be 
obtained  in  no  other  way.  Various  methods  may  be  employed,  vari 
ous  methods  have  been  employed,  to  produce  the  feeling  and  the  ap 
pearance  of  spiritual  health  and  growth.  But  in  vain.  Men  may  by 
other  methods  be  bolstered  up  in  vain  confidence,  amused  with  delu 
sive  joys ;  but  they  cannot  be  made  really  happy.  They  may  be 
brought  to  make  a  fair  show  in  the  flesh ;  but  they  cannot  be  made 
really  holy.  The  milk  of  the  word,  the  unadulterated  milk  of  the 
word,  is  the  only  wholesome  nourishment  of  the  new-born  soul. 
Divine  truth  lodged  in  the  mind  and  heart,  by  the  influence  of  the 
good  Spirit,  is  the  only  well  of  living  water  which  will  spring  up  unto 
eternal  life.  Seek,  then,  to  "grow  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour."  "  Let  his  word  dwell  in  you  richly,  in  all  wisdom  ;"  and 
under  its  influence,  "  walk  worthy  of  the  Lord  unto  all  pleasing,  be 
ing  fruitful  in  every  good  work,  and  increasing  in  the  knowledge  of 
God."  3 

We  your  ministers  have  a  subordinate,  yet  still  an  important  part 
to  perform,  in  promoting  your  growth  in  grace.  It  consists  chiefly 
in  "holding  forth  to  you  the  word  of  life,"  in  .bringing  before  your 
mind,  and  "keeping  before  your  mind,  "  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus ;" 
and  it  is  our  earnest  desire  not  to  handle  this  word  of  the  Lord  de 
ceitfully,  but,  "  in  the  manifestation  of  the  truth,  to  commend  our 
selves  to  every  man's  conscience  in  the  sight  of  God  ;"  for  we  trust 
"  we  are  not  as  many  which  corrupt  the  word  of  God,"  adulterate  the 
sincere  milk  of  the  word,  "  but  as  of  sincerity,  but  as  of  God,  in  the 

1  Rom.  iv.  19 ;  xv.  13.    1  John  v.  4.     1  Pet.  v.  5.    Isa.  xxiv.  16.     Psal.  cxix.  25. 
3  Heb.  iv.  3.     Phil.  iv.  6.    Rom.  v.  3,  11.    Isa.  1.  10.     1  Cor.  xvi.  13. 
8  2  Pet.  iii.  18.     Col.  ill  16  ;  L  10. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES    TO    COMPLIANCE.  157 

sight  of  God,  speak  we  in  Christ."  "  Teaching  every  man  in  all  wis 
dom,  we  would  fain  present  every  man  perfect  in  Christ  Jesus. '; 
May  our  wishes  be  realized  ;  may  our  labors  not  be  in  vain  !  "  May 
the  "God  of  peace,  who  brought  again  from  the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus, 
that  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  make  you  perfect  in  every  good 
work,  .working  in  you  that  which  is  well-pleasing  in  his  sight,  through 
Jesus  Christ ;  to  whom  be  glory  forever  and  ever."  l 

But  there  are  those  here,  I  am  afraid,  whom  I  cannot  call  on  tc 
grow,  for  they  are  dead ;  nay,  I  am  afraid,  there  may  be  some  here 
who  are  "  twice  dead,  plucked  up  by  the  roots."  I  cannot  call  on  you 
to  come  to  the  word  that  you  may  grow,  but  I  do  call  on  you  to  come 
to  the  word  that  you  may  live ;  for  that  word  of  Christ  is  "  spirit  and 
life,"  living  and  life-giving.  "  He  that  believes"  it,  "  though  he  were 
dead,  yet  shall  he  live."  "Awake,  then,  ye  that  sleep,  and  arise  from 
the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  give  you  light."  "  Repent,  and  believe  the 
gospel."  "  Be  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  your  minds."  "  Re 
pent  an<J  be  converted,  every  one  of  you,"  and  you  shall  receive  the 
two  inestimable  gifts,  both  the  immediate  and  irrevocable  remission 
of  sins,  and  the  habitual  purifying  and  sanctifying  influence  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Receive  the  truth  in  the  love  of  it,  and  you  shall,  be 
saved.  Born  of  the  word  and  of  the  Spirit,  you  will  learn  from  ex 
perience  what  it  is  to  purify  your  hearts,  through  the  truth,  by  the 
Spirit.  "  Born  again,  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible," 
the  exhortation  will  be  addressed  to  you,  and,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
not  in  vain,  "  to  lay  aside  all  malice,  and  guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and 
envies,  and  evil-speakings,  and,  as  new-born  babes,  to  desire  the  sin 
cere  milk  of  the  word,  that  ye  may  grow  thereby  ;"  for  then  ye  shall 
have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious.  Oh,  that  even  now  the  Lord 
may  give  testimony  to  the  word  of  his  grace,  and  that  in  the  annals 
of  heaven  it  may  be  recorded,  that  this  man  and  that  man  were  born, 
now  and  here,  and  that  many  who  entered  within  these  walls  "  dead 
in  trespasses  and  sins,"  may  depart  "  written  among  the  living  in 
Jerusalem."  2 

III.— MOTIVES  ENFORCING  THE  EXHORTATION. 
§  1. — Motives  from  the  State  and  Character  of  Christians. 

I  come  now  to  the  third  question,  What  are  the  motives  by  which 
this  exhortation  is  enforced  ?  These  are  presented  in  two  different 
forms  ?  They  are  either  folded  up  in  the  connective  particle  "  Where 
fore,"  or  lie  unfolded  in  the  statement,  "  Ye  have  tasted  that  the  Lord 
is  gracious."  Let  us  look  at  them  in  their  order,  and  open  not  merely 
our  minds  to  apprehend  their  meaning,  but  our  hearts  to  feel  their 
force. 

Let  us  then  inquire,  What  are  the  motives  to  "lay  aside  all  malice, 
and  guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and  envies,  and  all  evil-speakings,"  and  to 
"  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  we  may  grow  thereby," 

1  Phil.  ii.  16.     2  Cor.  iv.  2 ;  ii.  17.     Col.  i.  28.    Heb.  xiii.  20,  21. 
1  John  vi.  63  ;  xi.  25.     Eph.  v.  14.    Mark  i.  15.     Acts  iii.  19.     2  Thess.  ii.  10.     Rom 
xii.  2.     Isa.  iv.  3. 


158  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTJANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

that  are  folded  up  in  the  connective  particle  "Wherefore?"  This 
word  looks  backward  to  the  statements  in  the  22d  and  23d  verses  of 
the  last  chapter:  "  You  have  purified  your  souls  in  obeying  the  truth 
through  the  Spirit  unto  unfeigned  love  of  the  brethren,"  and  "  You 
have  been  born  again,  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by 
the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  liveth  and  abideth  forever;"  and  for 
ward  to  the  clause,  "  As  new-born  babes,"  which  is  equivalent  to 
'being  new-born  babes.'  The  meaning  of  these  statements  has 
alreadv  been  explained.  It  is  their  force  as  motives  to  the  duties  here 
enjoined  that  we  are  now  to  illustrate.  The  general  statement  is, 
"You  have  lately  become  the  children  of  God  both  as  to  slate  and 
character,  by  the  belief  of  the  truth,  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit."  The  force  of  this,  statement  as  a  source  of  motives  will  be 
made  plainer  by  resolving  it  into  its  elements  :  '  You  are  as  new-born 
babes  ;  you  are  the  children  of  God ;  you  are  brethren  as  being  the 
children  of  God,  members  of  the  same  family  ;  you  became  so  by 
obedience  to  the  truth ;  you  became  so  under  the  influence  of  the 
Spirit/  Every  one  of  these  propositions,  all  of  them,  evidently  in 
cluded  in  the  statements  referred  to  in  the  connective  term  "  Where- 
fore,"  is  instinct  with  impulsive  energy,  replete  with  powerful  motives. 

(1.)  You  are  little  children,  lay  then  aside  malignity  and  craft. 
These,  hateful  wherever  they  appear,  are  monstrous  in  an  infant. 
They  are  quite  incongruous  with  the  childlike  character  that  belongs 
to  genuine  Christians.  Like  little  children,  too,  desire  growth,  and 
for  this  purpose  desire  your  appropriate  nourishment.  It  is  natural 
for  a  child  to  grow,  and  to  wish  to  grow.  It  is  unnatural  for  a  child 
to  be  stationary,  and  to  have  no  desire  for  growth ;  and  so  it  is  with 
the  spiritual  babe.  The  child  is  born  to  grow,  and  has  an  Jnstinctive 
desire  to  grow.  A  Christian  not  making  progress,  not  desiring  to 
make  progress,  is  something  quite  out  of  the  natural  course  of  the 
spiritual  world.  And  as  the  mother's  milk  is  the  natural,  the  needful 
means  of  nutriment  to  the  infant,  so  is  the  pure  truth  the  natural  and 
needful  means  of  progressive  holiness  to  the  regenerate  soul. 

(2.)  You  are  the  children  of  God ;  you  should  then  be  like  your 
Father  in  heaven,  who  is  infinitely  benignant  and  truthful.  If  you 
were  malicious,  guileful,  and  envious,  would  you  not  falsify  your  pro 
fession  of  divine  sonship?  Would  you  not  prove  yourself  the  chil 
dren  of  a  very  different  father,  even  of  him  who  was  a  murderer  and 
a  liar  from  the  beginning?  It  is  the  same  argument  which  the  Apos 
tle  Paul  puts  so  strongly  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Philippians :  "  Do  all 
things  without  murmurings  and  disputings ;  that  ye  may  be  blameless 
and  harmless  as  the  sons  of  God,  without  rebuke,"  l  and  which  our 
Lord  urges  in  a  still  more  forcible  form  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount : 
"  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that 
hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  that  despitefully  use  you,  and  persecute 
you ;  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven : 
for  he  inaketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  the  good,  and  sendeth 
rain  on  the  just  and  the  unjust.  Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  as  your 
Father  in  heaven  is  perfect."  2  It  is  the  same  principle  of  motive  as 
in  these  words :  "  Be  ye  holy,  for  I  am  holy  ;"  "  Be  followers  of  God 

1  Phil.  ii.  15.  a  Mutt.  v.  44-48. 


PART  III.J  MOTIVES    TO    COMPLIANCE.  159 

as  dear  children."  *  And  if  you  are  the  children  of  God,  you  should 
desire  to  grow,  for  it  is  thus,  thus  only,  you  can  honor  your  Father : 
"  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  in  that  ye  bring  forth  much  fruit"  2 — 
that  is,  grow,  make  rapid  progress  in  holy  attainment.  And  you 
should  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  you  should  seek  to  under 
stand  and  practically  to  improve  divine  truth,  for  it  is  the  revelation 
of  the  mind  of  your  Father.  "As  obedient  children,"  you  should 
seek  to  know  the  will  of  your  Father,  that  ye  may  do  the  will  of  your 
Father.  He  is  an  unnatural,  undutiful  child  who  acts  otherwise. 

(3.)  Then  you  are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus, 
and  of  course  form  one  spiritual  brotherhood.  This  is  a  new  aspect 
of  the  statement,  full  of  additional  motive  to  the  duties  enjoined. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Christians  are  not  permitted  to  indulge  in 
"  malice,  guile,  envying,  or  evil-speaking,"  in  reference  to  any  class 
of  men ;  but  there  can  be  as  little,  that  in  the  passage  before  us,  there 
is  a  direct  reference  to  the  conduct  of  Christians  to  each  other,  and 
that  those  evil  tempers  and  habits  are  condemned  as  opposed  to  that 
pure  fervent  love  of  the  brethren,  which  had  been  enjoined  in  the 
close  of  the  preceding  chapter.  The  bearing  of  this  consideration, 
that  they  are  all  brethren,  on  the  dissuasive  exhortation,  is  direct  and 
powerful.  Brothers  should  treat  one  another  with  an  ingenuous  open 
ness.  If  there  is  to  be  malice  or  deceit  in  the  family  circle,  where  is 
true  sincerity  to  dwell  ?  Love  one  another.  Surely  malice,  deceit, 
hypocrisies,  envyings,  and  evil-speakings,  are  peculiarly  out  of  place 
among  those  who  have  all  been  "  born  again,  not  of  corruptible  seed, 
but  of  incorruptible  :"  who  have  been  bound  by  ties  of  a  brotherhood 
that  neither  time  nor  eternity  can  dissolve,  and  who  have  "  purified 
their  souls,  through  the  truth  by  the  Spirit,  to  the  unfeigned  love  of 
the  brethren."  It  is  substantially  the  same  motive  that  is  brought  for 
ward  in  these  exhortations :  "  Love  as  brethren.  Put  off  anger, 
wrath,  malice,  blasphemy,  which  is  the  same  thing  as  evil-speaking ; 
lie  not  one  to  another,  seeing  that  ye  have  put  off  the  old  man,  who 
is  corrupt  in  his  deeds ;  and  put  on  the  new  man,  which  is  renewed 
in  knowledge  after  the  image  of  him  who  created  him."  "  Putting 
away  lying,  speak  every  man  truth  with  his  neighbor :  for  ye  are 
members  one  of  another."  -  Confraternity,  in  its  very  nature,  and 
especially  such  a  confraternity,  implies  an  obligation  to  kindness  and 
sincerity  on  the  part  of  the  members.  This  motive  also  strongly 
urges  to  compliance  with  the  persuasive  exhortation ;  for  spiritual 
growth  is  not  only  necessary  to  individual  happiness,  but  to  the  pros 
perity  of  the  body.  The  same  idea  that  is  expressed  by  Christians 
being  represented  as  brethren,  is  still  more  strikingly  expressed  by 
their  being  represented  as  mutually  connected  as  members  of  one 
body.  The  growth  of  every  member  is  necessary  to  the  welfare 
of  the  whole  body.  The  more  individual  growth,  the  more  general 
prosperity.  It  is  by  every  member  growing  up  to  him  that  is  the 
Head,  that  "the  whole  body  fitly  joined  maketh  increase."4  It  is  by 
becoming  wiser,  better,  and  happier  myself,  that  I  increase  the  wisdom, 
and  holiness,  and  peace,  of  the  body  to  which  I  belong. 

1  Eph.  v.  1.  2  John  xv.  8. 

"  1  Pet.  iii.  8.     Col.  iii.  9.     Eph.  iv.  25.  4  Eph.  iv.  16. 


100  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

(4.)  Then  still  farther,  you  became  the  children  of  God,  and  we-re 
formed  into  a  spiritual  brotherhood,  "by  obeying  the  truth."  Where 
fore,  put  away  all  those  evil  habits,  which  can  be  retained  only  by 
disobeying,  resisting,  the  influence  of  the  truth.  Every  evil  temper 
or  action  is  a  practical  lie ;  an  implied  denial  of,  and  opposition  to, 
the  truth ;  and  thus  is  very  inconsistent  in  those  who  profess  to  have 
submitted  to  "  the  truth/'  to  have  received  it  into  their  hearts  as  the 
animating,  regulating  principle  of  their  souls.  And  as  it  was  by  the 
influence  of  the  truth  you  were  made  holy,  so  it  is  by  the  continued, 
increased  influence  of  the  truth,  that  you  are  to  continue  holy,  to  be 
come  more  and  more  holy.  Therefore,  "desire  the  sincere  milk  of 
the  word,  that  ye  may  grow  thereby." 

(5.)  Finally  here,  you  became  the  children  of  God  under  the  influ 
ence  of  the  Spirit ;  therefore,  you  should  put  off"  "  malice,  and  guile, 
and  hypocrisies,  and  envies,  and  evil-speakings,"  and  all  those  other 
evil  tempers  and  habits ;  for  these  are  the  fruits,  not  of  the  Spirit,  but 
of  the  flesh.  The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  in  all  "goodness" — benignity, 
"righteousness,  and  truth'."  You  would  "grieve  the  holy  Spirit  of 
God,  whereby  ye  are  sealed  unto  the  day  of  redemption,"  if  you  "  put 
not  away  from  you  all  bitterness,  and  wrath,  and  clamor,  and  evil- 
speaking,  with  all  malice."  "  If  ye  live  in  the  Spirit,  see  that  ye  walk 
in  the  Spirit."  And  therefore,  too,  should  you  desire  the  sincere  milk 
of  the  word ;  for  it  is  by  the  word,  understood  and  believed,  that  the 
Spirit  carries  on  his  sanctifying  work.  It  is  presumptuous  folly  to 
expect  to  be  sanctified  or  guided  by  the  Spirit,  without  the  word. 
The  Spirit  leads  to  the  word;  and  it  is  through  the  word  that  he  en 
ables  us  to  "  put  off  the  old  man  who  is  corrupt  in  his  deeds,  and  put 
on  the  new  man,  who,  after  God,  is  created  in  righteousness  and  true 
holiness."  l  Such  are  the  variety  and  force  of  appropriate  motive 
which  is  folded  up  in  the  connective  particle  "  wherefore,"  with  which 
our  text  commences. 

§  2. — Motives  from  having  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious. 

Let  us  nowr  examine  the  motive  which  is  unfolded  in  the  statement 
with  which  our  text  closes.  "  If  so  be,"  or  rather,  seeing  "  ye  have 
tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious."  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
ordinary  usage  of  the  language  favors  the  rendering  of  our  version, 
"  If  so  be."  If  it  be  admitted,  the  meaning  is,  If  you  have  indeed 
tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  you  are  peculiarly  bound  to  "  lay  aside 
those  evil  habits,"  and  to  "  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  world ;"  and 
if  you  do  not  lay  them  aside,  and  desire  the  sincere  milk,  then  it  is  a 
plain  proof  that,  whatever  profession  you  make,  you  have  not  "  tasted 
that  the  Lord  is  gracious."  The  particle,  however,  admits  of  being 
rendered  "since,"  taking  for  granted,  not  throwing  into  doubt,  their 
having  "  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious."  It  is  the  same  word  that 
in  2  Thess.  i.  6,  is  rendered,  and  with  obvious  propriety,  "  seeing." 
"\Ve  glory  in  you,  for  your  patience  and  faith  in  all  your  persecu 
tions  and  tribulations  which  you  endure;  a  manifest  token  of  the 
righteous  judgment  of  God,  that  ye  may  be  accounted  worthy  of  the 

1    Eph.  v.  9 ;  iv.  30,  31.     Gal.  v.  25. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES    TO    COMPLIANCE.  101 

kingdom  of  God,  for  which  ye  also  suffer :  seeing  it  is  a  righteous 
thing  with  God  to  recompense  tribulation  to  them  who  trouble  you ; 
and  to  you  who  are  troubled  rest  with  us."  l  This  mode  of  rendering 
the  particle  here,  better  accords  with  the  whole  strain  of  the  epistle, 
in  which  the  persons  addressed  are  always  spoken  of  as  Christians, 
and  gives  greater  point  and  directness  to  the  motives,  "  Lay  aside  all 
malice,  and  guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and  envies,  and  evil-speakings," 
and  "  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  since  ye  have  tasted  that 
the  Lord  is  gracious." 

To  bring  out  the  force  of  the  motive,  it  is  necessary  to  inquire, 
Who  is  meant  by  "  the  Lord  ?"  What  is  meant  by  his  being  gra 
cious  ?  What  is  meant  by  tasting  that  he  is  gracious  ?  And  then, 
How  the  having  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  affords  grounds  for 
the  exhortations,  "  Lay  aside  all  malice,  and  guile,  and  hypocrisies, 
and  envies,  and  evil-speakings,"  and  "  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the 
word  ?" 

(1.)  "The  Lord"  here  is  plainly  the  Lord  Jesus.  This  is  evident 
from  what  follows :  for  without  doubt  he  is  "  the  living  stone"  on 
whom,  as  a  foundation,  Christians,  "  as  living  stones,  are  builded  into 
a  holy  temple."  It  is  to  him  that  the  passage  cited  from  the  prophet 
Isaiah  certainly  refers. 

(2.)  Our  Lord  Jesus  is  "gracious,"  is  kind.  Benignity,  holy  love, 
is  his  leading  moral  attribute.  His  kindness  is  manifested  in  what  he 
does,  and  in  what  he  gives.  "  The  grace"  or  kindness  "  of  our  Lord 
Jesus"  is  shown  in  that,  "  though  he  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  he 
became  poor,  that  we  through  his  poverty  might  be  rich."2  He 
bestows  on  man,  utterly  undeserving  of  anything  but  punishment, 
true  knowledge,  pardon,  restoration  to  the  divine  favor,  peace,  holi 
ness.,  abundant  consolation,  good  hope,  eternal  life ;  in  one  word,  hap 
piness,  perfection,  suited  to  all  the  capacities  of  his  nature,  during  the 
eternity  of  his  being.  And  that  he  might  do  this,  He  who  wras  in  the 
form  of  God  assumed  the  nature  of  man,  the  form  of  a  servant,  the 
likeness  of  a  sinner ;  bore  our  sins,  carried  our  sorrows ;  became 
obedient  to  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.  "  Herein  is  love." 
This  is  kindness.  Verily,  the  Lord  is  gracious.3 

(3.)  To  "  taste"  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  is  a  figurative  expression. 
It  seems  borrowed  from  the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  "  O  taste  and  see 
that  God  is  good," 4  where  two  of  the  bodily  senses  are  employed  to 
denote  clear  mental  apprehension,  along  with  appropriate  mental 
affection.  To  taste  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  is  to  know  that  the 
Lord  is  gracious ;  and  to  know  this,  not  from  the  report  of  others,  but 
from  your  own  experience.  This  knowledge  is  derived  primarily 
from  the  faith  of  the  truth  as  to  what  the  Lord  is,  and  has  proved 
himself  to  be,  by  his  gifts ;  and  secondarily,  from  the  enjoyment  of 
these  gifts  of  his,  on  the  possession  of  which  we  enter  by  the  belief 
of  this  truth ;  and  the  measure  of  which  enjoyment  corresponds  to 
the  measure  of  our  faith.  He  tastes  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  who 

in  Rom.  viii.  9.     Such  a  use  of  slirep  can  be  sup 
d\ysivd»,  cinzp  aapKivoi.     "  To  be  struck  is  painful" 


1C2  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

believes  the  love  which  the  Lord  has  to  sinful  men ;  who  counts  it  a 
faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  he  came  not  to  be 
ministered  to,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many; 
to  save  sinners,  even  the  chief;  and  he  tastes  the  graciousness,  the 
kindness  of  our  Lord,  who,  in  the  faith  of  this  truth,  has  peace  with 
God  ;  has  access  to  him  ;  holy  love ;  fervent  gratitude  ;  good  hope  ; 
joy  in  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  he  has  received 
the  reconciliation.1  Every  believer  of  the  truth  thus  tastes  that  the 
Lord  is  gracious  ;  and  he  does  so  just  in  the  measure  of  his  faith.  The 
man  who  does  not  know  Christ  to  be  kind,  and  his  benefits  to  be 
precious,  is  not  a  believer;  and  he  who  does  so,  cannot,  but  in  the 
degree  in  which  he  is  a  believer,  trust  in  Christ  as  his  Saviour,  and 
rejoice  in  the  benefits  of  his  salvation.  "  That  is  to  taste,"  says  Lu 
ther,  ''when  I  \vith  the  heart  believe  that  Christ  has  been  sent  for  me, 
and  is  become  mine  own ;  that  my  miseries  are  his  and  his  life  mine ; 
when  this  truth  enters  into  the  heart,  then  it  is  tasted/''2 

It  has  been  supposed  by  some,  that  the  term  is  intended  to  intimate, 
not  only  that  they  have  a  true  personal  knowledge  of  Christ's  kind 
ness,  but  that  that  knowledge  was  as  yet  but  very  imperfect.  They 
had  tasted,  but  only  tasted.  They  know,  but  they  know  but  little, 
of  that  love  that  passeth  knowledge.  No  doubt  this  is  a  truth  ;  but 
we  should  hesitate  to  say  it  was  in  the  apostle's  mind  when  he  used 
the  words  now  before  us. 

(4.)  It  only  remains  that  I  endeavor  to  bring  out  the  force  of  the 
motive  to  "lay  aside  all  malice,  and  guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and  en 
vies,  and  evil-speakings,"  and  to  "  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the 
word ;"  which  is  afforded  by  the  fact,  that  Christians  have  "  tasted 
that  the  Lord  is  gracious."  The  love  of*  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  recon 
ciling  the  world  to  himself,  known  and  believed,  is  the  grand  source 
of  motive  to  holy  obedience  in  all  its  forms.  "  The  grace  of  God/* 
of  which  the  kindness  of  the  Lord  is  an  expression,  "which  brings 
salvation  to  all,"  when  the  divine  testimony  regarding  it  is  under 
stood  and  believed,  "teaches  us  to  deny  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts, 
and  to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly  in  this  present  world  ;  look 
ing  for  that  blessed  hope,  the  glorious  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ;  who  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem  us  from  all 
iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good 
works."  "  When  the  kindness  and  love  of  God  our  Saviour  towards 
man  (his  philanthropy)  appeared,  not  by  works  of  righteousness  which 
we  have  done,  but  according  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us,  by  the  wash 
ing  of  regeneration,  and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  which  he  shed 
on  us  abundantly  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour ;  that,  being  justi 
fied  by  his  grace,  we  should  be  made  heirs  according  to  the  hope  of 
eternal  life."  It  is  this  faithful  saying  respecting  the  kindness  of  the 
Lord,  firmly  believed,  that  makes  men  "careful  to  maintain  good 
works."  It  is  "  the  mercies  of  God"  through  Christ,  known  and  be 
lieved,  that  induce  men  to  "present  their  bodies  living' sacrifices,  holy 

1  1  John  iv.  16.     John  i.  16.     1  Tim.  i.  15.     Rom.  v.  1-11. 

XO/JOTOJ  6  KrV>tof.     Dulcis  est  Dominus  in  contemplatione,  ad  meditandum,  Cant.  U  5  • 
in  aure  spiritual!  ad  aidienduty.,  Cant.  v.  13;  in  ore  ad  loquendum,  Psal.  cxix.  39  .  ii    . 
prospectu  ad  videndum,  Sir.  xxm.  27. — Jo.  Hus. 


PART  III.J  MOTIVES    TO    COMPLIANCE.  163 

and  acceptable  unto  God :  rational  worship ;"  and  to  be  "  not  con 
formed  to  this  present  world ;  but  to  be  transformed  by  the  renewing 
of  their  minds,  so  as  to  prove  what  is  that  good,  and  acceptable,  and 
perfect  will  of  God."1 

1.  If  you  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  "  Lay  aside  all 
malice,  and  all  guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and  envies,  and  all  evil-spemk- 
ings."     "  Sure  if  you  have  tasted  of  that  kindness  and  sweetness  of 
God  in  Christ,  it  will  compose  your  spirits  and  conform  you  to  him ; 
it  will  diffuse  such  a  sweetness  through  your  soul,  that  there  will  be 
no  place  for  malice  and  guile.     There  will  be  nothing  but  love,  and 
meekness,  and  singleness  of  heart.     They  that  have  bitter  malicious 
spirits,  evidence  that  they  have  not  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious; 
for  they  who  have  done  so,  cannot  but,  in  the  degree  in  which  they 
have  done  so,  '  be  kind  one  to  another,  tender-hearted,  forgiving  one 
another,  even  as  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  has  forgiven  them/  "2 

2.  If  you  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  "desire  the  sincere 
milk  of  the  word,  that  ye  may  grow  thereby/'     It  was  in  the  word 
that  you  tasted  the  Lord  was  gracious.     And  is  not  this  a  powerful 
motive  to  go  back  to  the  word,  that  again,  and  again,  and  again,  you 
may  "  taste  and  see  that  God  is  good ;"  and  thus  grow  holier  and 
happier,  "  keeping  yourselves  in  the  love  of  God,  building  yourselves 
up  in  your  most  holy  faith,  and  looking  for  the  mercy  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  unto  eternal  life."  3 

I  cannot  conclude  the  illustration  of  this  point  in  more  appropriate 
wrords  than  in  those  of  the  pious  Archbishop,  a  man  who  always 
makes  it  evident  that  "  he  spoke  what  he  knew,  and  testified  what  he 
had  seen  and  tasted,"  when  he  spoke  on  such  themes  as  these :  "  This 
is  the  sweetness  of  the  word,  that  it  has  the  Lord's  graciousness  in 
it ;  it  gives  us  the  knowledge  of  his  love.  This  they  find  who  have 
spiritual  life  and  senses  exercised  to  discern  good  and  evil ;  and  this 
engages  a  Christian  to  a  further  desire  of  the  word.  They  are  fan 
tastical,  delusive  tastes,  that  draw  men  from  the  written  word,  and 
make  them  expect  other  revelations.  This  graciousness  is  first  con 
veyed  to  us  by  the  word  when  we  taste  it,  and,  therefore,  there  still 
we  are  to  seek  it ;  to  hang  upon  those  breasts  which  cannot  be  drawn 
dry.  There,  the  love  of  God  in  Christ  springs  forth  in  the  several 
promises.  The  heart  that  cleaves  to  the  word  of  God,  and  delights 
in  it,  cannot  but  find  in  it  daily  new  tastes  of  his  goodness.  There  it 
reads  true  love,  and  by  that  stirs  up  its  own  to  him,  and  so  grows  and 
loves  every  day  more  than  the  former,  and  thus  is  tending  from  tastes 
to  fulness.  It  is  but  little  we  can  receive  here — some  drops  of  joy 
that  enter  into  us ;  but  there  we  shall  enter  into  joy  as  vessels  put 
into  a  sea  of  happiness." 

There  is  a  question  which  here  presses  for  an  answer  from  the  con 
science  of  every  individual  who  now  hears  me.  Have  I  tasted  that 
the  Lord  is  gracious  ?  Do  I  know,  experimentally  "  know,  the  grace 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  ?"  You  have  all  often  heard  of  his  grace ;  but 
have  you  tasted  it  ?  Have  you  believed  his  kindness  ?  Have  you 
enjoyed  his  benefits  ?  The  most  satisfying  evidence  of  this  is,  the  lay- 

1  Tit  ii.  12-14  ;  iii.  4-8.     Rom.  xii.  1-3. 

8  Eph.  iv.  32.    Leighton.  •  Jude  20,  21. 


164  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VII. 

ing  aside  all  malice  and  similar  tempers,  and  the  desiring  the  sincere 
milk  of  the  word.  This  indeed  is  the  only  permanently  satisfactory 
evidence ;  for  there  is  a  dead  faith,  a  presumptuous  hope,  a  false 
peace.  If  you  really  have  believed  the  love  of  Christ  to  you,  that  faith 
will  "  work  by  love"  to  God,  to  Christ,  to  the  brethren,  to  all  mankind 
and  it  will  "  overcome  the  world."  If  the  hope  you  cherish  is  found 
ed  on  that  faith,  it  will  lead  you  to  "purify  yourselves  as  he  is  pure.' 
If  your  peace  rests  on  his  finished  work,  it  will  keep  your  mind,  and 
fortify  it  against  the  assaults  of  your  spiritual  enemies. 

I  trust  not  a  few  of  this  audience  have  tasted,  are  tasting,  that  the 
Lord  is  gracious.  Let  them  bless  the  sovereign  grace  that  made  them 
partakers  of  this  distinguishing  blessing,  opening  their  blinded  eyes,  and 
restoring  soundness  to  their  diseased  taste.  Let  them  seek  new  and 
more  abundant  discoveries  of  the  graciousness  of  the  Lord,  and  let 
them  seek  these  in  his  word,  and  by  his  word.  In  his  word  let  them 
seek  discoveries  of  his  kindness ;  by  his  word  let  them  seek  the  en 
joyment  of  his  benefits.  Let  them  open  their  mouths  wide,  and  he 
will  fill  them  "  with  the  finest  of  the  wheat,"  "  angel's  food,"  "  meat 
which  the  world  knoweth  not  of;"  "  the  flesh  and  blood  of  the  Son  of 
Man,  who  came  down  from  heaven  that  he  might  give  life  to  the 
world,  meat  indeed,  drink  indeed."  And  let  them  look  forward  with 
earnest  expectation  and  humble  hope  to  the  manifestation  of  his  grace, 
to  the  communication  of  his  benefits,  which  is  to  be  made  "  at  his 
appearing  and  glory,"  when  they  shall  be  abundantly  satisfied  with 
the  fatness  of  His  house,  and  shall  be  made  to  drink  of  the  river  of  his 
pleasures,  "  with  whom  is  the  fountain  of  life,"  and  "  in  whose  light 
they  shall  see  light  clearly."  l  Thus  shall  "  they  know,"  and  ever 
"  follow  on  to  know,  the  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord." 

But  what  shall  I  say  to  those  who,  I  am  afraid,  form  not  a  small 
class  in  the  audience, — to  those  who  have  never  tasted  that  the  Lord 
is  gracious  ?  I  might  express  wonder  at  their  infatuation,  blame  their 
pertinacity,  pity  their  folly,  and  bewail  their  misery.  I  might  ask, 
how  is  it,  when  the  Lord  is  gracious,  so  gracious,  when  the  revelation 
made  of  his  grace  is  so  plain  and  so  well  accredited,  and  when  the 
blessings  of  his  salvation  are  so  suited  to  your  circumstances,  and  so 
kindly  urged  on  your  acceptance,  that  you  remain  experimentally  as 
much  strangers  to  a  sense  of  his  kindness,  and  to  the  value  of  his  sal 
vation,  as  if  he  were  not  gracious,  or  as  if  you  did  not  need,  or  were 
excluded  from  tasting,  his  grace  ?  But  I  choose  rather  to  content 
myself  with  proclaiming  with  the  Psalmist,  "  O  taste  and  see  that  the 
Lord  is  good."  The  Lord  is  good  and  gracious,  long-suffering,  and 
abundant  in  mercy,  rich  in  grace,  ready  to  pardon,  mighty  to  save. 
"  Behold  HIM,  behold  HIM."  Look,  look  to  Jesus,  obeying,  suffering, 
dying,  the  just  in  the  room  of  the  unjust,  rising,  ascending,  sitting  down 
on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high,  giving  gifts,  the  gifts  of  par 
don  and  peace,  and  holiness  and  salvation  to  men,  even  to  the  rebel 
lious,  to  you,  and  then  say  if  the  Lord  is  not  gracious.  "  Herein  is 
LOVE,  not  that  you  loved  him,  but  that  he  loved  you ;"  loved  you,  so 
as  to  "  give  himself"  for  you  on  the  cross ;  loved  you,  so  as  to  give 
himself  to  you  in  the  gospel.  And  is  all  this  love  to  be  slighted 

1  PsaL  xxxvi.  8,  9. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES    TO    COMPLIANCE.  165 

and  despised  ?  .Ah !  if  you  will  not  taste  his  grace,  you  must  feel 
his  wrath.  "  Be  wise,  be  instructed  ;  kiss  the  Son,  lest  he  be  angry, 
and  you  perish  from  the  way,  if  his  wrath  be  kindled  but  a  little. 
Blessed,"  only  blessed,  truly  blessed,  eternally  blessed,  "  are  they  who 
trust  in  him."  1 

Thus  have  we  filled  up  the  outline  sketched  on  our  entering  on  the 
consideration  of  the  subject.  Our  labor  and  your  time  have  been 
lost,  worse  than  lost,  if  they  do  not  lead  to  practical  results.  It  is  to 
worse  than  no  purpose  that  we  better  understand  the  meaning,  that 
we  more  clearly  perceive  the  obligation,  of  the  divine  exhortation,  if 
we  do  not  set  about  complying  with  it.  It  increases  responsibility 
and  deepens  guilt.  If  henceforth  we  cherish  malignant  feeling,  and 
neglect  the  study  of  divine  truth  as  the  great  means  of  spiritual  im 
provement,  we  do  so  at  an  increased  peril.  Oh  that  the  divine  ener 
gy  may  accompany  these  statements;  so  that,  laying  aside  all  malice, 
and  all  guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and  envies,  and  all  evil-speakings,  all 
of  us  may  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  and  thus  give  satisfac 
tory  evidence  that  we  have  indeed  tasted  that  "the  Lord  is  gra 
cious  !"  Amen  and  Amen. 

1  1  John  iv.  10.    PsaL  ii.  10-12. 


DISCOURSE  VIIL 

THE  PECULIAR  PRIVILEGES  OF  CHRISTIANS,  -AND  HOW  THEY 
OBTAIN  THEM. 

1  PET.  ii.4-10. — To  whom  coming,  as  unto  a  living  stone,  disallowed  indeed  of  men,  bat 
chosen  of  God,  and  precious,  ye  also,  as  lively  stones,  are  built  up  a  spiritual  house,  -an 
holy  priesthood,  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ. 
Wherefore  also  it  is  contained  in  the  scripture,  Behold,  I  lay  in  Zion  a  chief  corner-stone, 
elect,  precious:  and  he  that  believeth  on  him  shall  not  be  confounded.  Unto  you  therefore 
•which  believe,  he  is  precious :  but  unto  them  which  be  disobedient,  the  stone  which  the 
builders  disallowed,  the  same  is  made  the  head  of  the  corner,  and  a  stone  of  stumbling, 
and  a  rock  of  offence,  even  to  them  which  stumble  at  the  word,  being  disobedient ;  where- 
unto  also  they  were  appointed.  Bat  ye  are  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  an 
holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people;  that  ye  should  show  forth  the  praises  of  him  who  hath 
called  you  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  light :  which  in  time  past  were  not 
a  people,  but  are  now  the  people  of  God  :  which  had  not  obtained  mercy,  but  now  have 
obtained  mercy. 

To  unfold  the  nature  and  illustrate  the  value  of  the  numerous  '-'ex 
ceeding  great  and  precious"  privileges,  which  the  peculiar  people  of 
God  have  in  present  possession,  and  in  certain  expectation,  is  one  of 
the  most  important,  as  it  is  one  of  the  most  delightful,  duties  of  the 
public  Christian  instructor.  Such  illustrations  are  calculated  to  serve 
many  valuable  purposes.  They  honor  the  Saviour,  from  whom  all 
these  privileges  are  derived,  by  displaying  the  ardor  and  tenderness 
of  his  love,  the  efficacy  and  value  of  his  sacrifice,  the  prevalence  of 
his  intercession,  and  the  munificence  of  his  liberality.  They  tend  to 
the  conversion  of  sinners,  by  showing  them  that  it  is  their  obvious 
interest,  as  well  as  their  undoubted  duty,  to  yield  to  the  claims  of  the 
Saviour's  authority  and  love  ;  and  they  greatly  conduce  to  the  con 
solation  and  joy  of  the  saints,  by  fixing  their  attention  on  the  number, 
and  variety,  and  value,  and  security,  of  their  distinguishing  blessings  ; 
and  to  their  holiness,  by  calling  forth  into  vigorous,  sustained  exercise, 
that  gratitude  for  these  unspeakable  gifts,  which  is  the  most  powerful 
stimulant  to  Christian  obedience.  The  more  accurately  the  Christian 
apprehends  the  intrinsic  excellence,  the  more  fully  he  appreciates  the 
inestimable  worth,  of  his  privileges,  the  more  deeply  must  he  feel  his 
obligations  to  him,  to  whose  sovereign  love  he  is  indebted  for  them 
all ;  and  the  more  readily  will  he  embrace  every  opportunity  of  man 
ifesting  his  sense  of  this  kindness,  by  actively  doing,  and  patiently 
'suffering,  his  will. 

From  these  remarks  it  is  obvious,  on  the  one  hand,  that  an  enlight 
ened  preacher  of  Christian  privilege  is  one  of  the  best  friends  of  prac 
tical  religion;  and  on  the  other,  that  the  public  Christian  instructor 
who  confines  himself  exclusively  to  what  may  be  termed  the  moral 


DISC.  VIII.]  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  167 

part  of  Christianity,  neglects  the  principal  means  with  which  that  di 
vine  system  furnishes  us,  for  reclaiming  the  vicious  and  improving 
the  pious,  for  converting  the  sinner  and  edifying  the  saint,  for  making 
the  bad  good,  and  the  good  better. 

Such  plainly  were  the  views  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  who  in  that  epis 
tle,  of  which  our  text  forms  a  part,  insists  largely  on  the  peculiar  priv 
ileges  of  Christians,  representing  them  as  at  once  a  perennial,  exu 
berant  source  of  abundant  consolation  and  good  hope,  amid  all  the 
trials  and  afflictions  of  the  present  state,  and  an  inexhaustible  store 
of,  to  a  Christian  mind,  irresistible  motive  to  perseverance  and  activ 
ity  in  the  discharge  of  all  the  varied  obligations  of  religious  an»d  moral 
duty.  One  of  those  exhibitions  of  Christian  privilege,  obviously 
brought  forward  as*  intended  and  calculated  to  serve  these  practical 
purposes,  lies  before  us  in  the  interesting  and  beautiful,  though  highly 
figurative  and  somewhat  complicated,  paragraph  which  we  have  cho 
sen  as  the  subject  of  this  discourse. 

At  first  view,  the  paragraph  may  appear,  to  a  considerable  degree, 
disjointed,  and  on  that  account  obscure;  but  on  a  closer  inspection 
we  shall  find  it  to  be  just  a  beautiful  expansion  and  illustration  of  the 
sentiment  stated  in  the  words  which  immediately  precede  it,  and 
which  constitutes  one  of  the  apostle's  powerful  enforcements  of  the 
duties,  with  the  affectionate  injunction  of  which  this  chapter  of  the 
epistle  commences:  "Ye,"  Christians,  "have  tasted  that  the  Lord," 
that  is,  your  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  "  is  gracious,"  kind.  You  have  obtain 
ed,  you  enjoy,  important,  invaluable,  blessings  in  consequence  of  youi 
connection  with  him.  What  these  are  the  apostle  states  in  our  text. 

In  consequence  of  coming  to  him,  they  had  been  brought  by  him 
to  God,  his  Father  and  their  Father.  From  a  state  of  alienation 
from  God,  a  state  necessarily  of  deep  degradation  and  misery,  they 
had  been  brought  into  a  state  of  most  intimate  relation  to  God,  a 
state  necessarily  of  the  highest  honor  and  the  richest  felicity.  This 
is  the  leading  idea  :  but  it  is  brought  out  by  a  variety  of  figures  bor 
rowed  from  the  facts  of  the  Jewish  economy,  peculiarly  calculated  to 
be  interesting  and  instructive  to  those  to  whom  the  epistle  was  ori 
ginally  addressed. 

By  becoming  connected  with  him,  they  had  become,  in  one  point 
of  view,  constituent  parts  of  a  great  spiritual  temple,  infinitely  more 
glorious  than  the  temple  at  Jerusalem ;  and  in  another  point  of  view, 
ministering  priests  in  that  temple,  possessed  of  a  more  dignified  of 
fice,  and  engaged  in  holier  services,  than  Aaron  or  any  of  his  sons. 
They  had  become  the  true  circumcision,  the  spiritual  Israel,  the 
possessors  of  those  spiritual  privileges  of  which  the  external  advan 
tages  of  Israel,  according  to  the  flesh,  were  but  the  imperfect  figures  ; 
they  had  become  in  a  sense  far  superior  to  that  in  which  their  fathers 
had  ever  been,  "a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy 
nation,  a  peculiar  people,  the  people  of  God,"  the  objects  of  his  dis 
tinguishing  love,  his  sovereign  choice,  his  most  complacential  delight. 
Having  come  to  Christ,  the  living  stone,  the  divinely  appointed  and 
the  divinely  qualified  foundation  of  the  great  spiritual  temple,  they 
had,  from  union  to  him,  become  living  stones,  fit  materials  for  the 
sacred  spiritual  edifice ;  and  on  him  they  had  been  built  up,  made  a 


168  THE    PRIVILEGES    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIIL 

part  of  his  mystical  building,  become  devoted  to  the  rational  service 
of  the  great  Father  of  Spirits ;  a  sentiment  repeated  under  the  plainer 
figure  of  their  having  been  constituted  "  a  holy  priesthood,  to  offer  up 
spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by  Christ  Jesus." 

The  apostle,  according  to  his  manner,  seeks  in  the  writings  of  the 
Old  Testament,  illustration  both  of  the  privileges,  in  the  enjoyment 
of  which  those  to  whom  he  wrote  had  the  evidence  in  themselves 
that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  and  of  the  manner  in  which  they  had  ob 
tained  these  privileges  by  that  spiritual  connection  with  Him,  which 
rises  out  of  the  faith  of  the  truth.  The  prophet  Isaiah,  in  the  28th 
chapter  of  his  prophecies,  in  an  oracle  plainly  belonging  to  the  time 
of  the  Messiah,  uses  these  words  :  "Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God,  Behold,  I  lay  in  Zion  for  a  foundation  a  st6*ne,  a  tried  stone,  a 
precious  corner-stone,  a  sure  foundation ;  he  that  believeth  shall  not 
make  haste."  The  apostle  quotes  this  passage  apparently  from 
memory,  as  his  citation  does  not  verbally  correspond  either  with  the 
Hebrew  text  or  the  Greek  translation,  though  it  accurately  enough 
expresses  the  common  meaning  of  both.  '  In  your  experience/  as  if 
the  apostle  had  said,  '  this  glorious  prediction  has  been  fulfilled,  "  He 
that  believeth  shall  not  be  ashamed,"  that  is,  he  shall  have  no  reason 
to  be  ashamed.  Not  shame,  but  honor  shall  be  his  portion.  He 
who,  by  believing  in  the  sure  foundation,  is  built  up  on  him,  shall  not 
be  ashamed,  he  shall  be  honored.  "  To  you,  then,  who  believe,  there 
is,"  according  to  this  ancient  oracle,  "  honor"  (for  this  is  the  literal 
meaning  of  the  words  rendered,  not  very  happily,  "  To  you  who  be 
lieve  he  is  precious ;"  a  very  delightful  truth,  no  doubt,  but  a  truth 
which  the  words  do  not  naturally  signify,  and  which  has  no  direct 
bearing  on  the  obvious  object  of  the  whole  paragraph).  "To  you, 
then,  who  believe,  there  is  honor,  but  to  them  who  believe  not,  or 
are  disobedient,"  there  is  shame  and  ruin ;  for  "  the  stone  which  they 
as  builders  reject,  is,"  notwithstanding  their  rejection,  "  made  the 
head  of  the  corner."  l  And  more  than  this,  "  this  stone,"  which  to 
them  who  build  on  it  is  honor  and  security,  to  them  rejecting  it "  is  a 
stone  of  stumbling,  a  rock  of  offence,"  an  occasion  of  their  stumbling 
and  falling,  and  being  broken  to  pieces ;  a  doom  long  ago  denounced 
against  them,  appointed  for  them,  as  disobedient — as  appears  from  the 
ancient  oracle  referred  to  in  the  8th  chapter  of  the  prophecy  of 
Isaiah,  verses  14,  15.  But  while  thus,  to  these  unbelieving  disobe 
dient  ones,  not  building  on,  but  stumbling  at,  this  foundation,  there  is 
shame  and  ruin,  to  you  who  by  believing  build  on  it,  there  is  honor; 
for,  in  consequence  of  your  connection  with  this  living  stone,  ye  are 
"  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  an  holy  nation,  a  peculiar 
people  ;  that  ye  may  show  forth  the  praises  of  him  who  hath  called 
you  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  light :  who  in  time  past  were 
not  a  people,  but  are  now  the  people  of  God ;  who  had  not  obtained 
rnercy,  but  now  have  obtained  mercy." 

The  coherence  of  the  passage  is  now,  I  trust,  quite  evident,  as 
well  as  the  bearing  of  every  part  of  it,  on  the  illustration  of  the  gen 

1   The  construction  is  dvaK6\ovQov.     It  is  equivalent  to  Xifloj  <Wo?  3v  dm^oKi^airav  ol  OIKO- 

our.-jy    iycvi'iQr}   tig   «0aX;>   yomas — just  ES    1  Cor.  X.  16.      Tdi>   aprov    Sv  KXeD/u*    ov^l 
I  aorof  Sv  <rXc2>i'fr.  *.  -.  X. 


PART 


I.]  THEIR    ORIGINAL    CONDITION.  169 


eral  thesis,  "  Ye  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious."  In  the  priv 
ileges  which  you  possess,  so  inestimably  valuable  and  dignifying,  you 
have  abundant  experimental  proof  that  the  Lord  is  kind. 

We  are  prepared  now  for  entering  on  a  somewhat  more  particular 
consideration  of  this  view  of  the  peculiar  privileges  of  Christians,  as 
a  manifestation  of  the  Lord's  kindness  to  them ;  and  I  do  not  know 
that  the  whole  truth  can  be  brought  before  our  minds  more  fully  and 
impressively,  than  by  attending  in  succession — I.  To  the  view  which 
the  text  gives  us  of  their  degraded  and  unhappy  state  previously  to 
their  obtaining  these  privileges.  II.  To  the  manner  in  which  they 
obtained  them  ;  by  coming  to  Christ  as  the  divinely  laid  foundation.- 
III.  To  the  dignified  and  happy  state  in  which,  as  Christians,  they 
are  placed.  And,  IV.  To  the  disgrace  and  ruin  of  those  who  refuse 
these  privileges,  by  neglecting  the  only  way  in  which  they  can  be 
obtained.  This  will  bring  before  our  minds  all  the  truth  contained 
in  the  passage,  and  will  bring  it  before  our  minds  as  all  intended  to 
bear  on  this  one  point, — the  manifestation  of  the  Saviour's  kindness, 
which  his  people  possess  in  the  distinguishing  privileges  which  he 
bestows  on  them. 


I.— THE  DEGRADED  AND  MISERABLE  CONDITION  OF  CHRISTIANS  PRE 
VIOUSLY  TO  THEIR  OBTAINING  THEIR  PECULIAR  PRIVILEGES. 

Let  us  first,  then,  attend  to  the  view  which  the  text  gives  us  of 
the  state  of  Christians  previously  to  their  connection  with  Christ,  as 
a  means  of  throwing  light  on  the  statement,  "  Ye  have  tasted  that 
the  Lord  is  gracious."  The  degree  of  kindness  manifested  in  con 
ferring  certain  privileges,  is  materially  affected  by  the  state  in  which 
the  object  of  kindness  and  the  subject  of  privilege  was,  previously 
to  these  privileges  being  bestowed.  The  giving  of  a  higher  degree 
of  nobility  to  one  already  noble,  is  a  very  different  favor,  a  very  dif 
ferent  manifestation  of  kindness,  on  the  part  of  a  prince,  from  the 
giving  of  the  same,  or  even  an  inferior  degree  of  honor,  to  a  peasant 
or  a  slave.  To  form  a  just  idea  of  the  graciousness  of  the  Lord 
towards  his  peculiar  people,  we  must  keep  steadily  in  view  the  state 
in  which  his  grace  finds  them.  That  state  is  here  presented  to  our 
minds,  in  contrast  with  the  state  into  which  that  grace  has  brought 
them.  It  has  made  them  "living  stones"  who  were  "dead  stones." 
It  has  brought  them  into  marvellous  light  who  were  in  darkness.  It 
has  made  those  the  people  of  God  who  were  not  a  people,  not  the 
people  of  God.  It  has  bestowed  mercy  on  those  who  had  not  ob 
tained  mercy.  Dead  stones  ;  in  darkness  ;  not  a  people ;  not  the 
people  of  God;  not  having  obtained  mercy; — these  are  the  images 
under  which  the  inspired  writer  describes  the  original  state  of  those 
who  now  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious.  Let  us  inquire  into 
their  meaning. 

§  1. — They  were  "dead  stones." 

They  were  not  lively  or  rather  living  stones;  they  were  "dead 
stones."  The  language  here  is  so  boldly  metaphorical  that,  to  our 


170  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

cold  occidental  imaginations,  it  is  apt  to  appear  harsh  and  unnatural. 
Yet  it  is  not  obscure,  and  is  a  very  striking  expression  of  a  very  im 
portant  truth.  The  Christian  church  is  represented  under  the  figure 
of  a  temple,  an  edifice  intended  to  indicate  the  presence  and  promote 
the  glory  of  the  divinity.  This  is  a  spiritual,  living  temple,  far  more 
worthy  of  the  spiritual  living  God  than  any  material  building.  Of 
this  living  temple,  Jesus  Christ  is  the  living  foundation.  That  a  body 
of  men  are  fitted  for  indicating  the  presence,  and  promoting  the 
honor,  of  the  only  living  and  true  God,  is  entirely  owing  to  their  re 
lation  to  Jesus  Christ,  to  their  personal  interest  in  the  saving  efficacy 
of  his  mediation  ;  and  all  who,  through  this  personal  interest  in  these 
saving  effects,  are  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  their  minds,  are 
living  stones,  fit  materials  for  forming  part  of  such  a  spiritual  edifice. 

But  this  is  not  a  natural,  it  is  a  supernatural  state.  The  living 
stones  were  once  "  dead  stones."  That  is,  they  were  utterly  unfit 
for  forming  a  part  of  the  living  temple ;  of  the  true  Church  of  God. 
They  were  "  without  God"  in  the  world,  "  alienated  from  the  life  of 
God."  "  They  did  not  like  to  retain  him  in  their  knowledge."  "  He 
was  not  in  all  their  thoughts."  God  was  not  in  them  by  his  sanctify 
ing  Spirit.  The  language  of  their  hearts  was,  "  Depart  from  us,  we 
desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways." 

Looking  at  such  a  man,  or  at  a  collection  of  such  men,  surveying 
their  habitual  character  and  conduct,  the  heaven-enlightened  observer 
says,  No,  this  is  not  the  living  temple  of  the  living  God.  This  is  not 
"  the  house  of  God,"  this  is  not  "  the  gate  of  heaven."  This  is  "  the 
habitation  of  devils,  the  hold  of  every  foul  spirit."  And  as  they  give 
no  indication  of  God's  presence  in  them,  they  are  quite  unfit  for  pro 
moting  his  honor.  Such  men,  such  bodies  of  men,  while  they  con 
tinue  unchanged,  cannot  worship  or  glorify  God.  They  are  little 
disposed  usually  to  engage  in  acts  of  worship  ;  and  when  they  do  en 
gage  in  them,  to  employ  the  prophet's  phraseology,  it  is  rather  "  howl 
ing"  than  "praying,"  a  dead  oblation,  not  a  living  sacrifice."  l 

Such  were  some,  such  were  all,  who  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is 
gracious.  To  them  all  it  may  be  said,  though  in  a  different  sense 
from  that  in  which  the  prophet  uses  the  words,  "  Look  unto  the  rock 
whence  ye  were  hewn,  and  to  the  hole  of  the  pit  whence  ye  were 
digged,"  or,  in  the  words  of  the  apostle,  "  Remember,  that  ye  were 
in  times  past  in  the  flesh ;  without  Christ,  aliens  from  the  common 
wealth  of  Israel,  strangers  to  the  covenant  of  promise,  having  no 
hope,  and  without  God  in  the  world :"  utterly  unqualified,  utterly  in 
disposed,  for  intercourse  and  fellowship  with  God  ;  not  knowing  God, 
not  wishing  to  know  him ;  altogether  unfit  for  making  him  known.  * 

§  2. — They  were,  in  "  darkness." 

A  second  view  of  the  original  state  of  those  who  have  tasted  that 
the  Lord  is  gracious  is,  that  they  "  were  in  darkness."  Darkness  is 
an  emblem  of  ignorance,  error,  depravity,  and  misery  ;  and  in  all  the 
extent  of  significance  which  belongs  to  the  emblem,  the  persons  here 
referred  to  were  in  darkness.  All  men  by  nature  are  under  the  in- 

1  Hos.  vii.  17.  *  Isa.  li.  I.    Eph.  ii.  11.  12. 


PART   I.]  THEIR    ORIGINAL    CONDITION.  171 

fluence  of  ignorance  and  misapprehension  of  the  true  character  of 
God,  and  this  necessarily  involves  ignorance  and  misapprehension  of 
every  subject  which  it  is  of  most  importance  for  man  to  be  rightly 
and  thoroughly  informed  on.  "  They  know  not,  neither  do  they  un 
derstand  ;  they  go  on  in  darkness."  1 

This  ignorance  and  error  are  naturally  connected  with  moral  de 
pravity.  As  truth  and  holiness,  so  ignorance,  error,  and  depravity  go 
together.  Men  are  "  alienated  from  the  life  of  God,  by  the  ignorance 
that  is  in  them."  Instead  of  serving  the  God  who  is  light,  they  serve 
the  prince  of  darkness.  Their  works  are  "  the  unfruitful  works  of 
darkness."  2 

And  as  their  state  was  one  of  ignorance,  error,  and  sin,  it  was  also 
one  of  misery.  They  were  strangers  to  "  the  light  of  life."  The 
light  of  God's  countenance  did  not  shine  on  them.  They  were  des 
titute  of  "  his  favor,  which  is  life ;  of  his  loving-kindness,  which  is 
better  than  life."  3 

•§  3.— They  were  "not  the  people  of  God" 

A  third  view  given  of  the  previous  state  of  those  who  had  tasted 
that  the  Lord  was  gracious  is,  that  "  they  were  not  a  people,"  "  not 
the  people  of  God."  The  former  views  respect  Christians  in  their 
previous  state  individually,  this  seems  rather  to  refer  to  them  as  a 
body. 

They  were  not  "  the  people  of  God."  They  did  not  belong  to  the 
holy  society.  They  were  "  aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of"  the 
spiritual  "Israel."  They  were  equally  destitute  of  the  character  and 
the  privileges  of  God's  peculiar  people.  Instead  of  sitting  with  Abra 
ham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  they  were  "  without, 
in  outer  darkness,"  lying  under  the  power  of  the  wicked  one,  the 
prince  of  darkness. 

They  were  not,  properly  speaking,  at  all  "  a  people  ;"  they  were  so 
base  and  miserable  as  not  to  deserve  the  name  of  "  a  people."  Men 
in  their  natural  state  are  incapable  of  the  highest  form  of  social  rela 
tion,  that  of  being  members  of  the  holy  commonwealth,  subjects  of 
the  heavenly  kingdom.  They  are  rather  a  herd  of  outlaws,  a  band 
of  rebels,  than  a  properly  organized  "  people." 

§  4. — They  had  "not  obtained  mercy." 

The  last  view  given  us  of  the  previous  state  of  Christians  is,  that 
they  "  had  not  obtained  mercy."  The  meaning  of  that  is  not,  that 
they  were  not  the  objects  of  the  benevolence  or  of  the  saving  pur 
pose  of  God.  "  The  tender  mercy  of  God  is  over  all  his  works."  * 
God  has  a  love  to  man*  guilty,  depraved,  righteously-condemned,  self- 
ruined  man  ;  and  this  love  to  man  appears,  not,  first,  when  man,  by 
believing  the  truth,  and  being  transformed  in  the  renewing  of  his 
mind,  becomes,  in  the  degree  in  which  he  is  so,  the  proper  object  of 
the  divine  moral  approbation  and  complacential  delight ;  but  "  herein 
God  manifested  and  commended  his  love  to  us,  in  that,  while  we  were 

1  Psal.  Ixxxii.  5.         a  Eph.  iv.  18  ;  v.  11.  ^       3  John  viii.  12.    Psal.  xxx.  5  ;  Ixiii.  3. 
*  Psal.  cxlv.  9.  5  '  H  (>i\avO(jTTia.    T?t.  iii.  4. 


172  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.   VIII. 

yet  sinners,  enemies,  Christ  died  for  us ;"  and  as  to  all  who  ever  taste 
that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  "  lovad  them 
with  an  everlasting  love,  therefore  with  loving-kindness  does  he  draw 
them"  to  himself.  Yes,  when  God  "  blesses  them  with  heavenly  and 
spiritual  blessings  in  Christ,"  it  is  in  accordance  with,  and  in  conse 
quence  of,  his  having  "chosen  them  in  him  before  the  foundation  of 
the  world,  having  in  love  predestinated  them  unto  the  adoption  of 
children  by  Jesus  Christ,  to  himself,  according  to  the  good  pleasure 
of  his  will,  and  to  the  praise  of  the  glory  of  his  grace."  1 

The  meaning  is  not,  that  they  were  not  the  objects  of  divine  love, 
but  that  they  were  not  the  subjects  of  divine  saving  benefits.  They 
were  the  objects  equally  of  his  judicial  displeasure,  and  of  his  moral 
disapprobation.  They  were  not  blessed  by  him  with  any  heavenly 
blessing.  They  were  unpardoned,  unjustified,  unsanctified.  They 
were  "  poor  and  miserable,  blind  and  naked."  They  were  in  a  state, 
in  which,  if  they  had  continued,  they  must  have  been  miserable  for 
ever.  For  such  persons  to  be  made  to  taste  that  the  Lord  was  gra 
cious,  was  mercy  indeed,  mercy  which  should  have  a  constraining 
power  to  make  them  most  dutiful  subjects  of  their  gracious  Lord. 


IL  THE  MANNER  IN  WHICH  CHRISTIANS  OBTAIN  THEIR  PECULIAR 
PRIVILEGES ;  BY  FAITH  OF  THE  TRUTH,  AND  RELIANCE  ON  THE 
SAVIOUR. 

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention,  for  a  little,  to  the  view  the  text  gives 
us  of  the  manner  in  which  those  miserable  beings  became  possessed 
of  their  peculiar  privileges  ;  to  the  immediate  cause  of  so  favorable  a 
change  in  their  state  and  circumstances.  It  was  by  "  coming  to 
Christ  as  a  living  stone,  disallowed  indeed  of  men,  but  chosen  of  God, 
and  precious;"  it  was  by  "believing  on  Him,"  as  "the  chief  corner 
stone,  elect,  which  God  had  laid  in  Sion." 

To  believe  on  Christ  as  the  chief  corner-stone,  and  to  come  to  him 
as  the  living  stone,  have  generally  been  understood  as  synonymous 
expressions,  and  both  have  been  viewed  as  significant  of  that  faith 
which,  by  the  constitution  of  the  new  covenant,  is  necessarily  con 
nected  with  the  enjoyment  of  the  blessings  of  the  Christian  salvation; 
and  the  passage,  "  He  that  cometh  to  me  shall  never  hunger,  he  that 
believeth  on  me  shall  never  thirst,"  2  has  often  been  quoted  as  clearly 
proving  this.  I  apprehend  that  that  passage  merely  proves,  that  "  he 
that  cometh  to  Christ,"  and  "  he  that  believeth  on  him,"  are  two  de 
scriptions  of  the  same  person,  not  that  they  are  expressions  entirely 
synonymous  in  meaning.  The  following  passage  seems,  indeed, 
clearly  to  distinguish  between  believing  on,  and  coming  to,  and  to  rep 
resent  the  latter  as  the  consequence  of  the  former,  the  former  as  the 
means  of  the  latter,  "  He  that  cometh  to  God,  must  believe  that  he  is, 
and  that  he  is  the  rewarder  of  all  who  diligently  seek  him." 3  To 
believe,  is  to  count  a  proposition  true  on  the  ground  of  what  appears 
satisfactory  testimony ;  to  believe  on,  or  in  a  person,  is  a  Hebraistic 
mode  of  expression,  and  signifies  to  count  a  testimony,  given  either 
by  or  respecting  that  person,  to  be  true ;  to  believe  in  Christ,  is  to 

1  Rom.  v.  8.    Eph.  i.  3-6.  *  John  vi.  35.  '  Heb.  xl  6. 


PART  II. J  HOW  THEY  OBTAIN  THEM.  173 

count  true  what  Christ  says,  or  what  is  said  about  Christ ;  to  know 
and  be  sure  of  it,  to  reckon  it  a  faithful  saying  and  worthy  of  all  ac 
ceptation.1  To  come  to  Christ  is  a  figurative  expression,  denoting 
those  mental  exercises  which  may  be  termed  the  movement  of  the 
mind  and  heart  towards  Christ,  in  the  various  characters  in  which 
the  divine  testimony  represents  him,  and  which  equally,  by  the  con 
stitution  of  human  nature  and  of  the  new  covenant,  grow  out  of  the 
faith  of  the  truth  respecting  him,  of  which  the  bodily  movement  of 
coming  is  a  natural  figurative  representation.  The  peculiar  charac-  ^ 
ter  of  the  mental  movement,  depends  on  the  view  at  the  time  before 
the  mind  respecting  Christ.  Believing  the  truth  respecting  him  as 
the  great  Prophet,  I  come  to  him  seeking  the  knowledge  of  his  will, 
with  a  determination  to  receive  any  doctrine,  every  doctrine,  which 
he  delivers,  just  because  he  delivers  it.  Believing  the  truth  with  re 
spect  to  him  as  a  Priest,  I  come  to  him  relying  with  undivided,  un 
shaken  confidence  on  his  atonement  and  intercession.  Believing  the 
truth  with  respect  to  him  as  a  King,  I  come  to  him  in  a  cheerful  un 
questioning  obedience  to  his  commands  and  appointments,  just  because 
they  are  his.  This  exactly  accords  with  the  view  given  in  our  excel 
lent  Shorter  Catechism,  which  teaches  us,  not  that  faith  is  receiving 
and  resting  on  Jesus  Christ  for  salvation,  but  "  that  faith  is  that  by 
which  we  receive  and  rest  on  Christ ;"  and  in  the  Confession  of 
Faith,  which  teaches  us,  "  that  it  is  by  faith  that  we  accept  and  rest 
on  Christ,  yield  obedience  to  the  commands,  tremble  at  the  threaten-  , 
ings,  and  embrace  the  promises,  of  God." 2 

It  was,  then,  by  believing  the  truth  about  Christ,  and  by  those  out 
goings  of  the  mind  and  heart  to  him  that  necessarily  grow  out  of  this 
faith,  that  the  Christians  to  whom  Peter  wrote  obtained,  and  retained, 
possession  of  the  high  honors  and  privileges  which  are  here  enumer 
ated.  It  was  thus  that  not  shame  but  honor  was  their  portion,  that 
they  became  living  stones,  that  they  were  built  up,  on  him  the  living 
foundation,  a  spiritual  house,  that  they  became  a  royal  priesthood,  a 
chosen  generation,  a  holy  nation,  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the 
saints  in  light,  a  people,  the  people  of  God,  partakers  of  distinguishing 
saving  blessings.  This  is  just  the  fundamental  doctrine  of  the  gos 
pel,  which  meets  us  everywhere  in  the  Bible ;  that  it  is  by  the  faith  "" 
of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  that  individuals  obtain  personal  posses 
sion  of  the  blessings  of  the  Christian  salvation. 

Let  us  look  a  little  more  closely  at  this  interesting  view  of  the  faith 
of  the  gospel,  and  its  immediate  and  necessary  effects.  Those  to 
whom  Peter  wrote,  had  believed  on,  and  come  to,  the  Lord.  What 
they  believed,  and  how  they  came  to  him,  will  appear  very  plain  on 
examining  the  passage  before  us.  What  they  believed  was,  that 
Jesus  Christ  was  indeed  "a  living  stone,  disallowed  indeed  of  men, 
but  chosen  of  God,  and  precious  ;  the  chief  corner-stone  laid  by  God 
in  Sion,  elect,  precious ;"  and  that  every  man  thus  believing  may 
rest  satisfied  that  he  shall  not  be  ashamed  by  the  disappointment  of 
his  hopes.  And,  believing  this,  they  had  come  to  him  as  the  divinely 
appointed  and  divinely  qualified  foundation  ;  they  had  exercised  1  ope 

1   Vide  "  Hints  on  Faith  and  Hope." 

3  Westminster  Short.  Cat.  Q.  86.    Confession  of  Faith,  Ch.  xiv.  sect.  2. 


174  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

and  confidence  in  him;  they  had  built  their  creed  on  him  ;  they  had 
rested  their  expectations  of  eternal  life  on  him;  they  had  submitted 
to  him  as  their  only  Lord  and  King. 

There  is  some  difficulty  in  forming  a  clear,  distinct  idea  of  the 
principal  figurative  representation  here  used,  in  which  Christ  is  com 
pared  to  a  stone,1  a  living  stone,  a  chief  corner-stone,  elect,  precious. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  apostle  had  before  his  mind  the  fol 
lowing  passages  of  Scripture :  "  The  stone  which  the  builders  re 
jected  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner;  this  is  the  doing  of  the 
Lord,  and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes  ;"  "He  shall  be  for  a  sanctu 
ary  ;  but  for  a  stone  of  stumbling,  and  for  a  rock  of  offence,  to  both 
the  houses  of  Israel :  for  a  gin  and  a  snare  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jeru 
salem.  And  many  among  them  shall  stumble,  and  fall,  and  be  broken, 
and  be  snared,  and  taken ;"  and,  "  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God,  Behold,  I  lay  in  Zion  for  a  foundation,  a  stone,  a  tried  stone,  a 
precious  corner-stone,  a  sure  foundation ;  he  that  belie veth  shall  not 
make  haste." 2 

It  is  sufficiently  obvJous  that  the  general  representation  is,  '  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  foundation  of  a  spiritual  temple,  of  which  believers  in 
him  form  the  superstructure.  He  is  the  foundation,  they  are  stones 
built  on  the  foundation/  Whatever  the  meaning  of  this  may  be,  so 
far  the  figurative  expression  is  distinct  enongh  ;  but  what  are  we  to 
make  of  the  ephitet  "living,"  applied  both  to  the  foundation  and  to 
the  superstructure  ?  He  is  the  "  living  stone,"  they  are  "  living 
stones./  It  seems  impossible  satisfactorily  to  account  for  our  trans 
lators  having  rendered  the  same  word  living  in  the  first  instance,  and 
lively  in  the  second.  Some  have  supposed  that,  in  these  expressions, 
there  is  an  allusion  to  the  undoubted  fact,  that  the  ancients  were  in 
the  habit  of  speaking  of  stone  in  its  native  state,  lying  compact,  un 
broken  in  its  original  place  in  the  earth,  as  the  living  rock.3  Jesus 
Christ,  according  to  this  view  of  the  matter,  is  compared  to  a  mighty 
rock,  resting  in  the  place  where  the  omnipotent  hand  of  God  placed 
it,  when  "  by  his  power  he  set  fast  the  mountains,  being  girded  with 
power,"  affording  an  immovable  .foundation,  very  different  from 
any  stone,  however  large,  which  the  hand  of  man  could  lay  ;  and 
when  it  is  said  that  believers  are  built  upon  him  as  living  stones,  the 
idea  intended  to  be  conveyed  is  the  closeness  and  indissolubleness 
of  their  connection  with  him;  they  form,  as  it  were,  a  part  of  the 
living  rock ;  so  intimately  connected  are  they,  that  they  cannot  be 
disjoined  either  from  the  foundation,  or  from  one  another. 

This  is  certainly  ingenious,  but  we  doubt  if  it  be  the  apostle's  refer 
ence.  The  epithet  "living,"  in  reference  to  the  foundation,  and  the 
stones  built  on  it,  like  the  epithet  "  spiritual,"  in  reference  to  the 
house  or  temple,  seems  to  belong  not  to  the  figurative  representation, 
but  to  the  exposition  of  it,  just  as  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  the  Epistle 
to  the  Romans,  the  'epithet  "living"  is  connected  with  sacrifice;  and 
"  reasonable"  or  rational  with  "  worship,"  religious  service.  The 
epithets  are  intended  to  indicate  that  the  temple  spoken  of,  is  a  temple 

"  Haerebat  animo  Petri  cognomen  ipsi  a  Domino  datum  :  hinc  varie  ad  id  alludit  non 
modo  Lapidis  vocabulo,  Acts  iv.  11,  sed  etiam  frequent!  firmitudinis  mentione." — BLKOEI. 
a  Psal.  cxviii.  22.     Isa.  viii.  14;  xxviiil  16.  *  See  note  A. 


PART  II.]  HOW    THEY    OBTAIN    THEM.  175 

worthy  of  him  who  cannot  "  dwell  in  temples  made  with  hands  ;"  a 
living  temple  for  the  living  God  :  a  spiritual  temple  for  God  who  is  a 
spirit.  Its  foundation  is  a  living  foundation;  the  stones  of  which  it 
is  composed  are  living  stones.  Considering  this  as  the  true  interpre 
tation  of  the  phraseology,  let  us  now  inquire  what  are  the  great  truths 
respecting  Christ  contained  in  this  figurative  phraseology,  the  belief  of 
which  is  represented  as  that  by  which  the  Christians,  whom  Peter 
was  addressing,  had  obtained  possession  of  their  high  and  distinguish 
ing  privileges. 

The  great  principle  is,  'Jesus  Christ  is  the  foundation  of  the  spir 
itual  temple  of  God  ;'  this  is  the  central  statement :  Then, '  this  founda 
tion  has  been  laid  by  God  ;  it  is  a  chief  corner-stone ;  it  is  elect  or 
chosen  ;  it  is  precious  ;  it  was  disallowed  of  men,  but  by  God  it  is 
made  to  serve  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  intended ;  and  this  founda 
tion  is  a  living  stone ;' — these  are  the  subsidiary  statements  which 
cluster  round  that  central  one.  Let  us  endeavor  to  ascertain  their 
meaning,  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  we  shall  find  that  they  contain  a  very 
full  and  striking  statement  of  the  gospel  of  our  salvation. 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  foundation,  the  sole  foundation,  of  the  spiritual 
temple  of  God.1  What  that  temple  is,  there  is  no  room  to  doubt.  It 
is  true  Christians,  viewed  as  connected  with  Christ,  and  with  each 
other,  through  their  common  connection  with  him.  It  is  this  holy 
society,  viewed  as  the  residence  of  God,  and  as  the  grand  means  of 
promoting  his  glory  in  the  world.  These  are  the  purposes  of  a  temple. 
It  is  the  Deity's  house  ;  and  it  is  the  medium  by  which  he  is  known 
and  honored  among  men.  Now,  keeping  this  in  view,  it  will  not  be 
difficult  to  see  what  is  meant  by  Christ's  being  the  foundation  of  this 
spiritual  temple.  It  is  just  this,  that  it  is  by  connection  with  him  that 
Christians,  either  individually  or  collectively,  are  fitted  to  serve  the 
purposes  of  a  temple ;  to  be  a  residence  for  God,  and  the  means  of 
showing  forth  his  glory  among  mankind.  In  his  original  state,  man 
was  fitted  and  designed  to  be  a  temple  of  God ;  and  the  race,  had  man 
retained  his  primeval  innocence,  would  have  been,  as  it  were,  one 
magnificent  temple,  "formed  for  himself  to  show  forth  his  praise." 
This  was  the  pre-eminent  glory  of  man  among  all  terrestrial  creatures, 
that  he  was  "formed  for  God's  self;"  "  capable  of  and  full  of  God  ;" 
sacred  in  a  peculiar  way  to  the  Divinity ;  his  chosen  habitation,  the 
mansion  and  residence  of  his  indwelling  glory.  But  by  sin  man 
individually  and  collectively  has  become  unfit  for  the  purpose  of  a 
temple.  He  has  brought  on  himself  the  divine  curse ;  the  necessary 
effect  of  which  is  the  withdrawing  of  the  divine  gracious  presence. 
He  has  become  unworthy  of,  in  a  moral  sense  unfit  for,  being  the 
dwelling-place  of  God. 

The  consequences  of  sin  in  unfitting  human  nature  to  be  a  temple 
for  God,  have  been  so  strikingly  described  by  one  of  the  greatest  of 
our  divines,  that  I  gladly  borrow  his  language  :  "  What  could  be  ex-' 
pected  on  all  this,  but  that  man  should  be  forsaken  of  God;  that  the 
blessed  presence  that  had  been  so  spitefully  slighted,  should  be  with 
drawn,  to  return  no  more  ?  No  more  until,  at  least,  a  recompense 

1  "  Christus  est  vera  et  pvima  Ecclesiae  pctrn ;  a  quo  Petrus,  et  ceteri  fidelea  fiunt 
petrao. — CORNELIUS  A  LAPIDK. 


176  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

should  be  made  for  the  wrong  done,  and  a  capacity  be  recovered  for 
his  future  converse :  namely,  till  both  his  honor  should  be  repaired 
and  his  temple ;  until  he  might  again  honorably  return,  and  be  fitly 
received.  But  who  could  have  thought  in  what  way  these  things 
should  ever  be  brought  to  pass  ?  that  is,  neither  could  his  departure 
be  but  expected,  nor  his  return  but  be  above  all  expectation.  To  depart 
was  what  became  him ;  a  thing,  as  the  case  was,  most  godlike  or 
worthy  of  God,  and  what  he  owed  to  himself.  It  was  meet,  so  great 
a  Majesty  having  been  so  condescendingly  gracious,  should  not  be 
also  cheap,  or  appear  inapprehensive  of  being  neglected  and  set  at 
naught.  It  became  him,  as  the  self-sufficient  Being,  to  let  it  be  seen 
that  he  designed  not  man  his  temple  for  want  of  a  house  ;  that  having 
of  old  inhabited  his  own  eternity,  and  having  now  'the  heavens  for 
his  throne,  the  earth  his  footstool/  he  could  dwell  alone,  or  where  he 
pleased  else,  in  all  his  great  creation,  and  did  not  need,  where  he  was 
not  desired.  It  was  becoming  of  his  pure  and  glorious  holiness  not  to 
dwell  amidst  impurities,  or  let  it  be  thought  that  he  was  a  God  who 
took  pleasure  in  wickedness  :  and  most  suitable  to  his  equal  justice  to 
let  them  who  said  to  him  '  Depart  from  us/  feel  they  spake  that  word 
against  their  own  life  and  soul ;  and  that  what  was  their  rash  and 
wilful  choice,  is  their  heaviest  doom  and  punishment.  It  was  only 
strange  that  when  he  left  his  temple  he  did  not  consume  it ;  and  that, 
not  leaving  it  without  being  basely  expelled,  he  had  thought  of  return 
ing  without  being  invited  back  again."  1 

Of  this  new  and  more  glorious  restored  temple,  formed  of  human 
beings,  in  which  Jehovah  is  to  dwell  forever,  Jesus  Christ,  the  only 
begotten  of  God,  is  the  foundation  and  chief  corner-stone.  It  required 
such  a  foundation.  "  The  indignity  offered  to  the  majesty  of  the  Most 
High  God,  in  his  most  ignominious  expulsion  from  his  own  temple, 
was  to  be  recompensed ;  and  the  ruin  must  be  repaired  which  had 
befallen  the  temple  itself.  In  reference  to  both  these  performances, 
it  was  determined  that  Immanuel,  that  is,  his  own  Son,  his  substantial  , 
image,  the  brightness  of  his  glory,  the  eternal  Word,  should  become 
incarnate ;  and  being  so,  should  undertake  several  parts,  and  in  dis 
tinct  capacities,  and  be  at  once  a  single  temple  himself;  and  that  this 
temple  should  also  be  a  sacrifice,  and  thereby  give  rise  to  a  manifold 
temple,  conformed  to  that  original  one,  of  each  whereof,  in  the  virtue 
of  his  sacrifice,  he  was  himself  to  be  the  glorious  pattern,  the  firm 
foundation,  the  magnificent  founder,  and  the  most  curious  architect 
and  framer,  by  his  own  various  and  most  peculiar  influence."  2 

It  is  Jesus  Christ  who,  by  his  sacrifice,  and  intercession,  and  Spirit, 
and  word,  and  providence,  makes  individual  men  fit  residences  for 
the  Holy  Divinity :  and  it  is  Jesus  Christ  also  who  renders  these  men 
united  into  a  holy  society,  the  effectual  means  of  promoting  his  glory. 
It  is  IN  HIM,  that  is,  united  to  him,  as  the  great  corner-stone  of  the 
foundation,  that  "all  the  building  fitly  framed  together,  groweth  into 
a  holy  temple  in  the  Lord."  It  is  as  united  to  him,  that  the  individual 
members  of  the  Church  "  are  builded  together  for  a  habitation  of  God 

1  HOWE.    The  best  thoughts  in  these  paragraphs  are  borrowed  from  that  wonderful 
book,  "  The  Living  Temple." 
8  Howe. 


PART  H.j  HOW   THEY   OBTAIN   THEM.  177 

in  the  Spirit."  Or,  to  vary  the  figure,  "  HE  is  the  head,  from  whom 
the  whole  body  fitly  joined  together  and  compacted  by  that  which 
every  joint  supplieth,  according  to  the  effectual  working  in  every 
part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body,  unto  the  edifying  of  itself  in  love."  * 

This,  then,  is  the  great  central  truth.  '  Jesus  Christ  is  the  founda 
tion  of  the  spiritual  temple.'  Through  him,  we  are  reconciled  to  God ; 
through  him,  we  are  conformed  to  God.  It  becomes,  through  his 
atonement,  congruous,  that  God  should  dwell  in  us,  as  his  temple ; 
and,  by  his  Spirit,  we  are  fitted  to  be  the  means  of  proclaiming  his 
name,  and  manifesting  his  glory,  to  men  and  to  angels ;  for  "  by  the 
Church  is  made  known,  to  principalities  and  powers,  the  manifold 
wisdom  of  God."2  He  is  "the  author  of  salvation,"  THE  SAVIOUR. 

How  different  is  the  religion  of  the  New  Testament  from  the 
religion  of  many  who  profess  to  believe  it !  In  the  religion  of  many 
self-called  Christians,  there  is  but  a  very  unfrequent  and  indirect  refer 
ence  to  Christ.  While  they  profess  to  believe  all  the  doctrines  of  the 
New  Testament  relative  to  his  person  and  mission,  and  would  be 
shocked  to  be  considered  as  enemies  to  his  divinity  or  atonement,  they 
have  no  deep  abiding  views  of  the  importance  of  these  truths  to  their 
own  hope,  holiness,  comfort,  and  salvation.  They  have  no  habitual 
sense  of  the  absolute  necesssity  of  his  mediation,  no  habitual  trust  in 
his  sacrifice,  no  habitual  dependence  on  his  Spirit.  Their  professed 
belief  of  the  peculiar  principles  of  the  gospel  seems  to  exert  no  influ 
ence  over  their  religious  and  moral  dispositions,  and  conduct.  They 
think  and  feel  much  as  if  there  never  had  been  such  a  person  as  Jesus 
Christ ;  their  life  is  anything  but  a  life  ' '  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God." 

The  religion  taught  in  the  New  Testament,  of  which  our  text  is  a 
fair  specimen,  is  Christianity  in  the  most  emphatic  and  peculiar  sense 
of  the  term:  "  Christ  is  all  in  all."  It  is  His  religion.  It  is  all  by  him, 
it  is  all  about  him ;  he  is  its  author,  he  is  its  substance ;  he  is  the  sun 
of  this  system,  the  soul  of  this  body.  Everything  is  viewed  in  its 
connection  with  him, — every  doctrine  and  every  precept,  every 
privilege  and  every  duty,  every  promise  and  every  threatening.  The 
ground  of  acceptance  is  his  sacrifice ;  the  source  of  light  and  life, 
holiness  and  peace,  his  Spirit ;  the  rule  of  duty,  his  law ;  the  pattern 
for  imitation,  his  example ;  the  motives  to  duty,  his  authority  and 
grace ;  the  great  end  of  all,  his  glory,  God's  glory  in  him.  He  is  con 
sidered  as  the  great  reservoir  of  spiritual  blessing,  filled  by  the  grace 
of  God,  ever  full,  ever  flowing  to  our  needy  race.  "  Of  God,  Christ  is 
made  to  men,  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemption." 
Every  devout  feeling,  every  religious  duty,  takes  a  peculiar  flavor 
and  color  from  its  reference  to  his  mediation.  He,  he  alone,  is  the 
foundation :  "  other  foundation  can  no  man  lay." 3  Let  us  seek  that 
Christ  may  be  in  us  what  he  is  in  our  Bibles !  Let  us  see  to  it  that 
he  be  not  only  admitted  by  us  to  be  the  foundation,  but  that  he  be  our 
foundation  ;  and  let  us  every  day,  every  hour  be  coming,  in  the  faith 
of  the  truth,  to  him  as  the  divinely-appointed  foundation.  Let  us 
seek  to  be  more  and  more  "grounded  on  him  in  love,"  and  let  the 
language  of  our  hearts  be  that  of  the  dying  martyr:  "None  but 
Christ,  none  but  Christ." 

*  Eph.i.  20-22;  iv.  15,  16.  9  Eph.  iii.  10.  3  1  Cor.  i.  30;  iii.  11. 

12 


178  THE    PRIVILEGES   OF   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

The  truths  now  stated  cast  also  a  steady  and  pleasing  light  on  a 
subject  of  deep  interest  at  all  times,  of  peculiarly  deep  interest  in  the 
times  that  are  passing  over  us :  the  true  nature  of  the  union  of  the 
Church,  and  the  true  means  of  promoting  it.  It  is  the  union  of 
"living  stones,"  and  that  is  to  be  promoted  by  "coming  to  the  living 
stone."  No  union  of  dead  stones  can  ever  form  a  "  spiritual  house." 
There  is  no  becoming  living  stones,  but  by  coming  to  the  living  stone ; 
no  coming  closely  together  among  the  living  stones,  but  by  coming 
individually  closer  to  the  living  stone ;  no  coming  closer  to  the  living 
stone,  without  coming  closer  to  one  another.  No  combination  of 
worldly  men  can  form  or  promote  the  union  of  the  Church.  That 
union  is  union  in  truth  and  love ;  and  this  can  have  place  only  among 
those  who  "have  received  out  of  his  fulness,"  who,  according  to  the 
benignant  good  pleasure  of  the  Father,  is  "full  of  truth  and  grace." 
And  it  will  take  place  just  in  proportion  to  the  degree  in  which  these 
communications  are  received.  Oh,  when  the  Church,  the  visible  as 
sembly  of  the  professed  people  of  God,  becomes,  as  we  trust  it  one 
day  shall,  obviously  a  well- compacted  building  of  living  stones, 
closely  cemented  to  one  another,  by  all  being  firmly  attached  to  the 
great  living  foundation,  what  a  spectacle  will  the  Zion  of  the  Lord, 
all  radiant  with  divine  light,  then  exhibit  ?  Then  will  be  accom 
plished  the  promise  which  has  cheered  the  heart  of  her  genuine  chil 
dren  in  the  seasons  of  her  desolation  ;  "  0  thou  afflicted,  tossed  with 
tempest,  and  not  comforted !  behold,  I  will  lay  thy  stones  with  fair 
colors,  and  thy  foundations  with  sapphires.  And  I  will  make  thy 
windows  of  agates,  and  thy  gates  of  carbuncles,  and  all  thy  borders 
of  pleasant  stones.  In  righteousness  shall  thou  be  established  ;  thou 
shalt  be  far  from  oppression  ;  for  thou  shalt  not  fear  :  and  from  ter 
ror  ;  for  it  shall  not  come  near  thee.  The  glory  of  Lebanon  shall 
come  to  thee,  the  fir-tree,  the  pine-tree,  and  the  box  together,  to  beau 
tify  the  place  of  my  sanctuary ;  and  I  will  make  the  place  of  my  feet 
glorious."  Then  shall  the  palace  of  the  great  King,  the  Lord  of 
Hosts,  the  temple  of  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  be  "established 
on  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  be  exalted  above  the  hills ;  and  all 
nations  shall  flow  into  it."  And  should  the  kings  of  the  earth,  as  they 
have  often  done,  assemble  against  it,  "  they  shall  pass  by  together ; 
they  shall  see  it,  and  marvel ;  they  shall  be  troubled,  and  pass  away." 
And  a  great  voice  shall  be  heard  in  heaven :  "  Behold,  the  tabernacle 
of  God ;"  the  spiritual  house,  formed  of  the  living  stones  on  the  living 
foundation ;  all  shining  with  living  light  and  holy  beauty  :  "Behold 
the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  he  will  dwell  with  them,  and 
they  shall  be  his  people,  and  God  himself  shall  be  with  them,  and  be 
their  God."  Who,  that  has  any  part  in  the  faith  and  feeling  of  a 
Christian,  can  help  saying  in  his  heart,  "Hasten  it,  0  Lord,  in  its 
time.  How  long,  0  Lord,  how  long?"  "He  that  testifieth  these 
things  saith,  and  he  is  faithful  who  hath  promised,  Behold,  I  come 
quickly.  Amen.  Even  so  come,  Lord  Jesus."  * 

I  proceed  now  to  call  your  attention  shortly  to  the  subsidiary 
statements,  which,  all,  as  it  were,  cluster  around  this  great  central 

1  Isa.  liv.  11-14 ;  Ix.  13.    Micah  iv.  1.     Rev.  xxi.  3 ;  xxii.  20. 


PART  II,]  HOTV   THEY    OBTAIN   THEM,  179 

one,  which  is,  indeed,  the  sum  and  substance  of  "  the  gospel  of 
our  salvation." 

The  first  of  these  is,  '  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  foundation  of  the  spir 
itual  temple,  is  "laid  by  God:'"  "Behold,"  saith  Jehovah  by  the 
prophet,  "  I  lay  in  Sion  a  sure  foundation."  The  phrase,  "  in  Sion," 
seems  intended  to  mark  that  the  foundation  was  the  foundation  of  a 
temple,  a  palace  for  himself.  "Mount  Sion,  beautiful  for  situation, 
the  joy  of  the  whole  land,"  was  "the  mountain  of  God's  holiness," 
the  mountain  set  apart  for  himself.  "  He  chose  the  Mount  Zion, 
which  he  loved."  While  "  he  was  known  in  Judah,  and  his  name 
was  great  in  Israel,  in  Salem  was  his  tabernacle,  and  his  dwelling- 
place  in  Zion." l  To  lay  a  foundation,  then,  "  in  Zion,"  is  to  lay  the 
foundation  of  a  temple,  and  of  a  temple  to  Jehovah. 

We  have  already  seen  what  is  signified  by  Jesus  Christ  being  this 
foundation.  Our  inquiry  now  is,  what  is  meant  by  this  foundation 
being  laid  by  Jehovah?  It  indicates  that  the  whole  arrangement  is 
not  the  result  of  human,  of  created,  wisdom  or  power,  but  of  divine. 
No  man,  no  angel  laid  this  foundation.  "  I  lay  it,"  says  Jehovah.  It 
is  equivalent  to, — '  I  appoint  him  to  the  character  emblematized  by 
the  foundation  of  the  spiritual  temple.  I  invest  him  with  it.  I  qual 
ify  him  for  it.  I  accredit  him  in  it.'  Jesus  Christ  is  the  divinely- 
appointed,  the  divinely -qualified,  the  divinely -raised  up,  the  divinely- 
accredited  Saviour  of  men ;  "  fore-ordained  before  the  foundation  of 
the  world;"  at  the  appointed  period  "sent  forth;"  possessed  of  every 
necessary  qualification,  and  bringing  along  with  him  every  necessary 
credential;  and  "all"  these  "things  are  of  God."  His  destination, 
his  constitution,  his  qualifications,  his  attestation,  are  all  divine. 
There  seems  to  be  a  peculiar  reference  to  the  manifestation  of  this 
glorious  truth,  when  "  God  raised  Jesus  from  the  dead,  and  set  him 
at  his  own  right  hand."  Then  was  "the  stone  set  at  naught  of  the 
builders"  made  to  appear  to  be  indeed  "the  head  stone,"  the  princi 
pal  stone  "  of  the  corner."  Then  was  it  proclaimed  as  from  heaven, 
4 'Let  all  the  house  of  Israel,"  let  all  the  family  of  man,  "know 
assuredly,  that  God  has  made  that  same  Jesus,  whom  men  crucified, 
both  Lord  and  Christ"2 

The  second  subsidiary  statement  is,  'this  foundation  is  a  "  chief," 
or  the  chief  "corner-stone."'  The  stone  on  which  the  angle  of  a 
building  rests,  gives  not  only  support,  but  connection,  to  the  different 
parts  of  the  building.  It  joins  the  different  walls  and  stones  into  one 
building.  The  idea  intended  to  be  conveyed  seems  to  be  this,  that 
the  union  of  Christians  as  a  body  fitted  for  enjoying  the  divine  pres 
ence  and  promoting  the  divine  honor,  depends  on  their  individually 
being  connected  with  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  divinely-appointed,  quali 
fied,  constituted,  accredited  Saviour.  It  is  this  common  connection 
with  him  which  is  the  basis  of  their  connection  with  each  other. 
"  In  him,"  united  to  him,  "they  are  builded  together,  a  habitation  of 
God  through  the  Spiril^ "  a  spiritual  habitation  of  God.  It  is  thus 
that  they  are  "knit  together,"  thus  that  they  are  "fitly  joined  and 
compacted." 

1  Psal.  xlviii.  1,  2 ;  Ixxviii.  68 ;  Ixxvi.  1,  2. 

9  1  Pet.  i.  20V    Gal.  iv.  4.     Psal.  cxviii.  22.    Acts,  iv.  10-12 ;  ii.  36. 


180  THE   PRIVILEGES   OF   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC    VTII. 

The  third  subsidiary  statement  is,  that  this  foundation  is  "chosen 
or  elect."  These  words  seem  intended  as  a  translation  of  the  He 
brew  phrase  rendered  in  our  version  of  the  Old  Testament,  a  "  tried 
stone,  proved  and  approved,  and  therefore  chosen,  selected,  ap 
pointed,  and  employed  to  serve  an  important  purpose.  When  God 
from  eternity  appointed  his  Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of  men,  the  founda 
tion  of  the  spiritual  temple,  the  Father  knew  the  Son ;  he  knew 
his  capacities,  he  knew  he  could  bear  all  that  was  to  be  laid  on  him, 
both  the  weight  of  suffering,  and  "the  exceeding  great  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory;"  and  previously  to  his  actually  constituting  him 
"  Lord  and  Christ,"  and  holding  him  forth  to  men  in  these  charac 
ters,  he  had  been  exposed  to  every  species  of  trial  competent  to  him, 
and  had  stood  the  trial.  Every  test  applied,  but  brought  out  more 
fully  his  complete  fitness  for  the  mighty  work  to  which  he  was  ap 
pointed. 

The  fourth  subsidiary  statement  is,  that  this  foundation  is  "  pre 
cious,"  that  is,  highly  valuable,  as  possessed  of  every  quality  neces 
sary  in  a  foundation,  and  as  alone  being  possessed  of  the  qualities 
necessary  in  the  foundation  of  such  a  building  ;  for  "  other  founda 
tion  can  no  man  lay  save  that  which  is  laid,  Christ  Jesus."  The 
idea  is,  Jesus  Christ  is  a  "precious,"  an  all-accomplished  Saviour,  a 
perfect  Eedeemer,  having  all  the  knowledge,  all  the  wisdom,  all  the 
power,  all  the  merit,  all  the  compassion  arising  from  himself  having 
"  suffered,  being  tried,"  which  are  necessary  to  fit  him  for  accomplish 
ing  the  work  of  salvation  in  the  best  possible  way.  And  he  is  "  pre 
cious,"  too,  as  the  only  Saviour.  He  is  not  one  among  many  sav 
iours  ;  not  the  best  among  them  ;  he  is  the  only  Saviour.  He  can, 
and  he  only  can,  save  from  evils  ;  he  can,  and  he  only  can,  raise  to 
blessings ;  deliverance  from  the  first,  and  possession  of  the  second  of 
which,  are  absolutely  necessary  and  completely  sufficient  to  secure  us 
from  being  miserable,  and  for  making  us  happy,  without  measure  and 
without  end,  up  to  the  largest  capacity  of  our  nature  for  suffering  or 
enjoyment,  and  during  the  whole  eternity  of  our  being.  "  The  Deity, 
filling  his  human  nature  with  all  manner  of  grace  in  its  highest  per 
fection,  made  him  infinitely  precious  and  excellent ;  and  not  only 
was  he  thus  excellent  in  himself,  but  he  is  of  precious  virtue,  which 
he  lets  forth  and  imparts  to  others,  of  such  a  virtue  that  a  touch  of 
him  is  the  only  cure  of  spiritual  diseases.  Men  tell  of  strange  virtues 
of  some  stones ;  but  it  is  certain  that  this  precious  stone  hath  not 
only  virtue  to  heal  the  sick,  but  even  to  raise  the  dead.  Dead  bodies 
he  raised  in  the  days  of  his  abode  on  earth,  and  dead  souls  he  doth 
still  raise  by  the  power  of  his  word." * 

The  fifth  subsidiary  statement  is,  'this  foundation-stone  was  "dis 
allowed  and  rejected  of  men  :"  but,  notwithstanding,  made  by  God 
to  answer  all  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  intended.'  The  direct 
reference  is  to  the  rejection,  by  the  Jewish  nation,  of  Jesus  Christ 
as  the  Saviour  promised  to  the  Fathers.  When  the  word,  made  flesh 
of  the  seed  of  David  according  to  the  promise,  "  came  to  his  own, 
his  own  received  him  not." a  Instead  of  honoring  him  as  the  sent  of 
God,  the  divinely. destined,  qualified,  accredited  Saviour,  they  regarded 

1  Leigbton.  2  John,  i.  11. 


PART  II.]  HOW  THEY   OBTAIN   THEM.  181 

him  with  contempt  and  abhorrence  as  a  low-born  impostor,  and  put 
him  to  the  death  of  a  blasphemer  and  a  traitor.  But  while  this  is  the 
direct  reference,  the  statement  is  meant  to  embrace  a'wider  range  of 
facts.  The  Jews  were  just  a  specimen  of  our  race,  and  acted  as  the 
race  would  have  done  in  similar  circumstances ;  and  men  generally, 
universally  till  they  are  taught  of  God,  disallow  and  reject  Jesus 
Christ  as  the  foundation  ;  and  though  they  do  not  do  this  exactly  in 
the  same  way  as  the  Jews  did,  for  this  is  impossible,  they  manifest  the 
same  spirit,  they  do  substantially  the  same  thing.  Jesus  Christ,  made 
known  in  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel  as  the  only  and  all- 
sufficient  Saviour,  is  by  the  great  body  of  mankind  not  acknowledged. 
They  do  not  own  his  authority,  trust  in  his  atonement,  imbibe  his 
Spirit,  obey  his  laws.  But  though  men  reject  him,  God  owns  him : 
he  shows  that  in  his  estimation  he  is  proved,  approved,  excellent,  in 
valuable.  The  stone  which  the  "Jewish  builders  rejected,"  he  made 
"  the  chief  stone  of  the  corner."  He  raised  him  to  his  own  right 
hand,  and  gave  him  all  the  authority  and  power,  as  Mediator,  which 
were  necessary  to  carry  forward  to  accomplishment  the  benignant 
purposes  of  those  severe  trials  by  which  his  excellence  had  been  so 
fully  proved.  And  still,  though  mankind  very  generally  reject  the 
Saviour,  and  so,  refusing  to  build  on  him  the  only  foundation,  perish, 
yet  this  foundation  of  God  standeth  sure.  "Jesus  Christ"  remains 
"the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever;"  and  while  he  is  to  multi 
tudes,  to  all  who  reject  him,  "  a  stumbling-block  and  foolishness,"  by 
divine  power  and  grace  he  is  "  the  wisdom  of  God,  and  the  power  of 
God  to  salvation,  to  all  who  believe;"  "  made  of  God  to  them  wisdom, 
righteousness,  and  sanctification,  and  redemption." l  Men  may 
stumble  at  the  foundation  so  as  to  fall,  but  they  cannot  move  it,  or 
render  it,  in  any  degree,  unfit  for  the  great  purpose  for  which  it  is 
laid, — to  be  the  sure  support  of  that  edifice  of  mercy  and  holiness,  of 
which  Jehovah  has  said,  "  It  shall  be  built  forever." 

The  last  subsidiary  statement  is,  that  this  foundation  is  a  "living 
stone."  The  general  meaning  of  this,  at  first  sight  paradoxical,  dec 
laration,  is  abundantly  obvious.  He  is  a  suitable  foundation  for  a 
spiritual  temple,  formed  not  of  dead  matter,  but  of  intelligent  beings. 
But  while  this  is  its  meaning,  this  does  notexhaust  its  meaning.  The 
epithet  "  living"  is,  I  apprehend,  intended  to  express  those  qualities 
in  Christ  Jesus  which  make  him  a  fit  foundation  for  a  spiritual  temple. 
He  is  so  a  "living  stone,"  as  that  dead  stones,  when  laid  on  him,  be 
come  living  stones.  He  has  in  himself,  and  has  the  capacity  of  com 
municating  to  others,  all  that  is  necessary  to  make  them  fit  recipients 
of  the  divine  presence,  fit  instruments  for  promoting  the  divine  glory. 
He  is  the  living  and  life-giving  foundation.  He  is  full  of  spiritual 
life,  grace,  and  truth ;  and  so  full,  that  no  man  can  be  brought  near 
him,  but  straightway  he  fills  him  with  grace  and  truth  too.  It  is  well 
said  by  an  old  interpreter,  "  He  is  called  the  living  stone,  as  he  is 
called  the  living  bread  and  the  living  water,  not  only  because  he  has 
life  in  himself,  but  also  because  he  gives  life  to  the  dead.  He  lives, 
and  because  he  lives,  they  who  eat  him  as  the  li ving  bread,  they  who 
drink  him  as  the  living  water,  they  who  come  to  him  and  build  on  him 

i  Heb.  xiii.     1  Cor.  i.  23,  24,  30. 


182  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

as  the  living  stone,  live  also."  In  the  words  of  the  good  archbishop, 
"  He  is  here  called  a  living  stone,  not  only  because  of  his  immortality 
and  glorious  resurrection,  being  a  lamb  that  was  slain,  and  is  alive 
forever  and  ever,  but  because  he  is  the  principle  of  spiritual  and  eter 
nal  life  to  us,"  a  living  foundation  that  transfuses  its  life  into  the 
whole  building,  and  every  stone  of  it,  "in  whom,"  united  to  whom, 
"  all  the  building  is  fitly  framed."  It  is  the  spirit  that  flows  from  him 
which  enlivens  it,  and  knits  it  together,  not  as  a  dead  mass,  but  as  a 
"  living  body."  This  foundation,  from  the  peculiarity  of  the  case, 
does  for  its  living  superstructure  what  the  root  does  in  the  vegetable 
world  to  the  trunk,  the  branches,  and  the  leaves,  and  what  the  head 
or  the  heart  in  the  animal  body  does  to  all  the  members. 

Such,  then,  is  the  truth  about  Christ,  which  the  converted  strangers 
scattered  abroad  believed,  that  Jesus  Christ,  though  rejected  by  the 
great  body  of  mankind,  is  the  divinely-chosen,  the  divinely-qualified, 
the  divinely -proved,  the  divinely-approved,  the  divinely-constituted, 
the  divinely  accredited,  Saviour  of  man, — possessed  of  every  neces 
sary  excellence  for  making  man  truly  and  eternally  happy,  by  mak 
ing  him  the  fit  recipient  of  the  divine  presence  and  benefits,  and  the 
fit  instrument  for  declaring  the  divine  excellence, — showing  forth 
the  divine  praise.  This  they  believed  for  they  had  heard  it  "in  the 
word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel" — a  word  to  which  "  God  bore  witness 
by  signs,  and  wonders,  and  divers  miracles  and  gifts  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  and  which  was  confirmed  by  the  testimony  of  the  law  and 
the  prophets.  And  believing  this,  they  had  come  to  him  as  the  sure 
foundation  laid  by  God,  and  had  built  themselves  on  him.  Believing 
the  truth  about  him,  they  had  acted  towards  him  according  to  their 
faith,  implicitly  submitting  to  his  teaching  as  their  great  prophet, 
relying  on  his  atonement  as  their  only  priest,  obeying  his  command 
ments  as  their  Sovereign  Lord  and  King.  This  is  the  way  in  which 
they  ceased  to  be  dead  stones  and  became  living  stones ;  came  out 
of  darkness  into  light ;  and  from  not  being  a  people  became  God's 
people ;  and  from  not  having  found  mercy  became  the  happy  pos 
sessors  of  the  peculiar  favor  of  Jehovah,  and  of  all  its  glorious  results. 

There  is  a  peculiarity  in  the  phraseology  which  deserves  attention 
before  we  close  our  remarks  on  this  part  of  the  subject.  The  word 
is  in  the  present,  not  in  the  past  tense.  It  is  not  "  having  come,'1 
but  "coming;"  not  "he  who  has  believed,"  but  "  he  that  believeth.' 
This  intimates,  that  to  the  continued  enjoyment  of  the  peculiar  privi 
leges  of  Christians,  there  must  be  continued  faith  in  him,  continued 
coming  to  him.  In  order  to  a  life  of  Christian  enjoyment,  there  must 
be  "  a  life  of  faith  on  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  us,  and  gave  him 
self  for  us."1 

III.-— THE  PECULIAR  PRIVILEGES  OF  CHRISTIANS. 
§  1. — General  Statement. 

^  It  is  now  time  that  we  proceed  to  consider  the  view  which  the  text 
gives  us  of  the  dignified  and  happy  state  into  which  Christians  are 

1  Gal.  ii.  20. 


PART  III.]  PARTICULAR   STATEMENT.  183 

brought  by  their  believing  on,  and  coming  to,  Christ.  That  state  is  a 
state  of  nearness  to  God,  of  reconciliation  to  him,  of  resemblance*  to 
him,  of  fellowship  with  him, — a  state  of  dignity  and  happiness,  just 
because  it  is  a  state  of  nearness  to  the  infinitely  great  and  ^  glorious 
and  ever-blessed  God, — a  state  which  strongly  contrasts  with  then 
previous  condition,  which  was  one  of  distance  from  God,  a  state  of 
enmity  and  alienation;  and  which,  just  because  it*^as  a  state  of  dis 
tance  from  the  source  and  sum  of  true  glory  and  happiness,  was  a 
state  of  degradation  and  misery. 

Their  happy  state,  as  well  as  the  means  by  which  they  reach  it,  is 
stated  generally  in  the  words,  "  To  you  then  who  believe  there  is 
honor ;" l  for  this  is  the  literal  and  natural  rendering  of  the  words  in 
the  beginning  of  the  seventh  verse,  which  in  our  version  runs  thus : 
"  Unto  you  who  believe  he  is  precious."  He  that  believeth  on  the 
foundation  laid  in  Zion  by  Jehovah,  that  is,  as  we  have  shown,  he 
who  believes  the  truth  respecting  Jesus  Christ  as  the  divinely -laid 
foundation,  shall  not  be  ashamed  or  confounded.  The  faith  of  the 
truth  naturally,  necessarily,  gives  origin  to  hope  or  expectation  of 
certain  blessings  ;  and  this  hope,  founded  on  this  faith,  "  maketh  not 
ashamed,"  does  not  disappoint.  He  who  cherishes  it  shall  certainly 
obtain  the  blessings  he  expects  ;  and  he  shall  as  certainly  find  in  these 
blessings  that  satisfying  portion  of  the  heart  which  he  had  anticipated. 
Not  shame,  but  honor,  shall  be  to  him.  The  privileges  which,  as  a 
believer  in  Christ,  a  comer  to  Christ,  a  builder  on  Christ,  he  enjoys, 
are  of  the  most  dignifying  nature.  He  is  brought  into  a  near  and 
most  honorable  relation  to  the  greatest  and  best  being  in  the  universe. 
Coming  to  Christ,  he  comes  to  God  through  him.  He  becomes  "  an 
heir  of  God,"  by  becoming  a  "joint  heir  with  Christ  Jesus."  The 
general  statement  is  expanded  in  a  great  variety  of  expressions,  some 
of  them  highly  figurative,  but  all  of  them  full  of  meaning,  rich  in  in 
struction  and  consolation.  Christians  become  living  stones ;  they  are 
built  up  a  spiritual  house ;  they  are  a  holy  priesthood,  to  offer  up 
spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ ;  they  are  a 
chosen  generation ;  a  royal  priesthood ;  a  holy  nation ;  a  peculiar 
people,  that  they  might  show  forth  the  praises  of  him  who  called  them 
from  darkness  to  light ;  the  people  of  God,  objects  of  his  peculiar 
complacency,  the  subjects  of  his  saving  blessings.  Let  us  very 
shortly  inquire  into  the  import  of  these  descriptions  of  the  Christians' 
peculiar  privileges. 

§2. — Particular  Statement. 
(1.)  Christians  are  "  living  stones"  built  up  into  a  temple. 

First  of  all,  they  are  described  as  becoming  "  living  stones,"  by 
coming  to  Christ  as  the  living  stone.  We  have  already  seen  they 
were  "dead  stones,"  entirely  unfit  for  forming  a  part  of  a  spiritual 
temple.  But  having  believed  in,  and  come  to  "the  living  stone," 

1  "Y/ilv  ovv  ii  npi  TGI?  KLGTCVOVGIV,  "  Cedit  honori  et  commodo  vestro,  quod  in  Christo 
creditis." — GERHARD.  "  Vobis,  igitur  honos,  credentibus,  ille  nimirum  honos  ut  non 
confundamini  ab  eo  in  adventu  ejus,  sed  sicut  ipsc  ait,  siquis  mibi  ministraverit,  hon 
orificabit  cum  pater  meus."  John  xii.  26. — BEDA. 


184  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIIT. 

they  become  "  living  stones." *  From  that  connection  with.  Christ, 
which  is  necessarily  implied  in  believing  the  truth  respecting  him,  a 
change,  both  of  state  and  character,  takes  place,  which  makes  it  be 
coming  in  Jehovah  to  employ  them  as  materials  in  the  erection  of 
his  spiritual  temple,  and  which  fits  them  for  answering  the  great  end 
of  a  temple,  in  doing  honor  to  the  Divinity  who  dwells  in  it.  Natu 
rally  "  far  of,"  the^i  are  "  brought  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ,"  which 
is  sprinkled  on  them  in  the  faith  of  the  truth.  Alienated  from  God, 
they  are  "reconciled  in  Christ."  Clothed  with  his  righteousness, 
they  are  objects  of  complacent  regard  to  the  Holy  and  Just  One ;  and 
animated  by  his  Spirit,  they  are  "to  the  praise  of  the  glory  of  His 
grace,  by  which  he  has  made  them  accepted  in  the  beloved."  Quick 
ened  by  their  connection  with  him  who,  "the  second  Adam,  the  Lord 
from  heaven,  is  a  quickening  Spirit,"  they  are  made  fit  for  serving 
the  living  God ;  fit  for  yielding  spiritual,  true  worship  to  him  who  is 
a  Spirit,  and  who  must  be  worshipped  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

But  they  not  only  become  living  stones,  but  as  living  stones  they 
are  "built  up  a  spiritual  house."2  They  are  not  only  honored  and 
happy  as  individuals,  but  they  are  formed  into  a  holy,  honorable,  bless 
ed  fellowship.  In  consequence  of  their  common  connection  with 
Christ,  they  have  a  mutual  connection  with  each  other,  and  form  a  liv 
ing  spiritual  temple,  blessed  with  the  presence,  devoted  to  the  worship 
and  honor  of  Jehovah,  the  fountain  of  life,  the  Father  of  spirits. 
They  become  members  of  the  most  honorable  of  all  societies;  the 
"family  in  heaven,  and  on  earth  called  by  the  one  name;"  "the 
name  above  every  name."  They  are  enrolled  among  the  brethren, 
uto  whom  the  perfected  Eedeemer  declares  his  Father's  name." 
They  are  members  of  the  Church,  "in  the  midst  of  which  he  cele 
brates  his  praise."  It  is  the  same  idea,  though  under  a  different 
image,  which  the  apostle  so  beautifully  expresses  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews:  "Ye  are  come  to  Mount  Zion,  and  unto  the  city  of  the 
living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and  to  an  innumerable  company 
of  angels,  the  general  assembly  and  the  church  of  the  first-born, 
which  are  written  in  heaven,  and  to  God  the  Judge  of  all,  and  to  the 
spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect,  and  to  Jesus  the  mediator  of  the  new 
covenant,  and  to  the  blood  of  sprinkling,  which  speaketh  better 
things  than  that  of  Abel." s 

2.  Christians  are  "a  holy  priesthood" 

In  the  next  branch  of  the  inspired  account  of  the  Christians'  privi 
leges,  the  figure  varies ;  and  they  who  were  represented  under  the 
figure  of  a  spiritual  temple,  are  represented  under  the  figure  of  "  a 

1  Multa  nomina,  quae  Christo  competunt  in  singular!,  christianis  tribuuntur  in  plu- 
rali.     Christus  lapis,  christiani  lapides ;  lapis  vivus,  lapides  vivi.     Ex  illo,  hi  quoque 
sunt  filii,  sacerdotes,  rcges,  agni. — BENGEL. 

2  Secundum  sapientiores  Judseos  Messias  non  dcbet  templum  tertium  materiale 
sedificare  sed  tvorm  rvi  domum  spiritualem,  cum  secundum  illos  sub  Messia  omuia  de- 
beant  esse  spirituolia.     Ad  istam  sententiam  videtur  alludere  Petrus  Apostolus,  qui 
epistola  sua,  Cap.  ii.  5,  dicit  nos  esse  lapides  e/^o^ovf  et  £wvraf  et  nvev^artKov  OIKOV. 
— LE  MOYNE,  Not.  et  Obs.  ad  Barnab.  Epist  Varia  Sacra,  vol.  ii.  p.  914. 

3  Heb.  xii.  22-24. 


PART  III.]  A   HOLY   PRIESTHOOD.  185 

holy  priesthood,"  set  apart  "  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices  to  God, 
acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ."  Under  the  New  Testament 
economy,  there  is  but  one  priest,  in  the  strict  meaning  of  that  word 
as  defined  by  the  Apostle  Paul :  "  One  taken  from  among  men,  or 
dained  for  men  in  things  pertaining  to  God,  that  he  may  offer  both 
gifts  and  sacrifices  for  sins."  *  Our  great  High  Priest,  of  whom  all 
the  priests  under  the  Mosaic  dispensation  were  but  figures,  is  "  the 
one  Mediator  between  God  and  man." 2  He  presents  the  only  effect 
ual  atoning  sacrifice.  He,  on  the  ground  of  that  sacrifice,  makes 
intercession  for  those  who  come  to  God  through  him,  and  olftains 
acceptance  both  for  them  and  their  services,  and  authoritatively 
blesses  his  people.  Whoever  professes  to  be  a  priest  under  the  new 
economy,  invades  the  prerogative  of  Him  who  is  "  a  Priest  forever, 
after  the  order  of  Melchized.ee,"  and  is  guilty  of  presumption,  as  far 
exceeding  that  of  Korah  and  his  company,  as  the  ministry  which 
Jesus  hath  received  is  "  a  more  excellent  ministry"  than  that  of 
Aaron  or  any  of  his  sons.3 

It  is  common,  however,  in  the  New  Testament,  to  represent  all 
Christians  as  figurative  priests,  in  the  sense  of  persons  solemnly  con 
secrated  to,  and  habitually  engaged  in,  the  divine  service.4  These 
two  views  are  given  us  in  the  passage  before  us.  You  are  "  a  holy 
priesthood,"  and  you  are  a  priesthood  engaged  in  presenting  to  God 
"  spiritual  sacrifices,  which  are  acceptable  to  God  by  Christ  Jesus." 
You  belong  to  a  higher  and  holier  fellowship  than  that  of  the  Aaron- 
ical  priesthood.5 

Christians  are  a  "  holy,"  a  consecrated  priesthood.  You  are  aware 
that  the  priests,  under  the  Old  Testament,  were  separated  from  among 
their  brethren.  They  were  so  by  their  birth,  and  by  their  consecra 
tion.  As  sons  of  Aaron,  they  belonged  to  the  priestly  order.  In  like 
manner,  all  Christians,  by  their  being  born  again,  are  set  apart  to 
the  service  of  God.  And  as  Aaron's  sons  were  consecrated  by  the 
sprinkling  of  blood  and  the  washing  of  water,  so  Christians  have  their 
conscience  sprinkled  by  the  blood  of  Him  "who,  by  the  eternal  Spirit, 
offered  himself  a  sacrifice  to  God  without  spot,"  and  are  purified  "  by 
the  washing  of  regeneration,  and  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 6 

i  Heb.  v.  1.  2  1  Tim.  ii.  5. 

3  "  The  name  Priest  is  nowhere  in  Scripture  attributed  peculiarly  and  distinctly  to 
the  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  as  such :  that  which  puts  a  difference  between  them  and 
the  rest  of  the  people  of  God's  holiness  seems  to  be  a  more  direct  participation  of 
Christ's  prophetical,  not  sacerdotal,  office.     When  Christ  ascended  up  on  high,  he 
gave  some  to  be  prophets,  Eph.  iv.  11 ;  none  as  we  find  to  be  priests.    Priests  are  a  sort 
of  church  officers  whom  Christ  never  appointed." — OWEN. 

4  Est  autem  illud  non  temere  factum,  ut  Spiritus  Sanctus  nunquam  in  N".  Testa- 
mento  sacerdotis  vel  sacerdotii  nomen  ad  evangelii  ministros  accommodarit. — BEZA. 

s  "  When  the  apostles  applied  the  Old  Testament  idea  of  priesthood  to  Christianity, 
this  was  done  invariably  for  the  simple  purpose  of  showing  that  no  such  visible  par 
ticular  priesthood  could  find  place  in  the  new  community ;  that,  since  free  access  to  God 
and  to  heaven  had  been  once  for  all  opened  to  believers  by  one  High  Priest,  even 
Christ,  they  had,  by  virtue  of  their  union  to  him,  become  themselves  a  spiritual  priest 
hood  consecrated  to  God ;  their  calling  being  none  other  than  to  dedicate  their  entire 
life  to  God  as  a  thank-offering  for  the  grace  of  redemption,  to  publish  abroad  the  power 
and  grace  of  him  who  had  called  them  out  of  the  kingdom  of  darkness  into  his  marvel 
lous  light,  to  make  their  life  one  continual  priesthood,  one  spiritual  worship,  springing 
from  faith,  working  by  love,  one  continuous  testimony  for  their  Saviour." — NEANDJSE. 

*  fleb.  ix.  14.     Tit.  iii.  5. 


186  THE   PRIVILEGES    OP   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  Vlfl. 

As  they  resemble  tlie  priests  in  their  consecration,  so  they  resem 
ble  them  also  in  their  work.  They  "  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices." 
The  sacrifices  they  present  are  not  expiatory,  but  eucharistic  sacri 
fices.1  The  only  effectual  expiatory  sacrifice  ever  offered  was  that 
offered  on  Calvary,  and  that  so  completely  answered  its  purpose,  that 
it  put  an  end  to  all  such  oblations.  It  "  perfected  forever  all  those 
who  were  sanctified ;"  secured  complete  reconciliation ;  full,  free, 
everlasting  pardon ;  eternal  redemption ;  salvation  with  eternal  glory ; 
so  that  there  was  no  more  room  for  sacrifices  for  sin.  No  ;  it  is  an 
undoubted  truth,  one  equally  delightful  to  those  who  trust  in,  and 
dreadful  to  those  who  reject,  this  atoning  oblation:  " There  remain- 
eth  no  more  sacrifice  for  sin." 2  The  eucharistic  sacrifices  presented 
by  "the  spiritual  priesthood"  are  not  material,  but  spiritual;  not 
literal,  but  figurative  sacrifices.  The  leading  idea  is,  that  Christians 
are  brought  into  a  very  near  relation  to  God ;  and  that  the  whole  of 
their  lives  should  be  devoted  to  his  spiritual  service.3  They  are  to 
"  offer  the  sacrifice  of  praise  to  God  continually,  that  is,  the  fruit  of 
the  lips,"  "  the  calves  of  the  lips,"  as  Hosea  has  it — not  literal  calves 
— "  giving  thanks  to  his  name."  "  To  do  good  and  communicate 
they  are  not  to  forget,  for' with  such  sacrifices  God  is  well  pleased." 
They  are  to  "  present  their  bodies" — themselves,  embodied  living 
beings,  not  the  dead  bodies  of  slain  beasts — "  a  living  sacrifice." 
"  Whether  they  eat,  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  they  do,  they  are  to  do 
all  to  the  glory  of  God  ;"  and  "  whatsoever  they  do  in  word  or  in 
deed,  they  are  to  do  it  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks 
to  God  the  Father  by  him."  4 

External  services  are  spiritual  sacrifices  only  when  they  embody 
a  right  state  of  mind  and  heart, — an  enlightened  mind,  a  pure  de 
vout  heart.  It  is  the  gift  of  the  heart  which  makes  all  other  gifts 
easy  to  ourselves,  acceptable  to  our  God.  "My  son,"  says  God, 
"give  me  thine  heart;"  and  what  follows  ?  "  let  thine  eyes  observe 
my  ways."  e  This  makes  the  eyes  and  ears,  and  tongue  and  hands, 
to  be  holy  as  God's  peculiar  property ;  and  being  once  given  and  con 
secrated  to  Him,  it  is  sacrilege  to  turn  them  to  any  unholy  use." fl 

Such  services  of  the  spiritual  priesthood,  so  reasonable,  so  dignify 
ing,  are  said  to  be  "  acceptable  to  God  by  Christ  Jesus."  7  These 
services  are  in  themselves  very  undeserving  of  acceptance ;  for  in 
the  best  of  them,  while  we  are  here  below,  there  is  much  wanting, 
and  something  wrong.  But  if  they  are  the  sincere  expression  of 
trust  in  God's  mercy,  love  to  his  law,  zeal  for  his  glory,  with  all  their 

^  l  "  The  sacrifices  we  are  enjoined  to  offer  give  ground  to  the  appellation  Priests. 


ourselves,  souls  and  bodies,  an  acceptable  sacrifice  to  God,  Eom.  xii.  1 :  Fourthly,  the 
sweet  incense  of  martyrdom,  Phil.  ii.  17  " — OWEN. 
'•  Heb.  x.  26. 

3  Inter  hostias  spirituals  primum  locum  obtinet  generalis  NOSTRI  oblatio  de  qua 
raulus. — Horn.  xii.  1.  Neque  enim  offerre  quicquam  possumus  Deo,  donee  illi  noa 
ipsos  m  sacrificium.  obtulerimus:  quod  fit  nostri  abnegatione.  Sequuntur  postea 
preces  et  gratiarum  actiones,  eleemosynae  et  omnia  pietatis  exercitia. — CALVIN. 

Heb.  xm.  15,  16.     Hos.  xiv.  2.     Horn.  xii.  1.     1  Cor.  x.  31.     OoL  iii.  17. 
s  Prov.  xxm.  26.     h:nn  rendered  by  Symmachus  6etyffdTuaav. 
^eighton.       7  Isa.  Ivi.  7.    Ai  Ovaiai  avruv  tcovrai  de/irai  exi  TO  OvnaoTvptov  pov,  Ixx. 


PART  in.]  A  CHOSEN  GENERATION.  187 

imperfections,  they  are  acceptable.  Like  a  kind  father,  lie  loves  to 
hear  even  the  lisping  accents  of  affectionate  confidence  from  his 
child  ;  and  a  very  trifle,  presented  as  a  token  of  loyal  submission,  is 
in  his  eyes  of  great  value.  Even  under  the  law,  he  who  had  not  a 
lamb  was  welcome  with  his  pigeon  ;  and  under  the  better  economy, 
none  need  forbear  sacrifices  for  poverty.  What  God  desires  is  the 
heart,  and  there  is  none  so  poor  but  he  has  a  heart  to  give  him. 
Alas !  that  so  many  should  want  the  heart  to  give  the  heart  they 
have  to  give.  It  is  not,  however,  so  much  the  meanness  of  the  gift 
offered,  as  the  guiltiness  of  the  offerer,  that  fills  us  with  anxiety  as 
to  the  acceptance  of  our  services.  Our  foul  hands  pollute  the  best 
sacrifices  ;  but  where  the  sacrifice  has  not  the  character  of  insincer 
ity — a  character  which  will  certainly  secure  rejection,  for  "  if  we  re 
gard  iniquity  in  our  hearts,  God  will  not  hear  us" — notwithstanding 
all  their  faults,  the  services  of  the  Christian  are  acceptable,  u  accept 
able  by  or  through  Jesus  Christ."  The  spiritual  priest  is  clothed 
with  the  robe  of  the  Redeemer's  righteousness,  and  in  his  clothing 
we  are  like  Jacob  in  his  brother's  garments.  There  is  "  the  smell 
of  a  field  which  the  Lord  hath  blessed."  If  we  offer  our  sacrifices 
by  him,  if  we  put  them  into  his  hands  to  offer  to  the  Father,  we 
need  not  doubt  that  they  will  be  accepted  for  his  sake. 

The  phrase  "  by  Christ  Jesus"  may  be  considered  as  qualifying 
both  the  phrase  "  to  offer"  and  the  expression  "  acceptable."  We 
ought  not  to  offer  anything  but  by  him,  trusting  in  his  mediation, 
depending  on  his  Spirit ;  and  in  doing  so  we  are  sure  to  be  accepted, 
for  he  is  God's  beloved  Son,  in  whom  his  soul  is  delighted ;  not  only 
delighted  and  pleased  with  himself,  but  in  him,  with  all  things  and 
persons  that  appear  in  him,  and  are  presented  by  him.  "  This  alone 
answers  all  our  doubts ;  for  we  ourselves,  for  as  little  as  we  see  in 
that  way,  may  yet  see  so  much  in  our  best  services,  so  many  wan 
derings,  so  much  deadness  to  prayer,  as  would  make  us  still  doubtful 
of  acceptance,  and  might  say  with  Job,  '  Although  he  had  answered 
me,  yet  would  I  not  believe  that  he  had  hearkened  to  me,'  were  it 
not  this,  that  our  prayers  and  our  sacrifices  pass  through  Christ's 
hands.  He  is  that  angel  that  hath  much  sweet  odor  to  mingle  with 
the  prayers  of  the  saints.  He  purifies  them  with  his  own  merits  and 
intercessions,  and  so  makes  them  pleasing  unto  the  Father.  Oh, 
how  ought  our  hearts  to  be  knit  to  him,  by  whom  we  are  brought 
into  favor  with  God,  and  kept  in  favor  with  him,  in  whom  we  ob 
tain  all  the  good  we  receive,  and  in  whom  all  we  offer  is  accepted  ! 
In  him  are  all  our  supplies  of  grace,  and  our  hopes  of  glory."  *  t 

(3.)   Christians  are  a  "chosen  generation" 

Let  us  now  look  at  the  next  representation  of  the  Christian's 
privileges.  They  are  "  a  chosen  generation."  This,  like  the  other 
appellations  here  given  to  Christians,  is  borrowed  from  the  descrip 
tive  names  given  to  the  Israelitish  people  under  a  former  dispensation 
They  are  spoken  of  as  "a  generation,"  a  race  or  family,  the  descend 
ants  of  one  father,  standing  to  each  other  in  the  relation  of  brethren. 

1  Leighton. 


188  THE   PRIVILEGES    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

Sometimes  they  are  represented  as  the  race  or  family  of  Abraham 
and  of  Israel.  "Seek  the  Lord,  and  his  strength,"  says  the  Psalmist ; 
"seek  him  forever  more.  Eemember  his  marvellous  works  which 
he  hath  done;  his  wonders,  and  the  judgments  of  his  mouth;  0  ye, 
the  seed  of  Abraham  his  servant,  ye  children  of  Israel  his  chosen." 
And  they  are  very  frequently  termed  the  house  or  family  of  Israel. 

At  other  times  they  are  represented  as  the  family  or  children  of 
God.  "  Ye  are  the  children  of  the  Lord  your  God,"  says  Moses  ; 
"Israel,  "says  Jehovah,  by  Moses,  to  Pharaoh,  "is  my  son,  my  first 
born  ;  let  my  son  go,  that  he  may  serve  me ;"  "  Out  of  EgyptJ"  says 
he  by  the  prophet  Hosea,  "  out  of  Egypt  have  I  called  my  son." l 

And  as  the  Israelites  are  often  spoken  of  as  a  race  or  generation, 
the  family  of  Abraham,  the  family  of  God,  so  are  they  spoken  of  as 
"  a  chosen  generation,"  a  selected  family.  "  The  Lord,"  says  Moses, 
"  loved  thy  fathers,  therefore  he  chose  their  seed  after  them.  The 
heaven,  and  the  heaven  of  heavens,  is  the  Lord  thy  God's,  the  earth 
also,  and  all  that  is  therein ;  only  the  Lord  had  a  delight  in  thy 
fathers  to  love  them,  and  he  chose  their  seed  after  them,  even  you 
above  all  people,  as  it  is  at  this  day." a  "I  give  water  in  the  wilder 
ness,"  says  Jehovah,  "  and  rivers  in  the  desert,  to  give  drink  to  my 
people,  my  chosen." 

Now  this  descriptive  appellation,  a  chosen  generation,  originally 
given  to  the  people  of  Israel,  belongs  to  the  people  of  God,  under  the 
new  economy,  in  a  far  higher  sense,  with  a  much  greater  depth  of 
meaning :  "  They  that  are  Christ's  are  Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  ac 
cording  to  the  promise."  Though  originally  aliens  from  the  com 
monwealth  of  Israel,  they  have  been  brought  near,  and,  having  be 
lieved,  "  they  are  blessed  with  believing  Abraham."  They  all  are, 
like  him,  justified  freely  by  God's  grace.  They  all,  like  him,  have 
Jehovah  for  their  God,  according  to  the  promise,  "  I  will  be  a  God 
to  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee."  They  all,  like  him,  have  "  the 
inheritance  of  the  world"  secured  to  them ;  a  holier,  happier,  securer 
possession  than  Canaan,  is  their  common  property  ;  "  the  inheritance 
incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  laid  up  in  heaven 
for  them,  and  to  which  they  are  kept  by  the  power  of  God,  through 
faith,  unto  the  salvation  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time."  3 

But  the  appellation  "generation,"  or  race,  leads  us  to  think  of  them, 
not  only  as  the  spiritual  family  of  Abraham,  but  as  the  spiritual 
family  of  God.  They  are  "  all  the  children  of  God  through  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus."  They  are  the  family  of  God  in  a  far  higher  sense 
than  ancient  Israel ;  "  For  to  as  many  as  receive  Christ,  to  them 
gives  he  the  privilege 4  of  being  the  sons  of  God ;  and  they  are  born, 
not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but 
of  God."  "  They  are  born,  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorrupt 
ible,  even  of  the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  liveth  and  abideth  for 
ever."  "  Of  his  own  will  begat  he  them  by  the  word  of  truth,  that 
they  might  be  a  kind  of  first-fruits  among  his  creatures."  They  are 

1  Psal.  cv.  4,  5,  6.     Dent.  xiv.  1.     Exod.  iv.  22.     Hos.  xi.  1. 

2  Deut,  iv.  37  ;  vii.  6 ;  x.  15.     Isa.  xliii.  20. 

3  Gal.  iii.  29,  9.     Eph.  ii.  12,  13.     1  Cor.  ill  23.     Rom.  iv.  13.     1  Pet.  i.  4,  5. 

4  ' 


PART  III.]  A    CHOSEN   GENERATION.  189 

brought  into  the  relation,  formed  to  the  character,  of  "  sons  and 
daughters  of  the  Lord  God  Almighty."  "To  them  pertains  the 
adoption,"  in  a  far  more  exalted  sense  than  it  ever  belonged  to  Israel 
after  the  flesh :  "  God  hath  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman, 
made  under  the  law,  to  redeem  them  who  were  under  the  law,  that 
we,"  all  believers,  " might  receive  the  adoption  of  sons;"  and,  be 
cause  they  are  sons,  he  sends  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into  their  hearts, 
the  spirit,  not  of  bondage,  but  of  adoption,  teaching  them  to  cry 
Abba,  Father.  And  "  since  they  are  now  sons,  they  are  heirs ;  heirs 
of  God,  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ  Jesus."  "What  the  crowning  dig 
nity  and  happiness  included  in  this  sonship  is,  we  cannot  tell,  we  can 
not  adequately  conceive.  Well  might  the  apostle  say  of  this  race, 
this  generation,  "  Behold  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  be 
stowed  on  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God !  Beloved, 
now  are  we  the  sons  of  God;  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we 
shall  be :  but  we  know  that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like 
him  ;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is."  3 

This  view  of  the  state  of  Christians  as  a  race,  brings  before  our 
minds  two  ideas, — disconnection  from  the  rest  of  mankind,  and  inti 
mate  union  among  themselves.  "  Israel,  as  a  people,  dwelt  alone,  and 
was  not  numbered  with  the  nations."  a  Christians  u  come  out  from 
the  world,  and  are  separate."  They  are  in  the  world,  not  of  it. 
They  have  "saved  themselves  from  the  untoward  generation,"  who 
are  of  their  father,  the  devil,  and  do  his  works. 

Israel  was  not  only  a  separate  body  from  the  rest  of  mankind,  but 
a  brotherhood.  "  Moses,  when  he  would  have  set  at  one  two  Israel 
ites  who  strove,  said,  Sirs,  ye  are  brethren  ;  why  do  ye  wrong  one  to 
another  ?"  Christians  have  one  Father,  one  Elder  Brother ;  they 
have  a  common  faith  and  hope,  common  interests  and  enemies,  com 
mon  duties  and  dangers,  common  joys  and  sorrows,  one  mind,  one 
heart,  one  inheritance.  These  *are  the  leading  ideas  suggested  by 
Christians  being  called  a  race,  a  generation,  or  family.8 

But  they  are  not  only  addressed  as  a  generation,  but  as  "  a  chosen 
generation."  The  choice  here  referred  to  may  either  be  their  eter 
nal  sovereign  election  of  God,  to  the  enjoyment  of  eternal  life  through 
the  mediation  of  Jesus  Christ,  or,  what  is  the  result  and  manifesta- 
,  tion  of  this,  their  actual  selection  from  the  body  of  mankind,  in  what 
we  are  accustomed  to  denominate  effectual  calling.  In  both  respects 
they  are  a  chosen  generation.  There  is  an  important  difference  be 
tween  the  sense  in  which  Israel  after  the  flesh,  and  the  spiritual  Israel, 
have  the  appellation  "  chosen  generation"  given  to  them,  which  de 
serves  to  be  noticed.  Israel,  as  a  race  or  family,  was  selected  from 
other  races  and  families.  It  was  the  race,  not  the  individuals,  that 
was  the  direct  object  of  choice.  In  the  case  of  the  spiritual  Israel, 
the  individuals  are  elected ;  and  it  is  the  aggregate  of  the  elected  in 
dividuals  that  forms  "  the  chosen  generation." 

With  regard  to  the  former  kind  of  election,  the  Apostle  Paul  tells 

1  Gal.  iii.  26.    John  i.  12, 13.    1  Pet.  i.  23.    James  i.  18.     2  Cor.  vi.  18.    GaL  iv.4-7 
Rom.  viii.  17.     1  John  iii.  1,  2. 
«  Numb,  xxiii.  9.     1  Cor.  vi.  16.    Acts  ii.  40. 
3  Acts  vii.  26.    John  xx.  17.     Heb.  ii.  11. 


i90  THE   PRIVILEGES    OF   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIH. 

us  that  "  God  hath  chosen  them  in  Christ  before  the  foundation  of 
the  world,"  that  he  "  predestinated  them  unto  the  adoption  of  chil 
dren  by  Jesus  Christ  to  himself,  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  his 
will."  *  With  regard  to  the  latter  kind  of  election,  David  speaks  of 
them  as  "set  apart  by  God  for  himself;"  our  Saviour  says,  "I  have 
chosen  you  out  of  the  worW. ;"  James  represents  Christians  as  "  a 
people  for  his  name  taken  out  by  God  from  among  the  Gentiles  ;"  and 
our  apostle  describes  them  as  "  elected,  or  rather  selected,  according 
to  the  fore-knowledge,  the  pre-ordination  of  God,  by  a  spiritual  conse 
cration,  to  obedience,  the  obedience  of  the  truth,  the  faith  of  the  gos 
pel,  and  to  the  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus,"  the  enjoyment  of  the 
saving  effects  of  the  shedding  of  his  blood  in  expiating  sin,  opening 
up  a  channel  for  the  Spirit,  and  securing  all  the  blessings  of  eternal 
life,  "  the  salvation  that  is  in  Christ,  with  eternal  glory."2 

It  seems  to  be  the  latter  of  these  elections  which  is  the  fruit  of  the 
former,  to  which,  here,  as  well  as  in  the  passage  just  quoted,  the 
apostle  refers  ;  for  as  Leighton  justly  remarks,  "  this  descriptive  ap 
pellation,  like  the  others  along  with  which  it  stands,  is  plainly  desigu- 
ed  to  describe  their  present  state  as  different  from  what  it  had  been," 
whereas  their  personal  election  was,  like  him  who  made  it,  strictly 
eternal  and  unchangeable.  No  change  had  taken  place,  could  take 
place,  with  regard  to  it. 

The  privilege  involved  in  being  thus  a  chosen  generation  is  one 
of  inestimable  value ;  and  being  enjoyed  by  Christians  entirely  in 
consequence  of  their  connection  with  Christ  Jesus,  the  possession  of 
it  is  a  striking  personal  demonstration  to  every  one  of  them  of  the 
grace  of  the  Lord.  In  the  enjoyment  of  this  privilege  they  "  have 
tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious."  This  will  appear,  if  we  attend  for 
a  moment  to  the  state  of  those  from  among  whom  they  were  selected, 
to  the  purposes  for  which  they  were  selected,  to  him  who  has  selected 
them,  and  to  the  cause  in  which  the 'selection  of  them  originated. 

The  original  state  of  this  chosen  generation  was  not  better  than 
that  of  other  men.  It  was  a  state  of  ignorance  and  error,  and  guilt 
and  depravity,  of  degradation  and  wretchedness,  of  condemnation  and 
death.  To  use  the  expressive  language  of  the  apostle  :  They  were 
"  dead  in  trespasses  and  in  sins ;  wherein  in  time  past  they  walked 
according  to  the  course  of  this  world,  according  to  the  prince  of  the 
power  of  the  air,  the  spirit  that  now  wwketh  in  the  children  of  dis 
obedience  :  among  whom  they  had  their  conversation  in  the  lusts  of 
the  flesh,  fulfilling  the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind ;  and  were 
by  nature  the  children  of  wrath,  even  as  others :  without  Christ, 
aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  strangers  to  the  covenant 
of  promise,  without  God  and  without  hope  in  the  world."  3  What  a 
blessing  to  be  selected  from  among  these  victims  of  error,  these 
slaves  of  corruption,  these  heirs  of  destruction ! 

And  then  how  does  our  sense  of  the  value  of  the  blessing  rise, 
when  we  think  of  the  purpose  for  which  they  have  been  selected,  se 
lected  to  be  "heirs  of  God,  and  joint-heirs"  with  his  only -begotten 
Son ;  to  be  justified,  sanctified,  glorified,  conformed  both  in  holiness 

1  Eph.  i.  4-6.  *  Psal.  iv.  3.    John  xv.  19.    Acts  xv.  U    1  Pet.  i.  2. 

3  Eph.  ii.  1-3,  11,  12. 


PART  III.]  A   CHOSEN   GENERATION.  1J)1 

and  happiness  to  the  image  of  God's  own  Son :  to  be  blessed  with  all 
heavenly  and  spiritual  blessings  in  Christ  Jesus;  to  possess  an  inheri 
tance,  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved  for 
them  in  heaven,  while  they  are  kept  for  it  by  the  _  power  of  God, 
through  faith  unto  the  salvation  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time ; 
to  be  the  means  of  manifesting  to  the  whole  intelligent  universe  of 
God,  how  holy,  how  happy  the  omnipotent,  all-wise,  infinitely  holy, 
infinitely  benignant  Jehovah  can  make  those  who  are  the  objects  of 
his  peculiar  love ! 

For,  to  judge  aright  of  the  value  of  this  privilege,  we  must  never 
forget  that  it  is  God  who  makes  both  the  election  and  the  selection. 
The  value  of  choice  depends  on  the  qualities  of  the  chooser.  It  is  a 
disgrace  not  an  honor,  an  evil  not  a  benefit,  to  be  the  object  of  the 
choice  of  the  unprincipled  and  foolish.  The  value  of  being  the  ob 
ject  of  the  choice  of  an  individual  is  in  proportion  to  his  intellect  and 
moral  worth,  his  wise  benignity,  and  his  power  to  gratify  it.  What 
is  the  value,  then,  of  election  by  the  all-perfect  One  ?  There  is  pro 
digious  emphasis  on  the  word  God,  in  these  two  sayings  of  the  Apos 
tle:  "Knowing,  brethren  beloved,  your  election  of  God;"  "Who 
shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect?"  '  Whom  he  chooses 
he  chooses  forever.  "  He  rests  in  his  love."  His  "  purpose,  accord 
ing  to  election,  must  stand  ;  and  the  gifts  and  the  callings  which  ori 
ginate  in  it,  are  without  repentance."  a 

But  to  raise  still  higher,  if  possible,  our  ideas  of  the  value  of  this 
choice  or  selection,  as  a  proof  of  the  grace  of  the  Lord,  let  us  think 
once  more  on  the  cause  in  which  it  originates.  It  has  no  cause  in 
the  selected  ones  ;  the  cause  is  in  the  selector  himself,  and  that  cause 
is,  can  be,  nothing  but  grace,  sovereign  kindness. 

The  cause  of  God's  selection  of  ancient  Israel  was  not  in  them  but 
in  him  :  "  The  Lord  did  not  set  his  love  on  you,"  says  Moses,  "  nor 
choose  you,  because  ye  were  more  in  number  than  any  people  (for  ye 
were  the  fewest  of  all  people)  ;  but  because  the  Lord  loved  you,  and 
because  he  would  keep  the  oath  which  he  had  sworn  unto  your  fathers, 
hath  the  Lord  brought  you  with  a  mighty  hand?  and  redeemed  you 
out  of  the  house  of  bondmen,  from  the  hand  of  Pharaoh,  king  of 
Egypt."  What  is  said  of  their  entrance  into  Canaan,  is  equally  true 
of  their  election :  "  Speak  not  in  thy  heart,  For  my  righteousness  the 
Lord  hath  chosen  me ;  for  the  wickedness  of  these  nations  the  Lord 
hath  rejected  them,  and  driven  them  out.  But  not  for  thy  righteous 
ness,  or  the  uprightness  of  thy  heart,  art  thou  chosen,  and  brought  in, 
but  that  the  Lord  may  perform  the  word  which  he  spake  unto  thy 
fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob.  Understand,  therefore,  that  the 
Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee  not  this  good  land  to  possess  it  for  thy 
righteousness ;  for  thou  art  a  stiff-necked  people." a 

In  like  manner,  the  election  of  those  who  form  the  chosen  genera 
tion  under  the  new  economy,  is  not  owing  to  any  previous  good  qual 
ity  in  them.  They  are  not  selected  for  their  worldly  wisdom,  power, 
or  dignity  ;  "  Ye  see  your  calling,  brethren,  how  that  not  many  wise 
men  after  the  flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble  are  called :  but 

i  Rom.  viii.  17,  29,  30.    1  Thess.  i.  4.     Rom.  viii.  33. 

3  Zeph.  iii.  17.    Rom.  ix.  11  •  xi.  29.  3  Deut.  vii.  7  ;  ix.  4-6. 


192  THE   PRIVILEGES   OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIIL 

God  hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  this  world  to  confound  the 
wise ;  and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  this  world  to  confound 
the  mighty ;  and  base  things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are  de 
spised,  hath  God  chosen,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to  bring  to 
naught  things  that  are !  that  no  flesh  should  glory  in  his  presence. 
But  that,  according  as  it  is  written,  He  that  glorieth,  let  him  glory  in 
the  Lord.  For  it  is  written,  I  will  destroy  the  wisdom  of  the  wise, 
and  will  bring  to  nothing  the  understanding  of  the  prudent.  "Where 
is  the  wise,  where  is  the  scribe,  where  is  the  disputer  of  this  world  ? 
hath  not  God  made  foolish  the  wisdom  of  this  world  ?"  1 

They. are  not  selected  for  their  previous  moral  worth:  "  Know  ye 
not  that  the  unrighteous  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God  ?  Be 
not  deceived ;  neither  fornicators,  nor  idolaters,  nor  adulterers,  nor 
thieves,  nor  covetous,  nor  drunkards,  nor  revilers,  nor  extortioners, 
shall  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God;  yet  such  were  some  of  you," — 
now  the  "  sanctified  of  Christ  Jesus,  called  to  be  saints."  And  even 
in  the  case  of  those  who  were  not  remarkable  for  depravity  and  guilt, 
the  cause  of  their  being  selected  cannot  be  found  in  their  moral 
worth.  In  man,  in  every  man  born  merely  of  the  flesh,  "  dwelleth  no 
good  thing."  The  only  account  that  can  be  given,  why  any  of  the 
human  family  are  selected,  and  why  one  rather  than  another  is  se 
lected,  is,  "  Even  so,  Father ;  for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight." 
"  He  has  mercy,  because  he  wills  to  have  mercy  ;  he  has  compassion, 
because  he  wills  to  have  compassion.3' a  The  cause  of  his  own  selec 
tion  appears  to  every  one  of  the  chosen  generation  "  a  mystery  hid 
in  God ;"  and,  when  he  thinks  of  it,  his  heart  overflows  equally  with 
gratitude  and  amazement,  "  What  am  I,  and  what  is  the  house  of  my 
father,  that  I  should  be  brought  hitherto  ?  Is  this  the  manner  of 
man,  0  Lord  God?" 

"  "Why  was  I  made  to  hear  thy  voice, 

And  enter  while  there's  room  ; 
"While  thousands  make  a  wretched  choice, 

And  rather  starve  than  come  ? 
The  sovereign  grace  that  spread  the  feast, 

Compelled  me  to  come  in ; 
Else  I  had  still  refused  to  taste, 

And  perish'd  in  my  sin."  3 

So  rich  is  the  display  of  the  grace  of  the  Lord  to  those  who,  out  of 
many  a  kindred,  and  people,  and  tongue,  and  nation,  have  been  se 
lected  to  form  the  chosen  generation,  of  which  Israel's  race  was  the 
type  and  emblem. 

(4.)  Christians  are  a  "  royal  priesthood  " 

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  next  descriptive  appellation 
given  to  Christians :  "  Ye  are  a  royal  priesthood."  In  the  preceding 
part  of  this  paragraph,  Christians  are  represented  as  "  a  holy  priest 
hood,  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices  acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus 
Christ ;"  that  is,  in  other  words,  consecrated  to,  qualified  for,  engaged 
in,  the  spiritual  and  acceptable  services  of  God,  as  God  in  Christ  recon- 

1  1  Cor.  i.  26-31,  19.        2  i  Cor.  vi.  9-11.    Matt.  xi.  26.     Rom.  ix.  15.         3  Watts. 


PART  III.]  A    ROYAL    PRIESTHOOD.  193 

ciling  the  world  to  himself,  in  the  discharge  of  all  religious  ana  moral 
duties.     Here  they  are  represented  as  "  a  royal  priesthood." 

These  words  admit  of,  and  have  received,  various  interpretations. 
By  many  they  have  been  considered  as  equivalent  to  the  declarations 
in  the  Apocalypse,  that  Jesus  Christ  makes  his  people  "  kings  and 


prayer  recorded  m  the  seventeenth  chapter 
of  the  Gospel  by  John.  The  glory  the  Father  gave  him  was,  that  he 
should  be  the  great  Priest  and  King  of  his  ransomed  people  ;  "  a 
priest  upon  his  throne,"  according  to  the  ancient  oracles  :  "  I  have 
set  my  King  upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion."  "  The  Lord  hath  sworn,  and 
will  not  repent,  Thou  art  a  priest  forever  after  the  order  of  Melchize- 
dec." l  Of  these  glories,  strictly  speaking,  no  created  being  can 
share.  But  so  far  as  the  thing  is  possible,  he  makes  his  people  pos 
sessors  of  priestly  and  regal  honors.  We  have  already  seen  how  he 
makes  them  Priests  ;  and  he  makes  them  kings  in  giving  them  even 
now  a  noble  superiority  to  things  seen  and  temporal,  in  enabling 
them  to  trample  under  foot  those  spiritual  enemies,  the  powers  of 
darkness,  and  the  lusts  of  their  own  hearts,  which  once  reigned  over 
them.  He  will  at  a  future  period,  in  a  manner  of  which  we  can  form 
only  an  indistinct  conception,  the  obscurity  of  unfulfilled  prediction 
resting  on  it,  enable  his  saints  to  "  take  the  kingdom,"  and  "  reign  on 
the  earth."  2  In  the  great  day  of  final  retribution,  they,  along  with 
him,  shall  "judge  angels  ;"  and  to  them  all,  as  overcomers,  made  more 
than  conquerors  through  him  that  loved  them,  will  it  be  given  in  that 
day  to  "  sit  with  him  on  his  throne,  even  as  he  also  having  overcome, 
sat  down  with  his  Father  on  his  throne." 3 

By  others  the  expression  has  been  considered  as  indicating  the  ex 
alted  nature  of  the  priesthood  to  which  they  are  raised,  or  the  noble 
and  dignified  temper  in  which  they  discharge  its  functions.  Their 
priesthood  is  not  a  plebeian,  but  a  royal  priesthood,  as  far  exalted  in 
dignity  above  the  Levitical  priesthood,  as  royalty  is  above  the  level 
of  ordinary  life  ;  and  they  perform  their  priestly  functions  not  in  the 
servile  spirit  of  bondage,  but  in  the  noble  kingly  spirit  of  the  adopted 
sons  of  the  great  King,  to  whom  they  minister,  "  the  spirit  of  glory," 
as  the  apostle  calls  it.  Their  mien  and  deportment  are  "  like  the 
children  of  a  king,"  doing  the  will  of  their  royal  father.  Freed  from 
all  degrading  submission  to  human  authority,  they  are  sovereigns  in 
spiritual  things  ;  because,  as  kings,  they  own  in  them  no  authority  but 
that  to  which  kings  are  subject,  the  authority  of  "  the  King  of  kings, 
and  Lord  of  lords."  Viewed  in  these  lights,  the  expression  suggests 
true  and  important  thoughts,  thoughts  well  fitted  to  elevate  and  stimu 
late  the  Christian  mind. 

But  I  cannot  help  thinking,  that  as  the  phrase  is  certainly  borrowed 
from  a  passage  in  the  Old  Testament  Scripture,  the  first  thing  to  be 
done  to  ascertain  its  meaning,  is  to  refer  to  that  passage.  It  is  to  be 
found  in  the  book  of  Exodus,  "  And  ye  shall  be  to  me  a  kingdom 

1  Rev.  i.  6  ;  v.  10.     John  xvii.  22.     Zech.  vi.  13.     Psal.  ii.  6 ;  ex.  4. 
9  Dan.  vii.  18.     Rev.  v.  10.  3  1  Cor.  vi.  3.     Rom.  viii.  37.     Rev.  iii.  21. 

13 


194  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  Till. 

of  priests,  and  a  holy  nation." l  The  words  are  quoted  from  the 
translation  in  common  use  when  the  apostle  wrote,  of  which  our  ver 
sion  is  a  literal  rendering,  but  we  cannot  doubt  he  means  to  express 
the  meaning  of  the  inspired  text. 

The  meaning  of  the  words,  "  ye  are  a  kingdom/'  as  addressed  to 
the  Israelites,  is  by  no  means  obscure.  The  word  "  kingdom"  plain- 
ly  signifies,  not  the  territory,  but  the  subjects,  You  are  not  a  con 
fused  mass,  a  fortuitous  assemblage — you  are  an  organized  political 
body ;  and  you  are  not  a  republic,  a  self-governing  body — you  are 
a  kingdom,  the  subjects  of  a  sovereign ;  and  you  are  a  kingdom 
of  priests — you  have  no  human  supreme  magistrate ;  Jehovah,  the 
object  of  your  worship,  is  your  King,  so  that  the  discharge  of 
all  your  civil  duties  has  a  religious  character,  all  being  done  to 
God. 

Such  is  plainly  the  meaning  of  the  language  in  its  original  applica 
tion.  Now  what  is  its  meaning,  as  applied  by  the  apostle  to  Chris 
tians  as  a  body  ?  "To  you  who  believe  there  is  honor."  All  the 
honors  of  the  ancient  people  of  God  are  yours,  and  yours  in  a  far 
higher  sense  than  ever  they  were  theirs.  They  were  a  chosen  gener 
ation,  so  are  you.  They  were  a  kingdom  of  priests,  and  so  are  you. 
You  are  "  a  kingdom ;"  you  form  a  regular  social  body.  Christians 
are  not  a  collection  of  isolated  individuals ;  they  are  the  "  body  of 
Christ,  and  members  in  particular."  They  are  "  one  body  in  Christ, 
and  every  one  members  one  of  another." 3  And  they  are  not  a  re 
public,  they  are  not  a  self-governing  body ;  they  are  "  a  kingdom," 
they  are  the  subjects  of  a  sovereign.  They  have  one  King,  Jesus. 
They  should  "  call  no  man  master  on  earth,"  for  they  have  no  master 
on  earth ;  "their  Master  is  in  heaven."3  In  everything  connected 
with  religion,  they  must  be  regulated  by  his  will ;  they  must  believe 
no  doctrine  but  what  he  has  revealed ;  observe  no  ordinances  but 
what  he  has  appointed  ;  and  they  must  believe  every  doctrine  he  has 
revealed,  and  observe  every  ordinance  he  has  appointed,  and  believe 
the  doctrine  because  he  has  revealed  it,  and  observe  the  ordinance 
because  he  has  appointed  it.  For  them  to  follow  on  these  points  the 
guidance  of  their  own  reason  or  caprice,  is  to  usurp  their  Sovereign's 
place.  For  them  to  follow  on  these  points  the  guidance  of  other 
men,  is  to  exalt  them  into  his  throne.  So  far  as  men  are  concerned, 
they  have  a  right  to  think  and  act  for  themselves  in  religion,  but,  so 
far  as  their  rightful  Sovereign  is  concerned,  they  have  no  such  right. 
They  are  to  think  as  he  directs  them,  they  are  to  do  as  he  bids  them. 
This  would  be  a  hard  arrangement  if  their  King  were  a  fallible  crea 
ture,  though  the  best  of  men,  the  wisest  of  angels  ;  but  instead  of  there 
being  hardship  or  degradation  in  the  case,  this  arrangement  is  full  of 
honor  and  blessedness.  Their  Sovereign  is  the  infinitely  wise,  right 
eous,  holy  Jehovah. 

They  are  a  kingdom,  but  they  are  "  a  kingdom  of  priests."  They 
belong  to,  complexly  taken  they  form,  the  kingdom  that  is  not  of  this 
world.  They  belong  to  a  spiritual  monarchy,  at  the  head  of  which 
is  Jehovah,  in  the  person  of  the  only-begotten  Son.  They  are  his 
subjects;  and,  being  his  subjects,  all  their  duties  are  religious  duties, 

1  Exod.  xix.  6.  a  i  Cor.  xii.  27.    Eph.  iv.  12.  *  Matt,  xxiii.  8. 


PART  III.J  ROYAL    PRIESTHOOD.  195 

all  exercises  of  the  priestly  function.  "Whatsoever  they  do,"  in  the 
way  of  duty,  they  are  required  to  "doit  as  to  the  Lord."  "They 
serve  the  Lord  Christ."  "  Whatsoever  they  do,  whether  in  word  or 
deed,  they  do  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks  to  God 
the  Father  by  him."  And  "  whether  they  eat,  or  drink,  or  whatso 
ever  they  do,  they  do  all  to  his  glory."  1 

Who  can  contemplate  such  holy  dignities  without  a  disposition  to 
felicitate  their  possessors  ?  "  Holy  brethren,  partakers  of  the  heaven 
ly  calling,"  allow  me  to  congratulate  you  on  the  dignity  and  blessed 
ness  of  belonging  to  a  society  so  illustrious  as  this  chosen  family,  this 
priestly  kingdom  ;  for  if  you  really  are  what  your  profession  declares 
you  to  be,  you  do  belong  to  it.  "  Happy  are  ye,  O  people  saved  by 
the  Lord  !  who  is  like  unto  you  ?"  "  The  lines  have  fallen  to  you  in 
pleasant  places,  and  ye  have  a  goodly  heritage,"  "Children  of 
Abraham."  "Children  of  God."  Brethren  of  him  who  is  "'the  first 
born  among  many  brethren."  "  Sons  and  daughters  of  the  Lord  God 
Almighty."  "  Heirs  of  God."  "  Joint-heirs  with  Christ."  "  Priests 
of  the  Lord."  "  Ministers  of  your  God."  Ever  dwelling  in  his  sanc 
tuary,  ever  engaged  in  his  service,  gratefully  acknowledge  that  grace 
of  the  Lord  to  which  you  are  indebted  for  all  this  honor,  security,  and 
happiness.  It  is  all  the  gift  of  rich  sovereign  mercy.  Not  to  you,  not 
to  you,  but  to  him  is  due  all  the  glory. 

I  trust  you  are  saying  in  your  hearts,  "  who  is  a  God  like  unto  our 
God,"  "  rich  in  mercy,"  "  mighty  to  save  ?"  "  There  is  none  like  the 
God  of  Jeshurun."  "  What  shall  we  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  his  ben 
efits  ?" 2  The  best  way  of  showing  your  gratitude  is,  by  acting  in  a 
manner  corresponding  to  the  high  and  holy  dignity  to  which  you  are 
raised.  Conduct  yourselves  like  members  of  the  chosen  family,  deni 
zens  of  the  priestly  kingdom.  Be  affectionate  children  ;  give  your 
Father  the  veneration,  the  esteem,  the  love,  the  confidence,  he  so  well 
deserves.  Be  obedient  children.  "Submit  to  the  Father  of  spirits." 
Give  due  honor  to  Him,  your  elder  brother,  who  has  been  appointed 
"  as  a  son  over  the  whole  family ;"  and  remember,  that  it  is  the  Fa 
ther's  will,  "that  all  should  honor  the  Son  as  they  honor  himself." 
Seek  to  know  and  do  all  his  will.  "  Observe  all  things  whatsoever 
he  has  commanded  you,"  and  "  walk  in  all  his  ordinances  and  com 
mandments  blameless."  Cherish  an  enlightened,  warm,  influential 
affection  for  all  the  members  of  the  chosen  generation.  "  Love  as 
brethren,"  and  "  walk  in  love,"  even  as  our  Father  and  elder  Brother 
have  loved  us.  Be  jealous  of  the  honor  of  the  family,  be  active  in 
promoting  the  interests  of  the  family,  seek  to  be  instrumental  in  in 
creasing  the  number  of  the  family.  Are  you  a  chosen  generation,  a 
select  race  ?  See  that  you  "  make  your  calling  and  election  sure,  by 
adding  to  your  faith  virtue  ;  and  to  virtue,  knowledge ;  and  to  knowl 
edge,  temperance ;  and  to  temperance,  patience ;  and  to  patience, 
fodliness ;  and  to  godliness,  brotherly-kindness ;  and  to  brotherly- 
indness,  charity." 3  Remember  the  great  object  for  which  you  were 
chosen  :  both  elected  and  selected,  that  ye  might  be  conformed  to  the 

1  Col.  iii.  23,  24.     1  Cor.  x.  31.     Col.  iii.  17. 

8  Micah  vii.  18.    Eph.  ii.  4.     Isa.  Ixiii.  1.     Deut.  xxxiii.  26.     Psal.  cxvi.  12. 

3  John  Y.  23.    Matt,  xxviii.  20.     Eph.  v.  2.     2  Pet.  i.  5-7. 


196  THE    PRIVILEGES    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

image  of  God's  Son;  that  ye  should  be  holy,  and  without  blame  be 
fore  God  in  love ;  that  ye  should  be  zealous  of  good  works ;  and,  in 
one  word,  "  as  he  whom  we  call  Father  is  holy,  so  be  ye  holy  in  all 
manner  of  conversation ;  for  it  is  written,  Be  ye  holy,  for  I  am  holy." 
And  remember,  that  ye  are  not  only  children  of  your  Father  in  heav 
en,  but  that  ye  are  subjects  of  your  Sovereign  in  heaven ;  and  as 
Israel,  "rejoice  in  him  who  made  you"  a  kingdom  of  priests;  as  "chil 
dren  of  Zion,  be  joyful  in  your  king."  "  Remember  that  he  is  your 
Lord  and  worship  him."  You  are  not  to  be  regulated,  either  as  to 
faith  or  practice,  by  your  own  will,  or  by  the  reason  or  will  of  other 
men,  but  by  his  mind  as  made  known  in  his  word.  Seek  entire  sub 
jugation  of  mind  and  will  to  him.  Have  no  mind  but  his  mind,  no 
will  but  his  will.1 

And  beware  of  invading  his  prerogative,  in  trampling  on  one  an 
other's  rights.  It  is  God  alone  who  has  a  right  to  dictate  to  his  own 
subjects.  Let  us  remember,  that  "  for  this  cause  Christ  both  died, 
and  rose,  and  revived,  that  he  should  be  the  Lord  of  the  dead  and 
of  the  living,"  of  his  own  people,  in  life  and  in  death.  Beware  of  at 
tempting  to  lord  it  over  one  another's  conscienes.  "  Why,  then,  dost 
thou  judge  thy  brother,  or  why  dost  thou  set  at  naught  thy  brother  ; 
for  we  shall  all  stand  before  the  judgment  seat  of  God,"  "  the  great 
God  our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ  ?"  "  For  it  is  written,  As  I  live,  saith 
the  Lord,  every  knee  shall  bow  to  me,  and  every  tongue  shall  confess 
to  God.  So  then  every  one  of  us  shall  give  account  of  himself,"  not 
of  his  brother,  "  to  God." 

Finally,  never  forget  the  sacred  character  of  your  relation  as  sub 
jects,  that  ye  are  sacerdotal  subjects,  ministering  to  a  Divine  Sove 
reign.  Always  think,  and  feel,  and  act,  as  in  the  holy  place,  in  the 
immediate  presence  of  "  the  Holy,  Holy,  Holy  One  ;"  let  your  whole 
lives  be  an  act  of  worship,  as  well  as  an  act  of  allegiance :  "  offer  the 
sacrifice  of  praise  to  God  continually,  that  is,  the  fruit  of  your  lips, 
giving  thanks  to  his  name  ;  and  to  do  good,  and  to  communicate,  for 
get  not,  for  with  such  sacrifices  God  is  well  pleased." 3 

(5.)   Christians  are  a  "  holy  nation." 

The  next  descriptive  appellation  of  Christians,  which  our  text 
brings  before  us  for  consideration  is,  "  A  holy  nation."  This,  like 
those  which  precede  it,  is  borrowed  from  the  language  of  the  Old  Tes 
tament  in  reference  to  the  ancient  people  of  God  :  "  Ye  shall  be  to  me 
a  holy  nation,"  said  Jehovah  to  Israel,  by  Moses,  at  Sinai,  imme 
diately  before  giving  the  law.  "  Thou  art  a  holy  people  unto  the 
Lord  thy  God,"  said  Moses  to  his  countrymen,  when  just  about  to 
cross  the  Jordan.  And  in  the  promulgation  of  the  various  laws  given 
to  them,  we  often  meet  with  these  words  :  "  Ye  shall  be  holy,  or  be 
ye  holy,  for  I  am  holy." 3 

Israel  was  a  "  nation,"  a  large  body  of  men,  residing  in  the  same 
neighborhood,  subject  to  the  same  government,  regulated  by  the  same 
laws;  distinguished  by  the  same  customs,  having  common  rights, 

1  Psal.  cxlix.  2;  xlv.  11.  2  Heb.  xiii.  15,  16. 

1  Exod.  xix.  6.    Deut.  vii.  6.     Lev.  xix.  2  ;  xx.  7,  <fcc.  <fcc. 


PART  III.]  A    HOLY    NATION.  197 

interests,  and  enemies.  Previously  to  the  giving  of  the  law,  Israel 
was  "  a  generation,"  a  race,  a  family,  a  chosen  generation ;  but  it  was 
at  Sinai  that  they  became  a  "kingdom,  a  nation;  a  kingdom  of 
priests,  a  holy  nation."  Then  began  to  be  fulfilled  the  promises  made 
to  Abraham:  "  I  am  God  Almighty :  be  fruitful  and  multiply:  ana- 
tion,  and  a  company  of  nations,  shall  be  of  thee." l 

Israel  was  "  a  holy  nation."  There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt, 
that  by  far  the  greater  part  of  those  individuals  who  were  really 
morally  holy  in  the  world  at  that  time,  belonged  to  this  nation ;  but 
when,  as  a  nation,  they  are  called  "  holy,"  the  meaning  obviously  is, 
separated  from  the  nations  who  were  devoted  to  idolatry,  and  con 
secrated  to  the  service  of  Jehovah,  the  only  living  and  true  God. 
Such  is  the  import  of  the  expression,  "  a  holy  nation,"  as  applied  to 
ancient  Israel. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  answer  the  more  important  and  interest 
ing  question,  What  are  the  truths  respecting  the  situation  and  char 
acter  of  Christians,  which  the  appellation,  as  addressed  to  them,  is 
intended  to  suggest  ?  Like  the  denomination,  generation  or  race, 
kingdom  and  people,  it  indicates  that  they  are,  properly  speaking,  not 
a  number  of  unconnected  individuals,  but  a  society ;  not  disjointed 
members,  but  a  "body  fitly  joined  and  compacted  by  that  which 
every  joint  supplieth."  They  do  not  indeed  reside  all  in  the  same 
geographical  district.  Even  those  of  them  who  are  more  immedi 
ately  addressed  in  the  text,  were  "strangers,"  scattered  over  a  wide 
region,  residing  in  the  midst  of  various  nations.  At  that  time,  mem 
bers  of  the  society,  the  spiritual  nation,  were  to  be  found  throughout 
every  part  of  the  Roman  empire,  and  even  beyond  its  bounds,  "  in 
every  nation  under  heaven ;"  and  since  that  time,  "  the  holy  nation" 
has  still  more  fully  realized  the  description  given  of  it,  as  "  a  people 
redeemed  from  among  men,  out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and 
people,  and  nation." 2 

Yet  in  a  sense  suitable  to  the  spiritual  nature  of  the  society,  they 
all  dwell  together :  they  are  all  "  a  people  near  to  Jehovah,"  and 
therefore  near  to  one  another.  They  all  dwell  in  the  spiritual 
Canaan ;  in  the  "  Jerusalem,  which  is  the  mother  of  them  all." 
They  all  "  dwell  in  the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High,  and  abide 
under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty."  The  whole  of  the  tribes  of  the 
spiritual  Israel  encamp  around  "  the  ark  of  testimony,"  "  the  true 
tabernacle,  which  God  pitched,  and  not  man."  3  The  ordinary  lim 
itations  of  time  and  place  do  not  indeed  affect  this  society.  This 
nation  is  identical  with  the  chosen  generation ;  the  family  in  heaven, 
and  on  earth,  called  by  one  name.  This  accounts  for  their  being 
called  a  nation,  which  always  suggests  the  idea  of  great  numbers. 

1  Gen.  xii.  2.  a  Rev.  v.  9. 

3  "  There  is  now  no  more  any  place  on  earth  where  the  whole  church  assembles  for 
worship;  but  they  all  assemble  in  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  where  Jesus  is,  the  antitype 
of  that  on  earth  to  which  the  church  of  Israel  assembled,  and  towards  which  they  wor 
shipped  from  all  corners  of  the  land.  Here  they  on  earth  have  their  conversation,  Phil, 
iii.  20  ;  and  unto  that  place  the  tribes  of  God  go  up  now  worshipping  God,  all  serving  in 
the  newness  of  the  spirit;  and  there  are  no  worshippers  now  but  spiritual  worshippers. 
Thus  there  is  an  end  put  to  all  controversies  about  earthly  holy  places,  and  temples  of  God 
mad 3  with  hands."  John  iv.  20,  21. — JOHN  GLAS. 


198  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

A  family  may  be  few,  but  a  nation  must  be  numerous.  He  who  joins 
the  society  here  referred  to,  obtains  a  citizenship  more  honorable,  and 
connecting  him  with  a  wider  field  of  association,  than  the  citizenship 
of  ancient  Rome  in  all  its  glory  :  he  joins  a  commonwealth,  of  which 
the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  even  in  its  most  flourishing  state,  was 
but  an  imperfect  figure.  He  "sits  down  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac, 
and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father/'  He  joins  "  the  church 
of  the  living  God ;"  a  society  which,  even  as  now  existing  on  earth, 
is  "  a  multitude,"  which  could  not  easily  be  numbered ;  and  he  "comes 
also  to  the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first-born,  whose 
names  are  written  in  heaven ;  an  innumerable  company  of  angels, 
and  of  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect/' l 

But  "  a  nation"  is  not  merely  a  numerous  body  of  men.  It  is  a 
numerous  body  of  men,  subject  to  the  same  government,  regulated 
by  the  same  laws ;  a  government  and  laws  which  distinguish  it  from 
other  nations.  In  this  sense,  the  appellation  is  strikingly  descriptive 
of  true  Christians.  The  whole  race  of  men,  with  the  exception  of 
true  Christians,  are  the  subjects  of  "  the  god  of  this  world,"  the  Prince 
of  darkness.  They  "lie  under  the"  dominion  of  that  "wicked  one;" 
they  "serve  divers  lusts  and  pleasures;"  they  "yield  themselves  the 
servants  of  sin ;  and  they  yield  their  members',"  the  various  facul 
ties  and  capacities  of  their  nature,  "  to  sin,  as  the  instruments  of  un 
righteousness."  2  Christians  have  been  "  turned"  from  the  service  of 
the  god  of  this  world,  "  to  the  service  of  the  living  and  true  God," 
"  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  To  his  sovereignty, 
as  administered  by  his  Son,  to  whom  he  has  given  all  power  in  heaven 
and  earth,  they  have  submitted  their  minds,  their  hearts,  their  con 
sciences,  their  conduct.  "Jehovah  is  their  Judge;  Jehovah  is  their 
Lawgiver;  Jehovah  is  their  King."  "  They  serve  the  Lord  Christ;" 
subject  to  his  authority,  they  are  regulated  by  his  law.  Other  men 
regulate  themselves  by  various  principles,  to  which  they  give  the 
authority  of  law ;  the  law  of  interest ;  the  law  of  custom ;  the  law 
of  honor;  the  law  of  public  opinion;  the  law  of  caprice.  Christians 
regulate  themselves  by  the  law  of  God.  The  Bible  is  their  statute 
book.  They  are  cheerfully  subject  to  all  lawful  ordinances  of  man ; 
but  it  is  "  for  the  Lord's  sake ;"  because  the  Lord  commands  them  to 
be  so.  But  when  the  law  of  man  is  opposed  to  the  law  of  God,  the 
principle  upon  which  they  act  is,  "  We  must  obey  God  rather  than 
man."  They  are  persuaded  of  the  principle,  and  act  on  it,  "  No  man 
can  serve  two  masters;  we  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon."  The 
description  which  Haman  gave  of  the  Jews,  slightly  altered,  is  very 
applicable  to  "the  true  circumcision :"  They  are  "a  people  scattered 
abroad,  and  dispersed  among  the  nations,  and  their  laws  are  diverse 
from  all  people ;  neither  keep  they  the  laws"  of  man,  when  these  are 
opposed  to  the  law  of  their  Sovereign  in  heaven.3 

Christians,  also,  are  with  propriety  termed  "  a  nation  ;"  for  they  are 
iistinguished  by  the  same  customs;  and  their  customs  are  different 
from,  and  opposed  to,  the  customs  which  generally  prevail  among 

1  Psal.  cxlviii.  14.    Gal.  iv.  26.     Psal.  xci.  1.     Eph.  iii.  15.    Matt.  viii.  11.     Heb.  xii 
22,  23. 
«  1  John  v.  19.    Rom.  vi.  13.  3  Matt,  vi.  24.    Esther  ill  8. 


PART  III.]  A    HOLY    NATION.  199 

men.  They  all  seek  often  to  be  alone  ;  they  all  are  given  to  prayer ; 
they  all  "  lay  up  treasures  in  heaven  ;"  they  all  "  deny  themselves  ;" 
they  all  look  not  only,  not  chiefly,  at  their  own  things,  but  at  the 
things  of  Christ,  and  of  others.  They  all  forgive,  instead  of  aveng 
ing  injuries.1  These  are  but  a  specimen  of  their  peculiar  customs. 
Their  whole  mode  of  thinking,  feeling,  speaking,  and  acting,  is  de 
cidedly  different  from  that  of  other  men.  They  are  in  the  world,  but 
not  of  it. 

Further,  Christians,  like  a  nation,  have  common  and  peculiar  im 
munities  and  privileges.  They  are  all  made  free  by  the  Son ;  made 
"  free  indeed ;"  "  free  with  the  liberty  of  the  children  of  God  ;"  they 
are  all  "  blessed  with  heavenly  and  spiritual  blessings  ;"  all  "  rich  in 
faith,  and  heirs  of  the  kingdom  ;"  all  secured  of  the  guidance  of  the 
good  Spirit,  and  the  guardianship  of  angels.2  By  these,  and  a  variety 
of  other  privileges,  which  belong  to  none  but  themselves,  they  are 
distinguished  from  all  other  bodies  of  men. 

Like  a  nation,  Christians  have  a  common  cause,  the  cause  of  their 
common  Lord  ;  common  interests,  the  interests  of  truth,  and  holiness, 
and  peace,  of  God's  glory,  and  man's  salvation.  They  are  engaged 
in  a  war  with  common  enemies,  ignorance,  error,  superstition,  sin  in 
all  its  forms,  and  the  powerful  being  of  whom  all  these  are  the  works. 
They  "  wrestle  not  with  flesh  and  blood,  but  with  principalities  and 
powers ;  with  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world ;  with  spiritual 
wickedness  in  high  places."  And  they  carry  on  their  war  in  the 
same  way.  "  The  weapons  of  their  warfare  are  not  carnal,  but 
mighty,  through  God,"  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  purpose.3 

But  Christians  are  not  only  a  nation — they  are  "  a  holy  nation." 
The  term  holy,  or  sacred,  properly  signifies  separated  from  other  per 
sons  or  things,  and  dedicated  to  a  sacred  purpose.  The  Babylonian 
armies  are  termed  by  Isaiah  God's  "sanctified  or  holy  ones,"4  be 
cause  selected  by  God  as  the  instruments  of  his  righteous  judgment 
against  Israel.  The  Sabbath  is  called  holy,  because  set  apart  from 
secular  to  religious  purposes ;  the  vessels  of  the  Tabernacle  and 
Temple  are  called  holy  for  a  similar  reason;  and  the  Israelites  are 
very  often  represented  as  holy,  because  separated  from  the  rest  of 
mankind  to  be  the  depositaries  of  religious  truth  and  worship,  "  till 
the  seed  should  come,  in  reference  to  whom  the  promises  were 
made."5 

When  the  word  is  applied  to  Christians  either  as  individuals  or  as 
a  body,  it  is  employed  in  the  same  general  sense,  but  with  a  higher 
reference.  The  Christian  church,  though  figuratively  a  nation,  has 
nothing  secular  in  its  constitution  or  object.  It  is  completely  separ 
ated,  completely  distinct,  from  all  worldly  societies.  It  is  not  politi 
cal,  it  is  not  commercial,  it  is  not  philosophical ;  it  is  religious.  If  it 
;s  a  kingdom,  it  is  "  a  kingdom  not  of  this  world  ;"  6  if  it  is  a  nation,  it 
is  "  a  holy,"  sacred  "  nation."  And  its  genuine  members  are  all  holy, 
taken  out  from  among  the  world  lying  under  the  wicked  one ;  dedi- 

1  Matt.  v.  20.     Phil.  ii.  4.  2  John  viii.  36.     Eph.  i.  3.     James  ii.  5. 

3  Eph.  vi.  12,     2  Cor.  x.  4.  *  Isa.  xiii.  3. 

5  Exod.  xvi.  23  ;  xxv.  2.     Deut.  vii.  6.  Dan.  viii.  24.     Lev.  viii.  9  ;  xvi.  4,  33. 

8  John  xviii.  3f5 


200  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VI1». 

cated  to  the  service  of  God  and  his  Son,  by  the  sprinkling  of  the 
blood  of  atonement,  by  the  washing  of  the  water  of  regeneration,  and 
by  their  own  inward  consent  and  outward  profession.  They  are  all 
sanctified  ones ;  "  chosen  in  Christ  before  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
that  they  might  be  holy,  and  without  blame  before  God  in  love."  In 
consequence  of  the  Saviour  sanctifying  himself,  setting  apart  himself 
to  save  them,  they  are  set  apart,  sanctified  by  the  truth  to  serve  him  : 
for  "  Christ  loved  the  church  and  gave  himself  for  it ;  that  he  might 
sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the  washing  of  water  by  the  word ;  that 
he  might  present  it  to  God  a  glorious  church,  not  having  spot,  or 
wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing ;  but  that  it  should  be  holy,  and  without 
blemish."  "  That  he  might  sanctify  the  people  ;"  that  he  might  con 
stitute  the  chosen  ones  a  holy  nation  "  by  his  own  blood,  he  suffered 
without  the  gate."  He  went  out  of  "  the  Jerusalem"  that  then  was 
the  type  of  all  that  is  corrupt  both  in  secular  and  ecclesiastical  associ 
ation,  and  his  saved  people  are  to  "  go  forth  to  him  without  the  camp, 
bearing  his  reproach,"  devoted  to  God,  as  he  was  devoted  to  God ; 
determined  to  do  and  suffer  the  will  of  God  as  he  did,  apart  from  the 
world  lying  in  wickedness.1 

They  are  a  people  entirely  devoted  or  sacred  ;  their  faculties,  their 
property,  their  time,  their  opportunities,  their  bodies,  their  spirits,  are 
all  His,  and  they  cannot  devote  them  to  purposes  different  from  his, 
without  being  guilty  of  desecration  and  sacrilege.  It  is  to  this  state 
of  things  that  the  prophet  Isaiah  looks  forward  when  he  says,  "  Go 
through,  go  through  the  gates ;  prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  people ; 
cast  up,  cast  up  the  highway ;  gather  out  the  stones ;  lift  up  a  stand 
ard  for  the  people.  Behold,  the  Lord  hath  proclaimed  unto  the  end  of 
the  world,  Say  ye  to  the  daughter  of  Zion,  Behold,  thy  salvation 
corneth ;  behold,  his  reward  is  with  him,  and  his  work  before  him. 
And  they  shall  call  them,  The  holy  people,  The  redeemed  of  the  Lord  : 
and  thou  shalt  be  called,  Sought  out,  A  city  not  forsaken ;"  and 
Zechariah,  when  he  says,  "  In  that  day  shall  there  be  on  the  bells  of 
the  horses,  HOLINESS  UNTO  THE  LORD  ;  and  the  pots  in  the  Lord's 
house  shall  be  like  the  bowls  before  the  altar.  Yea,  every  pot  in 
Jerusalem  and  in  Judah  shall  be  holiness  unto  the  Lord  of  hosts  ;  and 
all  they  that  sacrifice  shall  come  and  take  of  them,  and  seethe  therein  : 
and  in  that  day  there  shall  be  no  more  the  Canaanite  in  the  house  of 
the  Lord  of  hosts."  Every  day  is,  or  ought  to  be,  a  Sabbath-day  ; 
every  meal  a  sacrament ;  for  whether  they  eat  or  drink,  or  whatso 
ever  they  do,  they  should  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God  ;  "  and  whatsoever 
the^  do  in  word  or  in  deed,  they  should  do  it  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  giving  thanks  to  God,  even  the  Father,  by  him."  Among  them 
"  no  man  liveth  to  himself,  and  no  man  dieth  to  himself;  but  whether 
he  lives,  he  lives  to  the  Lord ;  whether  he  dies,  he  dies  to  the  Lord. 
In  life  and  in  death  he  is  the  Lord's." 2 

^  I  think  it  not  improbable  that  the  apostle  had  a  particular  object  in 
giving  Christians,  as  a  body,  the  designation,  "  a  holy  nation,"  rathel 
than  the  more  ordinary  phrase  in  the  Old  Testament,  "  a  holy  people." 

1  Eph.  v.  25-27.     Heb.  xiii.  12.  13. 

3  Isu.  Ixii.  10-12.     Zech.  xiy.  20,  21.     Col.  iii  17.     Rom.  xiv.  7,  8. 

8  ZOvos  rather  than  Xao'j. 


PART  III.]  A    PECULIAR    PEOPLE.  201 

It  is  not  without  a  purpose  that  he  quotes  Exodus  xix.  6,  rather  than 
Isaiah  Ixii.  11.  The  very  name  nations,1  or  Gentiles,  was  hateful  to 
the  Jews.  They  were  "  the  people  ;"  2  all  the  rest  of  the  world  were 
the  nations  :  the  people  were  holy  and  beloved ;  the  nations  profane 
and  abominable  in  the  sight  of  God.  But  under  the  new  economy, 
the  chosen  name  of  the  people  of  God  is  "  nation,"  there  being  now  no 
distinction  between  Jew  and  Gentile,  but  all  are  one  in  Christ.  As  the 
Apostle  Paul  says,  "  There  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  is  neither 
bond  nor  free,  there  is  neither  male  nor  female  ;"  but  all  "believers 
are  one"  nation  "in  Christ  Jesus."  And  "if  ye  be  Christ's,  then  are 
ye  Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  according  to  the  promises."  The  holy 
nation  is  '  God's  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good 
works,  which  God  had  before  ordained  that  we  should  walk  in  them." 
"  Wherefore  remember,  that  ye  being  in  time  past  Gentiles  in  the 
flesh,  who  are  called  Uncircumcision  by  that  which  is  called  the  Cir 
cumcision  in  the  flesh  made  by  hands ;  that  at  that  time  ye  were  with 
out  Christ,  being  aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  and  strangers 
from  the  covenants  of  promise,  having  no  hope,  and  without  God  in 
the  world  :  but  now  in  Christ  Jesus,  ye  who  sometimes  were  afar  off 
are  made  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ.  For  he  is  our  peace,  who  hath 
made  both  one,  and  hath  broken  down  the  middle  wall  of  partition  be 
tween  us  ;  having  abolished  in  his  flesh  the  enmity,  even  the  law  of 
commandments  contained  in  ordinances;  for  to  make  in  himself  of 
twain  one  new  man,  so  making  peace  ;  and  that  he  might  reconcile 
both  unto  God  in  one  body  by  the  cross,  having  slain  the  enmity 
thereby  ;  and  came  and  preached  peace  to  you  which  were  afar  off) 
and  to  them  that  were  nigh.  For  through  him  we  both  have  access 
by  one  Spirit  unto  the  Father.  Now  therefore  ye  are  no  more 
strangers  and  foreigners,  but  fellow-citizens  with  the  saints,  and  of 
the  household  of  God ;" — "  a  holy  nation." 3 

(6.)  Christians  are  "  a  peculiar  people" 

The  next  appellation  that  calls  for  our  consideration  is,  "  a  peculiar 
people."  To  a  mere  English  reader,  these  words  convey  the  idea, 
a  perfectly  just  one,  that  they  are  a  people,  a  collection  of  men,  who 
have  many  peculiarities  about  them,  many  things  which  distinguish 
them  from  other  men,  and  other  bodies  of  men  ;  they  are  peculiar  in 
their  origin,  their  principles,  their  dispositions,  their  habits  and  customs ; 
their  hopes,  their  fears,  their  pursuits,  their  privileges.  In  this  case 
the  designation  would  include  all  that  is  expressed  in  all  the  other 
designations,  and  perhaps  something  more. 

But  the  truth  is,  the  English  expression  conveys  very  imperfectly 
the  meaning  of  the  original  term.  It  is  literally  "  a  people  for  a  pur 
chased  possession,"  or  for  a  treasure  ; 4  for  the  word  employed  is  used 
in  both  senses  ;  in  the  first,  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  "  Until 
the  redemption  of  the  purchased  possession;"5  in  the  second,  in  the 
passage  of  the  book  of  Exodus,  from  which  this  is  quoted,  "  Ye  shall 
be  a  peculiar  treasure  to  me."6  In  Malachi  it  is  rendered  "jewels/' 

1  ''la.  2  D3>M.  3  Gal.  iii.  28,  29.     Eph.  ii.  10-19. 

4  Aaoj  tis  TTspnroiriaiv.        G  Eph.  i.  14.  °  Exod.  xix.  5. 


202  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

and  on  the  margin,  "special  treasure."  l  The  significancy  here  does 
not  lie  chiefly,  if  at  all,  in  the  word  "  people,"  which  does  not,  like 
generation  or  race,  kingdom  and  nation,  suggest  any  important  idea ; 
though  people  does  seem  to  be  used  as  distinctive  of  a  respectable 
assemblv,  in  opposition  to  an  illiterate  and  vulgar  rabble.  "  No  doubt 
ye  are  the  people."  2  It  lies  in  what  is  said  about  his  people.  They 
are  a  people  "for  a  purchased  possession,"  for  a  special  treasure. 
The  sentiments  which  the  appellation  seems  intended  to  convey  are 
these  two  :  That  they  are  the  subjects  of  the  divine  peculiar  property, 
and  the  objects  of  the  divine  peculiar  regard. 

They  are  God's  "purchased  possession,"  his  "special  treasure." 
Like  the  preceding  appellation,  this  was  originally  employed  as  de 
scriptive  of  the  Israelitish  people.  "  Ye  shall  be  a  peculiar  treasure  to 
me  above  all  people  ;  for  all  the  earth  is  mine."  "  The  Lord  thy  God 
hath  chosen  thee  to  be  a  special  people  to  himself,  above  all  people 
that  are  on  the  face  of  the  earth."  "  The  Lord  hath  avouched  thee 
to  be  his  peculiar  people,  as  he  hath  promised  to  thee."8  The  whole 
universe  is  God's  inalienable  property.  "  The  earth  is  the  Lord's  and 
the  fulness  thereof;  the  world,  and  they  that  dwell  in  it."4  All  the 
nations  were  God's  property  ;  but,  so  far  as  the  thing  was  possible, 
they  had  alienated  themselves  as  divine  property.  They  had  given 
themselves  up  into  the  hands  of  God's  enemy,  to  be  used  by  him  as  his 
property.  But  Jehovah,  while  allowing  the  other  nations  to  remain 
in  the  hands  of  him  to  whom  they  had  sold  themselves,  rescued  Israel 
out  of  the  hands  of  Pharaoh,  and  out  of  the  hand  of  him  of  whom 
Pharaoh  was  but  a  type  and  instrument,  and  they  became,  as  it  were, 
doubly  his  property,  and  he  treated  them  as  an  object  of  "peculiar 
favor."  "  When  the  Most  High  divided  to  the  nations  their  inherit 
ance,  when  he  separated  the  sons  of  Adam,  he  set  the  bounds  of  the 
people  according  to  the  number  of  the  children  of  Israel !  for  the 
Lord's  portion  was  his  people ;  Israel  was  the  lot  of  his  inheritance. 
He  found  him  in  a  desert  land,  and  in  the  waste  howling  wilderness ; 
he  led  him  about,  he  instructed  him,  he  kept  him  as  the  apple  of  his 
eye.  As  an  eagle  stirreth  up  her  nest,  fluttereth  over  her  young 
spreadeth  abroad  her  wings,  taketh  them,  beareth  them  on  her  wings  : 
so  the  Lord  alone  did  lead  him,  and  there  was  no  strange  god  with 
him.  He  made  him  to  ride  on  the  high  places  of  the  earth,  that  he 
might  eat  the  increase  of  the  fields ;  and  he  made  him  to  suck  honey 
out  of  the  rock,  and  oil  out  of  the  flinty  rock ;  butter  of  kine,  and 
milk  of  sheep,  with  fat  of  lambs,  and  rams  of  the  breed  of  Bashan, 
and  goats,  with  the  fat  of  kidneys  of  wheat :  and  thou  didst  drink  the 
pure  blood  of  the  grape."  "  He  showed  his  wrord  to  Jacob,  his  stat 
utes  and  his  judgments  to  Israel."  "  In  Judah  was  he  known  ;  his 
name  was  great  in  Israel.  In  Salem  also  was  his  tabernacle,  and  his 
dwelling-place  in  Zion.  And  "  many  times  did  he  deliver  them." 
"  He  gave  Egypt  for  their  ransom,  Ethiopia  and  Seba  for  them." 
"He  suffered  no  man  to  do  them  wrong"  with  impunity;  "he  re 
proved  kings  for  their  sake."  "  What  nation  was  there  so  great,  who 
had  Jehovah  so  nigh  to  them,  as  the  Lord  their  God  was  in  all  things 

1  Hal.  iii.  16.  a  Job  xii.  2. 

8  Exod.  xix.  5.     Deut.  vii.  6 ;  xiv.  2 ;  xxvi  18.  *  Psal.  xxiv.  1. 


PART    III.]  A    PECULIAR    PEOPLE.  203 

that  they  called  on  him  for  ?"  "  What  nation  was  there  so  great,  that 
had  statutes  and  judgments  so  righteous  as  all  the  law,  which  he  set 
before  them?"  l  Thus  was  ancient  Israel,  a  people  for  a  purchased 
possession,  for  a  special  treasure  to  Jehovah,  the  subjects  of  his 
peculiar  property,  the  objects  of  his  peculiar  regard. 

But  these  glorious  appellations  are  applicable  in  a  far  higher  sense 
to  the  spiritual  Israel.  They  are  God's  peculiar  property.  They  are 
his  in  a  sense  different  from,  higher  than,  that  in  which  they  originally 
and  all  other  human  beings  were  his.  It  is  difficult  to  find  in  human 
affairs  anything  that  so  corresponds  to  the  important  facts  referred  to, 
as  to  illustrate  them ;  but  we  shall  attempt  it.  Let  us  conceive  what 
we  know  is  not  possible,  that  a  wealthy  man  should  have  righteous 
property  in  a  great  multitude  of  his  fellow-men,  and  let  us  conceive 
of  him  as  just  and  kind  in  his  dealings  with  them ;  but  they  commit 
crimes  which  expose  them  to  the  vengeance  of  the  law,  and  they  at 
the  same  time  renounce  subjection  to  him,  and  become  the  willing 
slaves  of  his  worst  enemy.  Having  a  great  regard  for  them,  he  buys 
them  off  from  the  law's  vengeance ;  and  he  at  the  same  time  prevails 
on  them  to  wish  to  return  to  his  service ;  and  by  superior  force  obli 
ges  his  powerful  enemy,  however  reluctantly,  to  quit  his  hold  of  them ; 
and,  having  got  them  again  back  to  his  own  estate,  he  bestows  on 
them  peculiar  marks  of  his  kindness.  Would  not  such  redeemed 
criminals,  such  ransomed  slaves,  though  his  property  originally,  be 
now  doubly  his — his  purchased  possession ;  and  might  they  not  well 
be  called  his  special  treasure  ?  The  figure  is  imperfect,  but  it  may 
assist  your  minds  in  forming  distinct  and  accurate  conceptions  of  the 
case  before  us.  Christians  have  been  "redeemed  by  the  blood  of 
Christ,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  spot,"  from  guilt,  the  judicial 
displeasure  of  God,  and  everlasting  destruction.  They  have  been 
"  bought  with  a  price."  "  Redeemed  to  God  by  the  blood  of  his  Son; 
delivered  from  the  wrath  to  come."  And  they  have  also  been, 
"  through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,"  delivered  from  sin 
and  Satan,  and  the  present  evil  world;  ''redeemed  from  all  iniquity, 
that  they  may  be  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works."  By  the 
effectual  working  of  the  good  Spirit  through  the  instrumentality  of  the 
word,  they  are  freed  from  the  degrading  bondage  of  sin,  and  made  to 
"walk  at  liberty,  keeping  God's  commandments;"  feeling,  and  de 
lighting  to  feel,  that  they  are  "  not  their  own,"  but  wholly  and  for 
ever  his,  who  has  bought  them  by  "  a  price  all  price  beyond :"  re 
deemed  them  by  an  arm  so  "full  of  power"  and  of  mercy.2 

And  as  they  are  the  subjects  of  his  peculiar  property,  so  are  they 
the  objects  of  his  peculiar  regard.  They  are  his  special  treasure,  his 
jewels ;  he  heaps  on  them  tokens  of  his  regard.  They  are  his  vine 
yard  ;  of  which  he  says,  "  I  the  Lord  do  keep  it.  I  will  water  it 
every  moment.  I  will  keep  it  night  and  day."  He  "  blesses  them 
with  all  heavenly  and  spiritual  blessings ;"  so  that  they  may  well  say, 
"  Who  is  a  God  like  unto  our  God,  who  pardoneth  iniquity,  and  pass- 
eth  by  the  transgression  of  the  remnant  of  his  heritage  ?  he  retain- 

1  Deut.  xxxii.  8-14.     Psal.  cxlvii.  19  ;   Ixxvi.  1,  2  ;  cvi.  43.     Isa.  xliii.  3.     Psal.  cv.  14, 
15.    Deut.  iv.  7,  8. 

2  1  Cor.  vi.  20.     1  Pet.  i.  18,  19.    Rev.  v.  9.     1  Thess.  L  10.    Tit.  ii.  14. 


204  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS,  [DISC.  VIII. 

eth  not  his  anger  forever,  because  he  delighteth  in  mercy.  He  will 
turn  again,  he  will  have  compassion  on  us;  he  will  subdue  our  iniqui 
ties  ;  and  he  will  cast  all  our  sins  into  the  depths  of  the  sea/5  "  The 
Lord  their  God,  in  the  midst  of  them,  is  mighty ;  he  will  save,  he  will 
rejoice  over  them  with  joy ;  he  will  rest  in  his  love ;  he  will  joy  over 
them  with  singing."  "  He  giveth  unto  them  eternal  life :  and  they 
shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  pluck  them  out  of  his  hand."  He 
gives  many  distinct  proofs,  both  to  others  and  to  themselves,  that  they 
are  the  objects  of  his  peculiar  regard.  "  All  things  are  theirs,  whether 
Paul  or  Apollos,  or  Cephas,  or  the  world,  whether  in  life,  or  death ;  all 
is  theirs  ;  for  they  are  Christ's ;  and  Christ  is  God's."  Even  in  the 
present  state,  he  makes  it  evident  that  the  Lord  hath  set  apart  the 
godly  man  for  himself,  and  "  in  the  day  that  he  shall  make  up  his  jew 
els,"  collect  his  treasure,  he  will  bestow  on  them  such  "  an  exceeding 
and  eternal  weight  of  glory,"  as  shall  make  all  the  intelligent  universe 
see  and  acknowledge  that  they  are  His :  in  a  peculiar  sense  his  prop 
erty,  his  portion ;  those  whom  he  is  determined  to  honor  and  bless,  to 
the  greatest  degree  in  which  created  beings  can  be  made  possessors 
of  dignity  and  blessedness.1 

And  all  the  glory,  all  the  felicity,  included  in  God  treating  them  as 
a  people  for  a  purchased  possession,  a  peculiar  treasure,  is  obtained  by 
connection  with  Christ,  and  is  a  farther  demonstration  of  his  grace  to 
those  on  whom  it  is  bestowed.  In  coming  to  Christ  ye  were  made 
such  a  people,  and  in  this  surely  "  ye  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  was 
gracious." 

Is  it  possible  to  estimate  too  highly  those  honors,  and  advantages, 
and  delights,  to  which  Christians  are,  by  the  grace  of  their  Lord, 
raised  ?  Is  it  not  obviously  and  undeniably  true,  that  "  the  things 
which  God  laid  up  for  those  who  love  him,"  under  the  new  economy, 
and  which  he  has  made  known  to  us  by  his  Holy  Spirit,  are  what 
"eye  had  not  seen,  what  ear  had  not  heard,  and  what  it  had  never 
entered,"  it  could  never  have  entered,  "  into  the  heart  of  man  to  con 
ceive  ?"  2  How  glorious  is  the  society  they  are  connected  with,  em 
bracing  in  it  all  the  true  excellence  in  the  universe !  They  are,  in 
deed,  associates  of  no^gnoble  confraternity,  citizens  of  no  mean  city ; 
and  how  rich,  how  varied,  how  invaluable,  are  the  privileges  which, 
as  members  of  the  holy  nation,  of  the  peculiar  people,  they  enjoy ! 

How  strong  a  motive  to  gratitude,  and  obedience,  and  submission ! 
Well  does  it  become  every  Christian,  "gathered  from  among  the 
heathen,"  and  "  made  to  inherit  the  throne  of  glory,"  to  say  with 
David,  "  Who  am  I,  and  what  is  my  Father's  house,  that  thou  hast 
brought  me  hitherto  ?"  "  What  shall  I  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  his 
benefits  ?  Truly,  O  Lord,  I  am  thy  servant,  the  son  of  thine  hand 
maid  :  thou  hast  loosed  my  bonds.  I  will  take  the  cup  of  salvation. 
I  will  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord.  I  will  pay  my  vows  to  the  Lord 
in  the  presence  of  all  his  people."  Redeemed  by  the  precious  blood 
of  Christ  from  my  vain  conversation,  I  will  no  longer  fashion  myself 
according  to  my  former  lusts  in  my  ignorance ;  but  as  he  who  has 

1  Isa.  xxvii.  2,  3.     Eph.  i.  3.    Micah  vii.  18,  19.    Zeph.  iii.  17.    John  x.  28.     1  Cor.  iii 
21-23.     Mai.  iii.  17  18. 
a  1  Cor.  ii.  9,  10. 


PART  III.J  A    PECULIAR    PEOPLE.  205 

called  me  is  holy,  I  will  be  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation. 
Bought  with  a  price,  I  am  not  my  own,  and  will  glorify  him  who  re 
deemed  me,  in  my  body,  and  in  my  spirit,  which  are  His.1 

What  an  abundant  source  of  consolation  and  support  under  evil, 
of  every  kind,  does  this  view  of  the  Christian's  situation  afford  to 
him !  Jehovah  will  take  care  of  his  own,  of  what  is  committed  to 
him,  of  what  has  been  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  his  Son,  rescued  by 
the  power  of  his  Spirit,  blessed  with  the  tokens  of  his  peculiar  regard. 
Fear  not,  Christian,  whatever  may  be  the  number  and  amount  of  thy 
experienced  or  anticipated  perplexities  and  trials,  and  bereavements 
and  sorrows.  Listen  to  the  voice  of  Him,  whose  thou  art,  and  whom 
thou  servest :  "  Fear  thou  not ;  for  I  am  with  thee  :  be  not  dismayed ; 
for  I  am  thy  God :  I  will  strengthen  thee  ;  yea,  I  will  help  thee ;  yea, 
I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my  righteousness.  Fear  not, 
for  I  have  redeemed  thee ;  I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name,  thou  art 
mine.  When  thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee ; 
and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee :  when  thou 
walkest  through  the  fire,  thou  shalt  not  be  burned ;  neither  shall  the 
flame  kindle  on  thee.  For  I  am  Jehovah  thy  God,  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel,  thy  Saviour."  And  when  HE  thus  says,  "  I  will  never  leave 
thee,  I  will  never  forsake  thee ;  surely  thou  mayest  boldly  say,  The 
Lord  is  my  helper,  and  I  will  not  fear  what  either  man  or  devil  ean 
do  to  me."  2 

What  a  powerful  incentive  is  here  offered  to  seek  "part  and  lot" 
in  this  holy  nation,  among  this  peculiar  people !  All  who  belong  to  it 
were  once  "  aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  the  spiritual  Israel, 
strangers  to  the  covenant  of  promise."  They  wrere  as  "  sheep  going 
astray ;  but  they  have  returned  to  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls." 
And  how  were  they  brought  near  ?  By  the  blood  of  the  cross,  by 
the  power  of  the  Spirit,  by  the  faith  of  the  truth.  They  believed  on 
Christ,  they  came  to  him,  and  thus  "they  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gra 
cious."  Does  not  their  happiness  proclaim,  louder  than  any  language, 
"  O,  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good  ?"  The  way,  though,  alas  ! 
unfrequented,  is  an  open  one.  The  grace  of  the  Lord  is  not  "  a  well 
shut  up,  a  fountain  sealed."  "  Return,  ye  backsliding  children  ;  I  have 
redeemed  you."  "  I,  even  I,  am  he  who  blotted  out  transgressions, 
for  my  own  sake."  "  I  will  heal  your  backsliding,  I  will  love  you 
freely."  Believe  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  come  to  HIM,  and  all  the 
blessings  of  salvation  are  yours.  "He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life,  he 
that  hath  not  the  Son  hath  not  life."  "  Eternal  life  is  the  gift  of  God, 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  It  may,  it  must  be  yours,  if  you  do 
not  obstinately  refuse  to  receive  what  is  freely  given  us  of  God;3 
refuse,  neglect,  to  receive  it,  and  you  are  undone  forever,  and  must 
receive  what  you  have  earned  :  "  the  wages  of  sin — death ;" 

"  Future  death, 

And  death  still  future.    Not  a  hasty  stroke, 
Like  that  which  sends  us  to  the  dusty  grave : 
But  unrepealable,  enduring  death — 
Ages  of  future  misery."  4 

1  2  Sam.  vii.  18.     Psal.  cxvi.  12-14.     1  Cor.  vi.  20. 

8  Isa.  xli.  10  ;  xliii.  2.     Heb.  xtii.  5,  6. 

*  1  Pet.  ii.  25.    Jer.  iii.  14,  22.    Isa.  xliil  25.    Hos.  xiv.  4.     1  John  v.  12.     Rom.  vi.  23 

'  Cowper. 


206  THE    PRIVILEGES    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

Escape  then,  from  the  city  of  destruction  ;  break  off  all  connection 
with  "  the  sinful  nation,"  "  the  people  of  God's  curse."  "  Escape  for 
thy  life ;  look  not  behind  thee,  neither  stay  thou  in  all  the  plain  :  es 
cape  to  the  mountain,"  to  the  city  of  refuge,  the  mystical  Jerusalem, 
whose  name  is  Jehovah- Tzidkenu,  "the  Lord  our  righteousness. " 
Escape  lest  thou  be  consumed  ;  delay  is  madness,  may  be  ruin  : 
"  Now  is  the  accepted  time,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation."  1 

The  statements  now  made  have  not  produced  their  proper  effect 
if  they  have  not  excited  in  our  bosoms  an  earnest  desire,  which  finds 
its  appropriate  utterance  in  these  beautiful  words  of  the  psalmist, 
"  Remember  me,  O  Lord,  with  the  favor  which  thou  bearest  unto 
thy  people :  O  visit  me  with  thy  salvation ;  that  I  may  see  the  good 
of  thy  chosen,  the  chosen  generation  ;  that  I  may  rejoice  in  the  glad 
ness  of  thy  nation,  the  holy  nation ;  that  I  may  glory  with  thine  in 
heritance,"  "  the  peculiar  people,  the  purchased  possession,  the  spe 
cial  treasure  " 2  That  prayer,  offered  in  faith,  is  sure  to  be  answered ; 
and  that  prayer  offered  and  answered,  we  are  made  up  for  eternity. 
"  We  have  all  and  abound."  Our  need  is  supplied  according  to  God's 
glorious  riches.  We  have  "  exceedingly  abundantly  above  all  that 
we  can  ask  or  think."  Our  joy  is  full,  full  forever. 

(7.)     Christians  are  "  called  to  show  forth  the  praises  of  God." 

The  next  appellation  applied  to  Christians  is,  "  Called  to  show 
forth  the  praises  of  him  who  has  called  them  out  of  darkness  into  his 
marvellous  light."  To  the  consideration  of  this  let  us  now  proceed. 

The  allusion  to  ancient  Israel,  which  pervades  the  previous  part 
of  the  verse,  and  attention  to  which  we  have  found  of  so  much  use 
to  bring  out  its  meaning,  is  to  be  recognized  here  also.  Jehovah 
called  Israel  out  of  Egypt,  a  state  of  slavery  and  degradation,  figura 
tively  termed  by  the  psalmist  "a  state  of  darkness  and  the  shadow  of 
death,"  into  a  state  of  liberty  and  dignity,  figuratively  described  as 
"  the  light  of  the  countenance  of  Jehovah,"  probably  with  a  reference 
to  the  supernatural  bright  cloud,  the  emblem  of  the  divine  presence, 
to  be  to  himself  "  a  chosen  generation,  a  kingdom  of  priests,  a  holy 
nation,  a  peculiar  people,"  in  order  to  manifest  by  them  his  own  in 
finite  excellencies,  his  power,  his  wisdom,  his  righteousness,  his  benig 
nity,  his  faithfulness.  When  God  "  went  to  redeem  Israel  for  a  peo 
ple  to  himself,  it  was  to  make  to  himself  a  name."  9  When  "  he 
brought  them  up  out  of  the  sea,"  to  use  the  sublime  language  of 
Isaiah,  "  with  Moses,  the  shepherd  of  his  flock,  when  he  put  his  Holy 
Spirit  within  him,  and  led  them  by  his  right  hand,  dividing  the 
waters  before  him,  it  was  to  make  to  himself  an  everlasting,  a  glorious 
name."  *  And  of  Israel,  thus  called  and  redeemed  by  him,  he  says, 
"  I  have  created  him  for  my  glory,  I  have  formed  him ;  yea,  I  have 
made  him."  I  have  caused  to  cleave  to  me,  says  Jehovah  by  the 
prophet  Jeremiah,  "  I  have  caused  to  cleave  to  me  the  whole  house  of 

1  Gen.  xix.  17.    Jer.  xxxiii.  16.     Isa.  xlix.  8.     2  Cor.  vi  2. 

2  Psal.  cvi.  4,  5.  s  2  Sam.  vii.  23. 

4  Isa.  Ixiii.  11,  12.  "  Respectus  habetur  ad  caput  xv,  Exodi,  in  quo  describitur 
canticum  laudis  quod  Israelite  post  eductionem  ex  Egypto  per  mare  rubrum,  iu  gloriam 
DEI  liberatoris  composuerunt." — BEDA. 


PART  III.]  CALLED    TO    SHOW    FORTH    GOD'S    PRAISE.  207 

Israel  and  the  whole  house  of  Judah  ;  that  they  may  be  to  me  for  a 
people,  and  for  a  name,  and  for  a  praise,  and  for  a  glory/' l 

The  great  economies  of  Providence  and  Redemption  form  but  one 
system  of  divine  manifestation  ;  a  connected  series  of  revelations  of 
"  eternal  power  and  godhead ;"  the  infinite  wisdom,  righteousness,  and 
benignity  of  Him,  "  of  whom,  and  through  whom,  and  to  whom,  are 
all  things."  The  Mosaic  economy,  the  history  of  the  Israelitish  peo 
ple,  is  a  very  interesting  chapter  in  this  book,  in  which  God  has  man 
ifested  his  character.  All  that  God  did  for  Israel  in  making  them  a 
nation  ;  all  the  privileges  he  bestowed  on  them  as  a  nation  ;  all  the  de 
liverances  he  vouchsafed  them,  and  all  the  judgments  he  inflicted  on 
them  :  all  that  he  did  to  them,  and  all  that  he  did  by  them,  was  in 
tended  for  the  revelation  of  his  character,  for  the  manifestation  of 
his  glory.  Israel  became  to  him  a  chosen  generation  ;  a  kingdom  of 
priests  ;  a  holy  nation ;  a  peculiar  people  ;  to  show  forth  his  praise. 
His  dispensations  to  Israel  manifested  his  character,  not  only  to 
them,  but  to  surrounding  nations.  He  made  "  his  wrath  and  his 
power/'  his  wisdom  and  his  mercy,  known  in  the  redemption  of  Israel, 
and  in  the  destruction  of  their  proud  oppressors.  "  He  saved  them 
for  his  name's  sake,  that  he  might  make  his  mighty  power  to  be 
known,  and  that  men  might  know  that  he  was  Jehovah."  And  this 
was  not  only  their  design  and  tendency,  it  was  to  some  extent  their 
effect.  Jethro  was  not  at  all  singular  in  the  sentiments  he  avowed 
in  his  address  to  his  son-in-law :  "Now  know  I  that  Jehovah  is  greater 
than  all  gods  ;  for  in  the  thing  wherein  they  dealt  proudly  he  was 
above  them."  2 

Israel  was  intended,  not  merely  passively,  but  also  actively,  to  de 
clare  the  character,  to  show  forth  the  praises,  of  Jehovah.  While 
the  nations  around  them  were  "  worshipping  and  serving  the  creature 
more  than  the  Creator ;  having  changed  the  truth  of  God  into  a  lie, 
and  his  glory  into  an  image  made  like  unto  corruptible  man,  and  to 
birds,  and  to  four-footed  beasts,  and  to  creeping  things,"  3  throughout 
the  land  of  Israel  was  proclaimed  the  sublime  truth,  "  Jehovah  is  our 
God,  Jehovah  is  one."  They  were  his  "  witnesses  ;"  and  in  the  holy 
oracles,  which  they  preserved  most  faithfully ;  in  the  ordinances  of 
worship  which  they  maintained ;  and  in  the  degree  in  which  their 
characters  were  moulded  by  that  revelation,  and  those  ordinances, 
did  they  shine  as  the  lights  of  a  darkened  world,  and  hold  forth  to  their 
benighted  fellow-men  the  truth  respecting  the  Supreme  Being. 

These  observations  respecting  the-manner  in  which  ancient  Israel, 
after  the  flesh,  was  called  by  Jehovah  out  of  darkness  into  light,  to 
be  a  chosen  generation,  a  kingdom  of  priests,  a  holy  nation,  a  pecu 
liar  people,  in  order  to  show  forth  his  praise,  will  be  found  of  mate 
rial  use  to  us  in  our  inquiry  into  the  higher  sense,  the  deeper  meaning, 
in  which  these  statements  are  applicable  to  the  spiritual  Israel. 

Taking  them  as  our  key,  let  us  now  proceed  to  ask,  What  is  this 
calling  here  spoken  of ?  Who  is  its  author?  What  is  its  object? 
And  how  does  such  a  call  from  such  a  being,  for  such  an  object, 
afford  illustration  of  the  graciousness  of  the  Lord  to  those  who  re 
ceive  it  ? 

1  Isa.  xliii.  7.    Jer.  xiii.  11.  a  Exod.  xviii.  11.  *  Rom.  i.  21-25. 


208  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

To  the  first  of  these  questions  the  answer  is  short  and  easy.  As 
the  calling  of  ancient  Israel  was  the  divine  command  and  invita 
tion,  by  Moses,  to  leave  Egypt,  and  enter  on  the  privileges  and 
duties  of  God's  peculiar  people,  first  in  the  wilderness,  and  "then  in 
Canaan,  a  calling  made  effectual  by  a  series  of  divine  interpositions  ; 
so  the  calling  of  the  spiritual  Israel,  is  the  divine  call  and  invitation 
to  enter,  through  the  belief  of  the  truth,  on  the  privileges  and  duties 
of  his  spiritual,  peculiar  people,  first  on  earth,  then  in  heaven.  It  is 
this  invitation,  rendered  effectual  by  the  operation  of  the  good  Spirit 
leading  them  to  comply  with  it,  which  the  apostle  calls  the  Christian's 
"high"  and  "heavenly,"  "holy"  and  "hopeful"  "calling  not  accord 
ing  to  our  works,  but  according  to  his  own  purpose  and  grace,  given 
us  in  Christ  Jesus  before  the  world  began ;"  "  a  calling  into  the  fel 
lowship  of  God's  Son,"  whereby  we,  who  were  the  children  of  the 
devil,  become,  like  Him,  the  children  of  God ;  we,  who  were  vile  and 
debased,  "  without  God,"  "  far  from  God,"  become,  like  Him,  "  kings 
and  priests  to  God  ;"  we,  who  were  profane  and  of  the  world,  become 
in  our  measure,  like  Him,  the  Holy  One  of  God ;  we,  who  had  de 
nied  God's  property  in  us,  and  who  were  the  fit  objects  of  his  judi 
cial  displeasure,  and  moral  disapprobation,  become,  like  Him,  the  sub 
jects  of  his  peculiar  property,  the  objects  of  his  special  love.  This  is 
the  effectual  calling,  so  well  described  in  our  Shorter  Catechism,  as 
"  the  work  of  God's  Holy  Spirit,  whereby,  convincing  us  of  our  sin 
and  misery,  enlightening  our  minds  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  and 
renewing  our  wills,  he  doth  persuade  and  enable  us  to  embrace  Jesus 
Christ,  as  he  is  offered  to  us  in  the  gospel,"  and  thus  enter  on  the 
enjoyment  of  all  the  blessings  of  the  "  redemption  that  is  in  him."  l 

It  is  equally  easy  to  answer  the  question,  Who  is  the  author  of  this 
calling  ?  There  is  no  mistaking  who  He  is,  who  is  described  as  "  He 
who  called  Christians  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  light."  At 
first  sight  we  might  perhaps  suppose,  that  this  is  a  descriptive  appel 
lation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  But  when  we  look  at  the  passages 
of  Scripture  where  this  calling  is  mentioned,  and  they  are  numerous, 
we  shall  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  God  the  Father,  who,  in  the 
whole  restorative  economy,  sustains  the  majesty  of  the  Divinity.  In 
the  new  creation,  "  all  things  are  of  God,  through  Christ  Jesus," 2  by 
the  Spirit.  The  call  to  ancient  Israel,  was  the  call  of  Jehovah  by 
Moses.  The  call  to  the  spiritual  Israel,  is  the  call  of  Jehovah  by  Jesus, 
speaking  in  his  word,  working  by  his  Spirit.  His  call  alone  is  effect 
ual.  His  word  is  the  word  that  "leaps  forth  at  once  into  effect ;  that 
calls  for  things  that  be  not,  and  they  are ;"  the  word,  that  makes  men 
what  it  calls  them  to  be. 

The  third  question,  What  is  the  design  of  this  calling  ?  will  require 
a  somewhat  more  detailed  reply.  They  are  called  to  "  show  forth  the 
praises  of  him,  who  hath  called  them  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvel 
lous  light."  The  word  "  praises"  is  more  literally  rendered  in  the 
margin,  as  you  may  observe,  "  virtues."3  It  is  a  general  name  for  the 
excellencies  of  the  Divine  Being,  His  power  and  wisdom,  and  holi 
ness,  and  benignity,  especially  as  displayed  in  calling  them,  and  in  the 

1  Phil.  iii.  14.     Heb.  iii.  1.     2  Tim.  i.  9.     Eph.  i.  18 ;  iv.  4.     Short.  Cat.  Q.  31. 

*    2  Cor.  V.  IS.  3    dpsras. 


PART  III.]  CALLED    TO    SHOW    FORTH    GOD'S    PRAISE.  209 

privileges,  honors,  and  blessings,  to  which  they  are  called.  The  design, 
then,  of  calling  Christians  to  the  enjoyment  of  their  peculiar  privileges, 
was,  that  the  excellencies  of  the  Divine  Author  of  their  calling  might 
be  displayed.  This  is  the  great  ultimate  end  of  God  in  everything: 
the  manifestation  of  his  own  excellence.  "  The  Lord  hath  made  all 
things  for  himself."  l  "  To  him,"  as  well  as  "  of  him,  and  through  him, 
are  all  things."  "  For  him,"  as  well  as  "by  him,  are  all  things."2 

There  is  no  end  so  grand,  so  comprehensive  of  all  other  desirable 
ends,  so  worthy  of  the  all-perfect  Being,  as  this.  "  The  highest  agent 
cannot  work  but  for  the  highest  end  ;  so  that,  as  the  apostle  speaks, 
when  God  would  confirm  his  covenant  by  an  oath,  he  swears  by  him 
self,  because  he  could  swear  by  no  greater ;  so  in  all,  he  must  be  the 
end  of  his  own  actions,  because  there  is  no  greater  nor  better  end ; 
yea,  none  by  infinite  odds,  so  great  or  good."  3  It  is  plain,  that  just 
in  the  degree  that  God  manifests  his  power,  and  wisdom,  and  good 
ness,  must  the  order  and  happiness  of  the  inanimate  and  sensitive  cre 
ation  be  promoted  ;  and  just  in  the  degree  in  which  his  moral  excel 
lencies  are  displayed  to  rightly  constituted,  intelligent  beings,  must 
their  happiness  be  increased.  The  more  they  know  of  God,  the  more 
they  love  God,  as  known ;  the  more  they  are  conformed  to  God,  the 
holier  and  the  happier  are  they. 

Christians,  as  the  called  of  God,  are  intended  to  show  forth  the  ex 
cellencies  of  God,  both  passively  and  actively.  Those  wonderful  dis 
pensations  of  power,  and  righteousness,  and  benignity,  the  incarnation 
and  sacrifice  of  the  divine  Son,  and  the  regenerating  and  sanctifying 
influences  of  the  divine  Spirit,  are  the  most  remarkable  displays 
which  probably  ever  have  been,  or  ever  will  be,  made  to  the  intelli 
gent  universe  of  "the  virtues,"  the  powers,  the  excellencies,  of  the 
divine  character.  Everything  else,  when  compared  with  these,  may 
be  termed,  to  use  the  prophet  Habakkuk's  expression,  "  the  hiding" 
rather  than  the  manifestation  of  his  excellencies.  If  a  man  wishes  to 
know  the  true  character  of  God,  let  him  study  it  as  embodied  in  these 
dispensations  ;  let  him  look  at  God  in  Christ ;  "  the  glory  of  God  in 
the  face  of  Christ  Jesus."4  We  know  that  they  were  intended  to 
serve  this  purpose,  not  only  to  men,  but  to  higher  orders  of  intelli 
gent  beings.  We  know  that  such  things  took  place,  "  to  the  intent, 
that  unto  the  principalities  and  powers  in  the  heavenly  places,  might 
be  made  known  by,"  through  means  of,  "  the  church,"  the  called  ones, 
the  chosen  generation,  the  kingdom  of  priests,  the  holy  nation,  the  pe 
culiar  people,  not  only  "  the  manifold  wisdom  of  God," 5  but  the  riches 
of  his  grace,  the  exceeding  greatness  of  his  power,  the  unfathomable 
depth  of  his  knowledge,  the  immutability  of  his  purpose,  the  energy  of 
his  wrath,  the  omnipotence  of  his  love. 

And  we  know,  too,  they  answer  this  purpose.  They  awaken  the 
holy  curiosity  of  those  exalted  holy  spirits  ;  and  though  they  feel  their 
highest  powers  overtasked  in  the  study,  "into  these  things  they  desire 
to  look."6  They  discover  in  Jehovah  a  depth  of  excellence,  which, 
though  they  believed  it  to  exist,  they  had  never  seen  before  exhibited, 
and  they  had  never  distinctly  before  conceived  of.  Forms  of  moral 

1  Prov.  xvi.  4.  2  Rom.  xi.  36.     Heb.  ii.  10.  *  Leighton. 

*  Hab.  iii.  iv.     2  Cor.  v.  19  ;  iv.  6.  &  Eph.  iii.  10.  •  1  Pet.  i.  12. 

14 


210  THE    PRIVILEGES    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

loveliness  present  themselves  to  their  minds,  more  beautiful  than  any 
they  had  ever  imagined ;  they  burn  with  a  more  intense  devotion ; 
they  are  penetrated  with  a  higher  sense  of  entire  confidence  in  the 
All-excellent  One;  the  salvation  of  man  thus  adding  to  the  happiness 
of  angels.  So  glorious  is  the  illustration  that  is  given  of  the  Divine 
character  in  these  dispensations,  that  the  inspired  prophet,  when  con 
templating  it,  breaks  out  into  those  rapturous  strains, — "  I  have  blot 
ted  out/'  says  Jehovah  to  the  spiritual  Israel,  "  I  have  blotted  out,  as 
a  thick  cloud,  thy  transgressions,  and,  as  a  cloud,  thy  sins  ;  return  to 
me  ;  for  I  have  redeemed  thee.  Sing,'M  exclaims  the  prophet,  "  O  ye 
heavens  ;  for  the  Lord  hath  done  it ;  shout,  ye  lower  parts  of  the 
earth ;  break  forth  into  singing,  ye  mountains  ;  O  forest,  and  every 
tree  therein  :  for  the  Lord  hath  redeemed  Jacob,  and  glorified  himself 
in  Israel."  l  And  this  is  true,  not  only  with  regard  to  the  grand  dis 
pensations  in  which  all  the  called  ones  are  equally  interested  ;  but  the 
individual  history  of  each  of  them  is  a  mirror,  in  which  "  the  minis 
tering  spirits  who  minister  to  them,  as  heirs  of  salvation,"  see  re 
flected  the  excellencies  of  Him  who  works  all  for  them,  in  them,  and 
by  them. 

But  the  called  ones  are  not  merely  passive  instruments ;  they  are 
agents  in  showing  forth  Jehovah's  praise.  The  manifestation  of  God 
made  to  them  in  their  calling,  and  the  privileges  into  which  it  con 
ducts  them,  produce  in  their  minds  just  views  of  the  Divine  character, 
and  a  corresponding  mode  of  thinking  and  feeling,  and  speaking,  and 
acting,  so  that  they  cannot  but  show  forth  the  praises  of  Him  who 
has  called  them.  This  is  the  great  design  of  God  in  giving  them  the 
privilege.  If  they  are  "predestinated  to  the  adoption  of  children  by 
Jesus  Christ  to  himself,  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  his  will,"  it 
is  "  that  they  might  be  to  the  praise  of  the  glory  of  his  grace/' 2  If 
they  are  planted  by  him  as  "  trees  of  righteousness,"  it  is  "  that  he 
might  be  glorified."3  If  they  are  "bought  with  a  price,"  it  is  that 
they  may  "  glorify  Him  with  their  souls,  and  with  their  bodies,  which 
are  his."4  If  they  are  "filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,"  it  is 
"to  the  praise  and  glory  of  God."5  If  they  "obtain  the  inheritance," 
it  is  "  to  the  praise  of  his  glory."  If  "  the  purchased  possession"  at 
last  is  redeemed  completely  and  forever  from  all  evil,  still  it  is  "  to  the 
praise  of  His  glory." 6 

How  the  holy,  heavenly  temper  and  conduct  of  the  called  ones 
answer  the  great  purpose  of  their  calling,  is  very  beautifully  described 
by  Archbishop  Leighton : — "The  virtues  that  are  in  them  tell  us  of 
His  virtues,  as  brooks  lead  us  to  their  springs.  When  a  Christian  can 
quietly  repose  and  trust  on  God  in  a  matter  of  very  great  difficulty, 
wherein  there  is  no  other  thing  to  stay  him  but  God  alone :  this  de 
clares  plainer  than  words  that  there  is  strength  enough  in  God  that 
bears  him  up  ;  that  there  must  be  in  him  that  real  abundance  of  good 
ness  and  truth  that  the  word  speaks  of  him.  Abraham  believed  and 
gave  glory  to  God :  this  is  what  every  believer  can  do  to  declare  the 
truth  of  God.  He  can  rely,  and  show  that  he  relies,  on  it,  and  thus 
set  to  his  seal  that  God  is  true.  Men  hear  that  there  is  a  God  who 

1  Isa.  xliv.  22,  23.  a  Eph.  i.  5.  3  Isa.  Ixi.  3. 

4   1  Cor.  vi.  20.  B  Phil.  i.  11.  °  Eph.  i.  11-14. 


PART  III.]  CALLED    TO    SHOW    FORTH    GOD*S    PRAISE.  211 

is  infinitely  holy,  but  they  can  neither  see  him  nor  his  holiness ;  but 
when  they  perceive  some  lineaments  of  it  in  the  faces  of  his  children 
which  are  in  none  others,  this  may  convince  them  that  it  is  perfec 
tion,  which  must  be  somewhere,  can  be  nowhere  else  but  in  their 
heavenly  Father.  When  those  that  are  his  peculiar  plants  bring  forth 
the  fruits  of  holiness,  which  naturally  they  yielded  not,  it  testifies  a 
supernatural  work  of  his  hand  that  planted  them,  and  the  more  fruitful 
they  are,  the  greater  his  praise  :  '  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified/  says 
our  Saviour,  '  that  ye  bring  forth  much  fruit.' " l  Their  lives  on 
earth  should  be  a  hymn  of  praise  to  him  who  called  them ;  and  we 
know  that  in  heaven,  throughout  eternity,  they  rest  not  day  nor  night ; 
but  in  a  manner  suited  to  their  enlarged  capacities  and  exalted  sta 
tion,  without  interruption  "show  forth  the  praises  of  Him  who  has 
called  them  out  of  darkness  into  marvellous  light :"  "  Holy,  holy,  holy, 
Lord  God  Almighty,  who  wast,  and  art,  and  art  to  come.  Thou  art 
worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  glory,  and  honor,  and  power ;  for  thou 
riast  created  all  things,  and  for  thy  pleasure  they  are  and  were  cre 
ated."2 

It  only  remains  that  we  say  a  word  or  two  on  the  manifestation  of 
the  graciousness  of  the  Lord  to  Christians,  afforded  by  their  being 
called  to  show  forth  the  praises  of  him  who  called  them.  To  be  made 
capable  of,  disposed  to,  and  actually  to  be  employed  in,  showing  forth 
the  praises  of  Jehovah,  is  the  highest  dignity  and  happiness  which 
can  be  conferred  on  created  intelligent  beings.  This  was  the  happi 
ness  of  man  in  Paradise ;  this  is  the  essence  of  the  happiness  of  the 
blessed  in  heaven.  "  It  is,"  indeed,  to  refer  to  the  description  of 
man's  original  state  by  a  master  mind,3  equally  applicable  to  man's 
restored  state, — "  It  is  a  most  delectable  and  pleasant  state  to  be 
separated  to  the  entertainment  of  the  divine  presence,  and  the  mani 
festation  of  the  divine  glory :  '  Thou  art  mine,  and  for  me  thou  livest. 
Thee,  above  all  my  works,  I  choose  out  for  myself.  Thine  employ 
ment  shall  be  no  laborious,  painful  drudgery,  unless  it  can  be  painful 
to  receive  the  large  communications  of  immense  goodness,  light,  life, 
and  love,  that  shall  of  their  own  accord  be  perpetually  flowing  in  upon 
thee,  and  to  express  in  thy  whole  character  and  conduct  thy  sense  of 
my  infinite  greatness  and  goodness !'  "  Surely  this  is  a  high  privi 
lege  ;  and  as,  like  all  the  privileges  of  Christians,  it  is  enjoyed  only  in 
Christ  Jesus  in  consequence  of  believing  on  him,  coming  to  him, 
building  on  him;  as  it  not  more  certainly  comes  from  God  than  it 
comes  by  Christ ;  as,  but  for  his  mediation,  this  honor,  this  blessed 
ness,  could  never  have  found  its  way  to  one  of  our  fallen  race  ;  we 
may  well  say,  that  in  enjoying  it,  Christians  "taste  that  the  Lord  is 
gracious." 

It  becomes  the  called  of  the  Lord  to  avail  themselves  of  the  priv 
ileges,  and  to  perform  the  duties,  of  their  high,  and  holy,  and  heavenly 
calling.  By  your  lips,  by  your  lives,  "  holy  brethren,  partakers  of  the 
heavenly  calling,"  honor  Him  who  has  called  you,  Him  into  whose 
fellowship  you  have  been  called.  "God's  dear  Son"  did  so.  Yes, 
"  he  glorified  his  Father  on  the  earth ;  he  finished  the  wrork  he  gave 
him  to  do."  His  most  ardent  prayer  was,  "  Father,  glorify  thy  Son, 

1  John.  xv.  8.  2  Rev.  iv.  8,  11.  3  Howe. 


212  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

that  thy  Son  also  may  glorify  thee."  Nothing  could  shake  his  deter 
mination  as  to  this  :  "  Now  is  my  soul  troubled ;  and  what  shall  I 
say  ?"  Shall  I  say,  "  Father,  save  rne  from  this  hour  ?"  No  ;  "  for 
this  cause  I  came"  to  this  hour."  I  will  say,  "  Father,  glorify  thy 
name."  1  And  now  in  heaven  he  declares  his  Father's  name  to  his 
brethren,  and  in  the  great  congregation  he  shows  forth  his  praise.2 

"  Let  this  mind  be  in  you  that  was  in  him."  "  Praise  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  for  his  name  alone  is  excellent :  his  glory  is  above  the  earth 
and  heaven.  He  exalteth  the  horn  of  his  people,  the  praise  of  all  his 
saints ;  even  of  the  children  of  Israel,  a  people  near  to  him.  "  Praise 
ye  the  Lord,  for  he  is  good  ;  sing  praises  to  his  name,  for  it  is  pleas 
ant.  For  the  Lord  hath  chosen  Jacob  unto  himself,  and  Israel  for 
his  peculiar  treasure."  "  Bless  the  Lord,  O  house  of  Israel :  bless  the 
Lord,  O  house  of  Aaron  :  bless  the  Lord,  O  house  of  Levi :  ye  that 
fear  the  Lord,  bless  the  Lord."  "  Praise  the  Lord,  call  on  his  name, 
declare  his  doings  among  the  people,  make  mention  that  his  name  is 
exalted.  Sing  unto  the  Lord ;  for  he  hath  done  excellent  things  : 
this  is  known  in  all  the  earth.  Cry  out  and  shout,  O  inhabitant  of 
Zion  :  for  great  is  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  in  the  midst  of  thee." 
"Publish  with  the  voice  of  thanksgiving,  tell  of  all  his  wondrous 
wrorks."  Let  every  called,  redeemed  one,  adopt  the  psalmist's  reso 
lution  :  "  I  will  praise  thee,  even  thy  truth,  O  my  God :  unto  thee  will 
I  sing,  O  thou  Holy  One  of  Israel.  My  lips  shall  greatly  rejoice  when 
I  sing  unto  thee  ;  and  my  soul,  which  thou  hast  redeemed."  "  I  will 
praise  thee,  O  Lord  my  God,  with  all  my  heart ;  and  I  will  glorify  thy 
name  for  evermore.  For  great  is  thy  mercy  towards  me  ;  and  thou 
hast  delivered  my  soul  from  the  lowest  hell."  "  I  will  sing  unto  the 
Lord  as  long  as  I  live  ;  I  will  sing  praise  to  my  God  while  I  have  any 
being.  My  meditation  of  him  shall  be  sweet ;  I  will  be  glad  in  the 
Lord."  3  O  what  a  heaven  on  earth  might,  would  Christians  have, 
were  they  acting  worthy  of  their  high  and  holy  calling,  as  a  holy 
priesthood,  "  offering  the  sacrifice  of  praise  to  God  continually,  that  is 
the  fruit  of  their  lips,  giving  thanks  to  his  name." 

But  are  all  here  among  "  the  called,  and  chosen,  and  faithful  ?" 4 
Would  God  it  were  so.  But  I  more  than  fear  that  there  are  persons 
here,  who,  though  called,  often  called,  affectionately,  earnestly  called, 
have  never  been  effectually  called  ;  who  are  yet  without  the  pale  of 
the  chosen  race,  the  kingdom  of  priests,  the  holy  nation,  the  peculiar 
people,  having  no  part  nor  lot  in  their  peculiar  privileges.  For  this 
class  we  ought  to  feel  the  deepest  commiseration,  the  tenderest  pity ; 
and  the  best  way  of  showing  this  Is  to  endeavor  to  make  them  under 
stand  their  real  position.  My  dear  fellow  immortals,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  your  duty  is  to  show  forth  the  praises  of  God.  That  is  the 
first  duty  of  every  intelligent  creature,  and  nothing  can  release  you 
from  its  obligation.  God  will  be  glorified  in  you  whether  you  will 
or  not.  If  you  will  not  give  him  glory,  he  will  make  your  rebellion 
and  its  fearful  consequences  praise  him.  How  loud  is  the  acclaim 

1  John  xvii.  1,  4 ;  xii.  2t,  28.  a  Psal.  xxii.  22.     Heb.  ii.  12. 

8  Psal.  cxlviii.  13,  14  ;   cxxxv.  3,  4,  19,  20.      Isa.  xii.  4-6.      Psal.  xxvi.  7  ;  Ixxi.  22,  23  ; 
hcxxvi.  12,  13;  civ.  33,  34. 
*  Heb.  xiii.  15.     Rev.  xvii.  14. 


PART  III.]  CALLED    OUT    OP   DARKNESS    INTO    LIGHT.  213 

which  rises  among  the  holy  part  of  God's  intelligent  creation,  "  when 
the  smoke  of  the  torment,"  of  the  irreclaimably  wicked,  "  ascendeth 
up  forever  and  ever !"  "  Alleluia ;  and  again  they  cry,  Alleluia." 
"  Great  and  marvellous  are  thy  works,  Lord  God  Almighty ;  just  and 
true  are  all  thy  ways,  O  King  of  Saints  !"  "  Righteous  is  Jehovah, 
and  righteous  are  his  judgments."  l  In  your  present  state  you  are 
morally  incapable  of  praising  God  or  glorifying  his  name.  You  never 
will  do  anything  really  glorifying  to  God,  till,  casting  down  the  weap 
ons  of  rebellion  against  him,  you,  in  the  faith  of  the  truth,  "  kiss  the 
Son,"  whom  he  has  "set  as  his  King  on  his  holy  hill  of  Zion."8 
Listen  to  the  call,  come  to  Jesus,  glorify  God  by  crediting  the  testi 
mony  he  has  given  of  a  free  and  full  salvation  in  his  Son  for  the  chief 
of  sinners  ;  and  then,  not  till  then,  "  tasting  that  the  Lord  is  gracious," 
will  you  find  yourselves  sweetly  constrained  to  devote  yourselves  en 
tirely  to  the  honor  of  Him,  whom  you  will  then  see  and  feel  to  be  in 
finitely  excellent,  amiable,  and  kind,  the  Saviour,  your  Saviour.  You 
will  no  longer  be  able  to  "  live  to  yourselves,"  to  make  self  your  great 
object.  GOD  will  appear  to  be  what  he  is — "  all  in  all ;"  and  this  will 
be  your  resolution,  and  your  rejoicing,  "Whether  I  live,  I  live  to  the 
Lord ;  whether  I  die,  I  die  to  the  Lord :  living  and  dying  I  am  the 
Lord's.  Whether  I  eat,  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  I  do,  I  will  do  all  to 
the  glory  of  God.  Whatever  I  do,  whether  in  word  or  deed,  I  will 
do  it  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks  to  God  the  Father." 
"  MY  mouth  shall  speak  the  praises  of  the  Lord  :  and  let  all  flesh 
bless  his  holy  name  forever  and  ever."  "  Oh  that  there  were  in  you 
such  a  heart  to  honor  God,  that  it  might  be  well  with  you  forever."  3 
It  cannot  be  well  with  you  otherwise,  either  in  time  or  eternity. 

(8.)   Christians  are  "  called  out  of  darkness  into  God's  marvellous 

Kght." 

The  next  descriptive  designation  of  true  Christians  which  presents 
itself  to  our  consideration  is,  "Called  out  of  darkness  into  God's  mar 
vellous  light."  The  language  is  obviously  figurative  ;  and  here,  as 
in  every  similar  case,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  endeavor  to  ob 
tain  a  distinct  idea  of  the  figure  .employed.  This  is  obviously  neces 
sary  in  order  to  our  satisfactorily  arriving  at  the  thought  it  is  intended 
to  convey.  The  general  meaning  of  the  expression  is  plain.  The 
appellation  describes  Christians  as  brought  by  divine  agency  from  a 
very  miserable  into  a  very  desirable  state.  But  to  ascertain  the  na 
ture  of  the  wretchedness  of  the  one  state,  and  the  happiness  of  the 
other,  it  is  requisite  that  we  know  something  as  to  the  darkness  to 
which  the  one,  and  the  light  to  which  the  other,  is  compared. 

It  has  been  supposed  by  some  that  the  figure  here  is  that  which  is 
employed  by  the  psalmist  to  describe  one  class  of  the  deliverances 
which  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord  are  called  on  to  acknowledge  as  a 
proof  that  he  is  good,  that  his  mercy  endureth  forever ;  deliverance 
from  the  darkness  of  a  dungeon,  and  restoration  to  the  healthful  air 
and  the  blessed  light  of  heaven.4  And  thus  considered  it  would  afford 

1  Rev.  xix.  3  ;  xv.  3  ;  xix.  2.  3  Psal.  ii.  6,  12. 

3  Rom.  xiv.  8.     1  Cor.  x.  31.    Col.  iii.  17.     Psal.  cxlv.  22.     Deut.  v.  29. 

4  Psal.  cvii.  10-14. 


214  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

a  very  instructive  view  of  the  state  of  Christians,  both  before  and 
after  their  believing  on,  coming  to,  building  on  Christ. 

I  cannot  help  thinking,  however,  that,  as  in  all  the  other  descriptive 
designations  of  Christians  in  this  beautiful  passage,  there  is  a  refer 
ence  to  something  in  the  history  or  situation  of  the  ancient  people  of 
God ;  the  figure  here,  too,  is  drawn  from  the  same  prolific  source  of 
illustrations  of  Christian  truth.  I  apprehend  it  refers  to  the  remarka 
ble  event,  their  deliverance  from  Egypt,  which  led  to  their  becoming 
the  select  race,  the  kingdom  of  priests,  the  holy  nation,  the  peculiar 
people.  God  "  called  Israel  out  of  Egypt,"  l  and  called  them  out  of 
Egypt  to  make  them  a  peculiar  people  to  himself.  But  how  should 
the  call  out  of  Egypt  be  represented  as  a  call  "  out  of  darkness  into 
light,"  "  God's  light,"  "  God's  marvellous  light  ?"  A  slight  attention 
to  the  circumstances  of  the  deliverance  from  Egypt,  will  enable  us  to 
answer  this  question. 

Egypt  was  enveloped  in  midnight  darkness,  made  tenfold  more  ter 
rible  by  the  last  and  severest  of  all  its  plagues,  the  death  of  the  first 
born  of  man  and  beast,  when  Israel  was  called  by  God  to  leave  that 
scene  of  his  degradation  and  suffering.  On  the  evening  of  the  tenth 
day  of  the  month  Abib,  the  Israelites  having  by  divine  command 
made  preparations  for  departure,  in  each  of  their  families  slew  a  lamb 
and  sprinkled  its  blood  on  the  posts  and  lintels  of  the  doors  of  their 
dwellings.  They  hastily  ate  the  roasted  lamb,  with  their  loins  girt, 
their  shoes  on  their  feet,  and  their  staves  in  their  hands.  At  the  dark 
hour  of  midnight  the  destroying  angel  accomplished  at  one  stroke 
his  awful  work.  "  From  the  first-born  of  Pharaoh  that  sat  on  the 
throne,  unto  the  first-born  of  the  captive  who  was  in  the  dungeon," 
all — all  became  his  victims.  Nor  was  even  the  brute  creation  ex 
empted  from  the  general  plague.  "  There  was  a  great  cry  in  Egypt ;" 
for  there  was  not  a  house,  except  the  blood-sprinkled  habitations  of 
Israel,  where  there  was  not  one  dead.  It  was  the  voice  of  Jehovah, 
though  uttered  by  the  mouth  of  Pharaoh,  that  proclaimed,  amid  the 
darkness  and  death  of  that  night,  "  Rise  up,  and  get  you  forth !" 
From  amidst  this  fearful  darkness,  meet  emblem  of  the  miseries  they 
had  endured,  "Jehovah  calleth  his  people."2 

And  as  he  "called  them  out  of  darkness,"  so  he  "called  them  into 
his  marvellous  light."  That  was  a  night  much  to  be  remembered ; 
for  when  God  called  his  people  from  Egypt,  "he  went  before  them 
by  night  as  a  pillar  of  fire,  to  give  them  light,  to  lead  them  in  the 
way."  Thus  "  he  sent  darkness,  and  made  it  dark.  He  smote  also 
all  the  first-born  in  their  land,  the  chief  of  their  strength.  He 
brought  forth  his  people  with  silver  and  gold.  Egypt  was  glad  when 
they  departed.  He  spread  a  cloud  for  a  covering,  and  fire  to  give 
light  in  the  night."  3  Thus  did  God  call  his  ancient  people  "out  of 
darkness  into  his  marvellous  light." 

Such,  we  apprehend,  is  the  figure :  now  for  its  interpretation. 
What  is  the  darkness  out  of  which  the  spiritual  Israel  is  delivered  ? 
What  the  marvellous  light  into  the  midst  of  which  they  are  brought 
to  dwell?  It  has  often  been  said  that  the  one  is  the  emblem  of  the 
absolute  darkness  of  Heathenism,  or  the  comparative  darkness  of 
1  Hos.  xi.  11.  a  Exod.  xii.  passim.  8  Psai  cv.  28,  36-39. 


PART  in.]  CALLED    OUT    OF    DARKNESS    INTO    LIGHT.  215 

Judaism,  and  the  other  of  the  pure  light  of  the  gospel  dispensation. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  persons  directly  addressed  were 
delivered  out  of  the  former,  and  were  introduced  into  the  latter ;  but 
we  mistake  much,  if  both  the  darkness  and  the  light  here  be  not 
rather  subjective  than  objective,  rather  that  which  reigns  within  than 
that  which  prevails  without.  Like  the  parallel  expression,  "Once 
were  ye  darkness,  but  now  are  ye  light  in  the  Lord,"  the  expression 
in  the  text  refers  to  the  darkness  of  the  unregenerate  state,  and  the 
light  of  the  renewed  mind.  It  describes  what  the  New  Testament 
represents  as  so  important,  "  repentance  towards  God,"  a  change  of 
mind.1 

The  darkness  oufof  which  Christians  are  brought  at  their  conver 
sion,  is  a  state  in  which  the  sun  of  the  intelligent  world,  GOD,  who  is 
'Might,  and  in  whom  there  is  no  darkness  at  all,"  "the  Father  of 
lights,"  the  Author  of  true  knowledge,  holiness,  and  happiness,  does 
not  shine ;  in  other  words,  where  ignorance  and  error  with  regard  to 
God,  and  therefore  with  regard  to  everything  of  importance  in  a 
religious  and  moral  point  of  view,  prevail ;  and  in  which,  of  conse 
quence,  there  is,  there  can  be,  no  true  holiness ;  in  which  there  is, 
and  must  be,  depravity ;  and  in  which,  in  consequence  of  this  error, 
and  ignorance,  and  depravity,  there  is,  there  can  be,  no  true  solid 
happiness ;  where  there  is,  and  must  be  misery,  in  the  highest  sense 
in  which  that  word  can  be  applied  to  a  being  like  man.  This  is  the 
darkness  in  which  Christians,  in  common  with  the  rest  of  the  race, 
are  naturally  involved  ;  and  this  is  the  darkness  out  of  which  they 
are  called  by  God.  There  is  the  less  necessity  for  our  dwelling  on 
this  part  of  the  subject,  as  I  have  already  had  occasion,  when  de 
scribing  the  various  aspects  of  the  state  of  Christians,  previously  to 
their  connection  with  Christ,  exhibited  in  the  text,  to  illustrate  their 
state  of  moral  darkness,  in  its  threefold  phases  of  ignorance,  deprav 
ity,  and  misery.2 

Let  us  rather  turn  our  attention  to  the  more  grateful  object  of  con 
templation,  that  state  of  light,  divine  light,  marvellous  divine  light, 
into  which  Christians  are  called  by  God :  "  The  light  of  the  knowl 
edge  of  the  glory  of  God,  hi  the  face  of  Christ  Jesus,"  is  made  to 
"  shine  in  the  mind  ;"  3  that  is,  in  plain  words,  the  individual,  by  being 
brought,  under  divine  influence,  to  understand  and  believe  the  revela 
tion  of  the  holy  and  benignant  character  of  God,  made  in  that  gospel 
which  contains  an  account  of  the  person  and  work  of  him,  the  only 
begotten  of  God,  who  is  the  revealer  of  the  Father,  attains  just  views 
of  God,  which  necessarily  lead  to  just  views  on  all  other  subjects, 
specially  interesting  to  man  as  a  religious  and  moral  being.  He  no 
longer  "  walks  in  darkness,  but  has  the  light  of  life."  He  knows  and 
is  sure  "that  God  is,  and  that  he  is  the  rewarder  of  them  who  dili 
gently  seek  him."  He  knows,  and  is  sure,  that  he  is  "  glorious  in 
holiness,  and  rich  in  mercy;"  that  he  is  "the  just  God  and  the  Sav 
iour;"  "just  and  the  justifier  of  the  ungodly  believing  in  Jesus;" 
"God  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  to  himself;  not  imputing  to 
men  their  trespasses,  seeing  he  has  made  him  who  knew  no  sin,  to  be 
sin  for  us ;  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him." 

1  Eph.  v.  8.    Acts  xx.  21.  a  Vide  Part  L  §  2.  s  2  Cor.  iv.  6. 


216  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

He  "  knows  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  he  has  sent." l 
And  this  glorious  light  dispels  the  surrounding  darkness,  it  corrects  a 
thousand  mistakes,  clears  up  a  thousand  difficulties ;  as  the  sun  not 
only  enables  us  to  see  itself,  but  everything  else. 

This  light  of  knowledge  is  also  the  light  of  purity.  It  is  a  light 
which  has  heat  with  it,  producing  the  blossoms  of  holy  affection,  the 
fruits  of  holy  conduct.  When  God  is  truly  known,  sanctifying  virtue 
comes  forth  from  him.  The  love  of  God,  the  seminal  principle,  the 
concentrated  essence  of  holiness  in  intelligent  creatures,  is  the  natural 
result  of  this  knowledge  of  God.  What  is  the  knowledge  we  have 
been  describing,  but  such  an  apprehension  of  the  Divine  mind  and 
will  as  makes  it  our  mind  and  will ;  and  what  is  this  but  holiness,  for 
what  is  holiness  in  an  intelligent  creature,  but  conformity  of  mind 
and  will  to  the  Holy,  Holy,  Holy  One  ?  This  is  very  beautifully 
illustrated  by  the  apostle  :  "  Ye  were  sometimes  darkness,  but  now  are 
ye  light  in  the  Lord :  walk  as  the  children  of  light ;  for  the  fruit  of 
the  light  (for  such  is  the  true  reading),  the  fruit  of  the  light  is  in  all 
goodness  and  righteousness,  and  truth."2  In  another  passage,  he 
employs  another  and  still  more  striking  image :  We  all,  with  unveiled 
faces,  like  mirrors,  exposed  to  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are  made  glori 
ous  by  that  which  is  glorious,  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  his 
Son ;  we  reflect  his  light,  and  thus  ourselves  become  luminous 
Through  his  shining  on  us,  we  ourselves  shine.3 

This  light  is  productive  of  rational  joy,  permanent  happiness,  as 
well  as  of  knowledge  and  of  holiness.  The  truth  respecting  the 
Divine  character  cannot  be  known  by  man  without  producing  hap 
piness  :  "  It  is  life  eternal  to  know  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ  whom  he  has  sent :"  "  Blessed  are  the  people  who  know  that 
joyful  sound,  '  Justice  and  judgment  are  the  habitation  of  thy  throne  : 
mercy  and  truth  go  before  thy  face.'  Blessed  are  the  people  who 
know  this  joyful  sound :  they  shall  walk,  O  Lord,  in  the  light  of  thy 
countenance.  In  thy  name  shall  they  rejoice  all  the  day ;  and  in  thy 
righteousness  shall  they  be  exalted."  All  the  holy  affections  which 
naturally  grow  out  of  the  knowledge  and  faith  of  the  truth,  are  so 
many  wells  of  living  water,  springing  up  to  eternal  life.  "  Light  is 
sown,"  shed  forth,  its  rays  scattered,  like  the  seed  from  the  hand  of 
the  sower,  "  on  the  righteous,  and  gladness  on  the  upright  in  heart." 
To  love  God,  to  fear  God,  to  trust  in  God,  are  most  delightful  exer 
cises.4 

Such  is,  I  apprehend,  in  its  great  leading  lineaments,  that  state  of 
light  into  which  Christians  are  called  by  God,  a  state  of  knowledge, 
holiness,  and  happiness.  This  light  is  not  perfect  in  this  present 
world,  but  it  is  real,  and  it  is  progressive  and  inextinguishable.  It  is 
not  like  "  the  light  of  the  wicked,"  the  blaze  of  thorns,  or  the  deceitful 
wild-fire,  which  "shall  be  darkened;"  it  is  like  "the  shining  light," 
the  sun  in  the  heavens,  "  which  shines  more  and  more  unto  the  per- 

1  John  viii.  12.  Heb.  xi.  6.  Exod.  xv.  11.  Eph.  ii.  4.  Isa.  xlv.  21.  Rom.  iii.  26. 
2  Cor.  v.  19-21.  John  xvii.  3. 

a  Eph.  V.  8.  '  fij  Ttxva  0cordf  TTepnrareTTS  b  yap  Kapnos  TOV  ^wroj  (not  TrvevpaTOf  as  in  thl 
textus  receptus)  i»  navy  dyadwavvr,  K.  r.  \. 

8  2  Cor.  iii.  18.  *  John  xvii  3.    Psal.  Ixxxix.  14-16.     Psal.  xcvii.  7. 


PART  III.]  CALLED    OUT    OF    DARKNESS    INTO    LIGHT.  217 

feet  day." 1  As  the  pious  Archbishop  says,  '  There  is  a  bright  morn 
ing,  without  cloud,  which  will  arise.  The  saints  have  not  only  light 
to  lead  them  in  their  journey,  but  much  purer  light  at  home,  an 
inheritance  in  light.  The  land  where  their  inheritance  lieth  is  full  of 
light,  and  their  inheritance  itself  is  light.  The  vision  of  God,  the 
seeing  him  as  he  is,  and  the  being  like  him,  in  consequence  of  seeing 
him  as  he  is ;  that  inheritance,  the  celestial  city,  has  no  need  of  the 
sun  or  moon  to  shine  on  it,  for  the  glory  of  the  Lord  doth  lighten  it, 
and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  of  it.  That  uncreated  light  is  the  happi 
ness  of  our  soul ;  the  beginnings  of  it  are  our  begun  happiness. 
They  are  beams  of  it  sent  from  above  to  lead  us  to  the  fountain  and 
fulness  of  it.  '  With  thee,'  says  David,  '  is  the  fountain  of  life ;  and 
in  thy  light  shall  we  see  light.'  "2 

This  u  light,"  this  state  of  knowledge,  holiness,  and  happiness,  into 
which  Christians  are  called,  is  termed  "God's  light."  "  Called  out  of 
darkness  into  his  light."  It  is  his  ;  for  he  is  its  Author.  He  is  "  the 
Father  of  lights  ;  from  whom  cometh  down  every  good  and  every 
perfect  gift."  3  This  is  not  a  light  produced  by  a  fire  of  man's  own 
kindling.  It  is  not  knowledge,  moral  improvement,  and  happiness, 
obtained  by  the  exercise  of  his  natural  faculties  of  intelligence  and 
action.  It  is  the  work,  it  is  the  gift-  of  God.  "  It  is  God  the  Lord 
who  hath  showed  us  light,"  and  who,  too,  hath  opened  our  blind  eyes, 
to  "  give  us  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  his  glory  in  the  face  of  his 
Son."  4  HE  did  the  great  works  in  which  his  holiness  and  grace  were 
made  known  ;  HE  made  the  revelation  in  which  these  glorious  deeds 
are  recorded  ;  HE  opens  the  understanding  to  understand  this  reve 
lation  ;  and  HE  opens  the  heart  to  love  it,  so  that  we  are  enlightened, 
and  purified,  and  blessed  by  it.  It  is  thus  His,  as  he  is  the  author  of 
it ;  and  it  is  His,  too,  as  he  is  the  subject  of  it.  Yes,  God  is  "  all  in 
all"  of  this  light.  It  is  God  known  that  makes  us  wise;  God  con 
formed  to  that  makes  us  holy ;  God  enjoyed  that  makes  us  happy. 
Jehovah  is  the  light  of  his  people,  not  only  the  Author,  but  the  essence 
of  their  happiness. 

This  light,  this  state  of  knowledge,  purity,  and  happiness,  is  also 
termed  marvellous,  "  God's  marvellous,"  strange,  wonderful  "  light." 
The  light  which  emblematized  it,  the  pillar  of  fire,  was  a  marvellous 
light.  It  was  supernatural,  and  so  is  this  light.  "  It  is  the  doing  of 
the  Lord,  and  it  is  marvellous"  in  the  eyes  of  all  who  behold  it.  It 
produces  marvellous  effects,  enabling  us  to  see  things  invisible  and 
eternal ;  and  by  its  brightness,  casting  into  the  shade  things  seen  and 
temporal,  it  enables  us  to  "  see  the  King  in  his  beauty,  and  to  behold 
the  land  which  is  afar  off." 5  It  enables  us  to  penetrate  into  the  true 
characters  of  objects,  and  to  distinguish  shadows  from  realities,  and 
realities  from  shadows.  It  converts  a  spiritual  waste  into  the  garden 
of  the  Lord,  blooming  with  beauty,  rich  in  the  fruits  of  righteous 
ness  : 

"  Struck  by  that  light,  the  human  heart — 
A  barren  soil  no  more, 


1  Job  xviii.  5.     Prov.  iv.  18.  2  Psal.  xxxvi.  9.  3  James  i.  17. 

4  Psal.  cxviii.  27.     2  Cor.  iv.  6.  6  Psal.  cxviii.  23.    Isa.  xxxiii.  17. 


218  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

Sends  the  sweet  smell  of  grace  abroad, 

Where  serpents  lurk'd  before. 
The  soul — a  dreary  province  once 

Of  Satan's  dark  domain — 
Feels  a  new  empire  form'd  within, 

And  owns  a  heavenly  reign." 

(9.)   Christians  are  "the people  of  God." 

The  next  appellation  to  which  our  attention  must  be  turned  is  "  the 
people  of  God."  "  Who  were  not  a  people,"  but  now  are  "  the  peo 
ple  of  God."  In  these  words  there  is  an  obvious  reference  to  the 
following  remarkable  passages  in  the  book  of  the  prophet  Hosea : 
"  In  the  place  where  it  was  said  to  them,  Ye  are  not  my  people,  there 
it  shall  be  said  unto  them,  Ye  are  the  sons  of  the  living  God."  "I 
will  have  mercy  on  her  who  had  not  obtained  mercy ;  and  I  will  say 
to  them  which  were  not  my  people,  Thou  art  my  people  ;  and  they 
shall  say,  Thou  art  my  God."  *  These  words,  as  they  occur  in  the 
Old  Testament  Scriptures,  plainly  refer  to  the  ten  tribes,  who,  in  con 
sequence  of  their  idolatries,  were  to  be  delivered  up  to  a  long  cap 
tivity  ;  and  not  only  deprived  of  all  external  marks  of  the  Divine  pe 
culiar  favor,  but  visited  with  very  distinct  evidences  of  the  divine 
judicial  displeasure;  driven  from  their  own  land;  ''abiding  for  many 
days  without  a  king,  and  without  a  prince,  and  without  a  sacrifice, 
and  without  an  image,  and  without  an  ephod,  and  without  teraphim." 
At  a  period,  which  we  believe  still  to  be  future,  these  outcasts  are  to 
"  return,  and  seek  the  Lord  their  God,  and  David  their  king ;  and 
shall  fear  the  Lord  and  his  goodness  in  the  latter  days."  s  Then  they 
who  have  long  not  been  a  people,  but  a  collection  of  wanderers  among 
the  nations,  shall  become,  and  be  made  to  appear  to  be,  as  a  nation, 
the  peculiar  objects  of  the  Divine  favor,  the  people  of  the  Lord. 

The  general  meaning  of  the  statement  in  the  text  is,  that  the  pre 
vious  state  of  Christians  resembled  that  of  the  outcast  remnant  of 
Israel ;  that  they  were  not  a  people,  and  that  their  present  state  em 
braces  in  it  all  the  dignities  and  advantages  of  which  the  dignities 
and  advantages  of  Israel,  the  ancient  people  of  God,  were  a  type  and 
emblem.  Previously  to  their  coming  to  Christ,  they  were  "not  a 
people."  It  is  not  as  bodies  of  men,  still  less  as  political  bodies  of 
men,  but  as  individuals,  that  men  are  made  Christians.  There  is  no 
such  thing  as  wholesale  conversions.  It  is  seldom  that  a  whole  family 
is  converted  at  once ;  and  even  when  this  takes  place  as  in  the  case, 
of  the  family  of  the  jailer  of  Philippi,  they  are  converted  as  individ 
uals  ;  and  when  "  a  nation  shall  be  born  at  once," 3  as  we  hope  and 
believe  shall  one  day  happen,  even  then  the  change  will  be  a  personal 
change  in  every  individual.  They  who  form  the  true  Church  of  God 
were  previously  "  not  a  people ;"  they  were  unconverted  individuals  ; 
"  one  of  a  city,  two  of  a  family."  4  God  does  not  take  the  inhabi 
tants  of  the  Roman  empire  and  constitute  them  his  church.  He 
"  takes  out  of  the  Gentiles  a  people  for  his  name."  His  church  is  a 
body  formed  of  individuals  "  redeemed  from  among  men,  out  of  every 
kindred,  and  people,  and  nation."5 


1  Hos.  i.  10;  ii.  23. 
4  Jer.  iii.  14. 


2  Hos.  iii.  4,  5.  3  Acts  xvi.  34.     Isa.  Ixvi.  8. 

5  Acts  xv.  14.    Rev.  xiv.  4 ;  vii.  9. 


PART  III.]  THEY    ARE    THE    PEOPLE    OF    GOD.  219 

But  though  they  were  previously  not  a  people,  but  a  set  of  uncon 
nected  individuals,  generally  no  way  distinguished  for  their  worldly 
respectability,  for  the  most  part  belonging  to  the  lower  classes,  "  the 
foolish,  the  despised,  the  weak,  the  base  things  of  this  world ;"  l  yet 
now  they  are  not  only  a  people,  a  regularly  organized  body,  but  the 
"people  of  God."  The  "people  of  God"  is  here,  I  apprehend,  just 
another  term  for  "  the  spiritual  Israel,"  "  the  true  circumcision."  You 
are  the  people  of  God,  is  equivalent  to,  You  are  not  only  a  society, 
but  the  most  illustrious  of  all  societies ;  having  Jehovah  for  your 
king ;  standing  to  him  in  a  peculiar  relation,  suited  to  the  genius  of 
the  new,  and  spiritual,  and  heavenly  economy,  analogous  to  that  in 
which  Israel  stood  to  him  under  the  former  external  and  temporary 
dispensation.  You  have  the  substance  of  all  the  typical  and  emble 
matical  privileges  which  Israel,  the  people  of  God  under  that  order 
of  things,  enjoyed.  Of  these  the  apostle  gives  a  comprehensive  cata 
logue  :  "  To  them  pertaineth  the  adoption,"  or  the  sonship,  "  and  the 
glory  and  the  covenants,  and  the  giving  of  the  law,  and  the  service 
of  God,  and  the  promises ;  theirs  were  the  fathers,  and  of  them,  as 
concerning  the  flesh,  Christ  came." 2 

Now,  to  Christians  pertain  a  higher  species  of  Divine  Sonship  than 
ever  did,  than  ever  could,  belong  to  Israel  according  to  the  flesh — a 
nearer  relation,  a  spiritual  conformity ;  higher  honors  ;  a  more  valua 
ble  and  enduring  inheritance.  Instead  of  the  Shekinah,  or  visible 
glory,  they  have  the  manifestation  of  God  in  the  person  and  work  of 
his  Son,  contained  in  his  word,  and  rendered  influential  by  his  Spirit, 
to  guard  them  from  danger,  and-  guide  them  through  the  perplexities 
of  the  wilderness  to  the  heavenly  Canaan.  Instead  of  the  external 
covenants,  they  have  that  covenant  which  refers  to  "  the  sure  mercies 
of"  the  mystical  "  David ;"  "  the  covenant  well  ordered  and  sure,"  3 
which  secures  not  the  possession  of  Canaan  for  many  ages,  but  the 
enjoyment  of  heaven  forever.  Instead  of  "  the  law  which  was  given 
by  Moses,"  and  which,  in  the  existing  state  of  the  world,  was  a 
"  grace,"  a  privilege,  the  value  of  which  could  not  easily  be  estimated, 
they  have  what  is  a  far  more  precious  favor,  "  the  grace  and  the  truth 
which  came  by  Jesus  Christ.''' 4 

Instead  of  the  imposing  solemnities  of  legal  worship,  they  have  the 
simple  and  spiritual  institutions  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Instead  of 
the  promises  of  the  earthly  Canaan  and  temporal  prosperity,  they 
have  "  the  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises"  of  "  spiritual  and 
heavenly  blessings,"  and  which  "are  all  yea  and  Amen,  in  Christ 
Jesus,  to  the  glory  of  God  by  them,"8  and  shall  all  be  completely  ful 
filled  in  the  Canaan  above.  They  are  "  Abraham's  seed, -according 
to  the  promise ;"  "  walking  in  the  steps  of  his  faith,"  and  blessed  with 
the  highest  blessing  he  enjoyed,  justification  by  believing.0  And  they 
are  connected  with  the  Messiah  by  a  relation  far  more  intimate  in  its 
nature,  far  more  important  in  its  results,  than  that  which  distinguished 
the  Israelites  as  his  brethren,  his  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh. 
"  Who  is  my  mother  ?  and  who  are  my  brethren  ?"  said  the  Messiah, 
"  Whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven,  the 

1  1  Cor.  i.  26-29.         a  Rom.  ix.  4.          3  Isa.  lv.  3.     2  Sam.  xxiii.  5.         4  John  i.  IT. 
•  2  Pet.  i.  4.    Eph.  i.  3.     2  Cor.  i.  20.  6  Gal.  ill  29.    Bom.  iv.  12.     Gal.  iii.  14. 


220  THE    THIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

same  is  my  brother,  and  sister,  and  mother."1  They  are  connected 
with  him  by  a  relation  more  intimate  in  its  nature,  and  more  blissful 
in  its  effects,  than  that  which  bound  to  him,  as  mother,  the  most 
blessed  and  honored  of  women.  "  Blessed/'  said  a  woman  from  the 
midst  of  a  crowd,  with  which,  on  one  occasion,  he  was  surrounded, 
"  Blessed  is  the  womb  that  bare  thee,  and  the  breasts  which  thou  hast 
sucked."  "  Yea,  rather,"  said  He  in  reply,  "Yea,  rather,  blessed 
are  those  who  hear  the  word  of  God,  and  do  it."  2  Thus  have  true 
Christians,  "  who  were  not  a  people,"  become  "  the  people  of  God," 
the  spiritual  Israel,  the  true  circumcision. 

(10.)   Christians  "  have  obtained  mercy." 

The  only  remaining  designation  of  Christians,  indicative  of  their 
having  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  that  still  requires  illustration, 
is,  that  once  they  "  had  not  obtained  mercy,  but  now  have  obtained 
mercy."  The  language  here,  as  in  the  case  of  the  former  designa 
tion,  "  who  were  not  a  people,  but  are  now  the  people  of  God,"  is 
borrowed  from  a  statement  originally  made  with  reference  to  the  ten 
tribes,  a  promise  of  their  restoration  from  their  long  captivity.  "I 
will  have  mercy  upon  her  who  had  not  obtained  mercy."  3  The  ten 
tribes,  even  in  the  period  of  their  abandonment  by  God,  are  the  ob 
jects  of  his  peculiar  care.  They  are  "beloved  for  the  fathers' 
sake."  4  Yet  still  there  is  a  sense,  and  an  important  one,  in  which, 
while  in  this  state,  they  do  "  not  obtain  mercy."  They  are  destitute 
of  all  clear  manifestations  of  Divine  peculiar  regard  towards  them, 
and  are,  indeed,  plainly  marked  as  objects  of  the  Divine  judicial  dis 
pleasure.  But  at  the  time  of  their  restoration  they  shall  find  mercy. 
They  shall  obtain  very  palpable  manifestations  of  the  Divine  peculiar 
favor.  "  I  will  make  a  covenant  for  them,"  says  Jehovah,  "  with  the 
beasts  of  the  field,  and  with  the  fowls  of  heaven,  and  with  the  creeping 
things  of  the  ground  :  and  I  will  break  the  bow,  and  the  sword,  and 
the  battle  out  of  the  earth,"  or  the  land,  "  and  will  make  them  to  lie 
down  safely.  And  I  will  betroth  them  to  me  forever ;  yea,  I  will  be 
troth  them  to  me  in  righteousness,  and  in  judgment,  and  in  loving- 
kindness,  and  in  mercies :  I  will  even  betroth  them  to  me  in  faithful 
ness  ;  and  they  shall  know  the  Lord.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in 
that  day,  saith  the  Lord :  I  will  hear  the  heavens,  and  they  shall  hear 
the  earth  ;  and  the  earth  shall  hear  the  corn,  and  the  wine,  and  the 
oil;  and  they  shall  hear  Jezreel.  And  I  will  sow  her  to  me  in  the 
earth ;  and  I  will  have  mercy  on  her  that  had  not  obtained  mercy."5 

The  general  truth,  with  respect  to  Christians,  indicated  by  the 
language  borrowed  from  the  Divine  dispensations  to  the  ten  tribes,  is 
this :  That  from  a  state  in  which  they  were  the  objects  of  the  Divine 
judicial  displeasure  and  moral  disapprobation,  they  are  brought  into 
a  state  in  which  they  enjoy  the  most  abundant  evidence  of  his  pecu 
liar  favor  and  complacential  delight.  In  their  original  state,  as  fallen 
creatures,  ignorant,  in  error,  guilty,  depraved,  they  "  had  not  obtained 
mercy."  God  pitied  them,  and  gave  them  many  proofs  of  his  for- 

1  Matt.  xii.  48,  50.  2  Luke  xi.  27.  28.  3  Hos.  ii.  23. 

4  Bom.  xi.  28.  *  Hos.  ii.  18-23. 


PART  III.]  THEY    HAVE    OBTAINED    MERCY.  221 

bearance,  and  patience,  and  providential  munificence.  Nay,  more 
than  this,  God  was  determined  to  save  them  :  they  were  the  objects 
of  his  eternal,  electing,  sovereign  love.  But  they  were  not,  they 
could  not  be,  the  objects  either  of  his  judicial  approbation  or  of  his 
complacential  delight.  Oh,  no !  they  were  "  condemned  already  ;" 
they  were  "  children  of  wrath,  even  as  others."  They  were  "  wicked," 
and  as  wicked  "God  was  angry  with  them  every  day;" — "enemies 
of  God"  by  ignorance  of  mind,  alienation  of  heart,  and  wicked 
works ;  objects  of  his  holy  displeasure  and  righteous  condemnatory 
sentence ;  hopelessly,  because  wilfully,  enslaved  to  Satan  and  to  sin ; 
mortal,  with  nothing  to  sweeten  the  bitterness  of  death,  or  lighten  the 
darkness  of  the  grave  ;  immortal,  yet  destitute  of  all  prospect  of  an 
eternity  of  blessedness.  Such  was  their  situation,  in  common  with 
every  individual  of  the  fallen  race  to  which  they  belong.  Above 
them  was  an  angry  Divinity ;  around  them  were  the  instruments  of 
his  vengeance ;  and  beneath  them  was  the  pit  of  perdition  yawning 
wide  to  receive  them.  They  "  had  not  obtained  mercy." 

Such  were  they  once;  but  what  are  they  now?  They  "have 
obtained  mercy."  In  consequence  of  believing  in  Christ,  coming  to 
him,  they  have  received  in  rich  abundance  manifestations  of  the 
Divine  saving  grace,  of  God's  distinguishing  mercy.  "  In  Christ  they 
have  redemption  through  his  blood,  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  according 
to  the  riches  of  divine  grace."  God  is  "  merciful  to  their  unright 
eousness  ;  their  sins  and  their  iniquities  he  remembers  no  more." 
They  are  "  made  accepted  in  the  Beloved ;"  and  "  in  him  they  obtain 
an  everlasting  inheritance."  "  Justified  by  faith,  they  have  peace 
with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  by  whom  also  they  have 
access  by  faith  into  this  grace  wherein  they  stand,  and  rejoice  in 
hope  of  the  glory  of  God,"  a  hope  that  shall  never  make  them  ashamed. 
And  "  not  only  so,  but  they  joy  in  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
by  whom  they  have  received  the  reconciliation."  "  Created  anew 
in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works,"  "God,  even  the  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  loves  them,  and  blesses  them  with  all  heavenly 
and  spiritual  blessings."  They  are  "made  partakers  of  a  divine 
nature,"  and  "  the  Spirit  of  God  and  of  glory  rests  on  them,  and 
dwells  in  them."  "  They  are  heirs  of  God,  joint-heirs  writh  Christ 
Jesus."  God  "  makes  all  things  to  work  together  for  their  good." 
"  None  can  separate  them  from  the  love  of  God."  "  None  can  pluck 
them  out  of  his  hand."  "Now  are  they  the  sons  of  God;  and  it 
doth  not  yet  appear  what  they  shall  be :  but  when  he  who  is  their 
life  shall  appear,  they  shall  appear  with  him  in  glory ;  and  they  shall 
be  like  him,  seeing  him  as  he  is."  "Goodness  and  mercy  follow 
them  all  their  days."  "  All  the  ways  of  the  Lord  to  them,"  even  the 
most  perplexing  and  mysterious,  "  are  mercy  and  truth  to  them ;" 
"  they  shall  find  mercy  of  him  on  that  day ;"  and  throughout  eternity 
shall  find  how  true  is 'that  declaration  so  often  repeated  in  Scripture, 
"  The  mercy  of  the  Lord  endureth  forever." 2  Thus  have  we  com- 

1  John  iii.  18.     Eph.  ii.  3.     Psal.  vii.  11.     Col.  i.  21.     Eph.  iv.  18. 

3  Eph.  i.  3,  7,  8,  11.  Heb.  viii.  12.  Rom.  v.  1-11.  Eph.  ii.  10.  2  Pet.  i.  4.  1  Pot. 
iv.  14.  Rom.  viii.  17,  28,  35-39.  John  x.  28,  29.  1  John  iii.  1-3.  Psal.  xxiii.  6  •  xxv.  10. 
2  Tim.  i.  18.  Psal.  cxxxvl  passim. 


222  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

pleted  our  illustration  of  the  third  great  branch  of  our  subject ;  the 
numerous  and  varied  dignities  and  blessings  enjoyed  by  Christians, 
in  consequence  of  their  connection  with  Christ,  viewed  as  manifesta 
tions  of  the  Lord's  graciousness  to  them. 

And  here  let  us  pause  and  inquire,  whether  we  have  satisfactory 
evidence  that  we  are  personally  interested  in  these  exceeding  great 
and  precious  privileges ;  that  we,  as  the  elect  race,  the  holy  nation, 
the  peculiar  people,  have  been  effectually  called  out  of  darkness  into 
God's  marvellous  light;  that  we,  from  being  aliens  and  outcasts,  have 
really  been  admitted  among  the  people  of  God  ;  that  we,  who  were 
once  objects  of  the  Divine  judicial  displeasure  and  moral  disapproba 
tion,  have  now  obtained  mercy  ?  The  characteristic  marks  of  a  state 
of  unregeneracy  and  of  a  state  of  regeneracy,  are  so  palpable,  that 
no  man  needs,  no  man  can  without  the  grossest  inattention,  remain 
ignorant  of  which  of  these  is  his  own  state. 

Let  those  who  have  good  ground  to  conclude  that  the  great  change 
has  taken  place  in  their  case,  that  they  have  been  turned  from  dark 
ness  to  light,  that  they  are  a  portion  of  that  people  which  God  has 
taken  from  among  the  Gentiles  to  himself,  that  they  are  the  recipients 
of  those  saving  blessings  which  are  the  manifestation  of  the  love 
which  God  has  to  his  own,  cherish  a  grateful  sense  of  the  Divine, 
sovereign  kindness.  Let  them  never  forget,  that  it  is  all  grace  and 
mercy,  sovereign  grace,  unmerited  mercy.  Not  to  them,  not  to  them, 
but  to  Him  who  loved  them  because  he  wills  to  love  them,  be  all  the 
glory.  Let  them  walk  like  the  children  of  the  light  and  of  the  day. 
Let  them  make  their  light  shine  before  men.  Let  them  prove  that 
they  are  the  people  of  God,  by  being  zealous  of  good  works,  by 
coming  out  from  among  the  wicked  world,  and  being  separate,  not 
touching  the  unclean  thing.  Let  them  show  that  they  are  indeed  the 
recipients  of  divine  mercy,  by  manifesting  the  effects  which  the  re 
ception  of  saving  benefits  uniformly- has  on  the  temper  and  conduct. 
Let  the  grace  of  God,  enjoyed  by  them,  teach  them  to  deny  ungodli 
ness  and  worldly  lusts,  and  to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in 
this  world ;  while  they  look  for,  haste  to,  the  blessed  hope,  the  glorious 
appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  gave  himself  for  them,  that 
he  might  redeem  them  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a 
peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works. 

And  O !  let  those  who,  if  they  think  at  all,  must  know  that  they 
are  in  the  darkness  of  ignorance  and  sin,  that  they  are  not  among  the 
peculiar  people,  that  they  have  not  obtained  mercy,  consider  what  the 
end  must  be  if  they  continue  in  their  present  condition.  Pass  that 
boundary  which  separates  time  from  eternity,  and  you  know  that 
boundary  must  be  passed  soon  by  all  of  you,  how  soon,  how  suddenly, 
you  do  not,  you  cannot  know  ;  pass  that  boundary,  and  the  darkness 
of  a  natural  state  will  settle  down  into  the  blackness  of  darkness  for 
ever  ;  they  who  are  not  God's  people,  never  can  become  God's  peo 
ple  ;  those  who  have  not  obtained  mercy,  never  can  obtain  mercy. 
The  change  so  absolutely  necessary  to  your  happiness,  must  take 
place  in  time,  it  cannot  take  place  in  eternity ;  it  must  take  place  on 
earth,  it  cannot  take  place  in  hell.  Have  you  made  up  your  mind 


PART  IV.]  ILLUSTRATED   BY    CONTRAST.  223 

that  it  is  never  to  take  place  ?  If  you  have  not,  why  should  it  not 
take  place  now  ?  Till  this  change  take  place,  you  cannot  be  secure  or 
happy.  Can  you  be  safe  or  happy  too  soon  ?  All  who  are  dwelling 
amid  the  glorious  light  of  God,  were  once,  like  you,  in  darkness. 
Those  who  are  God's  people  were  once  not  his  people.  Those  who 
have  obtained  mercy,  had  not  obtained  mercy.  The  grace  which 
saved  them  is  able  to  save  you  ;  is  willing,  is  ready,  to  save  you. 
"  Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  why  will  ye  die  ?"  The  light  shines  around  you. 
Why  shut  your  eyes  to  it  ?  The  door  of  admission  to  the  fellowship 
of  God's  people  stands  open.  Why  will  ye  not  enter  in  ?  The  bless- 
ings  of  Divine  mercy  are  held  out  to  you.  Why  turn  away  from  the 
proffered  treasure,  which  gladly,  gratefully  received,  would  make  you 
rich  toward  God,  rich  forever  ?  Why  madly  strike  back  the  hand 
which  is  stretched  out  to  rescue  you  from  destruction  ?  Now,  now,  is 
the  accepted  time.  Yet  a  little  while,  and  the  voice  of  invitation  and 
warning  will  sink  into  silence  ;  and  instead  of  it  be  heard,  the  voice 
of  generous  regret,  "  Oh  !  that  they  had  known !"  They  might,  they 
would  not,  they  shall  not.  No.  No  more  forever ! 

IV.— THE  MISERY  AND  RUIN  OF  THOSE  WHO,  BY  REFUSING  TO  "COME 
TO  CHRIST,"  REMAIN  DESTITUTE  OF  THESE  PRIVILEGES. 

The  only  other  branch  of  the  subject  which  remains  to  be  considered 
is,  the  misery  and  ruin  of  those  who  persist  in  unbelief  and  disobedience, 
rejecting  Christ  as  the  divinely  laid  foundation,  viewed  as  an  illustra 
tion  by  contrast  of  the  graciousness  of  the  Lord  to  those  who  believe 
in,  come  to,  and  build  on  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  foundation.  This  is  sta 
ted  in  the  following  words,  in  the  7th  and  8th  verses  :  "  To  them  who 
are  disobedient,  the  stone  which  the  builders  disallowed,  the  same  is 
made  the  head  of  the  corner,  and  a  stone  of  stumbling,  and  a  rock  of 
offence,  even  to  them  which  stumble  at  the  word,  being  disobedient ; 
whereunto  also  they  were  appointed." 

The  language  is  elliptical,  and  the  manner  in  which  the  ellipsis  is  to 
be  supplied,  depends  on  the  manner  in  which  you  translate  and  explain 
the  clause  which  immediately  precedes,  rendered  in  our  version,  "  he  is 
precious."  "  To  you  who  believe,  he,"  that  is,  Jesus  Christ,  "  is 
precious  ;"  He  is  highly  valued  by  you.  Supposing  this  to  be  the 
true  rendering,  the  ellipsis  must  be  thus  supplied,  '  To  them  who  are 
disobedient,  he  is  contemptible ;  by  them  he  is  undervalued  and  de 
spised  ;'  and  what  follows  should  be  the  illustration  of  this.  I  have 
already  stated  to  you  the  reason  why  I  cannot  consider  these  words, 
"  To  you  who  believe,  he  is  precious," — though  embodying  in  them  a 
truth  very  dear  to  the  heart  of  every  Christian,  expressed  in  words 
very  delightful  to  the  ears  of  every  Christian — as  giving  the  meaning 
of  the  inspired  writer.  They  are  not  the  natural  meaning  of  the  origi 
nal  words.  The  statement  they  contain  does  not  well  Accord  either 
with  what  goes  before,  or  with  what  follows  them.  It  is  plainly  a 
conclusion  or  inference,  from  the  prophet's  declaration,  "  He  who 
believeth"  on  Christ,  as  the  foundation,  "shall  not  be  ashamed/' 
Now,  that  Christ  is  precious  to  believers,  is  no  inference  from  this 
declaration;  and  the  words  that  follow  are  plainly  meant  to  be  a  con- 


224  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

trast ;  but  what  contrast  is  therebetween  these  statements  ?  Christ,  as 
the  foundation,  is  precious  to  believers;  but  unbelievers  stumble  over 
him  so  as  to  fall,  and  to  be  broken,  and  perish.  The  natural  contrast 
is,  Christ  is  precious  to  believers  ;  he  is  little  prized  by  unbelievers. 

On  the  supposition,  that  the  true  rendering  of  the  words  is,  "  to  you 
who  believe  there  is  honor,"  a  rendering  warranted,  if  not  absolutely 
required,  by  the  original  terms,  and  giving  exactly  the  inference  war 
ranted  by  the  prophet's  declaration,  "  he  that  believeth  on  him  shall 
not  be  confounded ;"  "  to  you,  then,  that  believe,  there  is,  according  to 
the  prophet's  declaration,  not  shame,  but  honor ;" — on  the  supposition 
that  this  is  the  true  rendering,  the  ellipsis  must  be  thus  supplied,  '  To 
you,  then,  who  believe  there  is  honor,  but  to  those  who  are  disobedient, 
there  is  shame/  What  follows  is  the  illustration  of  this.  The  stone 
which  they,  like  the  builders,  disallowed,  is,  in  spite  of  their  disallow 
ance,  made  the  head  stone  of  the  corner.  This  must  cover  them  with 
shame  and  confusion.  Nor  is  this  all ;  they  stumble  over  the  stone 
which  they  refuse  to  build  on,  and  are,  in  consequence,  broken  in  pieces. 
There  is  a  reference  here  to  two  passages  of  Old  Testament  predic 
tion  :  "  The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected  is  become  the  head 
stone  of  the  corner ;"  "  and  he  shall  be  for  a  sanctuary ;  but  for  a 
stone  of  stumbling,  and  for  a  rock  of  offence,  to  both  the  houses  of 
Israel ;  for  a  gin  and  for  a  snare  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem.  And 
many  among  them  shall  stumble,  and  fall,  and  be  broken,  and  snared, 
and  taken."1  The  figure  seems  to  be  this:  'You,  the  unbelieving 
and  disobedient,  rejected  the  stone  laid  by  God  in  Zion,  and  would 
not  build  on  it ;  yet,  in  spite  of  your  rejection,  this  stone  is  made  the 
head  stone,  that  is,  the  chief  stone  of  the  corner  ;  and  multitudes  build 
on  it,  and  grow  up  into  a  holy  temple  in  the  Lord.'  The  word  "head 
stone,"  does  not  refer  to  its  being  the  topmost,  but  the  principal  stone 
of  the  corner.  Indeed,  it  seems  plain,  the  stone  referred  to  is  a  foun 
dation  stone,  not  a  cope  stone,  and  this  explains  what  follows.  Not 
only  shall  the  stone  you  reject  be  made  the  chief  stone  of  the  corner  ; 
but  as  foundation  corner-stones  often  projected  from  the  building,  it 
shall  become  to  you  "  a  stone  of  stumbling,  a  rock  of  offence,"  two 
expressions  of  exactly  parallel  meaning ;  a  stone,  a  rock,  over  which 
ou  shall  stumble  so  as  to  be  greatly  injured,  indeed  destroyed  ;  stum- 
le  so,  to  use  the  prophet's  words,  as  to  "  fall,  and  be  broken." 

The  words,  "  whereunto  also  they  were  appointed,"  which  have 
occasioned  much  controversy  among  critics  and  commentators,  refer 
to  the  word  "  stumble,"  not  to  the  word  "  disobedient."2  The  refer 
ence  would  have  been  more  obvious  had  it  been  rendered,  "  who,  being 
disobedient,  stumble  at  the  word,"  or  rather,  "who,  being  disobe 
dient  to  the  word,  stumble."  Stumbling  is  at  once  the  conse 
quence  and  the  punishment  of  unbelief  and  disobedience.  Sin  is 
never  represented  as  appointed  by  God  ;  punishment  is.  God  permits 
men  to  be  sinners — that  is,  he  does  not  hinder  them  from  sinning  ;  he 
appoints  them,  if  they  sin,  to  be  punished.  The  reference  here,  how- 
ever,  does  not  seem  to  be  to  the  Divine  decree,  so  much  as  to  the  reve 
lation  of  the  Divine  decree  in  the  Divine  prediction.  The  apostle  re 
fers  to  the  passage  quoted,  and  his  words  are  equivalent  to, — 'to 

1  Psal.  cxviii.  22.     Tsa.  viii.  14.  ic.  8  See  note  B. 


I 


PART  IV.]  ILLUSTRATED    BY    CONTRAST.  225 

which  stumbling,  it  appears,  from  the  saying  of  the  prophet,  those  who 
are  disobedient  are  appointed/  God  has  connected  this  stumbling 
with  unbelief  as  its  natural  effect,  and  in  his  word  has  said  so. 

The  word  rendered  "disobedient,"  l  signifies  unbelieving  as  well  as 
disobedient,  intimating  to  us  the  important  truth,  that  faith  and  obedi 
ence,  and  unbelief  and  disobedience,  are  indissolubly  connected  ; 
unbelief  being  disobedience  to  the  great  commandment,  and  the 
root  of  disobedience  to  all  the  commandments.  The  unbelieving  and 
disobedient  are  represented  as  discrediting  and  disobeying  the  gospel 
revelation  ;  but  there  seems  to  be  a  peculiar  reference  to  "  the  word"3 
or  discourse,  the  propnetic  declaration  which  the  inspired  writer  is 
immediately  referring  to.3  The  direct  reference  in  the  term  disobedi 
ent  is,  no  doubt,  to  the  unbelieving  Jews.  When  God  proclaimed  to 
them,  "  Behold,  I  lay  in  Zion  for  a  foundation,  a  stone,  a  tried  stone, 
a  precious  corner-stone,  a  sure  foundation ;  he  that  believeth  shall  not 
make  haste," — they  disbelieved  the  declaration.  They  disobeyed  the 
command.  They  rejected  the  stone.  They  would  not  build  on  it. 
They  would  not  receive  Jesus  as  the  Messiah  ;  on  the  contrary,  they 
"  took  him,  and  with  wicked  hands  they  crucified  and  slew  him." 

But  what  was  the  consequence  ?  Was  the  stone  laid  by  Jehovah 
in  Zion  prevented  from  becoming  the  great  foundation  it  was  intended 
for,  "the  chief  stone  of  the  corner?"  Oh,  no;  hear  what  Peter  said 
on  a  memorable  occasion,  and  what  I  have  little  doubt  was  in  his 
mind  when  he  wrote  the  passage  now  before  us — "  Jesus  Christ  of 
Nazareth,  whom  ye  crucified,  God  raised  from  the  dead.  This  is  the 
stone  which  was  set  at  naught  of  you  builders,  which  is  become  the 
head  of  the  corner."4  Disappointment  and  shame  were  their  portion. 
In  all  their  attempts  to  prevent  the  foundation  being  securely  laid  in 
its  place,  they  had  been  furthering  it;  and  when  "they  gathered  to 
gether  against  the  Lord  and  his  Christ,"  they  had  done 'but  "what  his 
hand  and  counsel  aforetime  determined  to  be  done."5 

But  this  disappointment  was  not  their  only  punishment.  "The 
stone  laid  in  Zion,"  which  they  rejected,  on  which  they  would  not 
build,  "  was  to  them  a  stone  of  stumbling,  and  a  rock  of  offence." 
Their  opposition  to  the  declared  purpose  of  God  brought  on  them  se 
vere  inflictions  of  the  Divine  wrath.  "  Wrath  to  the  uttermost," 
as  the  apostle  speaks,  "came  on  them."  They  "fell,  and  were  bro 
ken."  The  awful  prediction  in  the  book  of  the  prophet  Isaiah,  con 
nected  with  the  passage  quoted,  was  fulfilled  :  "  Judgment  also  will  I 
lay  to  the  line,  and  righteousness  to  the  plummet ;  and  the  hail  shall 
sweep  away  tha  refuge  of  lies,  and  the  waters  shall  overflow  the 
hiding-place.  And  your  covenant  with  death  shall  be  disannulled, 
and  your  agreement  with  hell  shall  not  stand  ;  when  the  overflowing 
scourge  shall  pass  through,  then  ye  shall  be  trodden  down  by  it.  For 
the  Lord  shall  rise  up  as  in  Mount  Perazim,  he  shall  be  wroth  as  in 
the  Valley  of  Gibeon,  that  he  may  do  his  work,  his  strange  work ; 
and  bring  to  pass  his  act,  his  strange  act."« 

These  awful  predictions  found  their  accomplishment  in  the  siege 
and  sack  of  Jerusalem,  in  the  destruction  of  the  temple,  the  dissolu- 

1  dirEiOovfft.  2  TW  Xoyw  dnziGovvTfs.  3  Isa.  xxviii.  16. 

4  Acts  iv.  10,  11.  B  Acts  iv.  27,  28.  6  Isa.  xxviii.  17-21. 

15 


226  THE    PRIVILEGES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

tion  of  the  polity,  the  dispersion  of  the  nation  of  the  Jews.  To  these 
unbelieving,  the'se  disobedient  ones,  in  consequence  of  their  unbelief, 
their  not  coming  to  Christ,  their  not  believing  in  him,  there  was  not 
honor,  but  shame ;  they  were  confounded.  Their  emblem  is  not  the 
temple,  to  whose  stately  buildings  our  Lord  directed  the  attention  of 
his  disciples,  but  its  scattered  ruins,  when  one  stone  was  not  to  be 
found  upon  another.  Instead  of  "  the  chosen  generation,"  they  be 
came  "a  rejected  race."  Instead  of  being  "a  royal  priesthood,"  Je 
hovah  proclaimed  to  them  "He  that  killeth  an  ox,  is  as  if  he  slew 
a  man ;  he  that  sacrificeth  a  lamb,  as  if  he  cut  off  a  dog's  neck. 
Bring  no  more  vain  oblations."  Instead  of  being  a  holy  nation,  they 
left  "  their  name  as  a  curse  to  God's  chosen ;  for  the  Lord  God  slew 
them,  and  called  his  people  by  another  name."  l  Instead  of  being 
called  out  of  darkness  into  God's  glorious  light,  their  light  was  turned 
into  darkness  ;  they  were  "  cast  into  outer  darkness."  2  They  who 
were  the  people  of  God  were  no  more  the  people  of  God,  not  even  a 
people  ;  they  who  had  found  mercy,  no  longer  obtained  mercy  ;  "  they 
were  a  people  of  no  understanding!  therefore  he  that  made  them 
would  not  have  mercy  on  them,  and  lie  that  formed  them  would  show 
them  no  favor."  3  Their  privileges  were  taken  from  them,  and  heavy 
judgments  inflicted  on  them. 

While  I  cannot  doubt  that  the  primary  reference  of  these  words  is 
to  the  unbelieving  Jews,  both  as  individuals  and  as  a  nation  in  the 
primitive  ages,  it  is  plain  that  the  statement  here  is  substantially  true 
of  all  who  are  unbelieving  and  disobedient,  of  every  country  and  in 
every  age.  All  who,  being  "disobedient  to  the  word,"  "disallow  the 
stone  laid  in  Zion,"  must  be  disappointed.  "  He  must  reign."  4  It  is 
easier  to  pull  the  sun  from  the  firmament  than  to  remove  the  Saviour 
from  his  throne ;  easier  to  arrest  the  course  of  that  sun  than  to  stop 
the  progress  of  his  gospel.  Those  who  reject  him  show  their  wish 
that  all  should  reject  him,  and  that  his  religion  should  be  extinguish 
ed ;  and  sometimes  they  are  mad  enough  to  think,  as  the  Jews  no 
doubt  did,  when  they  had  brought  him  to  the  cross  and  laid  him  in 
the  grave,  that  they  shall  be  successful.  Voltaire  proudly  boasted, 
that  one  wise  man  would  undo  what  twelve  fools  had  done.  Hume 
said,  that  Christianity  could  not  survive  the  nineteenth  century  ;  and 
in  the  insane  impieties  of  revolutionized  France,  many  of  their  disci 
ples  fancied  they  saw  the  token  of  the  accomplishment  of  these  anti 
cipations — 

"  Fond  impious  man  !  think'st  thou  yon  sanguine  cloud 
Rais'd  by  thy  breath  has  quench'd  the  orb  of  day  ? 
To-morrow  He  repairs  the  golden  flood, 

And  warms  the  nations  with  redoubled  ray."  6 

Oh,  how  will  confusion  of  face  cover  all  unbelievers,  when,  on  the 
great  day,  they  find  him  whom  they  rejected,  on  the  throne  of  univer 
sal  judgment,  and  themselves  trembling  before  his  tribunal.  Their 
miscalculations  will  make  them  the  objects  of  "  shame  and  contempt" 
to  the  whole  intelligent  creation  of  God  to  all  eternity. 

But  this  is  not  all.     They  shall  stumble  so  as  to  fall — fall  into  hell. 

1  Isa.  Ixvi.  3  ;  Ixv.  15.  2  Matt.  viii.  12.  8  Isa.  xxvii.  11. 

4  1  Cor.  xv.  25.  •  Gray. 


PART  IV.~]  ILLUSTRATED    BY    CONTRAST.  227 

It  is  a  serious  matter  to  reject  the  Saviour.  He  is  the  only  Saviour 
"  There  is  no  other  name  given  under  heaven  among  men  whereby 
we  must  be  saved."  "  There  remaineth  no  more  sacrifice  for  sin." 
He  who  will  not  be  saved  by  him  cannot  be  saved  at  all.  He  who 
rejects  his  sacrifice  must  bear  the  weight  of  unexpiated  sin  forever. 
"  There  remaineth  for  such,  nothing  but  a  certain  fearful  looking  for 
of  judgment  and  fiery  indignation,  to  destroy  them  as  the  adversaries 
of  God."1 

To  many  "  this  is  a  hard  saying,"  and  they  refuse  to  hear  it.  They 
cannot  think  that  there  is  such  a  difference,  in  a  moral  point  of  view, 
between  faith  and  unbelief,  that  their  consequences  should  be  more 
distant  from  each  other  than  the  poles  of  the  earth,  as  distant  as  the 
heights  of  heaven  are  from  the  depths  of  hell.  But  steadily  look  at 
this  unbelief,  and  you  will  cease  to  wonder.  What  is  it,  but  to  tram 
ple  at  once  on  all  that  is  great,  and  all  that  is  gracious,  in  the  Divine 
character  ;  to  call  the  God  of  truth  a  liar,  and  the  God  of  wisdom  a 
fool ;  to  despise  his  proffered  gifts,  and  defy  his  threatened  vengeance? 
If  there  be  power  in  the  arm  of  omnipotent  justice,  against  whom 
can  it  be  more  worthily  put  forth  than  against  the  impenitent  unbe 
liever  ?  And,  let  it  never  be  forgotten,  the  unbeliever  is  the  destroyer 
of  his  own  soul.  He  refuses  to  build  on  the  foundation  Jehovah  has 
laid.  This  is  folly  and  sin  enough.  But  this  is  not  all :  he  madly 
dashes  himself  against  the  chief  foundation  corner-stone,  and  breaks 
himself  in  pieces. 

Oh,  how  different  the  state  of  the  believer  and  the  unbeliever;  how 
happy  the  one,  how  miserable  the  other !  Look  at  the  two,  and  say 
if  he  who  has  secured  the  former  has  not  reason  to  say,  that  the  Lord 
has  been  gracious  to  him,  for  there  was  no  alternative.  If  he  had 
not  obtained  the  honor  and  happiness  of  the  believer,  the  shame  and 
ruin  of  the  unbeliever  must  have  been  his.  And  then  let  him  fur 
ther  think,  Who  made  him  to  differ  ?  '  I  was  an  unbeliever  and  a 
disobedient  one,  and  left  to  myself,  I  should  have  been  an  unbeliever 
and  disobedient  one  still.  In  that  state  I  should  have  lived  and  died, 
and  entered  into  eternity.  What  has  made  me  to  differ  ?  Sovereign 
kindness.  Whence  came  my  faith,  and  all  its  blessed  consequences, 
in  time  and  in  eternity?  It  is  not  of  myself,  "it  is  the  gift  of  God." 
It  was  given  me  "  on  behalf  of  Christ  to  believe  on  his  name." 
Surely,  surely  the  Lord  has  been  gracious  to  me.' 

I  have  thus  brought  before  your  minds  the  four  great  sources  of 
illustrative  proof,  that  the  Lord  is  gracious  to  Christians.  Their  nat 
ural  condition,  the  manner  in  which  that  condition  was  changed, 
the  blessings  of  their  new  condition,  and  the  final  state  of  those  who 
obstinately  continue  in  their  natural  condition  ;  all  these,  rightly 
considered,  are  fitted  to  deepen  this  conviction  on  a  Christian's 
mind, — 'Verily  the  Lord  is  gracious,  and  I  have  tasted  of  his  grace.' 

It  is  of  importance  to  inquire,  What  is  the  practical  end  which  the 
apostle  seeks  to  gain  by  pressing  on  the  attention  of  Christians  these 
proofs  that  the  Lord  is  gracious?  That  end  is  easily  discovered. 
This  wras  his  wish,  as  it  was  his  Master's  will,  even  their  sanctifica- 

1  Acts  iv.  12.    Heb.  x.  26,  27. 


228  THE    PRIVILEGES    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIII. 

tion ;  and  he  was  fully  persuaded  that  men  will  never  be  holy,  but  in 
the  degree  in  which  they  believe  that  God  is  good,  good  to  them. 
"  When  the  love  of  God  our  Saviour  toward  man  appeared,  not  by 
works  of  righteousness  which  we  have  done,  but  according  to  his 
mercy  he  saved  us,  by  the  washing  of  regeneration,  and  the  renewing 
of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  which  he  shed  on  us  abundantly  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Saviour;  that  we,  being  justified  by  his  grace,  might  be 
made  heirs  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal  life.  This  is  a  faith 
ful  saying,  and  these  things  I  will  that  thou  affirm  constantly,  that 
they  who  believe  in  God  may  be  careful  to  maintain  good  works." l 

The  apostle  Peter  does  not  leave  us  to  find  out  his  object  by  such 
a  reference  as  we  have  now  made  to  general  principles.  He  distinct 
ly  shows  us  why  he  appeals  to  the  graciousness  of  the  Lord  :  "  Love 
one  another  with  a  pure  heart  fervently.  Lay  aside  all  malice,  and 
guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and  envies,  and  all  evil-speakings,"  "  As  new 
born  babes,  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  ye  may  grow 
thereby,"  "  Seeing  ye  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious."  He 
plainly  acts  on  the  same  principle  as  his  beloved  brother  Paul,  when 
he  says,  "  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the  mercies  of  God,"  manifested 
in  the  divine  method  of  justification,  "  I  beseech  you,  by  the  mercies 
of  God,  that  ye  present  yourselves  as  living  sacrifices,  holy  and  ac 
ceptable  to  God,  by  Christ  Jesus,  which  is  your  rational  ministry  as 
spiritual  priests ;  and  be  not  conformed  to  this  world,  but  be  trans 
formed  by  the  renewing  of  your  minds,  that  ye  may  prove  what  is  the 
good,  and  perfect,  and  acceptable  will  of  God."  2 

I  cannot  conclude  these  illustrations  without  dropping  a  word  of 
warning  to  those  to  whom  this  word  of  salvation  has  come,  but  as  yei 
come  in  vain ;  to  whom  God  has  long  been  proclaiming,  "  Behold,  I 
have  laid  in  Zion  as  a  foundation,  a  stone,  a  tried  stone,  a  precious 
corner-stone,  a  sure  foundation,"  but  who,  instead  of  believing  on  it, 
coming  to  it,  building  on  it,  have  been,  like  the  Jewish  builders,  re 
jecting  it,  disallowing  it.  Your  situation,  "  men  and  brethren,"  is 
awfully  perilous.  If  you  will  not  build  on  that  stone,  you  must  stum 
ble  over  it,  and  fall,  and  be  broken.  As  to  present  privileges,  you  are 
in  far  better  circumstances  than  the  heathen,  who  never  heard  of  the 
way  of  salvation ;  but  as  to  future  destiny,  if  you  do  not  enter  on  the 
way  of  salvation  opened  before  you,  you  shall  be  in  far  worse  circum 
stances  than  they.  Yes,  in  the  day  of  judgment,  "it  shall  be  more 
tolerable  for  the  inhabitants  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  of  Sodom  and  Go 
morrah,  than  for  you."  All  the  happiness  of  the  highest  heavens  is 
freely  offered  you,  if  you  will  accept  of  it  in  the  only  way  God  can 
give  it,  or  you  receive  it;  but  if  you  contemptuously  put  it  away  from 
you,  you  not  only  must  lose  it,  but  you  must  sink  yourselves  into  the 
very  lowest  depths  of  hopeless  misery. 

If  you  perish — and  you  cannot  perish  but  by  your  own  obstinate 
refusal  of  a  salvation,  ready  to  be  bestowed  on  you  if  you  will  but 
accept  of  it — your  perdition  will  be  no  ordinary  perdition.  The  aw 
ful  declarations  of  the  Apocalypse  will  be  realized  in  your  experience  : 
"  The  same  shall  drink  of  the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  God,  which  is 
poured  out  without  mixture  into  the  cup  of  his  indignation ;  and  he 

1  Tit.  iii.  4-8.  "  Rom.  xii,  1,  3. 


PART   IV.]  NOTES.  229 

shall  be  tormented  with  fire  and  brimstone  in  the  presence  of  the  holy 
angels,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  Lamb ;  and  the  smoke  of  their  tor 
ment  ascended  up  forever  and  ever :  and  they  have  no  rest  day  nor 
night."  1 

But,  oh,  why  should  it  be  so  ?  God  has  no  "  pleasure  in  your  death ;" 
he  swears  by  his  life  that  he  has  not.  He  wills  you  to  turn  from  your 
evil  ways,  and  live.  If  you  perish,  you  must  be  self-destroyers. 
"  Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  why  will  ye  die  ?"  Be  no  longer  disobedient  to 
the  word  of  mercy.  Receive  it  gladly,  gratefully ;  and  in  receiving  it 
you  will  receive  the  Saviour  and  his  salvation.  The  feast  of  gospel 
grace  is  set  before  you,  and  urged  on  your  acceptance  :  "  O  taste  and 
see  that  the  Lord  is  good."  May  the  good  Spirit  render  effectual  the 
invitation  of  the  word,  and  induce  you  all  to  take  of  the  bread  and 
the  water  of  life  freely,  that,  eating  and  drinking,  you  may  live  for 
ever. 


NOTE  A.  p.  174. 

"Saxo  quod  adhuc  vivum  radice  tenetur."  —  OVID.  Met.  xiv.  714.  -  "  vivoque  sedilia 
saxo."  —  VIRG.  J£.n.  i.  171.  ALEX.  MORUS'  note  is  curious  :  —  "  Apud  Ethnicos  quoque  lapidum 


vivorum  rcperies  mentionem,  >i0oi)j  ty^yovf.  Plutarchus  de  fluvninibus  non  semel  vocat 
lapides  vivos,  inter  quos  Qpaa\>fci\ov  Eurotae  proprium  lapidem  nominat,  qui,  tuba  sonante, 
prosiliebat,  ad  ripam  scilicet  ;  Atheniensium  autem  audito  nomine,  mergebatur  in  profun- 
dum.  Nee  minus  fabulosa  quse  Suidas  habet  de  Heraisco  ^Egyptio  Philosopho  qui  rite 
dignoscere  calleret  dyiiX/^ara  ra  ^wvra,  fc-ai  pi]  $MVTU  vel  atpv^a  Kal  apaipa  6iia$  innrtruias.  Con 

tra  Petrus  fideles  vere  lapides  yivos  vere  spilantes  ac  loquentes,  Dei  statuas  spirituals  et 
participes  Qeias  inwoias  hie  dixit."  Notce  ad  qucedam  loca  N.  F.  p.  210. 


NOTE  B.  p.  224. 

vtn.  ' AirciQovvrcs.  Horum  autem  verborum  prius  designat  proprie  patnam, 
posterius  culpam  ;  pronomen  autem  ad  quod  refertur  ad  prius,  non  ad  posterius.  Inipro- 
bos  destinavit  Deus  ad  prenam,  non  ad  culpam."  CAPPELLUS. — "  TitnaKoirrnwi — 'A7T£t0o5i/r£f :" 
the  former  of  these  words  designates  punishment;  the  latter,  sin.  The  pronoun  S — K{  $ 
refers  to  the  former,  not  to  the  "latter.  God  appoints  the  wicked  to  punishment,  not  to 
sin.  Some  anti-Calvinists  have  found  in  these  words  a  proof,  that  even  they  who  perish 
through  unbelief  were  appointed  to  salvation. '  They  refer  S,  in  the  teeth  of  grammar,  to 
Xo'Xos ;  and  try  to  bring  out,  or  rather  put  in,  the  sense,  to  use  the  words  of  one  of  them,  a 
very  worthy  Lutheran,  HEMMINGIUS  :  "  Etsi  illis  destinata  erat  salutis  promissio,  tamen 
non  crediderunt."  It  is  sad  when  the  love  of  system  leads  good  men  thus  to  "  pervert" 
the  word  of  God.  "Mens  Petri  est :  Hoc  infidelium  pra?sertim  Judseomm  scancialum  et 
xp6aKonna,  ad  Christum  lapidem  angularem  dudurn  a  prophetis,  Christo,  aliisque  assertutn 
et  praedictum  esse." — Jer.  viii.  14,  15.  Matt.  xxi.  42,  44.  Luke  ii.  34.  Rom.  ix.  32,  33. — 
KYPKE,  ii.  430. 

1  Rev.  xiv.  10, 11. 


DISCOURSE    II 

A  SECOND  FIGURATIVE  VIEW  OF  THE  STATE  AND  CHARACTER 
OF  CHRISTIANS,  WITH  APPROPRIATE  EXHORTATIONS. 

1  PET.  ii.  11,  12. — Dearly  beloved,  I  beseech  you,  as  strangers  and  pilgrims,  abstain 
from  fleshly  lusts,  which  war  against  the  soul ;  having  your  conversation  honest  among  the 
Gentiles ;  that,  whereas  they  speak  against  you  as  evil-doers,  they  may,  by  your  good 
works,  which  they  shall  behold,  glorify  God  in  the  day  of  visitation. 

THESE  two  verses,  which  form  one  sentence,  bring  before  our  minds 
a  very  important  department  of  Christian  duty ;  to  the  illustration  and 
enforcement  of  which  it  is  our  intention  to  devote  this  discourse. 
The  subject  naturally  divides  itself  into  two  parts ;  an  injunction  of 
duty,  and  a  statement  of  the  motives  which  urge  compliance  with  that 
injunction.  The  duty  enjoined  is  twofold :  abstinence  from  fleshly 
lusts,  and  having  the  conversation  honest  among  the  Gentiles.  The 
motives  are  these  :  "  Ye  are  strangers  and  pilgrims/'  "  These  lusts 
war  against  the  soul ;"  and  abstinence  from  them,  and  the  mainte 
nance  of  an  "honest  conversation  among  the  Gentiles,"  have  a  ten 
dency  to  overcome  their  prejudices  against  both  you  and  your  religion, 
and  to  lead  them  to  "glorify  God  in  the  day  of  visitation."  To  un 
fold,  then,  the  meaning  of  these  injunctions,  and  to  point  out  the  force 
of  these  motives,  are  the  two  objects  which  I  have  in  view  in  the  fol 
lowing  remarks. 

I.-THE  DUTIES  ENJOINED. 
/ 

§  1. — Abstinence  from  "fleshly  lusts." 

The  first  duty  enjoined  in  the  text  is,  "  Abstinence  from  fleshly 
lusts."  "  Lusts,"  in  the  New  Testament  use  of  that  word,  signifies 
desires ;  strong  desires ;  usually  inordinate,  unduly  strong  desires. 
The  phrase  "  fleshly  lusts"  is  often  considered  as  meaning,  desires  for 
sensual  enjoyment ;  desires  which  obtain  their  gratification  by  means 
of  bodily  organs.  This  is,  however,  very  unduly  to  limit  the  signifi 
cation  of  the  term.  Among  the  "  works  of  the  flesh,"  which  are  just 
the  lusts  of  the  flesh  embodied,  we  find  enumerated,  "  hatred,  vari 
ance,  emulations,  wrath,  strife,  seditions,  heresies,"  as  well  as  "  adultery, 
fornication,  uncleanness,  and  lasciviousness."  * 

Flesh  is  the  principal  constituent  of  the  human  body,  and  the  body 
is  the  visible  part  of  the  compound  being,  man.  Hence  flesh  comes 
to  be  used  for  human  nature,  or  mankind.2  All  mankind,  since  the 

1  Gal.  v.  19-21.        3  Gen.  vi.  13.    Psal.lvi.4.    Matt.  xxiv.  22.    Rom.iii.20.    John  i.  14. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    ENJOINED.  231 

fall,  are  depraved  beings  ;  and  hence  flesh  is  often,  especially  in  the 
epistolary  part  of  the  New  Testament,  used  to  signify  fallen  human 
nature,  or  mankind  as  depraved.1  Agreeably  to  this  use  of  the  term 
flesh,  fleshly  desires  are  those  desires  which  characterize  mankind  as 
depraved,  which  belong  to,  and  are  distinctive  of,  fallen  human  nature, 
what  are  elsewhere  termed  "  worldly  lusts."  2 

The  desires,  including  under  that  name  the  appetites  and  the  pas 
sions,  as  well  as  those  principles  of  which  the  word  '  desires'  is  the 
appropriate  technical  name,  form  a  very  important  part  of  our  active 
nature,  and  are  fitted  to  serve  numerous  useful  and  benevolent  pur 
poses.  The  desire  of  meat  and  of  drink  ;  the  desire  of  knowledge  ;  the 
desire  of  esteem  ;  the  desire  of  power ;  the  desire  of  property,  and 
other  desires  of  a  similar  kind,  belong  essentially  to  human  nature ; 
and  are  as  much  the  gifts*  of  God  as  reason  or  conscience ;  and, 
like  these  higher  faculties,  are  plainly  intended  and  calculated  to 
minister  to  man's  improvement  and  happiness. 

Some  of  these  desires,  as  belonging  to  man  as  an  embodied  being, 
may  be  termed  fleshly,  as  they  cannot  exist  in  purely  spiritual  beings  ; 
but  these  are  not  the  desires  here  referred  to.  God  never  requires 
impossibilities ;  and  to  abstain  from  the  desires  we  have  mentioned 
is  an  impossibility.  Those  desires  are  neither  virtuous  nor  vicious. 
They  are  parts  of  our  constitution,  which  ought  to  be  regulated  and  re 
strained  when  they  come  in  competition  with  more  important  princi 
ples,  which,  in  a  perfect  state  of  human  nature,  they  never  would. 
To  eradicate  them,  if  the  thing  were  possible,  which  I  believe  it  is  not, 
would  not  be  to  improve,  but  to  mutilate  human  nature.  The  ampu 
tation  of  arms  and  legs  would  not  at  all  add  to  the  beauty  and  useful 
ness  of  the  human  body  ;  and  just  such  an  improvement  on  the  mind, 
would  be  the  depriving  it  of  any  of  those  active  powers  with  which 
its  infinitely  wise  and  benignant  Author  has  endowed  it.  That  were 
to  make  us  "  new  creatures,"  in  a  sense  very  different  indeed  from 
that  in  which  the  apostle  uses  the  term. 

In  no  part  of  our  natue  has  the  malignant  influence  of  the  fall  been 
more  apparent,  than  in  our  moral  or  active  faculties ;  and  in  none 
of  these  active  powers  do  we  discern  clearer  marks  of  degeneration 
than  in  our  desires.  Our  desires,  in  very  many  instances,  seek  their 
gratification  in  objects,  the  pursuit  of  which  is  proscribed  by  God,  as 
his  will  is  indicated  by  reason,  by  conscience,  or  by  an  express  reve 
lation ;  and  where  the  object  of  desire  is  not  in  itself  improper,  the 
desire  itself  is  often  foolish,  in  consequence  of  its  being  disproportion- 
ed  to  the  real  or  comparative  value  of  the  object :  and  criminal,  be 
cause  unsubordinated  to  the  will  of  God. 

These  are  the  desires  which  are  here  termed  "  fleshly  lusts  ;"  such 
desires  as  Adam  was  a  stranger  to  while  he  continued  innocent ;  such 
desires  as  are  now  characteristic  of  the  whole  of  his  degenerate  off 
spring.  These  desires,  unlike  the  original  principles  referred  to  above, 
are  not  to  be  regulated,  but  destroyed.  They  are  right  hands  that 
are  to  be  cut  oft';  right  eyes  that  are  to  be  plucked  out.  As  mem- 
bers  of  the  old  man.  they  are  to  be  mortified ;  as  affections  and 
lusts  of  the  flesh,  they  are  to  be  crucified. 

1  Rom.  vii.  18  ;  viii.  5.     Gal.  v.  13.  3  Tit.  ii.  12. 


232  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  IX. 

To  "  abstain  from  fleshly  lusts,"  then,  is  to  refrain  fiom  desiring 
that  which  is  forbidden.  It  is,  in  other  words,  to  yield  obedience  to 
the  tenth  commandment,  "Thou  shalt  not  covet;"  thou  shalt  not 
desire  that  which  God  says  thou  shouldst  not  seek  to  obtain.  Every 
desire  of  what  is  forbidden,  what  is  criminal  in  itself,  or  criminal  to  us 
in  our  circumstances,  is  a  "  fleshly  desire,"  a  desire  which  marks  the 
being  who  indulges  it  as  morally  depraved,  and  is  not  to  be  indulged, 
even  in  the  slightest  degree,  is  not  to  be  tampered  with,  but  destroy 
ed,  strangled  in  its  birth,  repressed  on  its  first  rising. 

But  this  is  not  all :  To  "  abstain  from  fleshly  lusts,"  is  to  refrain 
from  all  inordinate  or  excessive  desire,  even  of  what  is  in  itself  law 
ful.  It  is  in  this  form  of  the  evil  that  Christians  chiefly  need  to  be 
warned  against  fleshly  or  worldly  lusts.  It  is  a  sad  mistake  to  sup 
pose  that  our  desires  are  lawful,  because  the  objects  of  our  desire  are 
not  forbidden.  It  may  be  that  they  are  so  far  from  being  forbidden, 
that  we  would  sin  if  we  did  not  desire  them,  and  yet  in  desiring  them 
inordinately  we  may  sin.  Our  desires  may  be  "fleshly  desires,"  that 
is,  desires  rising  out  of  the  depravity  of  our  nature,  and  at  once  exer 
cising  and  increasing  that  depravity. 

To  desire  anything  seen  and  temporal,  be  it  pleasure,  knowledge, 
power,  fame,  money,  or  anything  else,  as  absolutely  necessary  to,  and 
sufficient  for,  our  happiness,  is  a  fleshly  desire.  That  is,  in  other 
words,  to  make  that  thing  our  God,  and  is  in  direct  opposition  to  the 
commandment,  "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  God  before  me:"  to  the 
breathing  of  the  Spirit,  "  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee  ?  and  there 
is  none  on  all  the  earth  whom  I  desire  besides  thee."  *  He  who 
cherishes  any  desire  unsubordinated  to  the  will  of  God,  cherishes  a 
fleshly  desire  ;  and  from  this  species  of-  fleshly  desire,  as  well  as  the 
former,  Christians  are  commanded  to  "  abstain."  They  are  to  "  flee 
from  idolatry  ;"  to  "  keep  themselves  from  idols  ;"  and  "  covetous- 
ness,"  that  is,  the  inordinate  desire  of  any  created  good,  "  is  idolatry." 2 

These,  then,  are  the  two  branches  of  the  great  law,  "Abstain  from 
fleshly  lusts."  Refrain  from  desiring  whatever  is  forbidden.  Refrain 
from  inordinately  desiring  anything  seen  and  temporal,  however  inno 
cent  in  itself. 

This,  like  every  one  of  God's  laws,  is  "  holy,  just,  and  good."  It 
leaves  abundant  room  for  the  healthy  operation  of  natural  desires. 
It  allows  us  to  desire  everything  that  is  really  desirable,  in  the  degree 
in  which  it  is  desirable.  It  only  forbids  us  to  indulge  a  desire  which, 
whether  gratified  or  not,  must  end  in  disappointment  and  ruin.  The 
language  of  this  law  is,  "  Wilt  thou  set  thine  eyes  upon  that  which  is 
not  ?"  3  Surely  it  is  impossible  not  to  recognize  the  Divine  wisdom 
and  kindness  in  this  spiritual  commandment.  It  puts  the  check  in 
the  right  place.  It  seeks  to  prevent  the  works  of  the  flesh,  by  pro 
hibiting  the  lusts  of  the  flesh.  Human  laws  seek  to  dam  up  or  divert 
the  stream ;  the  Divine  law  seeks  to  dry  up  the  fountain. 

From  these  few  plain  remarks,  every  person  who  wishes  to  under 
stand  the  subject,  may  easily  perceive  what  it  is  to  abstain  from 
fleshly  lusts — a  much  more  extensive  and  difficult  duty  than  many  are 

1   Psal.  Ixxiii.  25,  26.  a  1  Cor.  x.  14.     1  John  v.  21.     Col.  iii.  5. 

'  Prov.  xxiii.  5. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    ENJOINED. 

aware  of :  but  it  may  serve  a  good  purpose,  before  closing  this  part 
of  the  discussion,  to  say  a  word  or  two  on  the  way  in  which  we  are 
to  yield  obedience  to  this  most  reasonable  command,  "  Abstain  from 
fleshly  lusts." 

The  first  remark  to  be  made  here  is,  that,  in  order  to  abstain  from 
fleshly  lusts,  we  must  carefully  guard  against  temptation.  We  are  in 
continual  danger;  there  are  always  objects  at  hand  fitted  to  provoke 
sinful  desire  in  some  of  its  forms ;  and  a  busy,  crafty  adversary,  is 
ever  ready  to  take  advantage  of  any  opportunity  that  offers  against 
us.  We  must  therefore  avoid  placing  ourselves  in  circumstances  in 
which  such  desires  are  likely  to  be  excited ;  and  when,  by  the  provi 
dence  of  God.  we  are  placed  in  such  circumstances,  we  are  to  "keep 
our  hearts  with  all  diligence ;"  and,  sensible  that  all  our  keeping  will 
not  serve  the  purpose,  we  must  give  our  hearts  to  God  to  keep  them. 
We  must  "  watch  and  be  sober  ;"  "  be  sober  and  watch ;"  "  watch  and 
pray  ;"  and  this  should  be  our  prayer :  "  Incline  my  heart  to  thy  testi 
monies,  and  not  to  covetousness,"  the  general  name  of  fleshly,  worldly 
desires.  "  Turn  away  mine  eyes  from  beholding  vanity."  l 

We  must  recollect  that  nothing  can  overcome  the  world,  and  the 
things  that  are  in  the  world — "  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  lust  of 
the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life,"  and  "  the  god  of  this  world,"  who  by 
these  subjugates  us,  and  makes  us  his  slaves — but  the  word  of  God 
dwelling  in  us.  It  is  "our  faith"  of  that  word;  or,  to  employ  an 
equivalent  expression,  that  word  believed,  that  "overcometh  the 
world."  It  brings  us  under  "  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come,"  and 
thus  "delivers  us  from  this  present  evil  world."  Were  the  realities 
of  eternity  habitually  before  the  mind,  fleshly  lusts  could  no  more 
take  root  and  flourish  there,  than  "  perishable  materials  be  reared  into 
structures  amid  the  fires  of  the  last  day." 2 

The  grand  preservation  against  "fleshly  lusts"  is  to  have  the  mind 
p  re-occupied  with  spiritual  and  heavenly  affections  ;  and  to  have  the 
heart  so  full  of  holy  happiness  in  the  enjoyment  of  God,  as  that  there 
is  neither  room  nor  relish  in  it  for  low-born,  earthly,  sensual,  sinful 
enjoyments.  The  strong  man  can  be  put  out  of  the  house,  and  kept 
out  of  it,  only  by  the  stronger  than  he  getting  possession,  and  keep 
ing  possession  of  it.  The  true  way  of  emptying  a  vessel  of  atmos 
pheric  air,  and  keeping  that  from  re-occupying  its  place,  is  to  fill  it 
with  some  heavier  fluid. 

It  is  finely  said  by  the  good  Archbishop  I  have  so  often  quoted  to 
you :  "  The  happiness  and  pleasantness  of  the  Christian's  estate  sets 
him  above  the  need  of  the  pleasures  of  sin.  The  apostle  has  said 
before :  '  Since  ye  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  desire  the 
sincere  milk  of  the  word ;'  desire  that  word,  wherein  ye  may  taste 
more  of  his  graciousness ;  and  as  that  fitly  urgeth  the  appetites'  desire 
of  the  word,  so  it  is  strong  to  persuade  this  abstinence  from  fleshly 
lusts ;  yea,  the  disdain  and  loathing  of  them.  If  you  have  the  least 
experience  of  the  sweetness  of  his  love,  if  you  have  but  tasted  of  the 
crystal  river  of  his  pleasures,  the  muddy  polluted  pleasures  of  sin  will 
be  hateful  and  loathsome  to  you ;  yea,  the  best  earthly  delights  that 

1  Prov.  iv.  23.     1  Tim.  v.  0.     1  Pet  iv.  V ;  v.  8.     Psal.  cxix.  36.  37. 

2  Robert  Hall. 


234  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  IX, 

are,  will  be  disrelished  and  unsavory  to  your  tastes.  The  embittering 
of  the  breasts  of  the  world  to  the  ungodly,  by  afflictions,  doth  some 
thing,  indeed,  to  their  weaning  from  them  ;  but  the  breasts  of  conso 
lation  that  are  given  them  in  their  stead,  wean  them  much  more 
effectually. 

"  The  true  reason  why  we  remain  servants  to  these  lusts,  some  to 
one,  some  to  another,  is  because  we  are  still  strangers  to  the  love  of 
God,  and  those  pure  pleasures  which  are  in  him.  Though  the  pleas 
ures  of  this  world  be  poor  and  low,  and  most  unworthy  of  our  pursuit, 
yet  so  long  as  men  know  no  better,  they  will  stick  by  those  they  have, 
such  as  they  are.  It  is  too  often  in  vain  to  speak  to  men  on  this,  to 
follow  them  with  the  apostle's  entreaty,  '  I  beseech  you,  abstain  from 
fleshly  lusts/  unless  they  that  are  spoken  to,  be  such  as  he  speaks  of 
in  the  former  words,  such  as  have  obtained  mercy,  and  have  tasted 
of  the  graciousness  and  love  of  him  whose  loves  are  better  than  wine. 
O  that  we  would  but  seek  the  knowledge  of  this  love ;  for,  seeking  it, 
we  would  find  it ;  and,  finding  it,  no  force  would  be  needful  to  pull 
the  delights  of  sin  out  of  our  hands;  we  would  throw  them  away  of 
our  own  accord."  This  is  the  true  secret  of  yielding  obedience  to 
the  commandment  in  the  text,  abstain  from  fleshly  lusts.  O  that  we 
all  were  experimentally  acquainted  with  it !'  How  happy,  how  holy, 
should  we  be ! 

§  2. — "  Having  a  conversation  honest  among  the  Gentiles." 

The  second  duty  enjoined  in  the  text  is  :  "  Have  your  conversa 
tion  honest  among  the  Gentiles."  "  Conversation"  here,  and  in  many 
other  places  in  the  New  Testament,  does  not  mean  colloquial  inter 
course,  but  conduct,  general  behavior  ;  as,  "  Only  let  your  conversa 
tion  be  such  as  becomes  the  gospel  of  Christ ;"  "  Be  holy  in  all  man 
ner  of  conversation."  l 

The  term  "  honest"  2  here,  as  in  some  other  parts  of  the  New  Tes 
tament,  is  used  in  a  somewhat  obsolete  sense  ;  as  equivalent  to  honor 
able,  respectable,  morally  beautiful  and  lovely ;  what  commands 
esteem  and  reverence.  "  Have  your  conversation  honest  among  the 
Gentiles."  means,  Let  your  conduct  be  such  as  will  meet  the  approba 
tion  of  God  and  good  men,  and  such  as  even  the  heathen  shall  be 
obliged  to  venerate.  It  is  materially  the  same  exhortation  as  that 
given  by  the  Apostle  Paul  to  the  Philippians :  "  Whatsoever  things 
are  true,  whatsoever  things  are  honest,"  venerable,  "whatsoever 
things  are  just,  whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are 
lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report ;  if  there  be  any  virtue, 
if  there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these  things,"  3  do  these  things. 

The  heathens  were  poor  judges  of  Christian  doctrine ;  there  was 
much,  too,  in  the  Christian  character,  the  excellence  of  which  they 
could  not  at  all  appreciate.  But  when  they  saw  Christians  making  it 
plain  that  no  temptation  could  induce  them  to  deviate  from  the 
straight  path  prescribed  by  the  laws  of  temperance,  and  chastity,  and 
justice,  and  love  ;  rendering  to  no  man  evil  for  evil ;  meekly  suffering 
many  injuries,  but  inflicting  none ;  denying  themselves  the  comforts 

1  Phil.  i.  27.     1  Pet.  i.  15.  8  KaAfo.  3  Phil.  iv.  8. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    ENjqiNED.  235 

of  life,  to  supply  those  who  were  destitute  of  its  necessaries;  sacri 
ficing  and  suffering  everything,  rather  than  violate  conscience  :  they 
could  not  help  feeling  how  beautiful  and  how  awful  goodness  is  ;  and 
a  testimony  was  silently  lodged  in  their  hearts,  in  behalf  of  the  religion 
of  Christ,  which  no  reasoning  could  have  placed  there.  "There  is  a 
majesty  in  strict,  serious,  consistent  goodness,  that  commands  esteem 
and  reverence  from  the  worst  of  men." 

The  positive  command  includes  the  negative :  Beware  of  every 
thing  in  your  conduct  which  might  shock  the  moral  feelings  of  a 
heathen ;  beware  of  anything  which  might  lead  him  in  any  way  to 
form  an  opinion  dishonorable  to  "  the  worthy  name  by  which  ye  are 
called,"  or  open  his  mouth  in  blasphemy  against  Him  to  whom  it  be 
longs.  It  is  a  most  important  duty  incumbent  on  Christians,  in  all 
countries  and  ages,  living  among  the  men  of  the  world,  remembering 
that,  among  other  proofs  of  their  Lord's  graciousness  to  them,  he  has 
made  them  the  guardians  of  his  honor  among  men,  to  act  a  part 
which  shall  command  the  respect  and  esteem  of  those  around  them, 
and  to  be  careful  that  they  let  not  "their  good  be  evil  spoken 
of."' 

It  deserves  notice,  that  the  two  duties  enjoined  are  represented  as 
very  closely  connected.  It  is  by  abstaining  from  fleshly  lusts  that 
their  conversation  was  to  be  honest  among  the  Gentiles.  If  they  did 
not  abstain  from  fleshly  lusts,  their  conversation  would  be  dishonora 
ble,  both  to  themselves  and  to  their  religion.  If  they  did  abstain  from 
fleshly  lusts,  an  honest,  honorable  behavior  would  be  a  matter  of 
course.  The  heart  must  be  kept  with  all  diligence,  if  we  would  wish 
the  issues  of  life  which  flow  from  it  to  be  satisfactory.  Let  the  heart 
be  regulated ;  the  tongue,  the  eyes,  the  hands,  the  feet,  will  all  be  prop 
erly  employed.  Let  the  thoughts  and  the  desires  be  as  they  ought  to 
be,  and  the  actions  will  be  unblameable.  If  the  corrupt  spring  is  not 
cleansed,  the  stream  cannot  be  pure :  if  it  is,  the  stream  cannot  but 
be  pure. 

It  is  a  sad  mistake  to  think,  that  the  conduct  will  ever  be  what  God 
would  have  it  to  be,  till  the  heart  is  changed ;  that  the  conversation 
will  ever  be  really  comely,  while  men  do  not  abstain  from  fleshly 
lusts.  The  heart  must  be  "  purified  by  the  Spirit  through  the  word/' 
in  order  to  man's  being  "  holy  in  all  manner  of  life  and  conversation." 
And  it  is  not  less  true,  and  not  less  important,  that  the  want  of  a 
comely  conversation,  of  a  holy  behavior,  is  a  proof,  whatever  profes 
sion  men  make,  that  fleshly  lusts  still  hold  dominion  within.  As  the 
fruit  cannot  be  good  if  the  tree  is  not  good,  so  neither  can  the  tree 
be  good  if  the  fruit  is  not  good.  The  goodness  of  the  tree  is  the 
necessary  cause  of  the  goodness  of  the  fruit,  and  the  goodness  of 
the  fruit  is  the  only  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  goodness  of  the 
tree. 

So  much  for  the  illustration  of  this  branch  of  our  subject :  The 
injunction  of  duty,  "  Abstain  from  fleshly  lusts,  having  your  conver 
sation  honest  among  the  Gentiles."  Refrain  from  desiring  what  is 
forbidden ;  refrain  from  inordinately  desiring  anything  that  is  seen 
and  temporal ;  and  thus  maintain  a  habitual  behavior  so  morally 

1  1  Rom.  xiv.  16. 


236  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  IX. 

lovely  and  venerable,  that  even  your  heathen  neighbors  shall  be  con 
strained  to  take  notice  of  you,  and  trace  the  obvious  effect  to  the 
hidden  cause,  the  goodness  of  your  conduct  to  the  goodness  of  your 
principles. 


H—  MOTIVES  TO  THE  DISCHARGE  OF  THESE  DUTIES. 

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  second  branch  of  the  subject  : 
A  statement  of  the  motives  which  urge  to  compliance  with  this 
injunction  of  duty.  The  motives  are  drawn  from  the  character  and 
circumstances  of  Christians,  and  from  the  tendency  and  consequences, 
both  of  the  course  from  which  they  are  dissuaded,  and  of  that  to 
which  they  are  urged.  The  motive  deduced  from  the  character  and 
conduct  of  Christians,  is  contained  in  these  words  :  You  are  "  pil 
grims  and  strangers."  The  motive  drawn  from  the  tendency  and 
consequences  of  the  course  dissuaded  from  is  :  These  fleshly  lusts 
"  war  against  the  soul  ;"  and  that  drawn  from  the  tendency  and  con 
sequences  of  the  course  recommended  is  :  That  the  Gentiles,  who 
spoke  against  them  as  evil-doers,  might,  by  their  good  works  which 
they  beheld,  glorify  God  in  the  day  of  visitation."  Let  us  attend  to 
these  motives  in  their  order,  and  endeavor  to  show  their  appropriate 
ness  and  their  power. 

$  1.  —  Motive,  drawn  from  the  condition  and  character  of  Christians 
as  "pilgrims  and  strangers." 

The  first  motive  is  drawn  from  the  condition  and  character  of 
Christians  as  "  pilgrims  and  strangers."  In  the  literal  meaning,  of 
the  words,  those  to  whom  they  were  originally  addressed  were  pil 
grims  and  strangers.  They  were  chiefly  Jews  and  proselytes,  liv 
ing  among  the  heathen  inhabitants  of  the  regions  of  Asia  Minor. 
Viewed  even  in  this  way,  there  is  force  in  the  statement,  consid 
ered  as  a  motive  to  the  duty  enjoined.  '  The  great  body  of  those 
among  whom  you  live  are  serving  fleshly  lusts  ;  you  are  constantly 
exposed  to  the  powerful  influence  of  all  but  universally  prevalent 
custom.  Beware  lest  "evil  communications  corrupt  good  man 
ners." 

There  can,  however,  be  no  reasonable  doubt,  that  the  words 
pilgrim  and  stranger  are  here  used  figuratively,  and  in  a  sense  equally 
applicable  to  all  Christians,  in  all  countries  and  ages,  as  to  those  to 
whom  they  were  originally  addressed.1  In  a  figurative  sense,  all  men 
may  be  said  to  be  pilgrims  and  sojourners  on  earth.  They  are  to 
continue  here  but  for  a  short  season  ;  they  are,  as  it  were,  on  a 
journey  to  their  long  home  ;  and  a  consideration  of  this,  places  in  a 
strong  point  of  view  the  folly  of  men,  in  allowing  their  minds  to  be 
chiefly  occupied  with  objects  and  pursuits  belonging  exclusively  to 

The  respective  force  of  the  two  words  irapoiicovs  and  napsTri&fipovs  is  well  given  by  Ben- 
gel  :  —  "  Gradatio,  non  tantum  ut  in  aliena  domo  —  sed  etiam  ut  in  aliena  civitate."  Not 
only  away  from  their  own  house,  but  from  their  own  country,—  in  the  fullest  sense  from 
home.  Neither  of  the  words  expresses  what  is  peculiar  in  the  signification  of  the  English 
•word  "pilgrim." 


PART  II.]  MOTIVES.  237 

a  scene  from  which  they  must  soon,  and  may  suddenly,  depart  forever ; 
and  which  are  in  no  degree  fitted  to  prepare  them  for  that  permanent 
state  into  which,  on  leaving  the  present,  they  are  to  enter. 

But  the  Christian  is,  in  a  sense  peculiar  to  himself,  a  pilgrim  and 
stranger.  He  is  a  child  of  God,  living  among  the  children  of  the 
wicked  one.  He  is  a  citizen  of  heaven,  sojourning  for  a  season  on 
the  earth.  Heaven  is  his  home.  There  is  his  treasure,  and  there  is 
his  heart  also.  His  great  object  here  is  to  promote  the  interests 
of  the  kingdom  that  is  not  of  this  world;  to  pass  through  this 
land  of  strangers  and  enemies  with  as  little  injury  as  possible ;  to 
get  safe  to  the  better  land,  and  take  as  many  as  he  can  along  with 
him. 

For  such  a  person  to  indulge  in  fleshly  lusts  is  in  the  highest  degree 
incongruous.  "  There  is,"  as  Leighton  remarks,  "  a  diligence  in  his 
calling,  and  prudent  regard  of  his  affairs,  not  only  permitted  to  a 
Christian,  but  required  of  him ;  but  yet  in  comparison  of  his  great 
and  '  high  calling/  as  the  apostle  terms  it,  he  follows  all  his  other  busi 
nesses  with  a  kind  of  coldness  and  indifFerency,  as  not  accounting 
very  much  how  they  go :  his  heart  is  elsewhere.  The  traveller  pro 
vides  himself  as  he  can  of  entertainment  and  lodging,  where  he 
comes.  If  it  be  commodious,  it  is  well ;  but  if  not,  it  is  no  great 
matter.  If  he  can  find  but  necessaries,  he  can  abate  delicacies  very 
well ;  for  where  he  finds  them  in  his  way  he  neither  can,  nor,  if  he 
could,  would  he  choose  to  stay  there.  Though  his  inn  were  dressed 
with  the  richest  hangings  and  furniture,  yet  it  is  not  his  home ;  he 
must,  and  he  would,  leave  it.  It  is  not  for  those  born  from  above  to 
mind  earthly  things.  If  Christians  would  but  consider  how  little,  and 
for  how  little  a  time,  they  are  concerned  in  anything  here,  they  would 
go  through  any  estate,  and  any  changes  of  estate,  either  to  the  better 
or  the  worse,  with  very  composed,  equal  minds,  always  moderate  in 
their  necessary  cares,  and  never  taking  any  care  at  all  for  the  flesh, 
to  fulfil  the  lusts  of  it.  Let  them  that  have  no  better  home  than  this 
world  to  lay  claim  to,  live  here  as  at  home,  and  serve  their  lusts. 
Let  them  who  have  all  their  portion  in  this  life,  who  have  no  more 
good  to  look  for  than  what  they  can  catch  here,  let  them  take  their 
time  of  the  poor  profits  and  pleasures  that  are  here.  But  you  that 
have  your  whole  estate,  all  your  riches  and  pleasures,  laid  up  in 
heaven,  and  reserved  there  for  you,  let  your  lusts,  your  intense  de 
sires,  not  be  fleshly,  but  spiritual ;  not  earthly,  but  heavenly ;  let  the 
spirit  out-lust  the  flesh ;  let  your  hearts  be  there,  and  your  conversa 
tion  there.  This  is  not  the  place  of  your  rest,  nor  of  your  delights  : 
unless  you  be  willing  to  change,  and  to  have  your  good  things  here, 
as  some  foolish  travellers,  that  spend  the  estate  they  should  live  on  at 
home  in  a  little  while,  leaving.it  abroad  among  strangers.  Will  you, 
with  profane  Esau,  sell  your  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage ;  sell 
eternity,  for  a  moment ;  and  such  pleasures,  as  a  moment  of  them  is 
more  worth  than  an  eternity  of  the  other  ?" 


238  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  IX. 


§  2. — Motive  drawn  from  the  tendency  of  the  course  proscribed — 
"It  wars  against  the  soul" 

The  second  motive  is  drawn  from  the  tendency  and  consequences 
of  the  course  dissuaded  from.  Those  fleshly  lusts,  from  which  Chris 
tians  are  required  to  abstain,  are  said  "  to  war  against  the  soul."  !  They 
are  injurious  to  our  highest  interests,  the  interests  of  the  soul  ;  they 
are  inconsistent  with  the  peace  of  the  soul  ;  they  are  hostile  to  the  im 
provement  of  the  soul ;  they  are,  if  indulged  in,  fatal  to  the  final  happi 
ness  of  the  soul. 

They  are  inconsistent  with  the  peace  of  the  soul.  The  Christian 
poet  speaks  the  words  of  truth  and  soberness,  when  he  says, — 

"  God  is  the  source  and  centre  of  all  minds — 

Their  only  point  of  rest 

From  Him  departing  they  are  lost,  and  rove 
At  random,  without  honor,  hope,  or  peace."  a 

God  is  a  suitable  and  a  sufficient  portion  for  man  ;  and  he,  and  he 
only,  who  takes  up  with  Him  as  a  portion,  has,  or  can  have,  solid  rest. 
He  is  kept  in  perfect  peace  while  he  trusts  in  God.  Even  a  single 
fleshly  lust  destroys  rest ;  for  it  takes  the  soul  away  from  God,  the 
only  true  rest.  But  this  is  not  all  ;  "fleshly  lusts,"  though  all  opposed 
to  that  desire  after  happiness  in  God  which  should  be  the  master  ac 
tive  principle  in  our  minds,  are  by  no  means  harmonious  among  them 
selves.  They  "  war"  with  each  other  "  in  our  members,"  3  and  tear 
their  unhappy  victim  in  pieces.  The  lover  of  sinful  pleasure,  of 
power,  of  fame  and  gain,  knows  well  that  the  way  in  which  those 
lusts  drag  or  drive  him  along,  is  anything  but  the  way  of  peace. 

They  are  hostile  to  the  improvement  of  the  soul.  The  improve 
ment  of  the  soul  consists  in  growth  in  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  in 
true  holiness;  in  increasing  conformity  to  His  image.  Fleshly  lusts 
are  plainly  inconsistent  with  this.  They  destroy  that  calm,  collected 
state  of  mind,  which  is  necessary  to  progress  in  knowledge  and  holi 
ness  ;  they  occupy  the  time  which  ought  to  be  devoted  to  the  pursuits 
which  conduce  to  spiritual  improvement;  and  they  utterly  indispose 
to,  they  morally  incapacitate  the  mind  for,  such  pursuits.  "The  car 
nal  mind  is  enmity  against  God;  for  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of 
God,  neither  indeed  can  be."4  "  They  do  not,"  as  has  been  justly 
said,  "  only  divert  from  spiritual  things  for  the  time,  but  they  habitu 
ally  indispose  it  to  every  spiritual  work,  and  make  it  earthly  and  sen 
sual,  and  so  unfit  for  heavenly  things.  Where  these  lusts,  or  any  one 
of  them,  have  dominion,  the  soul  cannot  at  all  perform  any  spiritual 
duty ;  can  neither  pray,  nor  hear,  nor  read  the  word  aright ;  and,  in 
as  far  as  any  of  them  prevail  upon  the  soul  of  a  child  of  God,  they  do 
disjoint  and  disable  it  from  holy  things." 5 

Finally,  if  indulged,  those  fleshly  lusts  will  be  fatal  to  the  ultimate 
happiness  of  the  soul.  This  is  equally  plain  from  the  nature  of  things, 
and  the  express  declarations  of  the  word  of  God.  A  man  under  the 

ErparotCvrai.    Non  modo  impediunt  sed  oppugnant. — BENGEL.    They  not  only  hinder, 
they  oppose. 

a  Cowper.  »  James  iv.  1.  4  Rom.  viiL  7.  6  Leighton, 


PART  II.]  MOTIVES.  339 

influence  of  fleshly  lusts,  even  if  taken  to  heaven,  could  not  be  happy, 
must  be  miserable.  Heaven  is  a  prepared  place  for  a  prepared  peo 
ple.  The  declarations  of  the  word  of  God  on  the  subject  are  most 
explicit :  The  end  of  a  life  in  the  flesh  is  death,  eternal  death.  "  We 
are  not  debtors  to  the  flesh,  to  live  after  the  flesh.  For  if  ye  live 
after  the  flesh,  ye  shall  die  :  but  if  ye  through  the  Spirit  do  mortify  the 
deeds  of  the  body,  ye  shall  live."  "  Be  not  deceived ;  God  is  not 
mocked  :  whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap.  For  he 
that  soweth  to  the  flesh,  shall  of  the  flesh  reap  corruption  ;  but  he  that 
soweth  to  the  Spirit,  shall  of  the  Spirit  reap  life  everlasting."  l 

§  3. — Motive  drawn  from  the  tendency  of  the  course  recommended. 

The  third  motive  is  drawn  from  the  tendency  and  probable  conse 
quences  of  the  course  recommended.  The  tendency  and  probable 
result  of  their  "  having  their  conversation  honest  among  the  Gentiles," 
in  consequence  of  their  abstaining  from  fleshly  lusts,  is  stated  to  be 
this  :  "  The  Gentiles,  who  spoke  against  them  as  evil-doers,  by  their 
good  works  which  they  beheld,  would  be  led  to  glorify  God  in  the 
day  of  visitation."  The  Gentiles,  amidst  whom  the  Christians  ad 
dressed  by  Peter  lived,  spoke  against  them  as  evil-doers.  The  primi 
tive  Christians  were  very  generally  represented  as  monsters  of  wick 
edness,  as  guilty  of  the  most  unnatural  and  atrocious  crimes,  as 
atheists  and  haters  of  mankind.2  Even  in  that  circumstance  a  reason 
might  be  found  for  Christians  being  peculiarly  careful  to  indulge  no 
disposition  and  to  follow  no  course  of  conduct,  which  could  give  even 
the  slightest  probability  to  these  calumnious  misrepresentations.  It 
was  of  great  importance  that,  when  spoken  evil  of,  it  should  be  falsely, 
— obviously,  demonstratively,  falsely. 

But  this  is  not  the  motive  here  employed  by  the  apostle.  He 
counts  on  the  natural  effect  of  uniform  good  behavior  on  the  minds 
of  the  observers ;  and  looking  forward  to  a  period,  which  he  calls 
"  the  day  of  visitation,"  he  encourages  Christians  by  the  hope  that 
their  "  honest  conversation"  might  be  the  means  of  bringing  their 
heathen  neighbors  to  a  better  mind,  "  to  repentance,  to  the  acknowl 
edging  of  the  truth  ;"  and  of  leading  them,  instead  of  calumniating 
and  cursing  them,  to  glorify  God. 

"  The  day  of  visitation"  is  plainly  the  day  of  God's  visitation.  God 
is  said  to  visit  men  when  he  gives  very  decided  proofs  of  his  presence 
and  power,  either  in  works  of  judgment  or  of  mercy.  The  phrase  is 
used  in  the  first  sense  in  the  following  passage  in  the  prophecy  of 
Isaiah :  "  What  will  ye  do  in  the  day  of  visitation,  and  in  the  desola 
tion  that  shall  come  from  far  ?  to  whom  will  ye  flee  for  help  ?  and 
where  will  ye  leave  your  glory  ?" 3  It  is  used  in  the  second  sense, 
when  God  is  said  to  have  "visited  Israel"  in  Egypt,  and  to  have 
"  visited  and  redeemed  his  people,"  when  he  "  raised  up  for  them  a 
horn  of  salvation  in  the  house  of  his  servant  David  ;"  and  when  God 

1  Rom.  vi.  21 ;  viii.  12,  13.     Gal.  vi.  7,  8. 

3  They  were  represented  as  cannibals,  magicians,  infanticides;  and  as  indulging  in  the 
most  shocking  impurities  at  their  nocturnal  assemblies. — Just.  Apolog.  i.  (Ecumen.  in  loc. 
Euseb.  iv.  7 ;  v.  1.  August,  de  Civ.  Dei,  xviii.  53. 

8  lea.  x.  3. 


240  EXHORTATIONS    TO    CHRISTfANS.  [DISC.  IX. 

is  said  to  have  "  visited  the  Gentiles  to  take  from  among  them  a  peo 
ple  to  his  name ;"  and  probably  when  Jerusalem  is  said  not  to  have 
known  "  the  time  of  her  visitation,"  the  day  in  which  she  might  have 
known  "  the  things  which  belonged  to  her  peace."  1 

If  the  phrase  be  understood  in  the  first  sense,  the  meaning  is,  that 
the  good  behavior  of  the  Christians  would,  when  Divine  judgments 
came  either  on  the  Jewish  or  the  Pagan  opposers  of  Christianity,  in 
duce  even  those  who  had  formerly  spoken  evil  of  them,  to  admit  the 
righteousness  of  the  Divine  judgments,  and  glorify  God  by  acknowl 
edging  how  unfounded  had  been  the  reproaches  they  had  cast  on  his 
people. 

If  the  phrase  be  understood  in  the  second  sense,  then  the  meaning 
is,  in  the  day  when  God  visits  these  poor  benighted  Gentiles  with  his 
grace,  your  consistent,  holy  conduct,  witnessed  by  them,  will  be  one 
of  the  means  employed  by  him  in  leading  them  to  glorify  him  in  em 
bracing  the  gospel  and  devoting  themselves  to  his  service. 

This  latter  view  of  the  words  seems,  on  the  whole,  best  to  harmo 
nize  with  the  scope  and  design  of  the  whole  passage.  The  consistent, 
holy  conduct  of  Christians,  has  often  been  the  means  of  promoting 
the  conversion  of  unbelievers;  and  few  considerations  are  more 
likely  to  weigh  with  a  true  Christian,  as  to  the  adoption  or  rejection  of 
a  particular  course  of  conduct,  than  this.  '  By  such  a  course  I  may 
harden  men  in  unbelief,  embolden  them  in  sin,  smooth  their  path  to 
perdition,  and  obstruct  their  way  to  the  Saviour ;  by  such  another 
course  I  may  rouse  them  to  consideration,  I  may  lead  them  to  inquiry, 
I  may  soften  prejudice,  I  may  "  convert  the  sinner  from  the  error  of 
his  ways,  save  a  soul  from  death,  and  hide  a  multitude  of  sins." ' 2 

The  great  ultimate  object  which  every  Christian  should,  which 
every  genuine  Christian  does,  contemplate,  is  the  promotion  of  the 
glory  of  God.  In  his  estimation,  every  desirable  end  is  included  in 
God's  being  glorified.  This  should  be, — this  is,  when  he  acts  in  char 
acter,  his  predominant  design  and  thought,  "  that  in  all  things  God 
may  be  glorified."  "  In  what  way  shall  I  most  advance  the  glory  of 
my  God  ?  How  shall  I,  who  am  engaged  more  than  them  all,  set  in 
with  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  the  other  creatures,  to  declare 
his  excellence,  his  greatness,  and  his  goodness  ?"  3 

What  formidable  obstacles  have  the  earthly-mindedness,  and  the 
unlovely  temper  and  behavior  of  professed  Christians,  thrown  in  the 
way  of  the  glory  of  God  being  displayed  in  the  progress  and  triumph 
of  the  religion  of  Christ  among  mankind  !  How  have  their  "  envy- 
ings,  and  strifes,  and  divisions" — all,  as  Paul  says,  the  manifestation 
of  carnality  or  fleshliness — how  have  these  impeded,  and  all  but  "  de 
stroyed,  the  work  of  God !"  Never  can  we  reasonably  hope  for  a 
better  state  of  things  till  those  who  bear  the  name  of  Christ,  abstaining 
from  fleshly  lusts,  have  their  conversation  more  honest,  more  lovely, 
more  venerable,  among  the  Gentiles.  When  Zion,  enlightened  by 
the  heavenly  beams  of  sanctifying  truth,  arises  and  shines,  then,  not 
till  then,  shall  "the  Gentiles  come  to  her  light,  and  kings  to  the  bright 
ness  of  her  rising."  4 

1  Exod.  xiii.  19.    Acts  xv.  14.    Luke  i.  68;  xix.  44.  a  James  v.  20. 

'  Leighton.  *  Isa.  be.  1,  2. 


DISC.  IX.]  CONCLUSION.  241 

Such,  then,  are  the  motives  by  which  the  apostle  enforces  his  in 
junction  on  Christians  to  abstain  from  fleshly  lusts,  and  to  have  their 
conversation  honest  among  the  Gentiles. 

Brethren,  this  is  our  duty,  as  well  as  that  of  those  to  whom  these 
words  were  originally  addressed ;  and  the  motives  presented  are  such 
as  should  influence  us  as  well  as  them.  Abstinence  from  all  that  is 
forbidden  or  even  doubtful,  and  the  having  a  consistent,  uniform,  or 
namental  Christian  behavior,  are  duties  incumbent  on  Christians  in  all 
countries,  and  in  all  ages — duties  so  important  and  essential,  that,  if 
they  be  neglected,  we  can  have  no  just  claim  to  "  the  worthy  name" 
which  we  bear.  And  are  not  we  "pilgrims  and  sojourners  before 
God,  as  were  are  all  our  fathers?"  Are  we  not  by  our  profession 
"  plainly  declaring,  that  we  are  seeking  a  country,  a  better  country, 
that  is  an  heavenly?"  Do  we  not  feel  that  the  indulgence  of  inordi 
nate  desire  for  any  earthly  good  disturbs  our  peace,  and  impedes  our 
progress,  and  endangers  our  salvation  ?  Ought  we  not  to  be  desirous 
to  be  instrumental  in  advancing  the  glory  of  God  by  promoting  the 
conversion  of  men  ?  Then  let  us,  as  pilgrims  on  earth,  and  citizens 
of  heaven,  "  set  our  affections  on  things  above,  and  not  on  the  things 
which  are  on  the  earth ;  let  us  seek  the  things  that  are  above  at  the 
right  hand  of  God  ;  let  us  mortify  our  members  that  are  on  the  earth  ;" 
let  us  "crucify  the  flesh  with  the  affections  and  lusts;"  let  us  re 
press  all  the  desires  "  which  war  against  the  soul ;"  let  us  not  degrade 
the  souls  which  God  breathed  into  us,  which  Christ  died  to  save, 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  is  willing  to  make  his  dwelling-place,  into  slaves 
to  those  vile  subordinate  agents  of  the  prince  of  darkness,  which  seek 
their  destruction.  Let  us  cherish  all  those  desires  and  affections 
which  give  peace,  and  health,  and  vigor,  and  activity,  to  the  hidden 
man  of  the  heart ;  let  us  war  against  those  fleshly  lusts  which  war 
against  our  souls ;  let  us  "  not  be  conformed  to  this  world,"  so  full 
of,  so  domineered  over  by,  "  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye, 
and  the  pride  of  life  ;"  but  let  us  be  "  transformed  by  the  renewing  of 
our  minds,"  and  "  prove  what  is  that  good  and  perfect  and  acceptable 
will  of  God." 

In  fine,  pitying  a  world  lying  in  wickedness  and  hurrying  to  hell, 
let  us  do  all  we  can  to  save  them.  If  we  can  do  little  in  any  other 
way,  let  us  at  least,  by  a  holy,  consistent  conduct,  by  exemplifying  the 
purity  and  the  peace  of  the  religion  of  Christ,  proclaim  to  all  around 
us,  "  We  are  journeying  towards  the  land  of  which  the  Lord  hath 
said,  I  will  give  it  you :  come  with  us,  and  we  will  do  you  good  ;  for 
the  Lord  hath  spoken  good  concerning  Israel."  "  Let  your  light,  then, 
so  shine  before  men,  that  they,  seeing  your  good  works,  may  glorify 
your  father  who  is  in  heaven."  l 

1  CoL  iii.  1-5.    Num.  x.  29.    Matt  v.  16. 
16 


DISCOURSE  X, 

THE  NATURE  AND  DESIGN  OF  CIVIL  GOVERNMENT  AND  TIIE 
CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY  IN  REFERENCE  TO  IT. 

1  PET.  ii.  13-15. — Submit  yourselves  to  every  ordinance  of  man  for  tlte  Lord's  sake: 
whether  it  be  to  the  king,  as  supreme ;  or  unto  governors,  as  unto  them  that  are  sent 
by  him  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  for  the  praise  of  them  that  do  dwell.  For 
BO  is  the  will  of  God,  that  with  well-doing  ye  may  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish 


IT  has  been  remarked,  that  the  moral  precepts  of  Christianity  are 
highly  valuable,  not  only  when  viewed  in  reference  to  their  primary 
and  direct  object,  the  direction  and  guidance  of  the  movements  of  the 
inner  and  outer  man,  the  regulation  of  the  temper  and  conduct,  the 
dispositions  and  actions,  but  also  when  considered  in  their  subsidiary 
and  indirect  references,  particularly  in  their  bearing  on  the  evidence 
of  the  Divine  origin  of  that  system  of  revelation  of  which  they  form 
so  important  a  part.  That  bearing  is  manifold.  Let  us  look  at  it  in 
its  various  phases.  Were  a  book,  consisting  partly  of  doctrinal  state 
ments  and  partly  of  moral  precepts,  claiming  a  Divine  origin,  put  into 
our  hands ;  and  were  we  to  find  on  perusal  the  moral  part  of  it  fan 
tastic  and  trifling,  inconsistent  with  the  principles  of  man's  constitu 
tion,  unsuitable  to  the  circumstances  in  which  he  is  placed,  and  in 
compatible  with  the  great  laws  of  justice  and  benevolence,  we  should 
enter  on  the  examination  of  the  evidence  appealed  to,  in  support  of 
its  high  pretensions,  under  the  influence  of  a  strong  and  justifiable 
suspicion.  The  study,  for  example,  of  the  morality  of  the  Talmud, 
or  of  the  Koran,  would  go  far,  before  commencing  an  investigation 
of  evidence,  to  satisfy  an  enlightened  inquirer  that  its  claims  to  a 
Divine  authority  could  not  be  satisfactorily  supported. 

On  the  other  hand,  when,  in  the  New  Testament,  we  find  a  moral 
code  requiring  all  that  is,  and  nothing  that  is  not,  "  true,  and  honest, 
and  just,  and  pure,  and  lovely,"  we  cannot  but  be  impressed  with  the 
conviction,  that  the  system  of  which  this  forms  a  constituent  part  is 
worthy  of  being  carefully  inquired  into ;  and  we  enter  on  the  inquiry 
not  merely  with  excited  attention,  but  with  a  disposition  to  weigh 
candidly  the  evidence  that  can  be  brought  forward  of  a  supernatural 
origin.  A  man  well  acquainted  with  the  preceptive  parts  of  the  New 
Testament,  cannot  help,  unless  he  is  completely  devoid  of  candor,  re 
garding  the  question  of  its  origin  as  a  grave  and  interesting  one.  He 
must  feel  in  reference  to  its  claims,  not  as  he  would  in  reference  to 
the  claims  of  a  mere  stranger,  far  less  of  one  whom  he  knows  to  be 
a  fool,  and  suspects  to  be  a  knave,  but  as  he  would  in  reference  to  the 


DISC.  X.]  CIVIL    GOVERNMENT.  243 

claims  of  a  person  of  whose  wisdom  and  worth  he  had  reason  to  think 
highly.  The  claims  are  of  such  a  kind,  and  the  consequences  of  ad 
mitting  them  are  so  momentous,  that  even,  with  all  these  favorable 
presumptions,  they  are  not  to  be  admitted  without  satisfactory  evi 
dence  ;  but  they  obviously  deserve  to  be  examined,  and  respectfully 
and  diligently  examined. 

But  this  is  not  all.  A  person  in  a  great  measure  ignorant  of  what 
true  Christianity  is,  as  a  moral  as  well  as  a  doctrinal  system,  may, 
without  much  difficulty,  be  persuaded  by  an  ingenious  sceptic, or  un 
believer,  that  that  religion,  like  so  many  others,  has  originated  in  im 
posture  or  delusion,  or  in  a  mixture  of  both.  It  is  to  ignorance  of 
Christianity,  as  its  principal  intellectual  cause,  that  we  are  disposed  to 
trace  the  fearfully  extensive  success  of  infidel  philosophy  among  the 
nominal  Christians  of  the  continent  of  Europe  in  the  period  immedi 
ately  preceding  the  French  Revolution.  But  on  a  person  well  in 
formed  as  to  the  moral  part  of  Christianity,  all  such  ingenious  sophistry 
will  be  thrown  away.  He  is  in  possession  of  information  which  satis 
fies  him  that  all  those  hypotheses,  on  one  or  other  of  which  the  denial 
of  the  truth  and  divinity  of  Christianity  must  proceed,  are  altogether 
untenable.  There  is  a  character  of  uniform,  sober,  practical,  good 
sense,  belonging  to  the  morality  of  the  New  Testament,  which  makes 
it  one  of  the  most  improbable  of  all  things,  that  its  writers  should 
have  been  the  dupes  either  of  their  own  imagination  or  of  a  design 
ing  impostor :  and  there  is  a  sustained  and  apparently  altogether  un- 
assumed  and  natural  air  of  "simplicity  and  godly  sincerity,"  which 
forbids  us,  except  on  the  most  satisfactory  evidence,  to  admit  that 
they  who  wore  it  were  other  than  what  they  seem  to  be,  honest  men. 
To  the  question,  Were  the  men  who  delivered  these  moral  maxims, 
fools  or  knaves,  or  a  mixture  of  both  ?  Were  they  stupid  dupes  or 
wicked  impostors  ?  the  only  reasonable  answer  is,  the  thins;  is  barely 
possible,  it  is  in  the  very  highest  degree  improbable.  Evidence  ten 
fold  more  strong  than  infidel  philosophy  has  ever  dreamed  of,  would 
be  necessary  to  give  anything  like  verisimilitude  to  any  of  these  hypoth 
eses,  on  one  or  other  of  which  must  be  built  the  disproof  of  the  claims 
of  Christianity  on  the  attention,  and  faith,  and  obedience  of  mankind. 

There  is  still  another  aspect  in  which  the  morality  of  Christianity 
may  be  considered,  in  reference  to  the  evidence  of  the  Divine  origin 
of  that  religion.  Viewed  in  all  its  bearings,  it  seems  to  be  of  the 
nature  of  a  moral  miracle.  Compare  the  morality  of  the  New  Tes 
tament  with  the  morality  of  ancient  philosophy ;  compare  Jesus  with 
Socrates  ;  and  Paul,  and  Peter,  and  James,  and  John,  with  Epictetus, 
or  Plato,  or  Seneca,  or  Marcus  Antoninus.  The  difference  is  pro 
digious  ;  the  superiority  is  immeasurable.  Now,  how  are  we  to  ac 
count  for  this  difference,  this  superiority  ?  On  the  supposition  that 
the  writers  of  the  New  Testament  were  uninspired  men,  we  appre 
hend  it  is  utterly  unaccountable.  Nothing  but  the  admission,  that 
they  were  men  who  spoke  and  wrote  as  they  were  moved  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  can  enable  us  satisfactorily  to  explain  the  undoubted 
fact,  that  the  purest  and  most  perfect  system  of  morality  which  the 
world  has  ever  seen  ;  the  system  that  discovers  the  justest  and  widest 
views  of  the  Divine  character  and  government,  and  the  deepest  in- 


244  CIVIL    GOVERNMENT.  [DISC.  X. 

sight  into  the  recesses  of  human  nature,  proceeded  not  from  the 
philosophers  of  Egypt  or  of  India,  of  Greece  or  of  Rome,  but  from 
the  carpenter  of  Nazareth  and  his  uneducated  disciples.1 

Such  thoughts  naturally  rise  in  the  mind  of  every  reflecting  man, 
on  reading  such  a  passage  as  that  of  which  our  text  forms  a  part, 
and  are  well  fitted  to  strengthen  our  conviction,  that  we  have  not  fol 
lowed  "  cunningly  devised  fables,"  when  we  have  yielded  credence  to 
the  claims  and  doctrines  of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  apostles.  It  is,  how 
ever,  full  time  that  we  set  ourselves  to  the  consideration  of  the  words 
which  are  to  form  the  subject  of  our  present  discourse  :  "  Submit 
yourselves  to  every  ordinance  of  man  for  the  Lord's  sake ;  whether 
it  be  to  the  king,  as  supreme ;  or  unto  governors,  as  unto  them  that 
are  sent  by  him  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  for  the  praise 
of  them  that  do  well.  For  so  is  the  will  of  God,  that  with  well-doing 
ye  may  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men." 

The  duty  here  enjoined,  and  the  motive  by  which  it  is  enforced, 
are  obviously  the  two  topics  to  which  our  attention  must  be  succes 
sively  directed  in  the  sequel ;  but  to  illustrate  either  with  advantage, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  make  a  few  remarks,  having  for  their  object  to 
explain  something  that  is  obscure  in  the  phraseology,  and  to  disen 
tangle  something  that  is  involved  in  the  construction  of  the  sentence 
which  lies  before  us. 


I— INTRODUCTORY  EXPLICATORY  OBSERVATIONS. 

The  word  rendered  "  ordinance," 2  is  the  term  which  is  usually  and 
properly  rendered  "creature."  It  is  the  word  that  occurs  when  the 
gospel  is  commanded  to  be  "  preached  to  every  creature,"  and  is  said 
to  have  been  "  preached  to  every  creature  under  heaven  :"  when  the 
"  whole  creation,"  or  "  every  creature,"  is  said  to  "  groan  and  travail 
in  pain  ;"  and  when  every  one  who  is  in  Christ  is  said  to  be  "  a  new 
creature."3  The  literal  rendering  is,  "  Submit  yourselves  to  every 
human  creature."  Some  interpreters,  most  unsuccessfully,  have  at 
tempted  to  explain  the  passage  on  the  principle  that  this  is  its  mean 
ing  here.4  Our  translators,  perceiving  that  the  nature  of  things, 
equally  with  the  scope  of  the  passage,  made  such  a  version  inadmis 
sible,  have  given  to  the  word  a  figurative  signification.  They  con 
sider  it  as  equivalent  to  ordinance,  or  institution,  or  appointment,  all 
of  which  are,  as  it  were,  the  creatures  of  those  who  ordain,  institute, 
or  appoint  them.6 

Still,  however,  it  seems  a  strange  injunction,  "  Submit  yourselves 

1  A  fuller  illustration  of  these  remarks  on  the  bearing  of  Christian  morality  on  Christian 
evidence,  will  be  found  in  the  author's  Introductory  Essay  to  Collins'  edition  of  Venn's 
"  Complete  Duty  of  Man."   - 

2  Kriffij.  3  Mark  xvi.  14.     Col.  i.  23.    Rom.  viii.  19-22.     2  Cor.  v.  17. 

4  Sherlock.  Grotius  conjectures  that  the  original  reading  may  have  been  Kfiaet.  The 
conjecture  is  ingenious,  but  entirely  unsupported.  It  is  a  most  instructive  fact,  that,  so  far 
as  I  know,  no  mere  conjecture  as  to  the  original  text  of  the  New  Testament  has  ever  been 
confirmed  by  subsequent  examination  of  Codices. 

j\.Tiaiv  dvOpuniirnv  rtlj  dpyiij  ^c'yti  ra?  yetpoTovrjTas  viro  T&V  {3acri\c(tWi  5)  /cai  atfrovf  T0t)f  /?a«r»- 
Xe?5  KaSore  <cal  aurol  inrd  dvdpuiruv  ird^Q^aav  »}roi  £r£f?/?<raj'f  oi&:  yap  >/  -a<rj  /ecu  rr]v  Qiaiv  /cnVtt 
Ka\clv. — ( 


PART  I.J  EXPLICATORY    OBSERVATIONS.  245 

to  every  human  institution."  Surely  there  are  many  human  institu 
tions  or  ordinances  to  which  a  Christian  is  not  bound  to  submit ;  surely 
there  are  not  a  few  human  institutions  or  ordinances  to  which  a 
Christian  is  bound  not  to  submit.  The  injunction  plainly  requires 
limitation :  and  we  apprehend  it  receives  it. 

The  concluding  phrase  of  the  13th  verse,  "for  the  punishment  of 
evil-doers,  and  for  the  praise  of  them  who  do  well,"  is  commonly 
connected  with  the  words  which  immediately  precede  it,  as  if  it 
were  intended  to  express  the  object  which  the  king,  or  supreme  ma 
gistrate,  has  in  view  in  appointing  deputies.  It  appears  to  us  far 
more  natural  to  connect  it  with  the  word  "  ordinance  ;"  and  to  view 
it  as  intended  to  define  the  particular  class  of  human  ordinances 
which  the  apostle  refers  to,  when  he  commands  Christians  to  be  sub 
ject  to  every  one  of  them.  It  is  more  than  doubtful  whether  kings 
have  always,  or  usually,  had  this  as  their  object  in  appointing  gover 
nors  ;  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  this  is  the  end  of  civil  government, 
and  is  the  reason  why  men  are  bound  to  submit  to  it.  "  Submit  your 
selves  to  every  human  ordinance,  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers, 
and  for  the  praise  of  them  who  do  well."  This  does  not  require  any 
change  in  the  translation,  it  only  requires  you  to  place  a  comma  after 
the  words,  "  sent  by  him." 

This  command,  "  Submit  yourselves  to  every  human  ordinance,  for 
the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  for  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well," 
is,  as  it  were,  the  trunk  of  the  injunction  ;  the  phrases,  "  for  the  Lord's 
sake,"  and  "  whether  to  the  king,  as  supreme,  and  to  governors,  as 
those  sent  by  him,"  are,  as  it  were,  branches  that  spring  out  of  it. 
According  to  the  genius  of  the  English  language,  the  precept  would 
run  thus  :  '  Submit  yourselves,  for  the  Lord's  sake,  to  every  ordinance 
of  man,  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  the  praise  of  them  who 
do  well,  whether  to  the  king,  as  supreme,  or  to  governors,  as  to  them 
who  are  sent  by  him.' 

This  mode  of  construing  the  passage,  not  only  gives  a  definite 
reference  to  the  very  general  term  "  ordinance,"  or  institution ;  it 
also  enables  us  to  account  for  the  apostle  using  the  somewhat  strange 
expression  in  reference  to  civil  government,  "ordinance  of  man,  or 
human  institution  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  the  praise  of 
them  who  do  well."  The  persons  immediately  addressed  by  the 
apostles  were  Jews,  or  proselytes  who  had  imbibed  Jewish  modes  of 
thought.  Jews  held  themselves  bound  to  be  subject  to  the  Divine 
ordinance  of  civil  magistracy,  as  laid  down  in  their  Scriptures.  That 
ordinance,  whether  embodied  .in  Moses  or  in  the  Judges,  or  in  the 
Davidical  Kings,  they  regarded  as  entitled  to  obedience ;  but  as  to 
human  institutions  for  this  purpose,  they  seem  very  generally  to  have 
doubted,  and  many  of  them  to  have  explicitly  denied,  that  they  were 
obligatory  on  the  chosen  people  of  God.  If  they  yielded  obedience, 
it  was  rather  as  a  matter  of  expediency  than  of  obligation ;  they  sub 
mitted  "  for  wrath's  sake,"  that  is,  to  avoid  punishment,  rather  than 
"for  conscience'  sake,"  that  is,  because  God  had  so  willed  it.  These 
views  were  very  probably  carried  by  many  of  the  Jewish  converts 
into  their  new  profession  ;  and  there  seems  to  be  a  peculiar  propriety 
in  the  apostle,  after  having  described  their  privileges  and  immunities 


246  CIVIL    GOVERNMENT,  [DISC.  X 

as  Christians  in  such  lofty  language,  borrowed  from  the  peculiarities 
of  the  Jewish  people  under  the  former  economy  ;  after  having  repre 
sented  them  as  "  the  chosen  race,  the  kingdom  of  priests,  the  holy 
nation,  the  peculiar  people,  the  people  of  God  ;"  putting  them  in  rnind 
that  those  privileges  were  all  of  a  spiritual  nature,  and  that  with  regard 
to  human  institutions,  and  especially  with  regard  to  human  institu 
tions  for  the  purposes  of  civil  government,  they  were  just  on  a  level 
with  the  rest  of  mankind,  with  the  rest  of  their  fellow-citizens ;  pos 
sessed  of  the  same  rights,  liable  to  the  same  obligations. 


II— THE  DUTY  ENJOINED;   SUBJECTION   TO   THE   CIVIL  GOVERNMENT, 
IN  THE  PERSONS  OF  ALL  ITS  LEGAL  ADMINISTRATORS. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  proceed  to  consider  the  duty  here  en- 
joined  on  Christians  :  Subjection  to  the  civil  government  of  the 
country  where  they  reside,  in  the  persons  of  all  its  legal  adminis 
trators.  "  Submit  yourselves  to  every  ordinance  of  man,  for  the  pun 
ishment  of  evil-doers,  and  for  the  praise  of  them  who  do  well :  whether 
to  the  king,  as  supreme  ;  or  to  governors,  as  those  sent  by  him." 

The  description  of  civil  government  here  given,  first  calls  for  con 
sideration.  It  is  described  as  "  an  ordinance  or  institution  for  the 
punishment  of  all  evil-doers,  and  the  praise  .of  them  who  do  well." 
The  great  design  of  civil  government  is,  to  protect  the  liberties,  prop 
erties,  and  lives  of  mankind,  living  together  in  society.  For  this 
purpose,  laws  with  suitable  sanctions  are  enacted  and  executed,  and 
officers  are  created  for  the  enactment,  promulgation,  and  execution 
of  these  laws.  With  reference  to  civil  government,  he  and  he 
only  is  an  evil-doer  who  violates  the  law  ;  and  it  is  enough  to  entitle 
a  man,  in  the  estimation  of  the  magistrate,  to  the  appellation  of  one  who 
does  well,  if  he  but  obey  the  law.  With  sin,  as  sin,  the  magistrate 
has  nothing  to  do.  It  is  only  when  sin  becomes  crime,  a  violation  of 
law,  and  infringement  of  civil  order,  that  it  comes  under  his  cogni 
zance.  The  design,  then,  of  magistracy  is  "for  the  punishment  .of 
evil-doers,"  who  break  the  laws  enacted  for  the  protection  of  liberty, 
property,  reputation,  and  life ;  and  "  for  the  praise,"  that  is,  for  the 
reward  of  those  "who  do  wrell"  by  keeping  these  laws  ;  giving  them 
that  protection  and  encouragement  which,  as  has  been  very  justly  re 
marked,  are  the  only  rewards  which  good  subjects  can  reasonably  ex 
pect  from  their  civil  governors.1 

Civil  government  is  farther  described  as  "  an  ordinance  of  man,"  or 
"  a  human  institution,"  for  this  purpose:  It  is,  indeed,  the  doctrine 
of  the  New  Testament,  that  civil  government,  in  one  sense,  and  that 
an  important  one,  is  a  Divine  institution,  an  ordinance  of  God  ;  but 
that  doctrine,  rightly  understood,  is  in  no  way  inconsistent  with  the 
doctrine  that,  in  another  sense,  it  is  a  human  institution,  the  ordi 
nance  of  man.  Civil  government  is  of  God,  so  as  to  lay  a  founda 
tion  for  a  Divine  moral  obligation  on  those  subject  to  it  to  yield  obe 
dience.  Some  have  held  that  magistracy  is  of  God  merely  as  all 
things  are  of  God,  as  the  famine  and  the  pestilence,  as  slavery  and 

1  "  Reward  cannot,  properly,  be  the  sanction  of  human  laws." — WARBUBTON. 


PART  II.]       I     DUTY    OF    CHRISTIANS    IN    REFERENCE    TO    IT. 


247 


war,  are  of  him.  Those  who  take  this  view  err  by  defect;  for  this 
could  lay  no  foundation  for  a  claim  on  obedience.  Others  err  by 
excess,  who  hold  that  magistracy  is  a  direct,  express  Divine  institu 
tion.  It  does  not  stand  on  the  same  foundation  as  the  priesthood 
under  the  law,  or  the  Christian  ministry  under  the  gospel.  The 
magistracy  of  the  Jews  under  the  law  was  the  result  of  a  direct  Di 
vine  appointment ;  but  not  the  magistracy  of  any  other  people.  It 
does  not  stand  even  on  the  same  ground  as  marriage,  which  was  for 
mally  instituted.  It  occupies  similar  ground  with  the  social  state, 
agriculture,  or  commerce.  It  naturally  rises  out  of  the  constitution 
of  men's  minds,  which  is  God's  work,  and  the  circumstances  of  their 
situation,  which  are  the  result  of  his  providence ;  and  it  is  highly 
conducive  to  the  security  and  well-being  of  mankind,  which  we 
know  must  be  agreeable  to  the  will  of  Him  whose  nature,  as  well  as 
name,  is  love,  and  whose  tender  mercies  are  over  all  his  works. 

All  this  is  perfectly  consistent  with  civil  government  being  a 
human  ordinance  or  institution.  It  is  the  work  of  man's  faculties, 
called  forth  by  the  circumstances  in  which  he  is  placed,  out  of  which 
arises  the  variety  of  form  which  the  general  institution  bears  in  dif 
ferent  countries  and  in  different  ages  :  thus  far  it  is  the  work  of  man ; 
and  it  is  the  work  of  God,  just  inasmuch  as  he  endows  man  with 
these  faculties,  and  places  him  in  the  circumstances  which  call  them 
forth  to  exertion.  To  borrow  the  illustration  of  one  of  the  greatest 
of  our  writers  on  the  subject  of  government :  "  To  say,  because  civil 
magistracy  is  ordained  of  God,  therefore  it  cannot  be  the  ordinance 
of  man,  is  as  if  you  said,  '  God  ordained  the  temple,  therefore  it  was 
not  built  by  masons ;  he  ordained  the  snuffers,  therefore  they  were 
not  made  by  a  smith.1' ' 

Now,  the  duty  of  Christians  to  this  "  human  ordinance"  of  civil 
magistracy,  is  to  "  submit  themselves"  to  it,  practically  to  acknowl* 
edge  its  authority.  It  is  the  duty  of  a  Christian  to  yield  obedience  to 
all  laws  of  the  government  under  which  he  lives,  that  are  not  in 
consistent  with  the  law  of  God.  When  the  human  ordinance  con 
tradicts  the  Divine  ordinance,  requiring  us  to  do  what  God  forbids, 
or  forbidding  us  to  do  what  God  requires,  the  rule  is  plain :  "  We 
ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  man.'  " 2 

Nothing  short  of  this,  however,  can  warrant  a  Christian  to  with 
hold  obedience  from  a  law  of  the  government  under  which,  in  the 
providence  of  God,  he  is  placed  ;  and  even  when  conscience  may 
compel  him  to  non-obedience,  he  is  quietly  and  patiently  to  suffer  the 
penalty  which  the  law  imposes  on  his  non-obedience.  While  obliged 
by  the  law  of  God  in  such  a  case  not  to  obey  the  law  of  man,  he  is 
equally  obliged,  while  the  government  continues  to  be  acknowledged 
by  the  community  of  which  he  forms  a  part,  not  to  resist  it.  He 
may,  he  ought  to,  use  every  means  which  the  constitution  of  his 
country  puts  in  his  power  to  have  the  law  improved;3  but  while  it 
continues  in  force,  however  unwise  and  iniquitous,  if  it  does  not  re- 

1  Harrington.  2  Acts  v.  29. 

*  "A  timely,  steady,  and  mild  resistance,  on  legal  grounds,  to  every  unlawful  stretch  of 
power  (as  in  the  well-known  case  of  the  ship-money),  will  prove  the  most  effectual  means, 
if  uniformly  resorted  to,  for  preventing  the  occurrence  of  those  desperate  and  extreme 
eases,  which  call  for  violent  and  dangerous  remedies." — ARCHBISHOP  WHATELY. 


248  CIVIL    GOVERNMENT.  [DISC.  X. 

quire  him  to  sin,  he  must  obey  it ;  and  even  when  it  does  require  him 
to  sin,  while  he  must  by  no  means  obey  it,  he  must  submit  to  the 
punishment,  however  unjust,  which  the  law  denounces  against  him. 

One  of  the  most  important  modes  of  submission  to  civil  government 
is  the  payment  of  tribute ;  and  this,  like  all  the  other  duties  we  owe  to 
our  rulers,  is  to  be  regulated  by  the  principle  already  laid  down.  We 
must  not  refuse,  we  must  not  seek  to  evade,  the  payment  of  a  tax, 
merely  because  we  think  it  unwise  or  unequal.  It  is  only  in  the  case 
of  government  requiring  us  to  pay  a  tax  for  what  we  consider  as  a 
sinful  object,  that  we  are  entitled  to  refuse  compliance,  and  even  in 
that  case  we  are  bound  to  submit  to  the  penalty  whicli  the  law  ap 
points  for  our  non-compliance. 

Under  the  general  name  of  submission  are  included  also  that  re 
spect  and  reverence  with  which  the  institution  of  civil  government 
should  be  regarded  by  all  subjects.  "  To  despise  government,  and 
speak  evil  of  dignities/'  are  sins  most  decidedly  condemned  in  the 
law  of  Christ ;  and  the  Christian  apostle  has  given  his  sanction  to  the 
command  of  the  Jewish  lawgiver :  "  Thou  shalt  not  speak  evil  of  the 
rulers  of  thy  people."  Words  are  the  signs  of  thought :  the  expres 
sions  of  sentiment  and  feeling.  They  are  therefore  far  from  being 
harmless  in  themselves,  and  they  are  very  far  from  being  harmless  in 
their  consequences.  The  man  who  indulges  his  tongue  in  contume 
lious  revilings  against  the  authorities  of  the  land,  using  language  fitted 
to  bring  government  itself  into  contempt,  is  a  dangerous  enemy  of 
his  country's  weal,  as  well  as  a  direct  and  open  violator  of  the  express 
command  of  God.1 

It  is  highly  desirable  that  the  personal  character  of  the  magistrate 
should  give  additional  lustre  to  his  official  dignity ;  while  it  is  deeply 
to  be  regretted  that  the  follies  and  faults  of  those  who  fill  public  sta 
tions  have  so  often  excited  a  most  pernicious  influence,  in  diminish 
ing  the  authority  of  the  laws,  by  making  it  impossible  personally  to 
respect  their  administrators.  It  is  well  remarked  by  Hooker,  that 
"great  caution  must  be  used,  that  we  neither  be  emboldened  to  fol 
low  them  in  evil,  whom,  for  authority's  sake,  we  must  honor,  nor  in 
duced  in  authority  to  dishonor  them  whom,  as  examples,  we  must  not 
follow." 

To  prevent  misapprehensions,  it  is  needful  to  remark  here,  that 
particular  civil  governments  may  be  so  faulty  in  their  constitution,  or 
so  corrupt  in  their  administration,  that  it  may  not  only  be  lawful,  but 
obligatory,  on  the  subjects,  to  seek  improvement  by  thorough  change, 
depriving  of  power  those  who  have  abused  it,  and  organizing  a  new 
form  of  civil  rule  which  will  answer  its  objects ;  and  that  there  is 
certainly  nothing  in  the  law  of  Christ  which  exempts  his  followers 
from  an  obligation  to  act  the  part  of  good  citizens  in  such  circum 
stances  ;  but  it  is  also  of  importance  to  add,  that  nothing  short  of  the 
demonstrated  impracticability  of  the  improvement  of  a  government 
by  constitutional  measures,  and  of  the  moral  certainty  of  the  great 
body  of  the  citizens  being  really  desirous  of  a  change,  can  warrant 
individuals  to  refuse  submission  to  the  form  of  civil  rule  under  which 

2  Pet.  ii.  10.     Exod.  xxii.  28.     Acts  xxiii.  5.     James  iii.  1-G. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES    TO    SUBMISSION.  249 

they  live,  whatever  may  be  the  imperfections  and  faults  by  which  it 
is  characterized. 

It  deserves  notice,  also,  before  we  close  our  observations  on  this 
head,  that  the  apostle's  command  is,  "  Submit  yourselves  to  every 
ordinance  of  man  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  the  praise  of 
them  who  do  well."  These  words,  taken  by  themselves,  might 
mean, — Submit  yourselves  to  civil  government,  whatever  form  it 
may  wear ;  monarchy,  aristocracy,  democracy,  or  any  conceivable 
combination  of  these  elements ;  and  there  can  be  no  question  that  in 
this  sense  the  words  would  express  the  Christian's  duty.  It  is  equal 
ly  the  duty  of  the  Christian,  if  he  live  in  Austria,  to  submit  to  mon 
archy  ;  if  he  live  in  America,  to  submit  to  democracy ;  if  he  live  in 
Great  Britain,  to  submit  to  our  mixed  government  of  king,  lords,  and 
commons  ;  but  from  the  context  it  is  plain  that  the  reference  is  not  to 
different  forms  of  civil  rule  in  different  countries,  but  to  the  different 
organs  of  civil  rule  in  the  same  country.  "  Whether  to  the  king/1 
that  is,  to  the  Roman  emperor,  within  the  limits  of  whose  wide  do 
minions  those  addressed  by  the  apostle  lived,  "  or  to  governors  sent 
by  him,"  that  is,  to  the  proconsuls,  or  procurators,  deputed  by  the 
emperor  to  perform  the  offices  of  government  in  the  distant  parts  of 
the  empire.  To  all  the  officers  by  whom  the  law  is  administered,  Chris 
tians  are  to  render  obedience.  Whether  they  be  persons  in  a  higher 
station  or  in  a  lower ;  whatever  be  the  nature  or  the  denomination  of 
their  office ;  whether  the  jurisdiction  extend  over  the  whole  land,  or 
be  limited  to  a  county  or  to  a  parish ;  to  every  one  of  the  persons 
appointed  to  execute  the  laws,  we  are  bound  to  render  obedience  in 
all  those  particulars  in  which  he  is  authorized  to  demand  it.  So 
much  for  the  illustration  of  the  duty  enjoined  by  the  apostle. 


Ill— THE  MOTIVE  OF  THE    DUTY  OF    CIVIL    OBEDIENCE :    « FOR    THE 

LORD'S  SAKE." 

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  motives  by  which  the  apostle 
enforces  this  duty.  These  are  unfolded  in  the  words,  "For  the 
Lord's  sake ;  for  so  is  the  will  of  God,  that  with  well-doing  you  may 
put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men."  "  The  Lord"  is  here 
as  generally  in  the  New  Testament,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Chris 
tians  are  to  yield  obedience  to  the  civil  government  under  which  they 
live,  "  for  his  sake  ;"  for  the  sake  of  his  commandment ;  for  the  sake 
of  his  example  ;  for  the  sake  of  his  cause. 

First,  Christians  are  to  obey  the  civil  government  under  which  they 
live,  for  the  sake  of  Christ's  commandment.  Now,  what  is  his  com 
mandment  ?  This  was  his  commandment  when  he  was  on  earth, 
"  Render  to  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's,"  that  is,  give  to  the 
civil  government  its  due ;  and,  if  you  look  into  the  writings  of  the 
apostles,  you  will  find  that  the  due  of  civil  government  is  obedience, 
tribute,  and  honor.  These  apostles  had  the  mind  of  Christ,  and  they 
thus  express  it :  "  Let  every  soul  be  subject  to  the  higher  powers. 
For  there  is  no  power  but  of  God :  the  powers  that  be  are  ordained 
of  God.  Whosoever  therefore  resisteth  the  power  resisteth  the  or- 


250  CIVIL    GOVERNMENT.  [DISC.  X 

dinance  of  God  ;  and  they  that  resist  shall  receive  to  themselves  dam 
nation.  For  rulers  are  not  a  terror  to  good  works,  but  to  the  'evil. 
Wilt  thou  then  not  be  afraid  of  the  power?  Do  that  which  is  good, 
and  thou  shalt  have  praise  of  the  same :  for  he  is  the  minister  6t  God 
to  thee  for  good.  But  if  thou  do  that  which  is  evil,  be  afraid  ;  for  he 
beareth  not  the  sword  in  vain  :  for  he  is  the  minister  of  God,  a  reven 
ger  to  execute  wrath  on  him  that  doth  evil.  Wherefore  ye  must 
needs  be  subject,  not  only  for  wrath,  but  also  for  conscience'  sake. 
For,  for  this  cause  pay  you  tribute  also :  for  they  are  God's  ministers, 
attending  continually  on  this  very  thing.  Render  therefore  to  them 
all  their  dues  :  tribute  to  whom  tribute  is  due ;  custom  to  whom  cus 
tom  ;  fear  to  whom  fear ;  honor  to  whom  honor."  "  Put  them  in 
mind,"  says  Paul  to  Titus,  "  to  be  subject  to  principalities  and  powers  ; 
to  obey  magistrates."  They  who  "despise  government,"  who  are 
"presumptuous,  self-willed,"  and  "not  afraid  to  speak  evil  of  digni 
ties,"  are,  according  to  Peter,  among  "  the  unjust  whom  the  Lord 
knows  how  to  reserve  unto  the  day  of  judgment  to  be  punished."  1 

It  may  be  said  "  the  commandment  of  the  Lord,"  in  these  words, 
"  is  pure,"  2  clear  as  crystal ;  but  how  are  we  to  know  what  is  that 
civil  government  to  which  they  refer?  We  know  that  the  civil  gov 
ernment  established  among  the  Jews  was  God's  ordinance  to  them. 
We  know  that  the  Roman  government  was  God's  ordinance  to  the 
primitive  Christians ;  but  how  are  we  to  know  what  civil  government 
is  God's  ordinance  to  us  ?  The  true  answer  to  that  is  given  by  Dr. 
Paley  :  "  It  is  the  will  of  God  that  the  happiness  of  human  life  be  pro 
moted.  Civil  society  conduces  to  that  end.  Civil  societies  cannot 
be  upholden,  unless  in  each  the  interest  of  the  whole  society  be  bind 
ing  on  every  part  and  member  of  it.  So  long  as  the  established  gov 
ernment  cannot  be  resisted  or  changed  without  public  inconveniency, 
it  is  the  will  of  God  that  the  established  government  be  obeyed."  We 
have  not  the  same  means  of  judging  of  any  particular  government 
that  it  is  God's  ordinance  to  us,  as  those  had  whom  the  apostles  Paul 
and  Peter  plainly  told,  that  the  Roman  government  was  the  ordi 
nance  of  God  to  them  ;  but  we  have  sufficient  means  of  ascertaining 
that  point ;  and  when,  by  their  use,  we  have  come  to  the  conclusion, 
that  the  government  under  which  we  live  is  so,  then  the  obligation  to 
obedience,  arising  out  of  the  commandment  of  our  Lord,  binds  us  as 
strongly  as  it  bound  them. 

Happily  for  us,  my  brethren,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  coining  to  a 
determination.  On  the  one  hand,  our  civil  constitution  is  based  on  so 
many  just  principles — is  upon  the  whole,  compared  to  most  other  gov 
ernments,  so  well  administered,  and  contains  within  itself  such  a 
deep-seated  and  powerful  spring  of  improvement,  that  we  can  have 
no  reasonable  doubt  that,  though  an  ordinance  of  man,  it  is  also  the 
ordinance  of  God  to  us ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  ruling  power 
in  this  country,  supported,  as  it  is,  by  the  great  body  of  the  subjects 
giving  their  approbation  to  the  principles  on  which  it  is  founded,  is 
so  powerful,  that  to  think  of  resisting  it  would  not  only  be  highly 
criminal,  but  folly  almost  amounting  to  madness.  "For  the  Lord's 
sake,"  then,  let  us  submit  ourselves  to  this  ordinance  of  man,  whether 

1  Matt.  xxii.  21.     Rom.  xiii.  1-7.    Tit  iii.  ]      2  Pet.  ii.  9,  10.  2  Psal.  xix.  8. 


PART  IIT.]  MOTIVES    TO    SUBMISSION.  251 

to  the  queen,  as  supreme,  or  to  inferior  magistrates,  as  commissioned 
by  her. 

Secondly,  Christians  are  to  obey  the  civil  government  under  which 
they  live,  for  the  sake  of  the  example  of  the  Lord.  We  are  distinctly 
informed  by  our  apostle  in  the  context,  that  "  Christ  has  left  us  an  ex 
ample,  that  we  should  walk  in  his  steps." l  It  is  the  duty  of  his  fol 
lowers  "  to  be  in  the  world  as  he  was  in  the  world,"  and  to  "  walk 
even  as  he  also  walked."  "The  life  of  our  Lord  Jesus  should  be 
manifested  in  our  mortal  bodies  ;"  our  lives  should  be  the  counterpart 
of  his.  There  is  caution,  however,  no  doubt  necessary,  in  applying 
the  example  of  Christ  as  a  rule  of  conduct.  We  ought  always  to  act 
on  the  principles  on  which  he  acted ;  and  when  our  circumstances 
coincide  with  his,  we  cannot  too  exactly  copy  his  conduct.  But  his 
circumstances  and  ours  are  often  very  different ;  so  that  an  action 
which  was  right  in  him,  might  be  wrong  in  us.  Knowing  the  hearts 
of  men,  for  example,  he  spoke  to  hypocrites  in  a  way  that  it  would 
be  presumptuous  in  us  to  speak  to  any  man.  His  situation,  in  refer 
ence  to  the  civil  government  under  which  he  was  placed,  was  so  dif 
ferent  from  that  in  which  we  stand  to  the  civil  government  under 
which  we  are  placed,  that  wre  need  caution  in  reasoning  from  the 
manner  in  which  he  acted  to  the  manner  in  which  we  ought  to  act; 
yet  still  his  example  here,  and  in  every  other  instance,  is  replete  with 
instruction.  He  made  it  plain  that  he  would  not  permit  political  con 
siderations  to  turn  him  aside  from  his  great  work.  The  political 
state  of  the  world  very  much  needed  improvement;  but  his  directly 
interfering  in  it  would  have  thrown  obstacles  in  the  way  of  gaining 
his  great  object — an  object  which,  when  gained,  will  ultimately  put 
everything  right.  He  did  not  "  cry  nor  strive."  He  took  no  part 
in  the  political  controversies  of  his  times.  "  He  did  no  violence  ;" 
he  stirred  up  no  seditions.2  He  rendered  to  Ca3sar  the  things  that 
were  Caesar's.  We  should  err  if  we  were  to  draw  the  conclusion, 
that  we  ought  to  have  as  little  to  do  with  politics  as  Jesus  Christ  had ; 
for  our  place,  as  citizens  of  a  free  commonwealth,  is  very  different  from 
his,  who  had  no  political  standing  at  all  in  the  existing  forms  of  rule, 
whether  Jewish  or  Roman  ;  but  we  are  taught,  that  as  Christians  we 
are  to  place  the  religious  above  the  political ;  the  kingdom  not  of  this 
world,  above  every  worldly  kingdom  ;  that  the  citizen  of  heaven  must 
not  be  sunk  either  in  the  citizen  of  Britain  or  the  citizen  of  the 
world ;  that  where  there  is  no  prospect  of  our  improving  political  in 
stitutions,  it  is  wisest  to  let  them  alone ;  and  that  if  he  was  uniformly 
obedient  and  submissive  to  one  of  the  worst  of  human  governments,  it 
ill  becomes  us  to  be  factious,  and  seditious,  and  disobedient,  under  a 
system  of  civil  rule,  which,  though  far,  very  far  indeed,  from  being 
perfect,  is  yet  among  the  best  which  the  world  has  yet  seen. 

It  is,  however,  chiefly,  we  apprehend,  to  the  bearing  which  their 
submission  to  the  civil  government  is  likely  to  have  on  the  cause  of 
Christ,  that  the  apostle  refers  in  the  words  before  us.  I  therefore  go 
on  to  remark,  in  the  third  place,  that  Christians  are  bound  to  obey 
the  civil  government  under  which  they  are  placed,  for  the  sake  of 
the  cause  of  the  Lord.  Among  the  false  charges  brought  against  the 

1  1  Pet.  ii.  21.  7  Isa.xlii.  2;  liii.  9. 


252  CIVIL   GOVERNMENT.  [DISC.  X 

primitive  Christians,  this  was  one, — they  were  bad  subjects  ;  and 
their  refusal  to  join  in  the  rites  of  the  idolatrous  religion,  sanctioned 
by  public  authority,  seemed  to  give  plausibility  to  the  charge.  It  de 
serves  notice,  that  this  is  a  charge  which,  in  all  ages,  has  been  brought 
against  the  people  of  God  by  their  enemies.  The  adversaries  of  Ju- 
dah  and  Benjamin,  when  God  turned  again  the  captivity  of  his  people, 
branded  Jerusalem  as  "  the  rebellious  and  the  bad  city — a  city  hurt 
ful  unto  kings  and  provinces,  whose  inhabitants  had  moved  sedition 
of  old  time;"  and  Haman,  "that  wicked  adversary  and  enemy,"  de 
scribed  the  Jews  as  "  a  certain  people  scattered  abroad,  and  dispersed 
among  the  people  in  all  the  provinces  of  the  kingdom;  whose  laws 
were  diverse  from  all  people,  and  who  keep  not  the  king's  laws  : 
whom  it  was  therefore  not  for  the  king's  profit  to  suffer." 1  "  There 
was  a  strong  report,"  says  one  of  the  fathers  of  the  church,2  comment 
ing  on  the  parallel  passage  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  "  that  the 
apostles  were  seditious  and  innovators,  and  that  their  principles  and 
practices  tended  to  the  subversion  of  the  common  laws."  So  far  as 
this  report  was  credited,  it  was  plainly  calculated,  in  a  variety  of 
ways,  to  impede  the  progress  of  Christianity ;  and  nothing  was  so 
much  fitted  to  give  currency  and  credit  to  the  calumny,  as  a  neglect 
or  violation  on  the  part  of  Christians  of  the  injunction  contained  in 
the  text.  This  was  sure  to  expose  them  to  the  vengeance  of  the 
laws,  and  so  to  deprive  them  of  the  power  of  extending  Christianity  ; 
while  discredit  was  cast  on  the  Christian  cause  as  hostile  to  the  order 
of  civil  society.  On  the  contrary,  nothing  was  better  fitted  to  live 
down  the  calumny,  than  a  scrupulous  and  conscientious  compliance 
with  the  injunction.  When  it  was  found  that  no  class  of  subjects  so 
readily  obeyed  all  the  laws  of  the  empire,  except  those  which  required 
what  was  inconsistent  with  the  laws  of  Christ,  while  even  in  this  case 
they  meekly  submitted  to  the  consequences  of  their  non-compliance, 
though  these  often  were  torture  and  death  ;  that  while  they  refused 
to  give  their  property  for  the  support  of  idolatry,  they  patiently  took 
the  spoiling  of  their  goods,  and  readily  rendered  "  tribute  to  whom 
tribute  was  due,  custom  to  whom  custom  was  due,"  the  conclusion 
must  have  forced  itself  on  every  reflecting  mind  :  '  These  are  peace 
able,  orderly  men,  and  there  is  nothing  in  their  religion  inconsistent 
with  the  welfare  of  the  state.'  In  this  way  their  well-doing  was  fitted 
to  "put  to  silence"3  the  ignorant  and  malignant  calumnies  of  their 
foolish  and  unprincipled  accusers.  Such  an  even  tenor  of  good  con 
duct,  such  an  onward  course  of  well-doing,  was  better  fitted  to  silence 
adversaries  than  the  most  elaborate  apologies  and  defences. 

The  principle  on  which  the  apostolic  injunction  proceeds,  is  one 
applicable  to  all  countries  and  ages.  If  Christians  wish  to  recommend 
the  religion  they  profess,  they  must  be  exemplary  in  the  discharge  of 
all  the  duties  of  domestic  and  social  relative  life  ;  and  few  things  are 
more  fitted  to  prejudice  worldly  men  against  religion  generally,  or 
against  particular  forms  of  religion,  than  the  manifestation  on  the  part 

i  Ezra  iv.  12.    Esth.  iii.  8.  2  Chrysostom. 

*  The  word  <f>ipovvt  rendered  put  to  silence,  properly  signifies  to  muzzle ;  -which,  in  one 
expressive  word,  shows  the  apostle's  opinion  of  these  adversaries  of  Christianity.  They 
belonged  to  the  rives,  of  which  Paul  warns  the  Philippians. — Ch.  iii.  2. 


DISC.  X.J  CONCLUSION.  253 

of  their  professors  of  a  disposition  to  evade  the  laws,  or  violate  the 
order,  or  disorganize  the  constitution  of  civil  society. 

At  the  same  time  it  must  not  be  forgotten,  that  the  interests  of  gen 
uine  Christianity  may  be  as  really  injured  by  the  maintenance  and 
exemplification  of  slavish  principles  as  by  the  maintenance  and  ex 
emplification  of  revolutionary  principles  ;  and  that  the  true  medium  is 
not  so  happily  described  in  the  verse  which  follows  our  text,  the 
thinking,  and  feeling,  and  acting  as  free  men,  guarding  against  ma 
king  our  liberty  a  cloak  of  wickedness,  conducting  ourselves  always 
as  the  servants  of  God,  honoring  all  men,  loving  the  brotherhood, 
fearing  God,  honoring  the  king.  Thus  have  I  briefly  illustrated  the 
apostolic  injunction,  "Submit  yourselves  to  every  human  ordinance, 
for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well ;" 
and  the  powerful  motive  by  which  it  is  enforced,  "  for  the  Lord's 
sake,"  from  a  regard  to  the  law,  the  example,  and  the  cause  of  him 
who  is  Lord  of  all ;  and,  with  a  peculiar  emphasis,  "  OUR  Lord 
Jesus." 

The  discourse  has  been  throughout  practical,  so  that  it  stands  in 
little  need  of  what  is  ordinarily  called  improvement.  Almost  all  that 
requires  to  be  said  in  this  way  is,  "  If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are 
ye  if  ye  do  them." l  It  is  an  easy  matter  for  us  to  do  them,  when 
compared  with  those  to  whom  they  were  originally  addressed ;  and, 
of  course,  if  we  fail,  our  conduct  is  doubly  criminal. 

I  conclude  with  a  reflection  which,  I  am  sure,  must  have  already 
suggested  itself  to  your  minds.  If  we  should  submit  ourselves  to 
"every  ordinance  of  man,  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  the 
praise  of  them  that  do  well,"  should  we  not  much  more  submit  our 
selves  to  every  ordinance,  every  institution,  every  appointment  of 
God,  all  of  which  have  for  their  object  the  glory  of  his  great  name  and 
the  happiness  of  his  intelligent  creatures  ?  If  we  ought  to  be  obedient 
to  human  governments,  though  necessarily  imperfect,  faulty  both  in 
their  constitution  and  administration,  how  readily  should  we  yield 
obedience  to  the  Divine  government,  which  both  in  principle  and  ad 
ministration  is  absolutely  perfect,  being  formed  and  conducted  by 
him  who  is  infinite  in  knowledge  and  wisdom,  and  power,  and  right 
eousness,  and  benignity.  If  we  have  human  governors  to  whom  our 
bodies  are  subject,  should  we  not,  much  rather  in  our  spirits,  be  sub 
ject  to  the  King  of  souls?  "He  is  a  Rock,  his  work  is  perfect;  all 
his  ways  are  judgment :  a  God  of  truth,  and  without  iniquity ;  just 
and  right  is  he."  "  His  work"  as  a  legislator,  governor,  or  judge,  "  is 
most  honorable  and  glorious,  and  his  righteousness  endureth  forever."* 
How  high  a  privilege  should  we  account  it  to  be  the  subjects  of  such 
a  government !  What  folly  and  wickedness  must  it  be  to  neglect  or 
violate  any  of  its  laws !  What  madness  to  expose  ourselves  to  the 
consequences  of  such  violation !  If,  then,  every  soul  should  be  sub 
ject  to  the  powers  that  be,  though  they  once  were  not,  and  may  very 
likely,  ere  long,  cease  to  be  :  should  not  every  soul  be  subject  to  that 
power  which  was,  and  is,  and  ever  shall  be  ?  Is  it  not  of  supreme 
importance  that  we  should  be  loyal  subjects  of  the  King  of  the  uni 
verse,  the  immortal,  invisible,  only  wise  God  ? 

1  John  xiiL  17.  3  Deut.  xxxii.  4.    PsaL  cxL  3. 


254  CIVJL    GOVERNMENT.  [DISC.  X. 

Oh,  let  all  of  us  see  that  our  relations  to  Him  be  in  a  safe  and  satis 
factory  state !  Have  we  acquainted  ourselves  with  Him  as  he  has 
manifested  himself  "  in  the  face"  of  his  only  begotten,  his  visible 
image,  the  great  revealer  of  the  unseen,  the  invisible  One,  and  are  we 
at  peace  with  him?  It  once  was  otherwise;  we  were  at  war  with 
him.  Mad,  impious  rebellion  !  Has  the  manifestation  of  his  authority 
and  grace  quelled  the  rebel  principles  within,  brought  every  high 
thing  down  into  subjection  to  him,  and  sweetly  constrained  us  to  cast 
from  us  the  weapons  we  had  so  foolishly,  so  wickedly,  wielded  against 
him?  If  not,  the  sooner  such  a  change  take  place,  the  better;  for 
"  HE  beareth  not  the  sword  in  vain." 

If  this  all-important  change  has  taken  place,  let  us  prove  that  it  has 
taken  place  by  submitting  cordially  to  his  authority,  as  administered 
by  HIM  whom  he  has  "  set  on  his  holy  hill  of  Zion."  Let  us  "  serve 
him  without  fear  in  holiness,  and  righteouness,  all  the  days  of  our 
lives."  Let  us  "  walk  in  all  his  ordinances  and  commandments  blame 
less  ;  let  us  "count  his  precepts  concerning  all  things  to  be  right; 
let  us  hate  every  false  way  ;" l  and  let  us  show  our  supreme  regard  to 
his  authority,  equally,  by  cheerfully  doing  everything  which  our  civil 
rulers  require  of  us,  however  disagreeable  to  us,  if  only  not  inconsis 
tent  with  his  law,  because  he  has  commanded  it ;  and  by  obstinately 
refusing  to  do  anything  which  they  command  us,  however  deeply  it 
may  involve  our  worldly  interests,  which  is  inconsistent  with  his  law, 
because  he  has  forbidden  it. 

It  is,  indeed,  inward  subjection  to  His  authority,  that  alone  can 
secure  high-principled  and  duly-regulated  subjection  to  every  lawful 
inferior  authority.  It  has  been  justly  remarked,  that  when  the  spirit 
of  the  high-minded  sinner  has  been  brought  down  by  the  gospel,  and 
he  has  bowed  with  a  broken  and  contrite  heart  to  the  sceptre  of  the 
Saviour's  grace,  the  humble  subjection  of  his  conscience  to  God, 
which  then  takes  place,  involves  in  it  a  meek  and  humble  spirit  of 
submission  to  all  the  authority  which  that  God  has  vested  in  any  of 
his  creatures.  The  obedience  which  he  yields  as  a  child,  as  a  servant, 
as  a  subject,  being  yielded  from  religious  principles,  becomes  obedi 
ence  to  God ;  and  "  whatsoever  he  does  henceforward,  "  he  does  it 
heartily  to  the  Lord  and  not  to  man."  2  And  hence  it  is  that  the 
Christian  minister  feels  that  he  never  acts  more  the  part  of  a  good 
citizen,  never  employs  means  more  fitted  for  improving  the  whole 
scene  of  domestic  and  social  and  political  life,  than  when  he  urges  on 
men,  "repentance  towards  God,  and  faith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;"  and  beseeches  them,  on  the  ground  of  the  great  atonement, 
to  be  "reconciled  to  God."  3 

1  Luke  i.  6,  74,  75.     Psal.  cxix.  128.  2  Col.  iii.  23. 

*  The  whole  subject  of  this  discourse  is  more  fully  discussed  by  the  author,  in  his  trea 
tise  entitled  "  The  Law  of  Christ  respecting  Civil  Obedience,  especially  in  the  Payment 
of  Tribute." 


DISCOURSE  XL 

'THE  CONDITION  AND  DUTY  OF  CHRISTIANS  «  AS  FREE,"  YET 
«  AS  THE  SERVANTS  OF  GOD." 

1  PET.  ii.  16. — As  free,  and  not  using  your  liberty  for  a  cloak  of  maliciousness,  but  a* 
the  servants  of  God.1 

THESE  words  contain  in  them  a  very  instructive  view  of  the  con 
dition  and  duty  of  Christians,  to  the  illustration  and  improvement  of 
which  I  design  to  devote  the  following  discourse.  The  CONDITION  of 
Christians  is  described  as  at  once  a  condition  of  liberty  and  subjec 
tion.  They  are  "free,"  and  yet  servants,  "the  servants  of  God." 
The  DUTY  of  Christians  is  stated  with  a  reference  to  their  condition : 
they  are  to  conduct  themselves  agreeably  to  their  condition,  as  free, 
and  as  the  servants  of  God  ;  they  are  to  assert  and  use  their  liberty ; 
they  are  not  to  abuse  their  liberty ;  they  are  to  exemplify  or  act  out 
their  subjection.  Such  is  the  outline  which  I  will  attempt  to  fill  up 
in  the  sequel. 

I— THE  CONDITION  OF  CHRISTIANS. 

§  1. — They  are  free. 

Let  us  then,  in  the  first  place,  attend  to  the  account  contained  in 
the  text  of  the  condition  of  Christians.  They  are  "free,"  yet  "the 
servants  of  God."  Christians  are  a  peculiar  people.  They  are  free 
men  among  slaves,  the  servants  of  God  among  the  servants  of  the 
wicked  one.  This  was  not  always  the  case.  The  common  condi 
tion  of  the  race  was  originally  theirs.  They  were  slaves  both  in  con 
dition  and  in  character,  and  they  were  rebels.  But  "  the  Son  has 
made  them  free,  and  they  are  free  indeed ;"  and  the  determined  rebel 
has  become  a  loyal  subject.  "  If  any  man  be  in  Christ  Jesus  he  is  a 
new  creature,"  and  to  him  there  is  a  new  creation.  "  Old  things 
have  passed  away,  and  all  things  have  become  new."  Christians  are 
free  :  free  in  reference  to  God  ;  free  in  reference  to  man  ;  free  in  ref 
erence  to  the  powers  and  principles  of  evil. 

Let  us  shortly  attend  to  these  various  aspects  of  the  Christian's 
freedom. 

(1.)    Free  in  reference  to  God. 

First,  Christians  are  free  in  reference  to  God.  They  are  "  the  Lord's 
freemen." 2  By  this  we  do  not  mean  that  they  are  not  under  the 

1  See  note  A.  a  1  Cor.  vii  22. 


256  THE    CONDITION    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  SI. 

strongest  obligations  to  conform  their  minds  and  wills  to  the  mind  and 
will  of  God,  and  to  regulate  the  whole  of  their  temper  and  conduct 
according  to  the  revelation  of  that  mind  and  will  contained  in  his 
word.  They  are  not  free  in  the  sense  of  being  "  without  law  to  God ;" 
to  be  so  would  be  the  reverse  of  a  privilege ;  they  "  are  under  the  law 
to  Christ." l  Yet  still  in  a  very  important  sense  they  are  free,  both 
as  to  condition  and  character,  in  reference  to  God ;  and  these  two 
forms  or  species  of  freedom  are  closely  connected,  the  latter  being 
the  result  and  manifestation  of  the  former. 

The  relation  in  which  the  Christian,  before  conversion,  stood  to 
God  in  consequence  of  sin,  was  that  of  a  condemned  criminal ;  and 
the  character  by  which  he  was  distinguished  was  that  of  a  sullen 
slave,  conscious  of  having  exposed  himself  to  punishment  for  his  in 
dolence  and  unfaithfulness,  and  equally  hating  his  Master  and  his  work. 
"  All  have  sinned,  all  have  lost  the  approbation  of  God," 3  all  have 
incurred  the  condemning  sentence  of  the  divine  law ;  and 

"  Chains  are  the  portion  of  revolted  man — 
Stripes  and  a  dungeon."  * 

They  are,  as  it  were,  shut  up  in  prison,  reserved  for  punishment, 
and  bound  by  the  fetters  of  guilt,  which  no  created  power  can  break, 
no  created  ingenuity  unlock. 

In  this  state,  of  which  no  sinner  is  entirely  unconscious,  the  dispo 
sition  cherished  by  him  towards  God  is,  must  be,  not  that  of  an  affec 
tionate  child  or  a  loyal  subject,  but  that  of  a  slave  punished  for  diso 
bedience,  bearing  a  grudge  towards  his  master,  as  if  the  unreasonable 
ness  of  the  task  assigned  him,  rather  than  his  own  wilful  neglect  and 
disobedience,  were  the  true  cause  of  the  evils  he  feels  or  fears.  He 
is  an  entire  stranger  to  the  love  of  God,  so  that  free  voluntary  obedi 
ence  is  a  moral  impossibility ;  and  if  at  any  time  he  assume  the  ap 
pearance  of  submission,  and  do  those  actions  which  the  law  requires, 
such  conduct  springs  entirely  from  the  principles  of  servile  fear  or 
mercenary  expectation.  This  is  the  natural  condition  and  character 
of  all  men  in  reference  to  God.  This  was  once  the  condition  and 
character  of  every  Christian. 

But  the  condemned  criminal  has  become  a  pardoned,  accepted 
child;  the  slave  has  obtained  both  the  state  and  the  disposition  of  a 
freeman.  The  prison  doors  have  been  thrown  open,  the  fetters  of 
guilt  have  been  unloosed,  the  prisoner  has  gone  forth.  Love  has 
taken  the  place  of  dislike,  confidence  of  jealousy,  joyful  hope  of  "  tho 
fear  that  had  torment;"  and  while  the  pardoned,  renewed  sinner, 
"  keeps  God's  precepts,"  "  he  walks  at  liberty." 

The  manner  in  which  this  change  is  produced,  must  be  familiar  to 
the  mind  of  every  one  who  properly  understands  even  the  "  princi 
ples  of  the  doctrines  of  Christ,"  "the  first  principles  of  the  oracles  of 
God." 4  It  is  by  the  faith  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  that  man,  the 
criminal  and  slave,  is  introduced  into  the  state,  and  formed  to  the 
character,  of  a  spiritual  freeman.  Christ  Jesus,  the  only  begotten  of 
God,  moved  by  sovereign  love,  has  by  the  appointment  of  his  Father, 

1  1  Cor.  ix.  21.  a  Rom.  iii.  23.     Adfr.— John  v.  41-44. 

Cowper.  4  Heb.  vl  1  •  v.  12. 


PART  I.]  FREE.  257 

done  and  suffered,  as  the  substitute  of  man,  all  that  was  necessary  to 
make  the  salvation  of  sinners  perfectly  consistent  with,  gloriously 
illustrative  of,  the  holiness  and  justice,  as  well  as  the  pity  and  benig 
nity  of  the  Divine  character.  That  wondrous  work  of  "  God  mani 
fest  in  the  flesh,"  is  made  the  subject  of  a  plain,  well-accredited  rev 
elation.  In  the  case  of  all  the  saved,  by  a  sovereign  Divine  influ 
ence,  the  mind  is  so  fixed  on  this  revelation,  in  its  meaning  and 
evidence,  as  to  understand  and  believe  it.  This  is  the  faith  of  the 
gospel. 

This  faith,  by  Divine  appointment,  brings  the  sinner  within  the 
saving  power  of  the  atonement.  He  is  redeemed  from  the  curse  of 
the  law  through  him  who  became  a  curse  in  his  stead ;  the  bless 
ing  of  Abraham,  even  a  free  and  full  justification,  by  believing,  comes 
on  him  ;  and  he  obtains  larger  and  larger  measures  of  the  promised 
Spirit,  by  believing.  "Being  justified  by  faith,  he  has  peace  with 
God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  has  access  to  God,"  as  his 
father  and  friend,  "  by  this  faith,  in  reference  to  the  grace  of  God ;" 
and  he  "  stands"  in  this  state  of  reconciliation  and  favorable  fellow 
ship,  "rejoicing  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God."  "  There  is  no  more 
condemnation  to  him,  being  in  Christ  Jesus ;  and  he  walks  no  more 
after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit."  The  Spirit  of  Christ  the  Lord 
dwells  in  him,  and  "  where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,"  which  is  a  free 
spirit,  is,  "  there  is  liberty."  The  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  his 
heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  given  to  him,  and  he  loves  him  who  has 
first,  and  so,  loved  him.  And  his  love  finds  its  natural  expression  in 
conformity  to  God's  mind  and  will,  and  in  obedience  to  his  command 
ments.  It  is  no  longer  the  slave,  toiling  at  intervals  at  a  task  which 
he  abhors,  to  secure  the  morsel  or  to  escape  the  lash ;  it  is  an  enlight 
ened,  renewed  creature,  embracing  what  he  sees  to  be  true,  and  doing 
what  he  knows  to  be  right,  following  out  the  impulses  of  his  new  na 
ture  ;  and  doing  all  this  the  more  readily,  because  he  knows  that,  in 
doing  so,  he  walks  in  the  light  of  his  heavenly  Father's  countenance, 
enjoying  an  elevating  consciousness  of  fellowship  of  mind  and  heart 
with  the  only  wise,  the  immaculately  holy,  the  infinitely  benignant, 
the  ever-blessed  God ;  and  because  he  has  learned,  by  painful  experi 
ence,  "  that  the  way  of  the  transgressor,"  even  of  "  the  backslider  in 
heart,"  "  is  hard,"  and  that  holiness  and  happiness  are,  in  the  nature 
of  things,  as  well  as  by  the  express  Divine  appointment,  so  closely 
conjoined,  as  to  be  all  but  identified  with  each  other.  He  "  knows  the 
truth,  and  the  truth  makes  him  free."  1 

The  whole  of  the  Christian's  obedience,  when  he  acts  like  himself, 
has  this  character  of  true-hearted  freedom.  With  regard  to  a  very 
large  portion  of  his  duties,  he  so  distinctly  sees  their  reasonableness 
r  and  excellence,  and  the  important  and  blissful  purposes  which  obedi 
ence  is  fitted  to  secure,  that  he  considers  the  having  this  peaceful, 
joyful  path,  through  a  world  full  of  sin  and  misery,  so  clearly  pointed 
out  in  the  law  of  the  Lord,  as  one  of  the  greatest  proofs  of  the 
kindness  of  his  God  and  his  Father.  He  sees  and  feels  that  God  has 
"  granted  him  his  law  graciously."  The  language  of  his  heart  is,  "  O ! 
how  love  I  thy  law,  it  is  my  meditation  all  the  day :"  "  Great  peace 

t  *  Rom.  v.  1,  2  ;  viii  1      2  Cor.  iii.  17. 


258  THE    CONDITION    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XL 

have  they  who  love  thy  law,  nothing  can  offend  them  :"  "  I  will  run 
in  the  way  of  thy  commandments,  when  thou  hast  enlarged  my  heart ;" 
"I  will  delight  myself  in  thy  commandments,  which  I  love;"  "I  will 
keep  thy  laws  continually  forever  and  ever,  and  I  will  walk  at  lib 
erty  ;  for  I  seek  thy  precepts."  1  And  if  in  some  cases  he  may  feel 
a  difficulty  in  perceiving  the  reason  of  a  particular  piece  of  dutiful 
exertion,  or  suffering,  or  sacrifice,  required  of  him,  the  deep-seated 
conviction  of  the  infinite  wisdom  and  power  of  Jehovah,  constantly 
influenced  by  holy  love,  which  the  manifestation  of  God  in  the  person 
and  work  of  his  Son,  has  lodged  in  his  mind,  makes  him  cheerfully 
comply  with  the  requisition,  just  because  it  is  His. 

The  measure  of  this  spiritual  liberty  obviously  depends  on  the 
measure  of  faith.  In  proportion  to  the  clearness  of  our  apprehen 
sions,  and  the  firmness  of  our  persuasion  of  "the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus,"  will  be  the  alacrity  and  delight  with  which,  "  delivered  out  of 
the  hands  of  our"  spiritual  "  enemies,  we  serve  him  without  fear,  in 
holiness  and  righteousness."2  The  spirit  of  bondage,  which  leads 
Christians  again  to  fear,  with  the  fear  which  hath  torment,  which  fet 
ters  their  minds  and  hearts,  grows  powerful  just  as  saving  truth  is 
overlooked  or  misapprehended ;  and  can  be  cast  out  of  the  heart  only 
by  that  "  perfect  love,"  which  grows  out  of  our  knowing  and  believ 
ing  the  love  which  God  has  for  us,  and  which  he  has  manifested  in 
giving  his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins. 

The  character  of  manly,  Christian,  affectionate  freedom,  which  the 
knowledge  and  faith  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  under  Divine  influ 
ence,  produces,  renders  unnecessary  and  unsuitable  such  an  institu 
tion  as  the  Mosaic  law,  an  institution  adapted  to  the  Church  in  its 
infant  state.  That  institution,  having  served  its  purpose,  has  been 
abrogated ;  and  all  attempts,  and  they  have  been  numerous,  to  intro 
duce  into  the  Christian  Church  any  system  of  a  similar  character, 
are  foolish  and  criminal ;  an  invasion  equally  of  the  prerogative  of 
Christ,  and  of  the  privileges  of  his  people.  So  much  for  the  Chris 
tian's  freedom  in  reference  to  God. 

2.)  Free  in  reference  to  Man. 

Let  us  now  look  at  the  second  aspect  of  the  Christian's  freedom : 
He  is  free  in  reference  to  man. 

When  we  say  that  the  Christian  is  free  in  reference  to  man,  we  do 
not  mean  to  say  that  he  is  not  under  obligation  to  seek  the  happiness 
of  his  fellow-men,  and  especially  of  his  fellow-Christians;  or  to  deny 
that,  in  prosecuting  this  end,  he  is  to  imitate  the  conduct  of  his  Lord, 
who  "  came  not  to  be  ministered  to,  but  to  minister."  Christians  are 
"  to  submit  themselves  one  to  another,  in  the  fear  of  God ;"  they  are 
all  of  them  to  be  "  subject  one  to  another,"  and  "by  love  to  serve  one 
another."  The  apostle's  being  "  free  from  all  men,"  was  not  at  all 
inconsistent  with  his  being  "  the  servant  of  all."  "  He  who  would  be 
chief  among  his  brethren,  must  be  the  servant  of  all."  "He  that  is 
greatest  among  you,"  says  our  Lord,  "shall  be  your  servant."3 

1  Psal.  cxix.  29,  163,  32,  16,  44,  45.  2  Luke  i.  74. 

'  Eph.  v. .21.     1  Pet.  v.  5.     Gal.  v.  13.     Matt.  xx.  28.     1  Cor.  ix.  19.     Luke  xxii.  26. 


PART  I.]  FREE.  259 

Nor  do  we  mean  to  say  that  the  Christian  is  emancipated  from  civil 
authority,  and  is  not  bound  to  "  be  subject  to  the  powers  that  be,"  or 
that  he  cannot  fill  the  place  of  a  domestic  servant,  and  discharge  its 
duties.  His  relations  and  duties,  as  a  member  of  civil  or  domestic 
society,  are  in  no  degree  changed  by  his  becoming  a  Christian. 

Nor  do  we  mean  to  say  that  the  Christian  may  not  be  subjected  to 
the  most  degrading  servitude,  being  treated  by  a  fellow-man  as  if  he 
were  as  completely  his  property  as  his  estate  or  his  cattle.  This  has 
actually  been  the  situation  of  a  multitude  of  Christians.  It  is  the 
situation  of  not  a  few  at  this  moment ;  and  oh,  shame  !  the  slaveholder, 
as  well  as  the  slave,  bears  the  worthy  name,  Christian. 

But  we  do  mean  to  say,  that  the  mind  and  conscience  of  the  Chris 
tian  are  emancipated  from  human  authority :  that  no  human  power 
has  any  right  to  dictate  to  him  what  he  is  to  believe,  and  what  he  is 
to  do  in  matters  of  religious  and  moral  duty :  and  that,  in  the  degree 
in  which  he  is  an  enlightened  Christian,  he  acts  on  the  principle,  that 
he  ought  to  "  call  no  man  on  earth  master,"  but  in  the  exercise  of  his 
own  faculties,  aided  by  the  promised  Spirit,  to  endeavor  to  ascertain 
what  is  the  mind  and  will  of  the  "  One  Master,  who  is  in  heaven,"  and 
having  ascertained  it,  to  "  walk  at  liberty  keeping  his  commandments/' 

There  is  a  natural  tendency  in  man  to  usurp  spiritual  authority  over 
man ;  and  what  seems  strange,  there  is  a  natural  tendency,  too,  to 
submit  to  this  usurpation.  By  far  the  greater  part  of  mankind  have 
no  better  reason  for  their  religious  opinions,  ordinances,  and  usages, 
than  that  they  have  "  received  them  by  tradition  from  their  fathers."  l 
What  is  taught  and  received,  as  religious  truth  and  duty,  is  to  them 
nothing  more  than  "  the  commandments  of  men."  The  great  body 
even  of  those  who  assume  to  themselves  the  honorable  appellation, 
free-thinkers,  are  nothing  less  than  what  that  appellation  expresses. 
They  are,  almost  universally,  the  blind  followers  of  their  blind,  self- 
chosen  guides ;  the  veriest  slaves  of  human  authority,  in  one  of  its 
least  creditable  forms. 

When  a  man  becomes  a  Christian,  in  the  recognition  of  the  supreme 
and  sole  authority,  in  all  matters  of  religious  truth  and  duty,  of  God, 
and  of  Jesus  Christ  whom  he  has  sent,  there  is  necessarily  implied  the 
renunciation  of  all  human  authority.  If  the  one  Master  be  in  heaven, 
there  can  be  no  master  on  earth.  A  Christian,  acting  worthy  of  the 
liberty  wherewith  Christ  has  made  him  free,  believes  no  doctrine  but 
what  he  is  persuaded  Christ  has  taught ;  observes  no  ordinance  but 
what  he  believes  Christ  has  appointed ;  performs  nothing  as  a  duty 
but  what  he  is  convinced  Christ  has  enjoined.  Helpers  of  his  faith, 
he  gratefully  acknowledges  in  all  who  will  assist  him  in  obtaining 
wider,  clearer,  more  impressive  views  of  the  mind  and  will  of  the  su 
preme  Teacher  and  Sovereign ;  such  he  counts  his  greatest  benefac 
tors  :  but  lords  of  his  faith  he  will  not  recognize,  even  in  the  wisest 
and  best  of  men.  He  feels  that  there  is  but  one  with  whom  he  has 
to  do,  as  authority,  in  religion  ;  "  one  lawgiver,  who  can  save  and  who 
can  destroy ;"  2  and  that  he  must  stand  before  His  judgment-seat,  and 
give  an  account  of  himself  to  HIM.  The  answer  to  the  questions, 
What  say  the  fathers  ?  what  say  the  reformers  ?  what  say  the  sym- 

1  1  Pet.  i.  18.    Matt.  xv.  9  2  James  iv.  12. 


260  THE    CONDITION    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XI. 

bolical  books  ? — the  answer  to  any  or  all  of  these  questions,  does  not 
determine  his  faith:  it  is  the  answer  to  the  question,  What  saith  the 
Lord  ?  "  What  is  written  in  the  law  ?  how  readest  thou  ?"  :  which 
fixes  his  decision.  This  is  the  touchstone  by  which  he  examines  all 
religious  doctrines  and  institutions.  "  To  the  law,  and  to  the  testi 
mony  :  if  men  speak  not  according  to  this  word,  it  is  because  there  is 
no  light  in  them."2  To  be  the  servants  of  men  is  unworthy  of  the 
condition  and  character  of  spiritual  freemen,  to  which  Christ  by  his 
Spirit,  through  the  faith  of  the  truth,  hath  raised  all  his  people.  Their 
judgments  must  not  be  guided,  when  they  act  like  themselves  they 
will  not  be  guided,  by  the  writings  of  Luther  or  Calvin,  nor  based  on 
the  decisions  of  councils,  however  venerable.  They  will  honor  their 
fellow-disciples,  especially  such  of  them  as  have  obviously  profited  by 
the  teaching  of  their  common  Master;  but  they  will  sit  only  at  his 
feet,  and  take  the  law  only  from  his  mouth. 

There  is  another  aspect  of  the  Christian's  freedom,  in  reference  to 
his  fellow-men,  that  deserves  to  be  cursorily  noticed  before  leaving 
this  part  of  our  subject.  Human  approbation,  in  some  form  or  other, 
is  a  leading  object  with  the  great  body  of  mankind,  and  exercises  a 
powerful  influence  over  their  conduct.  They  seek  the  praise,  they 
fear  the  censure,  and  reproach,  and  revilings  of  men ;  and  they  fashion 
their  conduct  so  as  to  secure  the  one  and  avoid  the  other.  With  the 
Christian,  Divine  approbation  is  the  great  object.  He  seeks  "  the 
honor  which  comes  down  from  above;"  and,  in  doing  this,  he  is  set 
free  from  the  enslaving  influence  of  the  hopes  and  fears  which  spring 
out  of  an  exaggerated  estimate  of  the  value  of  the  good  opinion  of 
men.  With  him,  "it  is  a  very  small  thing  to  be  judged  of  man's 
judgment ;"  for  he  believes  that  "  there  is  one  that  judgeth  him,  that 
is  the  Lord." 3 

(3.) — Free  in  reference  to  the  Power  and  Principles  of  Evil. 

Let  us  now  look  at  the  third  aspect  of  the  Christian's  condition  as 
free.  He  is  free  in  reference  to  the  powers  and  principles  of  evil. 
By  the  powers  of  evil,  I  understand  the  devil,  that  crafty,  and  power 
ful,  and  active  spiritual  being,  of  whom  we  read  so  often  in  Scripture, 
and  of  whose  personal  existence  I  think  no  unprejudiced  reader  of 
the  Sacred  Volume  can  entertain  a  doubt ;  who  introduced  moral 
evil  into  our  world  in  the  beginning  of  the  history  of  our  race,  and 
has  been  ceaselessly  endeavoring,  with  but  too  much  success,  to  up 
hold  and  extend  its  influence;  and  his  subordinate  agents,  "the  evil 
angels."  By  the  principles  of  evil,  I  understand  the  various  depraved 
propensities  of  our  fallen  nature,  acted  on  by  the  present  world, 
"  things  seen  and  temporal" 

By  these  powers  and  principles  all  men  are  naturally  enslaved. 
The  evil  spirit  is  "the  god  of  this  world;"  he  "  worketh  in  the  hearts 
of  the  children  of  disobedience;"  he  "leads  them  captive  at  his  will." 
They  "are  of  their  father  the  devil,  and  the  lusts  of  their  father ;"  the 
things  which  he  desires  and  delights  in,  "  they  will  do,"  they  choose 

1  Luke  x.  26.  •  Isa.  viii.  20.  *  1  Cor.  iv.  3. 


PART  I.]  FREE.  261 

to  "do/' l     Though  to  a  great  degree  the  unconscious,  they  are  not 
the  less  the  devoted,  servants  of  the  wicked  one. 

When  a  man  becomes  a  Christian,  he  is  delivered  from  the  power 
of  Satan.  "  The  prey  is  taken  from  the  mighty,  and  the  captive  of 
the  terrible  one  is  delivered."  The  Christian  by  no  means  ceases  on 
his  conversion  to  be  the  object  of  the  malignant  attempts  of  his  great 
enemy,  who,  "like  a  roaring  lion,  goeth  about  seeking  whom  he  may 
devour" 2 — like  a  cunning  serpent,  lies  in  wait  to  dart  into  the  soul  the 
poison  and  pollution  of  sin.  But  he  ceases  to  be  his  slave :  his  new 
state  of  favor  with  God,  secures  for  him  the  protection  of  a  power, 
compared  with  which  diabolical  power  is  weakness ;  and  the  guidance 
of  a  wisdom,  compared  with  which  diabolical  craft  is  folly :  so  that 
he  can  "  tread  upon  the  lion  and  the  adder ;  the  young  lion  and  the 
dragon  he  can  trample  under  foot :"  and  the  good  Spirit,  by  the  in 
strumentality  of  his  word,  furnishes  him  with  principles  which  enable 
him  to  baffle  all  Satan's  devices,  and  frustrate  all  his  attempts  to  re 
gain  his  lost  dominion. 

Men  are  by  nature  not  only  the  slaves  of  Satan,  but  they  are  repre 
sented  as  "  serving  divers  lusts  and  pleasures,"  as  the  "  servants  of 
sin:"  "Whosoever  committeth  sin  is  the  servant,"  the  slave,  "of 
sin."  The  apostle  represents  them  as  so  "  the  servants,  the  slaves  of 
sin,"  as  to  be  "  freemen  3  so  far  as  righteousness  is  concerned,"  that 
is,  to  be  entirely  uninfluenced  by  holy  principle;  to  be  wholly  under 
the  power  of  evil ;  "  sin  reigning  over  their  mortal  body,"  while  they 
"obey  it  by  means  of  the  desires  of  the  body,"  and  "yield  their 
members  to  it  as  the  instruments  of  unrighteousness."  Such  were 
some,  such  were  all,  true  Christians,  previously  to  their  conversion ; 
but  God  be  thanked,  that  they  who  were  the  servants  of  sin,  have,  by 
obeying  from  the  heart  the  form  of  doctrine  which  has  been  delivered 
to  them,  been  "made  free  from  sin,"  freemen  in  reference  to  sin,  and 
have  become  "the  servants  of  righteousness;"  no  longer  "yielding 
their  members  servants  to  uncleanness,  and  to  iniquity  unto  iniquity, 
but  yielding  their  members  servants  to  righteousness  unto  holiness."  « 

By  the  faith  of  the  truth  they  are  so  identified  with  Christ,  as  that 
his  death,  resurrection,  and  new  life  are  theirs.  They  are  brought 
under  their  influence,  both  justifying  and  sanctifying;  "so  that  as  he 
died  unto  sin  once,  and  being  raised  from  the  dead  dieth  no  more, 
death  having  no  more  dominion  over  him,  but  liveth  to  God,  they  also 
reckon  themselves  dead  indeed  unto  sin,  but  alive  to  God  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord :"  and  the  consequence  is,  they  no  longer  "  let 
sin  reign  in  their  mortal  body,  that  they  should  obey  it  in  the  lusts 
thereof;"  neither  do  they  "  yield  their  members  to  it  as  instruments  of 
unrighteousness,  but  they  yield  themselves  unto  God,  as  those  that  are 
alive  from  the  dead,  and  their  members  as  instruments  of  righteous 
ness  unto  God.  For  sin  no  longer  has  dominion  over  them :  for  they 
are  not  under  the  law,  but  under  grace."  "  Whoso  is  born  of  God 
doth  not  commit  sin :  for  his  seed  rernaineth  in  him  :  and  he  cannot 
sin,  because  he  is  born  of  God."  *  The  new  nature  is  a  holy  nature, 
and,  so  far  as  a  man  possesses  this  nature,  he  does  not,  he  cannot,  sin. 

1  2  Cor.  iv.  4.     2  Tim.  ii.  26.     John  viii.  44.  2  Isa.  xlix.  24.     1  Pet.  v.  8. 

'  See  note  B.        *  1  John  viii.  34.     Rom.  vi.  16-20.        5  Rom.  vi.  9-14.     1  John  iii.  9 


262  THE    CONDITION    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XI. 

And  every  man  who  possesses  it  at  all,  possesses  it  in  such  a  degree 
as  that  he  habitually  hates  and  avoids  sin.  Not  that  any  Christian  in 
the  present  state  is  completely  freed  from  the  influence  of  depraved 
principle  :  "  If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves,  and 
the  truth  is  not  in  us."  While  we  are  in  the  present  state,  "  there  is 
a  law  in  our  members  which  wars  against  the  law  of  the  mind  ;"  but 
the  Christian  "consents  to  the  law  that  it  is  good,"  "delights  in  the 
law  of  God  after  the  inner  man ;"  and  though,  "  with  the  flesh,"  that 
is,  so  far  as  he  is  unrenewed,  "he  serves  the  law  of  sin,"  yet  with  the 
Spirit,  that  is,  so  far  as  he  is  renewed  (and  this  constitutes  his  pre 
vailing,  abiding  character),  "he  serves  the  law  of  God;"  and  though 
often,  when  he  loses  sight  of  the  truth,  which  sanctifies  as  well  as 
comforts,  he  is  constrained  to  sigh  out,  "  wretched  man,  who  shall  de 
liver  me  ?"  yet,  habitually,  he  rejoices  in  the  begun  and  advancing 
emancipation  from  the  principles  of  evil,  "thanking  God  through 
Jesus  Christ,"  who  hath  delivered,  who  is  delivering,  and  who  will 
deliver :  rejoicing  that  not  only  is  "  there  no  condemnation  to  him, 
being  in  Christ  Jesus,"  but  that  the  "law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ 
Jesus,  has  made  him  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death."  l 

§  2. — Christians  are  the  servants  of  God. 

Having  made  these  cursory  remarks  on  the  condition  of  Christians 
as  free, — free  in  reference  to  God,  free  in  reference  to  man,  free  in 
reference  to  the  powers  and  principles  of  evil;  let  us  now  for  a  little, 
attend  to  the  second  view  of  their  condition.  While  in  one  point  of 
the  view  they  are  free,  in  another,  they  are  "servants,  servants  of 
God."  These  are  by  no  means  inconsistent  representations.  So  far 
from  this,  it  is  only  by  becoming  the  servants  of  God  that  men  can 
cease  to  be  the  slaves  of  Satan  and  sin.  The  only  true  liberty  of 
which  a  dependent  being  like  man  is  capable,  is  the  free  use  of  his 
faculties  in  the  service  of  God.  Independence,  strictly  speaking,  be 
longs  only  to  God.  Man  in  seeking  it,  instead  of  obtaining,  lost 
liberty.  Seeking  to  be  supreme  lord  of  himself,  refusing  to  be  the 
servant  of  the  best  of  beings,  he  necessarily  became  a  slave  of  the 
worst.  It  is  the  very  condition  of  our  being,  as  creatures,  that  we 
serve ;  "  we  have  not  the  liberty  to  choose  whether  we  shall  serve  or 
not,  all  the  liberty  we  have  is  to  choose  our  master." 2 

Men  in  their  apostate  state  are  not  God's  servants.  They  are  "  the 
children  not  of  obedience,"  as  Christians  are  ;  they  are  "  the  children 
of  disobedience."  In  one  sense,  indeed,  all  men  are  God's  servants. 
They  are  all  bound  to  submit  to  his  authority  ;  they  are  all  employed 
by  him  in  the  execution  of  his  purposes.  But  Christians  are  God's 
servants  in  a  sense  peculiar  to  themselves.  They  are  his  peculiar 
property  ;  they  have  been  formed  by  him  to  the  character  of  his  ser 
vants  :  they  have  voluntarily  devoted  themselves  to  his  service  ;  they 
habitually  employ  themselves  in  his  service. 

They  are  his  servants,  for  they  are  his  peculiar  property.  "  All 
that  is  in  heaven  and  in  the  earth  is  his."  Men  may  renounce  God's 
authority,  but  they  cannot  despoil  him  of  any  part  of  what  belongs 
1  1  John  i.  8.  Rom.  vii.  14  j  viii.  2.  a  Sanderson. 


PART  I.]  THE    SERVANTS    OP    GOD.  263 

to  him.  But  Christians  are  God's  property  in  a  peculiar  sense. 
They  are  his  "purchased  possession."  Justice  had  doomed  them  to 
death,  and  they  were  bought  off,  "  not  by  corruptible  things  as  silver 
and  gold,  but  by  precious  blood,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and 
without  spot,  the  blood  of  Christ."  "Jesus  gave  himself  for  them, 
that  he  might  redeem  them  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  them  as  a 
peculiar  people." 

As  God  purchased  them  to  be  his  servants,  so  by  the  influence  of 
his  good  Spirit  he  has  qualified  them  for  his  service.  Well  may  he 
say  to  each  of  them,  "  Remember,  thou  art  my  servant :  I  have  form 
ed  thee ;  thou  art  my  servant ;"  and  of  them  all  as  a  body,  "  This 
people  have  I  formed  for  myself;  that  they  may  show  forth  my 
praise."  He  has  "shed  his  love  abroad  in  their  hearts  ;"  he  has  "put 
his  fear  in  their  hearts."  He  has  "  put  his  law  in  their  inward  parts, 
and  written  it  in  their  hearts."  He  has  "  created  them  anew  in 
Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works,"  and  "transformed  them,  by  the 
renewing  of  their  minds  :"  and,  under  the  influence  of  his  good  Spir 
it,  he  has  induced  them  gladly  and  gratefully  to  enter  into  his  service, 
to  assume  his  easy  yoke,  to  take  up  his  light  burden.  He  has  made 
them  see  and  feel  the  irresistible  force  of  his  infinite  excellence  and 
kindness,  as  a  motive  to  obedience.  He  has  manifested  to  them 
"  the  great  love  wherewith  he  has  loved  them,"  and  "  blessed  them 
with  all  heavenly  and  spiritual  blessings ;"  so  that  they  have  been 
constrained  to  say,  "  What  shall  we  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  his 
benefits  ?  Truly,  O  Lord,  we  are  thy  servants  ;  we  are  thy  ser 
vants  ;  thou  hast  loosed  our  bonds."  "  Other  lords  have  had  do 
minion  over  us ;  henceforth  we  will  make  mention  only  of  thy 
name."  l  v 

Finally,  they  are  his  servants,  for  they  habitually  employ  them 
selves  in  his  service.  Christians  knowing  that  "  they  are  not  their 
own,  but  bought  with  a  price,"  glorify  "  with  their  souls,  and  with 
their  bodies,  which  are  God's,"  Him  who  has  bought  them.  Influ 
enced  by  his  mercies,  they  present  themselves  to  him  as  "  living 
sacrifices,  holy  and  acceptable,  which  is  their  rational  worship."  De 
livered  by  him  from  their  former  tyrants,  "  they  serve  him  without 
fear,  in  righteousness  and  holiness,  all  the  days  of  their  life."  They 
acknowledge  that  it  is  their  duty,  they  know  that  it  is  their  prevail 
ing  desire,  to  be  entirely  conformed  to  the  will  of  their  Lord: 
"  Whether  they  eat,  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  they  do,  they"  would 
"  do  all  to  his  glory."  "  Whatsoever  they  do  in  word  or  in  deed,  they 
would  do  it  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks  to  God  the 
Father  through  him."  Their  desire  is,  "  to  be  in  the  world  as  Jeho 
vah's  elect  servant  was  in  the  world,  always  about  their  Master's, 
their  Father's,  business ;  finding  it  their  meat  to  do  his  will,  and  finish 
his  work."  * 

It  concerns  us  all  seriously  to  inquire,  if  the  condition  which  has 
been  described  be  ours.  Are  we  experimentally  acquainted  with 

1  Tsa.  xliv.  21;   xliii.  21.     Horn.  v.  5.     Jer.  xxxii.  40;   xxxi.  33.     Eph.  ii.   10.     Rom. 
xii.  2.     Eph.  i.  2,  11,  4.     Psal.  cxvi.  12,  16.     Isa.  xxvi.  13. 

2  1  Cor.  vi.  19,  20.     Horn.  xii.  1.      Luke  L  74,  75.     1  Cor.  x.  31.     Col.  iii.  17.     1  John 
iv.  17.    John  iv.  34. 


264  THE    CONDITION    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XI. 

this  liberty  of  the  children  of  God ;  are  we  the  servants  of  God  ? 
The  question  should  not  be  a  difficult  one  to  answer.  On  this  sub 
ject,  I  believe,  there  may  be  a  presumptuous  confidence.  Where 
there  is  not  only  no  evidence  for,  but  very  much  evidence  against, 
a  favorable  answer,  there  are  men  "  who  speak  great  swelling  words 
of  vanity"  about  their  Christian  liberty,  while  ther  whole  character 
and  conduct  proclaim  them  "  servants  of  corruption/'  The  only 
permanent  satisfactory  evidence  that  we  are  God's  freemen  is, 
habitual  gratitude  for  our  emancipation,  showing  itself  in  our  "  serving 
him  without  fear,  in  righteousness  and  holiness,"  "walking  before 
him  in  love."  The  only  permanent  satisfactory  evidence  that  we  are 
God's  servants  is,  our  doing  his  work. 

Owing  to  a  variety  of  causes,  there  may  be  hesitation  and  doubt, 
where  there  is  such  evidence  as  ought  to  lay  the  foundation  of  hum 
ble  confidence.  But  there  is  something  wrong  here  also.  Doubt 
on  such  a  subject  is,  in  no  case,  a  good  symptom,  and  it  is  obviously 
a  matter  of  duty,  no  less  than  of  prudence,  to  seek  certainty  on  a 
point  so  vitally  connected  with  our  highest  interests.  If  we  are  in 
deed  "free,"  and  "the  servants  of  God,"  why,  by  remaining  in  doubt 
about  it,  deprive  ourselves  of  the  abundant  consolation,  the  good 
hope,  the  varied  and  powerful  motives  to  holiness,  which  a  clear  sat 
isfactory  persuasion  of  this  truth  would  naturally  produce  ?  *  And  if 
we  are  not  "  free,"  if  we  are  not  the  servants  of  God,  and  if,  contin 
uing  in  this  condition,  our  final  perdition  is  absolutely  certain,  is  it 
not  at  least  equally  important  that  we  should  be  distinctly  aware  of 
it  ?  We  may,  though  now  slaves,  yet  be  emancipated  ;  we  may, 
though  now  the  servants  of  sin,  yet  become  the  servants  of  God. 

One  cause  why  many  men  remain  at  ease  in  a  state  of  unconver- 
sion  is,  the  ill-founded  hope  that  they  have  been  converted,  or,  at 
any  rate,  the  absence  of  a  thorough  conviction  that  they  are  yet 
unconverted.  Let  us  honestly  turn  to  account,  for  the  purposes  of 
self-inquiry,  the  plain  truths  brought  forward  in  this  discourse,  and  we 
must  arrive  at  a  conclusion  respecting  our  true  spiritual  condition. 

And  should  that  conclusion  prove  an  unfavorable  one,  as  I  am  afraid 
might  be  the  case  with  some  now  present,  O,  let  them  continue  no 
longer  in  a  state  so  degrading  and  dangerous !  Brethren,  you  need 
not  remain  slaves.  The  ransom  has  been  paid ;  the  Deliverer  stands 
ready  to  unloose  your  fetters ;  and  if  you  continue  unemancipated, 
it  is  because  you  will  not  avail  yourselves  of  the  atoning  sacrifice, 
and  the  quickening  Spirit  of  the  Saviour.  Think  what  the  wages  of 
your  degrading  servitude  will  be  :  "  Death,  the  second  death,  ever 
lasting  destruction."  "  If  ye  live  after  the  flesh,  ye  shall  die;"  "If 
ye  sow  to  the  flesh,  ye  shall  of  the  flesh  reap  corruption."  Consider, 
too,  if  you  perish,  you  perish  not  unwarned  ;  you  have  been  told, 
most  distinctly  told,  what  must  be  the  end  of  these  things  :  "  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God,  Behold,  my  servants  shall  eat,  but  ye  shall  be 
hungry  ;  fcehold,  my  servants  shall  drink,  by  ye  shall  be  thirsty  :  be 
hold,  my  servants  shall  rejoice,  but  ye  shall  be  ashamed  :  behold,  my 
servants  shall  sing  for  joy  of  heart,  but  ye  shall  cry  for  sorrow  of 
heart,  and  shall  howl  for  vexation  of  spirit."  l  "  Choose  now  whom 

1  Isa.  Ixv.  13-15. 


TO    ACT    AS    FREE. 


2G5 


PART  II.] 

ye  will  serve."  There  is  surely  no  room  for  hesitation  here  :  slavery 
and  freedom  ;  the  slavery  of  Satan,  the  liberty  of  the  children  of 
God  ;  the  burning  lake  and  the  bottomless  pit,  and  fulness  of  joy, 
rivers  of  pleasure,  for  evermore  :  these  are  the  alternatives.  There 
is  no  time  for  delay.  "  To-day  if  ye  will  hearken  to  his  voice  ;"  to 
morrow  you  may  be  beyond  its  reach. 

Should  the  conclusion  prove  a  favorable  one,  as  I  trust  it  will  in 
some,  in  many  instances,  O,  how  strong  the  obligation  to  distinguish 
ing  grace ;  how  loud  the  calls  to  grateful  acknowledgment ;  how  pow 
erful  the  motives  to  progressive  holiness!  "  The  more  we  attain  unto 
the  faculty  of  serving  him  cheerfully  and  diligently,  the  more  still 
shall  we  find  of  this  spiritual  liberty,  and  have  the  more  joy  in  it.  Oh  ! 
that  we  could  live  as  his  servants,  employing  all  our  industry  to  do 
him  service  in  the  condition  and  place  wherein  he  hath  set  us,  what 
soever  that  is ;  and  as  faithful  servants,  more  careful  of  his  affairs  than 
of  our  own,  accounting  it  our  main  business  to  seek  the  advancement 
of  his  glory  :  '  Happy  Is  the  servant  whom  the  Master,  when  he  com- 
eth,  shall  find  so  doing.' "  l 

II.— THE  DUTY  OF   CHRISTIANS. 

I  proceed  now  to  the  consideration  of  the  view  that  is  given  us  of 
the  Christian's  duty.  His  duty  is  generally  to  act  conformably  with 
his  condition  ;  to  behave  himself  at  once  like  a  freeman  and  a  ser 
vant,2  while  he  guards  against  the  abuse  of  the  liberty  wherewith  he  has 
been  made  free.  He  is  to  act  "  as  free,"  yet  taking  care  not  to  make 
his  "liberty  a  cloak  of  maliciousness  ;"  and  he  is  to  act  as  the  "ser 
vant  of  God  ;"  he  is  to  use  his  freedom  ;  he  is  not  to  abuse  it ;  and  he 
is  to  exemplify  his  condition  as  the  servant  of  God.  Let  us  attend  to 
these  three  general  views  of  the  Christian's  duty  in  succession. 

§  1. — The  Christian's  duty  to  use  his  freedom  ;  to  act  "  as  free." 

First,  then,  Christians  are  to  act  as  free.  Their  conduct  is  to  cor 
respond  with  their  condition  as  freemen,  not  slaves.  The  whole 
frame  of  their  temper  and  behavior  is  to  correspond  to  that  liberty 
which  is  well  called  Christian  liberty,  being  purchased  by  the  blood 
of  Christ,  that  "  blood  of  the  covenant"  by  which  "  the  prisoners  of 
hope"  are  "  sent  forth  out  of  the  pit  wherein  is  no  water,"  revealed  to 
us  in  the  gospel  of  Christ,  that  "royal  law,"  that  "law  of  liberty,"  and 
conveyed  to  us,  bestowed  on  us,  by  that  "free  Spirit"  of  Christ,  who, 
wherever  he  comes,  brings  liberty  along  with  him.3  The  best  way 
of  bringing  out  the  truth  on  this  subject,  in  a  way  in  which  it  can  be 
turned  to  practical  purposes,  will,  I  believe,  be  shortly  to  attend  to  the 
Christian's  duty  as  to  the  maintenance  and  use  of  his  freedom  in  the 
three  aspects  in  which  we  have  already  contemplated  it :  freedom  in 
reference  to  God  ;  freedom  in  reference  to  man ;  freedom  in  reference 
to  the  powers  and  principles  of  evil. 

1  Leighton. 

8  Cliristianorum  libertas  est  serva  libertas,  quia  liberati  sunt,  ut  Deo  serviant;  et 
libera  servitus,  quia  non  coacte  sed  sponte  Deo  et  Magistratui  obediunt. — GERHARD. 
8  Zech.  ix.  11.     James  i.  25,  11,  8.     Psal.  li.  12. 


266  THE    DUTY    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XI. 

(1.)  "  As  free"  in  reference  to  God. 

The  Christian  is  to  act  "  as  free"  in  reference  to  God.  When  I  say 
the  Christian  is  to  act  as  free,  I  refer  to  the  actings,  not  only,  nor 
principally,  of  the  outer  man,  but  of  "  the  inner  man"  of  the  min'd  and 
heart.  What  is  fundamental  here  is  the  maintenance  of  a  firm  faith 
of  that  Christian  truth,  that  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  by  which  the  Chris 
tian  was  freed  both  from  the  condition  and  dispositions  of  a  slave, 
brought  into  the  state  and  formed  to  the  character  of  a  freeman ;  and 
the  cherishing  of  that  humble,  yet  confident  assurance,  that  he  is  in 
a  state  of  favor  with  God,  which  naturally  grows  out  of  this  faith,  and 
its  necessary  effects  on  the  character  and  conduct. 

Many  professors  of  Christianity  seem  to  labor  under  a  serious  mis 
take  on  this  subject.  Uncertainty,  doubt,  perplexity,  fear,  seem  to  be 
the  elementary  principles  of  their  religion  ;  they  seem  to  think  the 
better  of  themselves  that  they  have  no  "  confidence  towards  God,"  no 
settled  satisfaction  respecting  their  highest  interest ;  they  appear  to 
consider  anxiety  and  alarm  as  the  best  proofs  of  spiritual  life,  the  best 
motives  to  spiritual  activity  ;  and  that  the  securest  way  of  getting  to 
heaven,  is  by  no  means  to  anticipate  as  certain,  or  even  as  very  prob 
able,  the  getting  there  at  last,  but  to  be  "  all  their  lifetime  subject  to 
bondage  through  fear  of  death,"  and  what  is  to  follow  it.  They  seem 
to  think  that  it  would  be  presumption  in  any  man  to  entertain  that 
"good  hope  through  grace"  which  the  apostles  cherished,  and  which 
they  call  on  all  Christians  to  cherish.  This  may  have,  as  the  apostle 
expresses  it,  "  a  show  of  humility  ;"  but  it  exhibits  a  deplorable  igno 
rance  of  the  first  principles  of  Christian  truth,  an  entire  unacquaint- 
ance  with  the  genius  of  the  gospel  economy. 

There  are,  as  we  have  already  hinted,  two  things  which  a  Chris 
tian  should  earnestly  seek  to  hold  steadfastly  when  he  has  obtained 
them,  in  order  to  his  acting  as  a  freeman  towards  God — "  the  assur 
ance  of  faith,"  and  "the  assurance  of  hope."  The  first  refers  to  the 
testimony  of  God  respecting  the  Saviour  and  his  salvation.  No  man 
is  a  Christian  at  all  who  has  not  both  the  faith  and  the  hope  of  the 
gospel :  and  the  measure  of  the  holiness  and  the  happiness  of  any  in 
dividual  Christian,  is  just  the  degree  of  this  faith  and  hope,  which  are 
always  proportioned  to  each  other. 

Surely  there  can  be  nothing  good,  there  must  be  all  that  is  evil,  in 
doubting  the  testimony  of  God,  that  is,  in  treating  the  God  of  truth 
as  if  he  were  a  liar.  This  is,  properly  speaking,  unbelief:  that  which 
makes  men  slaves,  and  keeps  them  so  ;  that  which  prevents  men  from 
coming  to  God,  and  leads  them  to  depart  from  him.  It  is  the  truth 
which  makes  us  free.  It  is  only  as  believed  that  it  can  do  so ;  it  is 
only  in  the  degree  that  it  is  believed  that  it  can  do  so.  Doubt  with 
regard  to  the  saving  truth  can  never  be  right  in  any  man ;  in  a 
Christian  it  is  doubly  folly  and  sin,  and  is,  indeed,  as  it  were,  spiritual 
suicide. 

Doubt  with  respect  to  the  safety  of  our  own  state,  which  is  a  very 
different  matter  from  doubt  of  the  saying  truth,  though  the  two 
things  have  intimate  and  interesting  relations  to  each  other,  is  in  no 
case  a  desirable  or  even  a  proper  state  of  mind.  There  may  be  but 


PART  II. J  TO    ACT    AS    FREE.  267 

too  much  ground  for  it,  both  on  the  part  of  the  unconverted  and  of 
the  converted  man  ;  but  still  it  is  a  state  which  ought  not  to  exist. 
As  to  the  unconverted  man,  he  ought  not  to  be  in  doubt  about  his 
.spiritual  state ;  he  ought  to  know  his  state  to  be  one  of  deep  guilt 
and  imminent  danger.  While  he  only  doubts  that  all  is  not  right,  he 
is  not  in  the  way  of  being  saved.  He  must  know  that  all  is  wrong. 
He  must  be  brought  to  see  himself  lost,  else  he  never  will  come  to 
the  Saviour ;  and  if  he  were  not  wilfully  blind,  he  could  not  help 
seeing  that  there  is  no  room  for  doubt  in  his  case.  He  is  "  con 
demned  already,  and  the  wrath  of  God  is  abiding  on  him."  And 
there  needs  be  no  doubt  about  the  matter;  it  is  just  as  certain  as  the 
plain  declaration  of  the  God  of  truth  can  make  it. 

There  may  be  ground  for  doubt  as  to  the  safety  of  his  state  in  the 
case  even  of  a  converted  man.  Not  that  we  believe  that  any  really 
converted  man  shall  not  be  saved.  We  are  fully  persuaded  of  the 
truth  of  that  declaration  of  the  faithful  and  true  witness  :  "  I  give  unto 
my  sheep  eternal  life  ;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any 
pluck  them  out  of  my  hands.  My  Father,  who  gave  them  me,  is 
greater  than  all,  and  none  can  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's  hand."1 
But  if  a  converted  man  lose  sight  of  the  truth,  which,  in  one  view, 
is  the  great  source,  in  another  the  only  channel,  of  true  holiness  and 
comfort  in  the  human  heart,  and  losing  sight  of  that  truth,  fall  under 
the  power  of  worldly  lusts,  and  "lust  having  conceived,  bringeth 
forth  sin,"  2  then  doubts  about  the  safety  of  his  spiritual  state,  if  he  is 
not  sunk  into  utter  stupidity  or  -strong  delusion,  must  prevail.  But 
this  is  plainly  a  state  into  which  the  Christian  ought  not  to  have 
brought  himself;  and  it  is  as  plainly  a  state  out  of  which  th&  sooner 
he  gets  so  much  the  better.  Till  he  does,  he  can  neither  enjoy  com 
fort  nor  make  progress  in  holiness ;  and  he  can  be  brought  out  of  it 
in  no  other  way  than  by  the  truth  which  first  made  him  free,  again, 
through  being  anew  apprehended  in  its  meaning  and  evidence,  exert 
ing  its  natural  influence,  and  thus,  both  directly  and  indirectly,  fur 
nishing  his  mind  with  satisfactory  evidence  that  he  is  in  a  state  of 
spiritual  freedom. 

This,  then,  is  the  first  way,  Christian  brethren,  in  which  you  are  to 
act  as  free  towards  God.  Hold  fast  the  faith  of  "the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus."  Continue  to  count  it  "a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of 
all  acceptation,  that  Christ  came  to  save  sinners,  even  the  chief/' 
Reckon  the  Divine  testimony,  that  "  God  is  in  Christ,  reconciling  the 
world  to  himself,  not  imputing  to  men  their  trespasses  ;  seeing  he 
hath  made  him  who  knew  no  sin,  to  be  sin  for  us,  that  we  might  be 
made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him,"  3  the  very  truth  most  sure. 
Seek  the  full  assurance  of  faith  respecting  the  Saviour's  person  and 
work,  the  fulness  and  freeness  of  his  salvation.  Keep  always  before 
your  mind,  as  the  great  reality,  God  as  holy  love. 

And  then,  in  the  second  place,  hold  fast  the  hope  of  the  gospel : 
cherish  an  undoubting  expectation  of  "  the  salvation  that  is  in  Christ, 
with  eternal  glory."  Never  doubt  but  that  God  will  do  to  you  all 
that  he  has  said.  "Hold  fast  the  confidence  and  the  rejoicing  of  the 
hope,"  founded  on  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  "  steadfast  to  the  end." 

1  John  x.  28,  29.  2  James  i.  15.  8  1  Tim.  i.  15.     2  Cor.  v.  19,  21. 


268  THE    DUTY    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XI. 

"  Hold  fast  the  beginning  of  your  confidence,"  your  first  confidence, 
as  sinners  deserving  hell,  and  never  capable  of  deserving  anything 
else,  yet  hoping  for  eternal  life,  as  the  gift  of  God  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord.     "Give  all  diligence  to  the  full  assurance  of  this, 
hope  to  the  end."  1 

Then,  under  the  influence  of  this  faith  and  hope,  engage  with  hum 
ble,  joyful  confidence  in  all  the  duties,  both  of  interior  and  exterior 
religion.  "  In  the  full  assurance  of  faith"  that  "  we  have  a  great 
High  Priest,  who  for  us  hath  entered  into  the  heavens,  Jesus  the  Son 
of  God,"  go  "  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace."  "  Trust  in  the  Lord  ; 
pour  out  your  heart  before  hirn."  Make  him  your  refuge ;  knowing 
his  name,  put  your  confidence  in  him,  and  say,  "  My  expectation  is 
from  him.  He  is  my  rock  and  rny  salvation ;  he  is  my  defence  ;  I 
shall  not  be  moved.  For  God  is  my  salvation  and  my  glory ;  the 
rock  of  my  strength,  and  my  refuge,  is  in  God."  "Be  careful," 
anxious  "  for  nothing  ;  but  in  everything  by  prayer  and  supplication, 
with  thanksgiving,  make  your  request  known  to  God,"  in  the  assured 
expectation,  that  he  will  "  supply  your  need  according  to  his  glorious 
riches,"  and  make  his  "  peace  keep  your  heart  and  mind  through 
Christ  Jesus."  And  "  having  confidence,  full  persuasion,  respecting 
the  entrance  of  Jesus,  even  the  entrance  of  his  flesh  into  the  holiest, 
by  blood,  by  which  he  has  consecrated  for  us  a  new  and  living  way 
into  the  holiest,  draw  near  with  a  true  heart,  in  full  assurance  of  faith, 
having  your  hearts  sprinkled  from  an  evil  conscience  ;  and  having 
your  bodies  washed  with  pure  water,  hold  fast  your  profession." 
Pray  to  him,  and  "  ask  in  faith,  nothing  wavering ;"  believing  that, 
"  if  we,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to  our  children,  much 
more  shall  he  give  good  things  to  them  who  ask  him."  Come  before 
his  presence  with  thanksgiving,  and  make  a  joyful  noise  to  him  with 
psalms.  Serve  him  with  gladness ;  come  before  his  presence  with 
singing.  Enter  his  gates  with  thanksgiving,  and  into  his  courts  with 
praise  ;  be  thankful  to  him,  and  bless  his  name."  In  the  same  spirit 
perform  all  the  duties  enjoined  on  you.  Walk  at  liberty,  keeping  his 
commandments.  Make  it  evident  that  you  account  his  yoke  an  easy 
yoke,  his  burden  a  light  burden.  "  Run  in  the  way  of  his  command 
ments,"  thus  making  it  evident  that  he  has  "  enlarged  your  hearts." 
And  "count  it  all  joy  when  you  are  brought  into  manifold  trials." 
Do  not  suffer  as  one  who  must  suffer,  but  as  one  who  would  suffer, 
since  such  is  the  will  of  God.  "Be  patient,"  "  be  joyful  in  tribula 
tions,"  knowing  they  are  not  the  punishment  of  the  slave,  but  the 
chastisement  of  the  child. 

In  fine,  act  as  free  in  reference  to  God,  by  manifesting  habitually  a 
self-possessed,  happy,  contented  mind.  Let  your  whole  demeanor 
speak  the  satisfaction  you  have  in  your  privileges  and  hopes  as  free 
men,  the  denizens  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  "  Jerusalem  from  above, 
which  is  free."  Let  your  mien  and  gait  be  those  of  the  children  of 
a  king.  "  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always  ;  and  again  I  say,  Rejoice." 

Oh !  how  holy,  how  happy  would  Christians  be,  were  they  thus  to 
rise  above  the  influence  of  the  spirit  of  bondage,  the  spirit  of  fear, 
and  to  yield  themselves  to  the  full  influence  of  the  spirit  of  adoption, 
1  Heb.  ii.  6,  14 ;  vl  11.    Psal  bdi.  1,  2,  7,  8.     PhiL  iv.  G,  7,  19.     Heb.  x.  14-23. 


PART  II.]  TO    ACT    A3    FREE.  209 

teaching  them  habitually  to  cry,  "  Abba,  Father  !"  How  easy  would 
be  the  most  laborious  duties,  how  light  the  heaviest  afflictions,  if,  in 
obedience  to  the  merciful  injunction  in  the  text,  we  would  but  think, 
and  feel,  and  act,  as  freemen  in  reference  to  God! 1 


(2.)  "As  free"  in  reference  to  man. 

I  proceed  to  remark,  that  the  Christian  should  act  "  as  free"  in 
reference  to  man.  He  should  allow  the  truth,  respecting  his  freedom 
from  human  dominion  in  reference  to  faith  and  duty,  to  produce  its 
proper  effect,  both  in  preventing  him  from  subjecting  his  own  mind 
and  conscience  to  human  authority,  and  from  attempting  to  subject 
the  mind  and  conscience  of  others  to  his  authority,  or  to  the  authority 
of  others  to  whom  he  may  have  incautiously  yielded  an  undue  defe 
rence. 

The  command  of  our  Lord,  in  reference  to  the  former  of  these 
manifestations  of  freedom  is  very  explicit.  "  Be  not  ye  the  servants 
of  men/'  "  Stand  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made 
you  free,  and  be  not  entangled  in  any  yoke  of  bondage."  "  Let  no 
man  spoil  you."2  The  Christian  does  not  act  in  character  if  he  re 
ceive  any  doctrine,  observe  any  ordinance,  perform  any  duty,  on  any 
ground,  except  that  he  has  seen  with  his  own  eyes,  in  what  he  knows 
to  be  a  Divine  revelation,  that  Christ  has  revealed  the  doctrine,  ap 
pointed  the  institution,  enjoined  the  duty.  Christians  obviously  act 
at  variance  with  their  high  calling,  which  is  to  liberty,  when  in  defe 
rence  to  human  authority,  they  receive  doctrines  which  Christ  has 
not  revealed,  observe  ordinances  which  he  has  not  instituted,  and 
perform  as  a  duty  what  he  never  made  one,  or  what,  it  may  be,  he 
has  forbidden  as  a  sin.  When  a  Christian  is  tempted  to  do  any  of 
these  things,  he  is  distinctly  to  say  to  those  who  would  bring  him  into 
bondage,  Who  gave  you  authority  over  my  conscience  ?  Who  au 
thorized  you  to  add  to,  to  alter,  or  to  repeal,  any  of  Christ's  ordi 
nances  ?  I  have  a  Lord  of  the  conscience,  but  it  is  not  you  ;  if  I 
were  your  servant,  I  could  not  be  His.  "  Whether  it  be  right  in  the 
sight  of  God  to  obey  men  rather  than  God,  judge  ye."  3 

But  Christians  must  not  only  refuse  to  submit  to  receive  from  men 
institutions,  doctrines,  and  precepts,  different  from  those  authorized 
by  Christ ;  but  they  must  take  care  to  receive  Christ's  institutions, 
doctrines,  and  laws  on  his  own  authority,  and  not  on  that  of  men.  A 
man's  creed  may  be  in  accordance  with  Christian  truth,  and  he  may 
observe  no  ordinance  but  what  Christ  has  appointed,  and  yet  he  may 
be  a  slave  to  human  authority  ;  for  he  receives  the  one  and  observes 
the  other,  not  because  he  has,  in  the  free  exercise  of  his  own  mind, 
seen  that  they  bear  the  stamp  of  Christ's  authority,  but  because  he  has 
been  taught  them  by  his  parents,  or  has  found  them  in  the  writings 
of  authors  to  whom  he  has  been  accustomed  to  yield  great  deference. 
Such  a  man,  instead  of  being  free  from  man,  not  only  serves  man,  but 

1  Heb.  iv.  14,  16;  x.  22.  Psal.  Ixii.  1,  2,  7,  8.  Phil.  iv.  6,  7.  19.  Heb.  x.  19-23. 

James  i.  6.  Matt.  vii.  7.  Psal.  c.  James  i.  3.  Rom.  xii.  12.  2  Cor.  vii.  4.  Phil.  iii.  1 ; 
ir.4. 

8  1  Cor.  vii.  23.    Gal.  v.  1.     CoL  il  8.  '  Acts  iv.  19. 


279  THE    DUTY    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  Al. 

worships  him.  He  puts  him  in  the  place  of  God  or  his  Son,  of  the 
one  Father  or  the  one  Master.  It  has  been  admirably  said  by  one  of 
the  greatest  ornaments  of  our  denomination,  "  To  yield  up  our  judg 
ment  in  religious  matters  to  any  individual,  or  to  any  church,  is  to 
invest  that  individual  or  that  church  with  the  attribute  of  infallibility ; 
and  consequently,  while  we  retain  the  character  of  protestants,  practi 
cally  to  adopt  one  of  the  worst  errors  of  popery.  You  can  have  no 
certainty  that  any  doctrine  which  you  hold*  is  true,  unless  you  have 
seen  it  with  your  own  eyes  in  the  Scriptures.  The  faith,  therefore, 
of  those  who  submit  to  be  guided  by  the  sentiments  of  others,  how 
ever  learned,  and  wise,  and  holy,  is  downright  presumption  ;  a  venture 
in  the  most  important  of  all  concerns  upon  the  diligence,  the  imparti 
ality,  and  the  capacity  of  others,  of  which  they  can  never  be  fully 
assured.  Let  them  seriously  consider,  that  although  their  creed  may 
happen  to  be  right,  its  orthodoxy  will  not  recommend  them  to  God ; 
who  perceives,  in  their  undue  respect  for  human  authority,  a  criminal 
indifference  to  truth,  and  a  virtual  rejection  of  his  authority,  as  the 
only  foundation  of  faith."  l 

Or,  to  use  the  words  of  Bishop  Sanderson,2  one  of  the  ablest  divines 
of  the  English  church  of  a  former  age  :  "  Is  it  not  blameworthy  in  us, 
and  a  proof  of  our  carnality,  to  give  up  our  judgments  to  be  guided 
by  the  writings  of  Luther,  or  Calvin,  or  any  other  mortal  man  what 
soever  ?  Worthy  instruments  they  were,  both  of  them,  of  God's 
glory,  and  such  as  did  excellent  service  to  the  church  in  these  times, 
whereof  we  yet  find  the  benefit ;  and  we  are  unthankful  if  we  do  not 
bless  God  for  it :  and,  therefore,  it  is  an  unsavory  thing  for  any  man 
to  gird  at  their  names,  whose  memories  should  be  precious.  But  yet, 
were  they  not  men  ?  Had  they  received  the  Spirit  in  the  fulness  of 
it,  and  not  by  measure  ?  Knew  they  otherwise  than  in  part,  or  pro 
phesied  otherwise  than  in  part  ?  Might  they  not  in  many  things,  and 
did  they  not  in  some  things,  mistake  and  err  ?  Howsoever,  the 
apostle's  interrogatories  are  unanswerable.  What  saith  he  ?  '  Was 
Paul  crucified  for  you ;  or  were  ye  baptized  in  the  name  of  Paul  ?' 
Even  so,  was  either  Luther,  or  Calvin  crucified  for  you  ?  Or  were 
ye  baptized  into  the  name  of  Luther  or  Calvin,  or  any  other  man,  that 
any  one  of  you  should  say,  I  am  of  Luther ;  or  any  other,  I  am  of 
Calvin  ;  and  I  of  him,  and'l  of  him  ?  What  is  Calvin  or  Luther,  but 
'ministers  by  whom  ye  believed  ;'  that  is  to  say,  instruments,  but  not 
lords,  of  your  belief?" 

It  is  an  important  part,  both  of  Christian  prudence  and  Christian 
duty,  to  avoid  all  unnecessary  dependence  on,  or  obligation  to,  our 
fellow-men,  as  calculated  to  endanger  our  Christian  independence  of 
mind  and  spirit.  There  may  be  entire  inward  freedom  from  man, 
amidst  deep  external  dependence.  But  dependence  is  not  of  itself 
desirable,  in  reference  to  the  higher  objects  of  the  Christian  life. 
Even  to  Christian  slaves  the  apostle  says :  "  If  thou  mayest  be  free, 
use  it  rather."  Christians  should  act  on  the  ennobling  principles  and 

1  Dr.  Dick. 

*  I  gratefully  confess  myself  indebted  to  the  elaborate  discourse  from  -which  this  quo 
tation  is  made  for  many  good  thoughts  and  pithy  expressions ;  which  are,  however,  so 
mixed  up  with  my  own  thoughts  and  composition,  as  not  to  admit  of  particular  acknowl 
edgment. 


PART  II."]  TO    ACT    AS    FREE.  271 

precepts  of  their  Lord  :  "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive  :'* 
"  Owe  no  man  anything,  but  to  love  one  another ;"  "  Be  not  the 
servants  of  men." 

But  Christians  should  act  as  free,  not  only  in  refusing  to  submit  to 
human  authority  in  religion  themselves,  but  also  in  carefully  abstain 
ing  from  imposing  the  yoke  of  human  authority  on  others.  Their 
freedom  should  be  manifested,  not  only  in  maintaining  their  own 
privileges  as  free,  but  in  respecting  the  privileges  of  others.  It  is  a 
curious  inconsistency  that  not  unfrequently  occurs  in  human  charac 
ter,  that  men  clamorous  for,  or  jealous  of,  their  own  liberties,  as  they 
understand  them,  should  yet  be  constantly  invading  the  liberties  of 
others.  Unfond  of  being  ruled,  they  are  very  fond  of  ruling.  Wher* 
ever  this  is  the  case,  the  genuine  spirit  of  liberty  is  wanting.  No 
where  does  this  incongruity  appear  more  monstrous  than  among  pro 
fessing  Christians.  An  enlightened  Christian  distinctly  perceives  that 
his  freedom  from  human  authority  is  no  peculiar  privilege ;  he  sees 
that  it  belongs  equally  to  all  Christians  :  nay,  that  it  belongs  equally 
to  all  men ;  and  that,  for  religious  opinions  and  usages,  man  is  an 
swerable  to  God  only.  He  sees,  that  on  this  subject  the  privileges, 
the  duty,  and  the  responsibility  of  all  men  are  substantially  the  same  ; 
and  he  acts  on  the  principle,  '^Whatsoever  ye  \vould  that  men  should 
do  to  you,  do  you  even  so  to  them."  l  Holding,  as  he  does,  that  man 
can  confer  no  favor  on  man  higher  than  the  communication  of  just 
views  of  religious  truth  and  duty,  he  is  ready,  by  statement  and  argu 
ment,  to  endeavor  to  bring  men  to  believe  what  he  believes,  because 
he  accounts  it  truth  ;  and  to  do  what  he  does,  because  he  accounts  it 
duty  ;  but  he  does  not  use  any  other  means.  He  dares  not  use  force ; 
he  dares  not  use  bribes  ;  he  dares  not  use  any  influence  but  the  influ 
ence  of  truth. 

Where  the  difference  of  opinion  involves,  in  his  estimation,  the 
essence  of  Christian  truth  and  duty,  he  of  course  must  decline  acknowl 
edging  as  a  Christian  the  individual  who  thus  differs  from  him :  but 
even  here,  though  he  may,  though  he  must,  think  that  that  individual 
has  not  wisely,  not  rightly,  exercised  his  undoubted  right  of  judging 
for  himself,  he  never  thinks  of  denying  that  he  has  that  right.  He 
endeavors  to  think  as  favorably  of  him  as  circumstances  will  admit ; 
recollects  that  he  is  not  his  judge ;  and  rests  satisfied,  that  He  who  is 
the  final  Judge,  will,  in  this  case,  as  in  all  others,  do  what  is  right. 

Where  the  difference  of  opinion  does  not  affect  the  essence  of 
Christianity,  he  not  only  does  not  attempt  to  impose  his  opinion  on  his 
brother,  but  he  d3es  not  allow  the  difference  of  opinion  at  all  to  influ 
ence  his  conduct  to  him  as  a  Christian  brother.  If  he  has  evidence 
that  Christ  has  received  him,  he  receives  him,  and  gives  him  all  the 
liberty  he  himself  claims  ;  and  does  this,  not  as  if  he  were  granting 
him  a  boon,  but  merely  as  respecting  that  common  Christian  liberty 
which  Christ  has  given  to  all  his  disciples. 

We  have  a  beautiful  instance  of  this  mode  of  acting  "as  free"  in 
the  case  of  the  apostle  and  the  weak  brethren,  who  made  a  distinction 
of  meats  and  days.  He  would  not  allow  them  to  impose  their  views 
on  him.  To  any  such  attempt  he  gave  the  most  strenuous  opposition. 

J  Matt.  vii.  12. 


272  THE    DUTY    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XI. 

He  would  not  submit  to  it;  :"no,  not  for  an  hour."  But,  though  he 
knew  they  were  in  a  mistake,  he  does  not  seek  to  impose  his  views 
on  them.  He  was  persuaded  that  they,  as  well  as  he,  reverenced  the 
authority  of  their  common  Lord ;  that  they,  who  observed  the  day, 
observed  it  to  the  Lord,  just  as  he  to  the  Lord  did  not  observe  it. 
He  recollected,  that  in  every  such  case  "  every  man  should  be  fully  per 
suaded  in  his  own  mind/'  that"  whatsoever  is  not  of  faith  is  sin,"  and 
that  "  every  one  must  give  an  account  of  HIMSELF  to  God ;"  and  rec 
ognizing,  in  the  common  subjection  of  mind  to  the  seen  authority  of 
Christ,  a  bond  of  union  stronger  than  any  cause  of  alienation  or  separ 
ation,  in  honest  differences,  as  to  what  is  the  mind  of  the  Lord  on  cer 
tain  minor  points,  he  received  these  weak  brethren  as  Christ  had  re 
ceived  them ;  and  while  desirous  to  enlighten  them,  he  wras  better 
pleased,  till  they  were  enlightened,  that  they  should  act  according  to 
their  own  conscientious  views,  though  limited  and  incorrect,  than  ac 
cording  to  his  conscientious  views,  though  wide  and  accurate.  And 
he  exhorted  the  two  parties,  which  were  then,  as  still,  to  be  found  in 
every  Christian  society,  the  strong  as  well  as  the  weak,  to  allow  one 
another  to  walk  at  liberty;  forbidding  the  weak  to  condemn  the 
strong,  which  they  were  apt  to  do,  and  the  strong  to  despise  the  weak, 
which  they  were  just  as  apt  to  do ;  cautioning  them  both  against 
hindering  or  "destroying  the  work  of  God"  by  their  mutual  conten 
tions  ;  forbidding  them  "  to  judge  one  another"  in  such  cases,  but 
calling  on  them  "to  judge  this  rather,  that  no  one  put  a  stumbling- 
block  in  his  brother's  way ;"  putting  them  in  mind  of  the  impropriety 
of  "judging  another  man's  servant;"  suggesting  the  solemn  thought, 
"  every  man  must  give  an  account  of  HIMSELF,"  not  of  his  brother, 
"  to  God ;"  forbidding  them  to  separate  on  such  grounds,  to  dissolve 
the  bonds  either  of  Christian  love  or  church  fellowship ;  and  com 
manding  them,  "so  far  as  they  have  already  attained,  to  walk  by  the 
same  rule,  and  to  mind  the  same  thing ;"  assured,  that  this  is  the  way 
to  come  to  a  closer  agreement  on  subjects  on  which  they  conscien 
tiously  differed.1  How  happy  would  it  have  been  for  the  church  had 
Christians  always  acted  thus,  "  as  free  ;"  treating  each  other  as  the 
Lord's  freemen  :  not  attempting  to  lord  it  over  one  another's  con 
sciences!  And  how  often  would  the  reader  of  ecclesiastical  history 
have  been  spared  the  painful  necessity  of  observing,  in  how  many 
instances  our  Lord's  saying  has  been  verified,  "  Woe  to  the  world  be 
cause  of  offences ! " 

(3.)  "  As  free'  in  reference  to  the  powers  and  principles  of  evil. 

It  is  now  time  that  I  remark,  in  the  third  place,  that  Christians 
should  act  "  as  free"  in  reference  to  the  powers  and  principles  of  evil. 
In  their  contests  with  their  spiritual  enemies,  whether  these  are  the 
spirits  of  darkness,  the  influences  of  the  present  evil  world,  or  the  re 
maining  sinful  propensities  of  their  fallen  and  but  imperfectly  renew 
ed  nature,  they  should  think,  and  feel,  and  act,  as  freemen,  and  not  as 
slaves.  When  an  unconverted  man,  aroused  by  whatever  means  to 
a  sense  of  his  danger  from  these  quarters,  attempts  something  like  op- 

1  Rom.  xiv.  passim. 


PART  II.]  TO   ACT   AS   FREE.  273 

position,  lie  is  as  a  man  fighting  in  chains ;  nis  resistance  is  short, 
fitful,  and  feeble ;  the  victory  of  his  enemies  certain,  speedy,  and 
complete.  The  issue  of  all  such  conflicts  is  confirmed  slavery.  And 
even  the  Christian,  if  he  enter  on  the  combat  with  these  enemies  under 
the  influence  of  "the  spirit  of  bondage,"  makes  little  head  against 
them.  But  if,  when  assailed  by  the  great  enemy,  he  know  and  believe 
that  the  Captain  of  Salvation  has  vanquished  him  and  his  legions, 
and  have  entire  confidence  in  the  promise,  that  "  Satan  shall  be 
bruised  under  his  feet  shortly."  * — if,  like  a  freeman,  who,  though 
once  the  prey  of  the  mighty,  has  been  rescued  out  of  his  grasp,  who, 
though  once  his  captive,  now  walks  at  liberty,  he  take  to  him  the 
"  shield  of  faith,  the  breastplate  of  righteousness,  the  helmet  of  sal 
vation,  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God,"  he  is  sure 
of  victory.  This  is  "  the  whole  armor  of  God,"  and  clothed  in  this 
panoply,  and  wielding  these  weapons,  he  resists  the  devil,  so  that 
lie  flees  from  him.  It  is  thus  that  he  is  able  to  "  quench  all  his  fiery 
darts,"  and  to  "  turn  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens/'  Conscious 
of  the  value  of  freedom,  carefully  guarding  himself  from  being  en 
tangled  in  Satan's  snares,  or  led  captive  of  him  at  his  will,  and  ac 
quitting  himself  like  a  good  soldier  of  Christ  Jesus, 


•  There  's  not  a  chain, 


That  hellish  foes  confed'rate  for  his  harm, 
Can  wind  around  him,  but  he  casts  it  off 
With  as  much  ease  as  Samson  his  green  wyths."  a 

In  reference  to  the  evil  influences  of. the  present  world,  things  seen 
and  temporal,  let  the  Christian '  act  as  free,  and  show  that  he  has 
been  "  delivered  from  the  present  evil  world"  by  Christ  giving  him 
self  for  him ;  that  by  the  cross  of  Christ,  the  world,  which  once,  as 
a  mighty  monarch,  swayed  resistless  power  over  him,  is  now  cruci 
fied  to  him,  a  powerless,  contemptible,  accursed  thing.  Let  him 
show  that  he  feels  that  he  is  become  free  of  the  universe,  and  for 
eternity,  by  becoming  the  child  of  the  Lord  of  the  universe,  who 
liveth  forever  and  ever ;  and  that  the  vain,  unreal,  shadowy  hopes 
and  fears  of  this  narrow,  short-lived  scene,  are  no  longer  to  be  the 
great  moving  principles  of  his  conduct.  Let  him  act  as  if  the  world, 
so  far  as  it  is  fitted  to  promote  his  welfare,  instead  of  being  his  mas 
ter,  were  a  part  of  his  property.  He  is  not  the  world's,  the  world  is 
his ;  he  is  an  inheritor  of  the  world  ;  and  considered  as  it  often  is  in 
Scripture,  as  an  enemy,  let  him  show  that  "  this  is  the  victory  that 
overcometh  the  world,  even  our  faith."  3 

As  to  the  propensities  of  his  fallen  and  imperfectly-renewed  na 
ture,  so  far  as  they  are  depraved,  let  them  treat  them  as  vanquished 
enemies,  despoiled  of  their  dominion,  concerning  whom  the  sentence 
has  gone  forth,  "  Sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you."  Let  him 
consider  them  as,  like  the  Canaanites  of  old,  doomed  to  utter  destruc 
tion  :  "let  not  his  eye  pity,  nor  his  hand  spare."  Let  him  "  mortify 
his  members  that  are  on  the  earth/'  "  crucify  the  flesh  with  the  affec 
tions  and  lusts,"  "resolutely  cut  off  the  offending  right  hand,  pluck 
out  the  offending  right  eye,"  and  cast  them  from  him  as  an  abomina- 

1  Rom.  xvi.  20.  '  Cowper.  3  i  jonn  Y/  4. 

18 


274  THE   DUTY   OF   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XI. 

ble  thing.  And  so  far  as  they  are  an  original  part  of  his  nature,  not 
to  be  extirpated  but  improved,  let  him  remember  that  now  he  is  not 
their  servant ;  they  are  his ;  and  let  him  use  them  as  the  efficient  in 
struments  of  promoting  the  glory  of  his  great  deliverer.  The  best 
illustration  of  this  part  of  the  subject  that  is  anywhere  to  be  met 
with,  is  to  be  found  in  the  6th  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Eomans : 
"  Beckon  ye  yourselves  to  be  dead  indeed  unto  sin,  but  alive  unto 
God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Let  not  sin  therefore  reign  in 
your  mortal  body,  that  ye  should  obey  it  in  the  lusts  thereof :  neither 
yield  ye  your  members  unto  sin  as  instruments  of  unrighteousness ; 
but  yield  yourselves  to  God,  as  those  who  are  alive  from  the  dead, 
and  your  members  to  God  as  instruments  of  righteousness.  For  sin 
shall  not  have  dominion  over  you :  for  ye  are  not  under  the  law,  but 
under  grace.  "What  then  ?  shall  we  sin  because  we  are  not  under 
the  law,  but  under  grace  ?  God  forbid.  Know  ye  not,  that  to  whom 
ye  yield  yourselves  servants  to  obey,  his  servants  ye  are  to  whom  ye 
obey ;  whether  of  sin  unto  death,  or  of  obedience  unto  righteousness  ? 
But  God  be  thanked,  ye  were  the  servants  of  sin ;  but  ye  have  obey 
ed  from  the  heart  the  form  of  doctrine  which  has  been  delivered  to 
you.  Being  then  made  free  from  sin,  ye  became  the  servants  of 
righteousness.  As  then  ye  have  yielded  your  members  servants  to 
uncleanness,  and  to  iniquity ;  even  so  now  yield  your  members  ser 
vants  to  righteousness  unto  holiness.  For  when  ye  were  the  ser 
vants  of  sin,  ye  were  free  from  righteousness.  What  fruit  had  ye 
then  in  those  things  whereof  ye  are  now  ashamed  ?  for  the  end  of 
those  things  is  death.  But  now,  being  made  free  from  sin,  and  be 
come  servants  of  God,  ye  have  your  fruit  unto  holiness,  and  the  end 
everlasting  life.  For  the  wages  of  sin  is  death ;  but  the  gift  of  God 
is  eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  1 

So  much  for  the  illustration  of  the  first  part  of  the  general  view  of 
the  Christian's  duty.  He  ought  to  act  in  a  correspondence  to  his 
state  of  liberty,  "  as  free"  in  reference  to  God,  in  reference  to  men, 
in  reference  to  the  powers  and  principled  of  evil. 

Many  of  the  inducements  which  should  influence  the  Christian  to 
act  "  as  free,"  to  maintain  and  assert  his  Christian  liberty,  have  come 
before  our  minds  in  the  course  of  our  illustration  of  this  duty.  It 
may  serve  a  good  purpose,  however,  to  glance  at  a  few  more  before 
concluding  this  part  of  the  discussion. 

You  cannot,  my  Christian  brethren,  neglect  compliance  with  this 
injunction,  'Be  "as  free ;"  act  in  accordance  with  your  condition  as 
a  condition  of  liberty,' — without  obvious  injustice  to  Him  whom  you 
acknowledge  as  your  only  Lord.  You  are  His.  He  has  bought  you 
from  slavery  to  liberty.  When  you  act  as  free,  you  use  his  property 
in  the  way  he  wishes  it  to  be  used.  But  when  you  act  otherwise, 
when  you  serve  men,  or  the  devil,  or  the  world,  or  the  flesh,  you 
abuse  his  property ;  you  dishonestly  employ  it  for  a  purpose  different 
from,  opposite  to,  that  for  which  he  intended,  to  which  he  had  des 
tined  it.  "Ye  are  not  your  own,  ye  are  bought  with  a  price." 
u  Be  not  then  the  servants  of  men  :"  be  not  the  servants  of  Satan : 
be  not  the  servants  of  divers  lusts  and  pleasures. 

1  Rom.  vl  11-23. 


PART  II.]  TO   ACT   AS  FREE.  275 

But  not  only  will  you  do  injustice  to  Christ,  you  will  do  foul  dis 
honor  to  God,  if  you  do  not  act  "as  free."  You  will  allow  some 
thing  else  to  occupy  his  place.  He  must  be  dishonored,  whoever  or 
whatever  is  put  in  his  room.  But  when  you  serve  Mammon,  serve 
your  own  belly,  serve  Satan,  the  worst  of  all  beings,  while  you 
ought  to  "  worship  the  Lord  your  God,  and  serve  only  HIM,"  0  how 
deeply  do  you  dishonor  him  ! 

Nor  do  you  dishonor  God  only,  you  dishonor  yourselves.  You 
do  not  "  walk  worthy"  of  the  privileges  which  have  been  conferred 
on  you.  "  Ye  know,"  or  at  least  ye  ought  to  know,  "  your  calling, 
brethren."  It  is  "a  high  and  holy  one."  "  You  have  been  called 
into  liberty."  If  you  are  servants,  you  are  servants  only  of  Him, 
whom  to  serve  is  the  greatest  honor  which  the  most  exalted  creature 
can  enjoy.  It  is  immeasurable  degradation  for  you  to  become  the 
servants  of  men  or  devils,  or  worldly  lusts  and  sinful  passions. 

Nor  is  three  only  degradation  in  it ;  there  is  fatiguing,  profitless 
labor.  Christ's  yoke  is  an  easy  yoke ;  Christ's  burden  is  a  light  bur 
den.  "  His  commandments  are  not  grievous."  l  O  how  much  is  it 
otherwise  with  the  yoke,  and  burdens,  and  commandments  of  his 
rivals  !  "  They  who  follow  lying  vanities,  forsake  their  own  mer 
cies."  Every  Christian  who  has  made  the  experiment  (and,  alas ! 
every  Christian  has  made  the  experiment  but  too  often),  knows,  like 
the  Israelites  of  old,  "  the  difference  between  Jehovah's  service  and 
the  service  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  countries."  3  As  you  would  not, 
then,  rob  the  Lord  who  bought  you,  as  you  would  not  dishonor 
God  and  disgrace  yourselves,  and  wear  yourselves  out  with  fruitless 
fatigues  and  thankless  labor,  "  walk  at  liberty,  keeping  his  pre 
cepts  ;"  "  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  has  made  you 
free,  and  be  not  entangled  with  any  yoke  of  bondage." 

Well  may  Christians  triumph  in,  and  be  jealous  of,  this  glorious 
liberty ;  for,  as  Luther,  with  his  usual  power,  says-  — "  Christ's  truth 
maketh  us  free,  not  civilly,  nor  carnally,  but  divinely.  "We  are  made 
free  in  such  sort,  that  our  conscience  is  free  and  quiet,  not  fearing 
the  wrath  of  God  to  come.  This  is  the  true  and  inestimable  liberty, 
to  the  excellency  and  majesty  of  which,  if  we  compare  the  other, 
they  are  but  as  one  drop  of  water  in  respect  of  the  oeean.  For  who 
is  able  to  express  what  a  thing  it  is,  when  a  man  is  assured  in  his 
heart  that  God  neither  is,  nor  ever  will  be,  angry  with  him,  but  will 
be  forever  a  merciful  and  loving  Father  to  him  for  Christ's  sake  I 
This  is,  indeed,  a  marvellous  and  incomprehensible  liberty,  to  have 
the  Most  High  Sovereign  Majesty  so  favorable  to  us,  that  he  doth 
not  only  defend,  maintain,  and  succor  us,  in  this  life ;  but  also,  as 
touching  our  bodies,  will  so  deliver  us,  as  that,  though  sown  in  cor 
ruption,  dishonor,  and  infirmity,  they  shall  rise  again  in  incorruption, 
and  glory,  and  power.  This  is  an  inestimable  liberty,  that  we  are 
made  free  from  the  wrath  of  God  forever ;  and  is  greater,  more  valu 
able,  than  heaven  and  earth,  and  the  created  universe.  '  Blessed  is 
the  man  who  is  in  such  a  case ;  yea,  blessed  is  the  man  whose  God 
is  the  Lord.' " 

1  1  John  v.  3.  "  2  2  Chron.  adi.  8. 


276  THE   DUTY   OP   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XI. 


§  2. — The  Christian's  duty  to  guard  against  the  abuse  of  his  freedom 

I  proceed  now  to  the  consideration  of  the  second  department  of 
the  Christian's  duty,  as  here  delineated.  He  is  to  guard  against 
misapprehending  and  misimproving  his  condition  as  free.  He  is  to 
be  careful,  while  using,  not  to  abuse  his  liberty.  He  is  not  to  use 
his  liberty  "as  a  cloak  of  maliciousness ;"  or,  as  the  Apostle  Paul 
has  it  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  "he  is  not  to  use  his  liberty 
for  an  occasion  to  the  flesh."  l  The  first  thing  to  be  done  here,  is 
distinctly  to  apprehend  the  meaning  of  the  terms  in  which  this  de 
partment  of  Christian  duty  is  described.  What  are  we  to  under 
stand  by  "  maliciousness"  ?  what  by  "  a  cloak  of  maliciousness"  ?  and 
what  by  "  using  our  liberty  as  a  cloak  of  maliciousness"  ? 

The  Greek  word  translated  "maliciousness"2  here,  and  "malice" 
in  the  first  verse  of  this  chapter,  like  the  English  words  by  which  it 
is  rendered,  is  often,  when  used  along  with  other  words  descriptive 
of  particular  vices,  such  as  anger,  envy,  covetousness,  employed  to 
describe  that  special  vicious  temper,  and  its  manifestations,  which  is 
directly  opposed  to  brotherly  love  and  charity,  so  as  to  be  equiva 
lent  to  ill-will,  malignity ;  but  when  standing  by  itself,  as  in  the  case 
before  us,  it  seems  ordinarily  employed  as  a  general  name  for  sinful 
dispositions  and  actions,  as  equivalent  to  sin  or  wickedness.  Thus, 
when  Simon  Magus  is  called  on  to  repent  of  his  profane  and  wicked 
proposal,  to  purchase  miraculous  power  by  money,  he  is  called  on  to 
"repent  of  his  wickedness,"3  that  is,  his  sin;  and  Christians  are  called 
on  to  be  "  in  malice,"  rather  "  in  wickedness/'  in  sinful  disposition 
and  habit  in  all  their  forms,  children ;  while  thev  are  "  in  under 
standing,  men."4  "  Maliciousness"  is  here  just  equivalent  to  sin,  of 
whatever  kind ;  and  the  injunction  seems  quite  parallel  with  that 
from  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  just  quoted,  "  Use  not  liberty  as 
an  occasion  to  the  flesh ;"  a  general  name  for  the  depraved  princi 
ples  of  fallen  humanity,  or  for  human  nature  as  depraved. 

But  what  are  we  to  understand  by  "  a  cloak  of  wickedness"  ? 
The  word  rendered  cloak,6  which  occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  New 
Testament,  signifies  a  covering  of  any  kind.  It  is  the  word  employed 
in  the  Greek  version  of  the  Old  Testament  to  denote  the  covering  of 
badgers'  skins  which  was  spread  over  the  tabernacle.6  It  is  here  ob 
viously  used  figuratively.  A  cloak  of  wickedness  is  something  by 
which  we  attempt  to  conceal,  from  ourselves  or  others,  the  true  char 
acter  of  some  vicious  disposition  or  action ;  an  excuse,  a  pretext,  an 
apology  for  wickedness.  To  cloak  sin  is  to  disguise  wickedness. 
Our  Lord  says,  that  the  Jews,  who  had  heard  his  discourses  and  seen 
his  miracles,  had  "  no  cloak"  (not  the  same  word  as  here,  but  a  word 
of  similar  import) ;  that  is,  were  deprived  of  every  pretext,  excuse, 
or  apology  "for  their  sin," in  rejecting  him.7  Josephus  says,  Joab had 
a  plausible  pretext  for  killing  Abner,  but  he  had  no  such  cloak  for  the 
murder  of  Amasa.  Men  often  attempt  to  conceal  from  others,  and 
even  from  themselves,  the  true  character  of  favorite  vicious  propen- 

1  Gal.  r.  13.  a  Ka/cm.  3  Acts  Viii.  22.  <  1  Cor.  xiy.  20. 

*  'ETUK  iAiy^a.  «  Exod.  xxvi.  14.      *  IIp6<j>a<jiv. — John  xv.  22. 


PART  H.]         TO  GUARD  AGAINST  ABUSE  OP  FREEDOM.  277 

sities  and  profitable  sinful  practices.  Saul  disobeyed  God  in  not 
entirely  destroying  the  property  of  the  Amalekites  ;  and  he  attempted 
to  cloak  his  disobedience  under  the  pretext  of  his  being  desirous  of 
presenting  a  fit  sacrifice  to  Jehovah.1  Jezebel  cloaked  her  murderous 
revenge  against  Naboth,  under  the  pretext  of  zeal  against  blasphemy.* 
Economy  is  made  the  cloak  of  avarice ;  generosity,  of  extravagance ; 
caution,  of  indolence  ;  religious  zeal,  of  personal  resentment.  And 
here  the  apostle  cautions  Christians  against  cloaking  wickedness  under 
the  pretext  of  liberty,  against  indulging  any  sinful  temper,  engaging 
in  any  sinful  pursuit,  under  the  mistaken  impression,  or  the  hypocrit 
ical  pretence,  that  these  were  but  the  exercise  of  that  liberty  where 
with  Christ  had  made  them  free.  The  general  meaning,  then,  of  the 
injunction,  "use  not  your  liberty  as  a  cloak  of  wickedness,"  is  thus 
sufficiently  apparent.  It  may  serve,  however,  a  good  purpose,  to 
show  how  we  ought  to  guard  against  such,  an  abuse  of  our  Chris 
tian  liberty,  in  the  three  different  aspects  in  which  we  have  been 
led  to  contemplate  it :  our  liberty  in  reference  to  God  ;  our  liberty 
in  reference  to  men ;  our  liberty  in  reference  to  the  powers  and  prin 
ciples  of  evil. 

(1.)  Cautions  respecting  abuses  of  liberty  in  reference  to  God. 

First,  Christians  must  not  use  their  liberty  with  respect  to  God  as 
a  cloak  of  wickedness.  Those  men  do  so,  who,  under  the  pretext 
that  they  are  free  in  reference  to  God,  consider  themselves  as  re 
leased  from  obligation  to  make  his  law  the  rule  of  their  conduct. 
The  doctrine  of  the  gospel  undoubtedly  is,  that  Christians  are  not 
subject  to  the  Mosaic  law ;  that  nothing  is  obligatory  on  a  Christian's 
conscience,  merely  because  it  is  contained  in  the  law  of  Moses ;  and 
that  the  system  of  Divine  administration,  under  which  they  are 
placed  in  consequence  of  their  connection  with  Christ,  is  not  a  sys 
tem  of  mere  law  under  which  the  rule  is,  "Do  and  live" — "  He  that 
doeth  them,  shall  live  in  them,"  and  no  provision  is  made  for  the  par 
don  of  any  offence;  but  a  system  of  grace,  under  which,  not  only  is 
a  full  and  free  pardon  bestowed  on  every  believer,  and  eternal  life 
promised  as  a  free  gift  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord ;  but  "if  any 
man,"  after  believing,  "sin,  we  have  an  advocate  with  the  Father, 
Jesus  Christ  the  righteous,  whose  blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin ;"  and 
if  any  man  who  has  sinned,  availing  himself  of  this  Divine  arrange 
ment,  "  confess  his  sins,  God  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  him  his 
sins,  and  to  cleanse  him  from  all  unrighteousness." 3  The  apostolic 
statements  embodying  these  principles,  such  as,  that  Christians  are 
"  dead  to  the  law  by  the  body  of  Christ ;"  that  they  are  "  delivered 
from  the  law,  that  being  dead  wherein  they  were  held;"  that  "there 
is  no  condemnation  to  them  ;"  that  "  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  law  tc 
every  one  that  believeth ;"  that  they  are  "  not  under  the  law,  but 
grace ;"  that  "  Christ  has  redeemed  them  from  the  curse  of  the  law, 
having  become  a  curse  for  them  ;"  that  they  u  through  the  law  are 
dead  to  the  law  ;"  that  "  they  who  are  led  by  the  Spirit  are  not  under 

1  1  Sam.  sv.  15.  a  1  Kings  xxi.  10.  3  1  John  i.  9. 


278  THE    PRIVILEGES    OP   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  VIIX 

the  law;"1 — were  liable  to  misapprehension  and  abuse,  and  have,  in 
all  ages,  been  misapprehended  and  abused. 

The  enemies  of  apostolical  Christianity  grounded  on  these  state 
ments  one  of  their  strongest  objections  against  it, — that  it  was  a 
system  that  sapped  the  foundation  of  all  religious  and  moral  obliga 
tion  ;  and  not  a  few  who  professed  to  embrace  the  gospel,  while  they 
did  not  understand  it,  actually  turned  the  grace  of  God  into  lasciv- 
iousness,  and  the  liberty  which  is  in  Christ  into  profane  licentious 
ness:  saying,  and  acting  out  the  impious  saying,  let  us  "  continue  in 
sin,  because  grace  does  abound." a  And  this  we  may  remark,  by  the 
way,  is  one  of  the  proofs  which  we  have,  that  what  we  call  evangel 
ical  Christianity  is  indeed  substantially  apostolical  Christianity  ;  that 
we  find  the  same  objection  urged  against  its  principles  by  its  oppos- 
ers,  and  the  same  abuse  made  of  them  by  men  of  corrupt  minds  who 
profess  to  embrace  them.  The  system  which  many  men  would  im 
pose  on  us  as  Christianity,  giving  no  occasion  for  such  misrepresen 
tation  and  abuse,  distinctly  thus  disproves  its  identity  with  the  Chris 
tianity  of  the  New  Testament. 

*  This  abuse  has  assumed  various  forms.  Sometimes  it  has  taken 
the  form  of  this  assertion  :  '  We  are  free  from  the  law.  "  Where  there 
is  no  law,  there  is  no  transgression."  What  may  be  sin  to  other  men 
is  no  sin  to  us.  "There  is  no  condemnation  to  us."  God  sees  no 
sin  in  us.'  At  other  times  it  has  embodied  itself  in  the  assertion : 
4  "  The  Spirit  dwells  in  us."  We  walk  according  to  the  Spirit.  They 
who  want  the  Spirit  may  need  the  law ;  but  we  are  a  law  to  ourselves. 
We  need  only  to  follow  the  Spirit,  and  we  are  sure  all  will  be  right. 
The  law  is  not  for  righteous  men  like  us.  We  do  not  require  the 
law  as  a  guide  to  our  conduct.'  But,  whatever  form  it  assumes,  this 
is  its  general  character ;  it  is  using  Christian  liberty  as  a  cloak  for 
wickedness. 

It  requires  very  little  consideration  to  perceive  that  this  is  a  gross 
abuse  of  the  doctrine  of  Christian  liberty.  We  have  seen  that  the 
Christian's  liberty,  in  reference  to  God,  consists  chiefly  in  two  things 
— deliverance  from  the  condemning  sentence  of  the  law,  which  we 
have  violated,  and  the  curse  which  we  have  incurred ;  and  deliver 
ance  from  a  slavish  temper  in  reference  to  God  and  his  law.  No 
human  ingenuity  will  ever  be  able  to  show  that  either,  or  both  of 
these,  imply  a  release  from  an  obligation  to  conform  ourselves  to  tho 
will  of  God,  as  made  known  to  us  in  his  law.  On  the  contrary,  both 
are  necessary,  in  order  to  our  yielding  an  enlightened,  cheerful,  and 
therefore  acceptable,  obedience  to  that  law ;  both  are  intended  to 
produce  this  blessed  result ;  and  in  every  case  where  these  two  spe 
cies  of  liberty  are  really  enjoyed,  they  actually  produce  it,  in  the  de 
gree  in  which  they  are  enjoyed. 

Indeed,  a  release  from  obligation  to  obey  the  Divine  law  is,  in  the 
nature  of  things,  impossible,  except  on  one  or  other  of  the  following 
suppositions, — that  God  ceases  to  be  what  he  is,  an  absolutely  perfect 
being ;  or  that  man  ceases  to  be  what  he  is,  a  rational  being :  for  the 
law  is  nothing  else  but  an  expression  of  the  duties  which  arise  out 
of  the  relations  which  subsist  between  God  as  the  absolutely  perfect 

1  Kom.  vii.  4,  6  ;  viii.  1 ;  x.  4 ;  vi.  15.     GaL  iii.  13 ;  ii.  19 ;  v.  18.  2  Kom.  vi.  1. 


PART  II.]         TO  GUARD  AGAINST  ABUSE  OF  FREEDOM.  279 

being,  and  man  as  his  rational  creature.  "Were  God  to  become  unwise, 
unholy,  unjust,  unmerciful,  his  law  might,  must,  change:  were  man 
to  sink  into  the  state  of  an  idiot  or  a  brute,  he  would  cease  to  be  the 
subject  of  the  Divine  law : — on  no  other  supposition  can  man's  obli 
gation  to  the  Divine  law  be  altered  or  destroyed.1 

Were  the  thing  possible,  it  would  be  the  most  dreadful  calamity 
which  could  befall  him  in  reference  to  whom  it  took  place ;  for  the  law 
of  God  is  just  a  statement  of  the  direct  and  only  way  to  improvement 
and  happiness.  The  person  released  from  an  obligation  to  regulate 
himself  by  it,  is  a  person  at  liberty  to  make  himself  and  others  as  mis 
erable  as  the  caprices  of  his  humor  may  suggest,  or  the  extent  of  his 
power  permit.  And  what  sort  of  a  world  would  it  be  if  all  men,  or 
any  large  portion  of  men,  were  as  fully  relieved  from  responsibility, 
and  the  sense  of  responsibility,  as  idiots  or  madmen  are  ;  if  selfishness, 
unchecked  by  remorse  or  religious  fear,  were  permitted  to  guide  and 
direct  the  activities  of  men  possessed  of  reason  ?  a 

The  truth  on  this  subject  has  been  so  well  stated  by  an  old  divine, 
that  I  offer  no  apology  lor  making  a  considerable  citation  from  his 
writings : — "  Not  to  wade  far  into  a  controversy,  in  which  many  have 
drowned  their  reason  and  their  faith,  it  shall  suffice  to  propound  one 
distinction,  which,  if  well  heeded  and  rightly  applied,  will  clear  the 
whole  point  concerning  the  abrogation  and  obligation  of  the  moral 
law  under  the  New  Testament,  and  cut  off  many  needless  curiosities 
which  lead  men  into  error.  The  law,  then,  may  be  considered  either 
as  a  rule  or  as  a  covenant.  Christ  hath  freed  all  believers  from  the 
rigor  and  curse  of  the  law  considered  as  a  covenant,  but  he  hath  not 
freed  them  from  obedience  to  the  law  considered  as  a  rule  ;  and  all 
those  Scriptures  that  speak  of  the  law  as  if  it  were  abrogated  or  an 
nulled,  speak  of  it  considered  as  a  covenant.  Those  again  that  speak 
of  the  law  as  if  it  were  still  in  force,  take  it  considered  as  a  rule. 
The  law  as  a  covenant  is  rigorous,  and  under  that  rigor  we  are  not, 
if  we  be  in  Christ ;  but  the  law  as  a  rule  is  equal,  and  under  that 
equity  we  still  are,  though  we  be  in  Christ.  The  law  as  a  rule  only 
showeth  us  what  is  good  and  evil,  what  we  are  to  do,  and  what  we 
are  not  to  do  ('  He  hath  showed  thee,  0  man,  what  is  good,  and  what 
the  Lord  requireth  of  thee'),  without  any  condition  annexed,  either 
of  reward  if  we  observe  it,  or  of  punishment  if  we  transgress  it.  But 
the  law  as  a  covenant  exacteth  perfect,  punctual,  and  personal  per 
formance  of  everything  that  is  contained  therein,  with  a  condition 
annexed  of  God's  acceptance  and  blessing  if  we  perform  it  to  the  full, 
but  of  his  wrath  and  curse  on  us  if  we  fail  in  anything.  Such  was 
the  law  under  which  man  was  originally  placed.  But  'by  reason  of 
transgression,  we  having  all  broken  that  covenant,  the  law  hath  its 
work  upon  us  ;'  it  worketh  wrath,  it  produceth  punishment,  and  in 
volves  us  all  in  the  curse ;  so  that  by  the  covenant  of  the  law  '  no 
flesh  living  can  be  justified.'  Then  cometh  in  Christ,  who,  subj  ecting 
himself  for  our  sakes  to  the  covenant  of  the  law,  first  fulfilleth  it  in  his 
own  person,  but  in  our  behalf,  as  our  surety,  and  then  disannulleth 

1  "  Without  law,  or  altogether  above  the  law,  man  can  never  be,  for  the  law  is  the  ex- 
•  pressiou  of  the  divine  essence  itself." — OLSHAUSEN. 
8  See  note  C. 


280  THE   DUTY   OP   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XL 

it ;  and  instead  thereof  established  a  better  covenant,  even  the  cove 
nant  of  grace ;  so  that  now  as  many  as  believe  are  free  from  the  cove 
nant  of  the  law,  and  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  and  set  under  a  cove 
nant  of  grace,  and  under  promises  of  grace. 

"  There  is  a  translation,  then,  of  the  covenant ;  but  what  is  all  this 
to  the  rule  ?  That  still  is  where  it  was ;  even  as  the  nature  of  good 
and  evil  is  still  the  same  as  it  was.  And  the  law  considered  as  a  rule, 
can  no  more  be  abolished  or  changed  than  can  the  nature  of  good  and 
evil  be  abolished  or  changed.  It  is  our  singular  comfort,  then,  and 
the  happiest  part  of  our  Christian  liberty,  that  we  are  freed  by  Christ, 
and  through  faith  in  him,  from  the  covenant  and  the  curse  of  the  law ; 
But  we  must  know  that  it  is  our  privilege  to  remain  subject  to  the 
law  as  a  rule."  God  grants  his  law  graciously ;  and  "  our  duty,  not 
withstanding  the  liberty  we  have  in  Christ,  is  to  frame  our  lives  and 
conversation  according  to  the  rule  of  the  law,  which,  if  we  shall  neg 
lect  under  the  pretence  of  our  Christian  liberty,  we  must  answer  for 
both — both  for  neglect  of  our  duty,  and  abusing  our  liberty." '  We 
Christians  are  "  not  without  law  to  God ;"  we  are  "  under  the  law  to 
Christ." 

No  man  who  really  enjoys  the  liberty  of  the  children  of  God,  can 
abuse  it  as  a  cloak  for  wickedness  ;  for  in  his  mind,  freedom  from  the 
yoke  of  sin  is  indissolubly  connected  with  submission  to  the  authority 
of  God.  But  in  every  age  of  the  church  there  have  been  bold,  bad 
men,  who  have  indulged  unholy,  Antinomian  speculations,  and,  given 
up  to  strong  delusions,  have  supposed  themselves  free  while  the  slaves 
of  sin — men, 

"That bawl  for  freedom  in  their  senseless  mood, 
And  still  revolt  when  truth  would  set  them  free ; — 
License  they  mean  when  they  cry  liberty."  a 

Such  were  the  men  whom  the  apostle  in  his  second  epistle  describes 
as  "  speaking  great  swelling  words  of  vanity,  and  alluring,  through 
the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  through  much  wantonness,  those  who  were 
clean  escaped  from  them  who  live  in  error ;"  and  of  whom  he  says, 
"  "While  they  promise  them  liberty,  they  themselves  are  the  servants 
of  corruption :  for  of  whom  a  man  is  overcome,  of  the  same  is  he 
brought  into  bondage."  s  Such  men,  too,  were  those  of  whom  Luther 
complains,  "  Men  who  would  be  accounted  good  Christians  merely 
because  they  rejected  the  authority  of  the  Pope  ;  who  will  do  nothing 
that  either  the  magistrate  or  God  would  have  them  to  do  ;  remaining 
in  their  old,  disorderly  nature,  however  much  they  may  make  their 
boast  of  the  gospel;"  and  who,  as  Calvin  says,  "  reckoned  it  a  great 
part  of  Christian  liberty,  that  they  might  eat  flesh  on  Fridays." 

There  have  been  men,  too,  of  a  better  sort,  who,  from  a  fondness 
for  paradox  and  singularity,  have  adopted  Antinomian  language, 
while  the  saving  truth,  which  is  sanctifying  truth,  substantially  held 
by  them,  preserved  them  in  a  great  measure  from  corresponding  dispo 
sitions  and  conduct.  It  is,  however,  of  high  importance,  that  on  this, 
and  indeed  on  every  subject,  we  should  learn  to  "  speak  the  things 

derson.  2  Milton.  3  2  Pet.  ii.  18,  19. 


PART  II.]  TO   GUARD   AGAINST   ABUSE   OF   FREEDOM.  281 

that  become  sound  doctrine,"  that  we  employ  "  sound  speech  that 
cannot  be  condemned."  ]  And  though  happily  in  this  country  An- 
tinomian  tenets  are  in  a  great  measure  unknown,  let  every  Christian 
remember  that  there  are  Antinomian  tendencies  in  every  human 
heart,  so  far  as  it  is  unrenewed ;  and  let  him  set  himself  to  watch,  to 
check,  to  mortify  all  such  tendencies  in  his  own  heart ;  and  when 
the  thought  occurs,  "  may  we  not  continue  in  sin,  that  grace  may 
abound  ?"  let  him  meet  it  with  the  apostle's  strong  disclaimer,  "  God 
forbid !  how  shall  we,  who  are  dead  to  sin,  live  any  longer  therein  ?"  a 
Or  by  the  plain,  common-sense  reflection,  '  it  would  be  a  strange 
way  for  a  man  to  prove  himself  a  freeman  by  voluntarily  becoming 
a  slave  to  his  worst  enemy.' 

(2.)   Cautions  respecting  the  abuse  of  their  liberty  in  reference  to 


man. 


I  remark,  in  the  second  place,  that  Christians  must  not  use  their 
liberty  with  respect  to  man  as  a  cloak  of  wickedness.  Christians 
may  do  this  principally  in  two  ways : — by  an  unsober  and  an  un- 
chaVitable  use  of  Christian  liberty ;  and  by  neglecting  what  is  duty, 
and  committing  what  is  sin,  under  mistaken  apprehensions  of,  or 
false  pretences  in  reference  to,  Christian  liberty. 

Everything  that  is  lawful  in  itself  is  not  always  expedient  or  proper 
in  the  circumstances  in  which  we  are  placed.  When  it  becomes  in 
expedient  in  my  circumstances  it  becomes  unlawful  for  me.  The 
Christian  who  acts  on  the  principle  that  everything  that  is  lawful  in 
itself  may  be  done  at  all  times,  and  in  all  circumstances,  will  often 
make  his  liberty  a  cloak  of  wickedness.  My  doing  what,  considered 
in  itself,  my  conscience — it  may  be  well  informed — -would  not  prevent 
me  from  doing,  but  by  no  means  requires  me  to  do,  in  circumstances 
in  which  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  it  may  prove  a  snare  to  my 
self,  or  that  it  will  give  offence  in  the  New  Testament  sense  of  the 
word,  that  is,  throw  a  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  a  worse-informed 
brother,  is  a  violation  of  the  injunction  which  we  are  now  consider 
ing.  A  Christian  must  never  do  what  is  unlawful,  but  it  may  some 
times  be  his  duty  to  refrain  from  doing  what  is  lawful.  It  has  been 
justly  remarked,  that  "  scarce  is  there  any  one  thing  wherein  the 
devil  putteth  a  slur  upon  us  more  frequently,  yea  and  more  dangei 
ously  too  (because  unsuspected  by  us),  than  by  making  us  to  take 
the  uttermost  of  our  freedom  in  indifferent  things.  It,  therefore,  con- 
cerneth  us  so  much  the  more  to  keep  a  sober  watch  over  ourselves 
and  our  souls  in  the  use  of  God's  good  creatures,  lest,  even  under 
the  fair  title  and  habit  of  Christian  liberty,  we  yield  ourselves  up  to 
a  carnal  licentiousness,  or  to  a  criminal  uncharitableness." 3 

There  never  was  a  Christian  more  fully  conscious  of  his  liberty 
than  the  Apostle  Paul,  more  sensible  of  its  value,  and  more  deter 
mined  in  maintaining  it.  Yet  observe  what  he  says  on  this  subject: 
"  Let  no  man  put  a  stumbling-block,  or  an  occasion  to  fall,  in  his 
brother's  way.  I  know,  and  am  persuaded  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  that 
there  is  nothing  unclean  of  itself:  but  to  him  that  esteemeth  anything 

1  Tit.  ii.  1,  8.  3  Rom.  vi.  2.  »  Sanderson. 


282  THE    DUTY    OP   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XI 

to  be  unclean,  to  him  it  is  unclean.  But  if  thy  "brother  be  grieved 
with  thy  meat,  now  walkest  -thou  not  charitably.  Destroy  not  him 
with  thy  meat  for  whom  Christ  died.  Let  not,  then,  your  good  be 
evil  spoken  of.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink.  For 
meat  destroy  not  the  work  of  God.  All  things  indeed  are  pure ;  but 
it  is  evil  to  that  man  who  eateth  with  offence.  It  is  good  neither  to 
eat  flesh,  nor  to  drink  wine,  nor  anything  whereby  thy  brother 
stumbleth,  or  is  offended,  or  is  made  weak.  Hast  thou  faith  ?  have 
it  to  thyself  before  God.  Happy  is  he  who  condemneth  not  himself 
in  that  thing  which  he  alloweth.  And  he  that  doubteth  is  damned 
if  he  eat,  because  he  eateth  not  of  faith  ;  for  whatsoever  is  not  of 
faith  is  sin.  We  then  who  are  strong  ought  to  bear  the  infirmities 
of  the  weak,  and  not  to  please  ourselves.  Let  every  one  of  us 
please  his  neighbor  for  good  to  edification.  Take  heed  lest  by  any 
means  this  liberty  of  yours  become  a  stumbling-block  to  them  who 
are  weak."  1  The  rule  in  reference  to  matters  which  conscience 
permits,  but  does  not  enjoin,  is, ."  Give  none  offence,  neither  to  the 
Jews,  nor  to  the  Gentiles,  nor  to  the  Church  of  God.  Please  all 
men  in  all  things,  seeking  not  your  own  profit,  but  the  profit  of 
many,  that  they  may  be  saved."  a 

Happy  is  the  Christian  who,  like  Paul,  knowing  and  feeling  that  he 
is  free  from  all,  and  determined  not  to  be  brought  under  the  power 
of  any,  yet,  like  him,  thus  becomes  the  servant  of  all,  that  by  all 
means  he  may  save  some.  It  was  an  excellent  saying  of  Luther's  : 
"  Be  free  in  everything  by  faith.  Be  a  servant  in  everything  by 
charity."  We  should  know  and  be  fully  persuaded  with  the  persua 
sion  of  faith,  that  all  things  are  lawful ;  and  yet  we  should  purpose, 
and  be  fully  resolved,  for  charity's  sake,  to  forbear  the  use  of  many 
things,  if  we  find  them  inexpedient.  He  that  will  have  his  own  way 
in  everything,  in  itself  indifferent,  whosoever  may  take  offence  at  it, 
makes  his  liberty  but  a  cloak  of  wickedness  by  using  it  uncharitably. 

But  there  is  still  a  worse  mode  of  using  our  liberty  in  reference  to 
man  as  a  cloak  of  wickedness.  Christian  liberty  has  not  unfrequently 
been  made  a  cloak  of  wickedness,  by  being  pleaded  as  a  reason  for 
transgressing  the  laws,  neglecting  the  duties,  and  disturbing  the  order 
of  civil  and  domestic  society.  No  man  is  the  less,  but  rather  the 
more,  bound,  in  consequence  of  his  being  a  Christian,  to  observe  all 
the  laws  that  regulate  his  civil  and  domestic  relations,  that  are  not 
inconsistent  with  the  law  of  God.  Nay,  he  whose  free  servant  the 
Christian  is,  has  commanded  him  to  serve  HIM  in  serving  those  who, 
by  the  arrangements  of  his  providence,  are  his  superiors.  In  every 
thing  that  is  not  inconsistent  with  my  duty  to  God,  I,  as  a  Christian, 
am  bound  to  be  "subject  to  the  powers  that  be ;"  to  "obey  magis 
trates  ;"  to  "  submit  to  every  human  institution  for  the  punishment 
of  evil-doers,  and  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well ;"  for  this  is  the  law 
of  my  Master  in  heaven.  With  the  same  exception,  a  Christian  wife 
is  bound  to  be  "  subject  to  her  own  husband ;  a  Christian  child  to  his 
parents;  a  Christian  servant  to  his  master;  though  in  all  these  cases 
the  civil  or  domestic  superior  should  not  be  a  Christian.  My  liberty 
as  a  Christian  does  not  in  the  slightest  degree  relax  the  obligation  01 

1  Rom.  xiv.  13 ;  xv.  1.  '  1  Cor.  x.  32,  33. 


PART  II.]  TO    CMJARD    AGAINST   ABUSE    OF   FREEDOM.  283 

my  civil  or  domestic  obligations ;  and,  therefore,  whenever  the  latter 
are  violated  -under  a  pretence  of  the  former,  liberty  is  used  as  a 
cloak  of  wickedness.  Christians  should  manifest  their  liberty  in  this 
matter,  not  by  neglecting  or  violating  civil  and  Domestic  duties,  but 
by  the  cheerfulness  with  which  they  perform  them,  showing  that 
here,  as  in  every  other  department  of  Christian  duty,  '  they  serve  God 
without  fear,'  they  *  walk  at  liberty,  keeping  his  commandments.7  " 

The  honor  of  Christianity  is  very  much  concerned  in  Christians 
avoiding  every  approach  to  thus  making  their  liberty  a  cloak  of  wick 
edness.  This  is  very  obvious  from  the  language  of  the  apostle  :  "  Let 
as  many  servants  as  are  under  the  yoke,"  that  is,  as  are  slaves,  "  count 
their  own  masters  worthy  of  all  honor,  that  the  name  of  God  and  his 
doctrine  be  not  blasphemed.  And  they  that  have  believing  masters, 
let  them  not  despise  them,  because  they  are  brethren  (because,  as 
Christians,  the  servant  and  the  master  are  on  the  same  level) ;  but 
rather  do  them  service,  because  they  are  faithful  and  beloved,  par 
takers  of  the  benefit.  If  any  teach  otherwise,  and  consent  not  to 
wholesome  words,  even  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  to 
the  doctrine  according  to  godliness ;  he  is  proud,  knowing  nothing, 
but  doting  about  questions  and  strifes  of  words,  whereof  cometh  envy, 
strife,  railings,  evil  surmisings,  perverse  disputings  of  men  of  corrupt 
minds ;  from  such  withdraw  thyself."  "  Exhort  servants  to  be  obedi 
ent  to  their  own  masters,  and  to  please  men  well  in  all  things ;  that 
ye  may  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour  in  all  things*"  1  Our 
text,  viewed  in  its  connection,  seems  plainly  to  have  a  peculiar  refer 
ence  to  the  abuse  of  Christian  liberty  as  an  excuse  for  disobedience  to 
civil  rulers,  exercising  a  malignant  influence  on  the  character  and 
cause  of  Christianity.  "  Submit  yourselves  to  every  Imman  institu 
tion  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  the  praise  of  them  that  do 
well ;  for  so"  in  this  way  "it  is  the  will  of  God,  that  ye  with  well 
doing  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men  ;  as  free,  and  not 
using  your  liberty  as  a  cloak  of  wickedness." 

(3.)  Cautions  respecting  the  abuse  of  their  liberty  in  reference  to  the 
powers  and  principles  of  evil. 

It  only  remains,  on  this  part  of  the  subject,  that  I  remark,  in  the 
third  place,  that  Christians  must  not  use  their  liberty  in  reference  tc 
the  powers  and  principles  of  evil  as  a  cloak  of  wickedness.  Christians 
must  not  say,  '  because  we  are  delivered  from  the  wicked  one,  there 
fore  we  may,  without  sin  or  danger,  put  ourselves  in  the  way  of  his 
temptations :  there  is  no  need  that  we  watch  against  his  wiles,  or  re 
sist  his  attacks.'  This  were  to  use  their  liberty  as  a  cloak  of  wicked 
ness.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  carefully  to  avoid  whatever  may 
naturally  lead  to  a  partial  recovery  of  their  enemy's  power,  and  a 
corresponding  loss  of  their  freedom.  When  they  find  that  anything, 
however  innocent  in  itself,  through  his  craft  and  their  remaining  de 
pravity,  becomes  a  temptation  to  sin,  they  ought  to  abandon  it. 
"  Better  it  is  by  voluntary  abstinence  to  part  with  some  of  our  liberty 
as  to  God's  creatures,  than  by  voluntary  transgression  to  become  the 
1  1  Tim.  vi.  1-5.  Tit  ii.  9,  10. 


284  THE   DUTY   OF   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XT 

devil's  captives." l  Their  duty  is  distinctly  stated  by  tlie  apostle  in 
these  striking  words,  "  Put  on  tlie  whole  armor  of  G-od,  that  ye  may 
be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles  of  the  devil.  For  we  wrestle  not 
against  flesh  and  blood,  but  against  principalities,  against  powers, 
against  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  against  spiritual  wick 
edness  in  high  places.  Wherefore  take  to  yourselves  the  whole  armor 
of  God,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and  having 
done  all,  to  stand.  Stand,  therefore,  having  your  loins  girt  about  with 
truth,  and  having  on  the  breastplate  of  righteousness ;  and  your  feet 
shod  with  the  preparation  of  the  gospel  of  peace ;  above  all,  taking 
the  shield  of  faith,  wherewith  ye  shall  be  able  to  quench  all  the  fiery 
darts  of  the  wicked.  And  take  the  helmet  of  salvation,  and  the  sword 
of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God ;  praying  always  with  all 
prayer  and  supplication  in  the  Spirit,  and  watching  thereunto  with 
all  perseverance  and  supplication  for  all  saints."  "Be  sober,  be  vig 
ilant  ;  because  your  enemy  the  devil,  as  a  roaring  lion,  walketh  about, 
seeking  whom  he  may  devour ;  whom  resist  steadfast  in  the  faith." a 

Christians  must  not  say,  '  because  we  have  obtained  emancipation 
from  sin  that  dwells  in  us,  because  we  know,  and  are  sure,  that  this 
enemy  shall  not  have  dominion  over  us ;  for  we  are  not  under  law, 
but  under  grace ;  therefore  we  need  not  be  constantly  engaged  in  an 
active  warfare  with  conquered  foes.'  That  is  an  obvious  abuse  of 
Christian  liberty.  The  true  use  of  Christian  liberty  in  this  respect 
is  pointed  out  by  the  apostle  in  such  passages  as  the  following, 
which,  though  already  quoted,  we  think  it  well  to  repeat :  "  Keckon 
ye  yourselves  dead  indeed  unto  sin,  and  alive  unto  God  through  Jesus 
Christ,"  i.  e.  reckon  yourselves  spiritually  free.  What  then?  Have 
you  nothing  to  do  but  to  sit  down  and  enjoy  your  freedom?  No. 
"  Let  not  siri  therefore  reign  in  your  mortal  bodies,  that  ye  should 
obey  it  in  the  lusts  thereof.  Neither  yield  ye  your  members  as  in 
struments  of  unrighteousness  to  sin  ;  but  yield  yourselves  unto  God, 
as  those  who  are  alive  from  the  dead,  and  your  members  as  instru 
ments  of  righteousness  unto  God.  For  sin  shall  not  have  dominion 
over  you :  for  ye  are  not  under  the  law,  but  under  grace."  *  "  We  are 
risen  with  Christ,"  says  the  apostle.  That  is  another  figurative  view 
of  our  spiritual  freedom.  Well,  then,  have  we  nothing  to  do  but  to 
congratulate  ourselves  on  our  felicity,  and  indolently  enjoy  it  ?  Ah ! 
no.  "  Since  ye  are  risen  with  Christ,  set  your  affections  on  things 
above,  not  on  things  on  the  earth.  Seek  the  things  that  are  above,  and 
heavenly.  Mortify  your  members  which  are  on  the  earth.  Put  off 
the  old  man  with  his  deeds,  and  put  on  the  new  man  with  his  deeds." 4 

The  grace  of  God  towards  his  people,  whom  he  has  made  free,  is 
not  expressed  by  placing  them  in  a  condition  where  no  enemy  can 
assail  them ;  but  in  enabling  them  to  make  such  a  use  of  the  liberty 
and  power  he  has  given  them,  as  that,  feeble  though  they  be  in  them 
selves,  they  become  "more  than  conquerors  through  him  who  loved 
them."  If  we  would  "  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  has 
made  us  free,"  we  must  be  constantly  on  the  alert  against  "  those 
who  would  again  bring  us  into  bondage."  It  is  a  good  saying  of  the 

1  Sanderson.  a  Eph.  vi.  11-18.     1  Pet.  v.  8,  9. 

3  Rom.  vi.  11-14.  «  Col.  ill  1-5. 


PART  II.] 


TO  ACT  AS  THE  SERVANTS  OT  GOD. 


285 


judicious  Hooker :  "  It  was  not  the  meaning  of  our  Lv  rd  and  Saviour, 
in  saying,  '  Father,  keep  them  in  thy  name,'  that  we  should  be  care 
less  in  keeping  ourselves.  To  our  own  safety  our  own  sedulity  is  re 
quired."  And  we  must  never  bring  into  antagonism  God's  promises 
and  his  commands,  our  privileges  and  our  duties.  His  promise  en 
forces,  not  repeals,  his  law.  Our  privileges  encourage  and  strengthen 
for  duty ;  but  by  no  means  annul  the  obligation,  or  diminish  the  im 
portance  of  obedience. 

.  §  3. — The  Christian's  duty  to  act  out  his  character  "  as  the  servant 

of  God:'' 

"We  proceed  now  to  the  consideration  of  the  third  view  of  the 
Christian's  duty,  as  corresponding  to  his  condition.  As  in  accordance 
to  his  condition  as  a  condition  of  liberty,  lie  is  to  act  as  free  ;  so  in 
accordance  with  his  condition  as  a  condition  of  subjection,  he  is  to 
act  "  as  a  servant  of  God." 

Obedience,  active  and  passive  subjection  to  the  will  of  God,  as 
made  known  in  his  word,  and  in  his  providential  dispensations,  forms 
the  comprehensive  duty  of  the  Christian,  as  the  servant  of  God. 
What  lies  at  the  foundation  here,  is  a  just  apprehension,  and  an  habit 
ual  contemplation  of  those  truths  in  reference  to  the  character  of  God, 
and  to  our  relation  to  him,  which  form  the  ground  of  our  obligation 
to  serve  him,  and  a  perception  of  which  is  necessary  to  our  ieeling 
this  obligation.  He  who  would  act  as  a  servant  of  God,  must  keep 
before  his  mind  the  infinite  wisdom  and  righteousness  of  God,  which 
make  it  absolutely  impossible  that  either  in  the  injunctions  of  his  law, 
or  in  the  dispensations  of  his  providence,  there  should  be  anything 
unwise  or  unjust ;  he  must  keep  before  his  mind  the  infinite  benig 
nity  of  God,  which  secures  that  "  in  keeping,"  and  for  keeping,  "  his 
commandments,  there  shall  be  a  great  reward,"  that  "  all  his  paths,  to 
them  who  keep  his  covenant,  shall  be  mercy,"  as  well  as  truth,  and 
that  "  all  things  shall  work  together  for  good  to  them  who  love  him ;" 
he  must  keep  before  his  mind  the  infinite  power  of  God,  by  which  he  is 
able  to  carry  fully  into  effect  all  the  promises,  however  exceeding  groat 
and  precious,  which  he  has  made  to  obedience,  and  all  the  threaten- 
ings,  however  dreadful,  which  he  has  uttered  against  disobedience ; 
he  must  keep  before  his  mind  the  infinite  faithfulness  of  God,  which 
makes  it  impossible  that  he  should  deny  himself,  and  secures  that, 
"  though  heaven  and  earth  should  pass  away,  not  one  iota  or  tittle 
shall  pass,"  either  from  his  promises  or  his  threatenin^s,  "  till  all  be 
fulfilled." 1 

The  Christian  must  not  only  keep  habitually  before  his  mind  those 
perfections  of  his  Divine  Master  which  are  displayed  in  his  word  and 
providence,  but  also  the  relations  he  bears  to  this  infinitely  great,  and 
excellent,  and  benignant  being.  He  must  remember  that  he  is  Hia 
creature,  and  his  NEW  creature  ;  that  all  that  he  is  that  is  good,  is  the 
work  of  his  hand ;  that  all  that  he  has  that  is  valuable,  is  the  gift  of 
his  common  bounty,  or  of  his  sovereign  grace  ;  that  both  himself  and 
all  that  he  possesses  is  His  property,  in  a  far  higher  sense  than  any- 

1  Psal.  xiz,  11 ;  xxv.  10.     Bom.  viii.  28.    Matt,  T.  18. 


286  THE    DUTY   OF   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XI. 

thing  can  be  the  property  of  any  creature  ;  and  that  to  alienate  them 
from  the  purpose  for  which  he  designed  them,  to  employ  them  in  ? 
way  different  from,  opposite  to,  that  in  which  he  has  commanded 
them  to  be  employed,  is  a  crime,  *bf  which  the  basest  fraud  which  can 
be  committed  by  one  fellow-creature  on  another,  in  whatever  mutual 
relation  they  may  stand,  is  but  an  imperfect  shadow.  It  is  this  set 
ting  and  keeping  the  Lord  always  before  us  in  his  essential  excellen 
cies,  and  in  his  revealed  relations,  that  forms  the  mind  to  those  sen 
timents  of  supreme  veneration,  esteem,  confidence,  and  love  towards 
God,  to  that  habitual  sense  of  entire  dependence  on  him,  and  of  infi 
nite  obligation  to  him,  which  are  necessary  to  lead  us  to  "serve  him 
acceptably,  with  reverence  and  godly  fear ;"  and,  at  the  same  time, 
to  serve  him  without  "the  fear  that  has  torment,"  "in  righteousness 
and  holiness,  all  the  days  of  our  lives." 

Next  in  importance  to  our  thus  cultivating  the  principle  of  obedi 
ence,  is  our  making  ourselves  acquainted  with  the  rule  of  obedience. 
He  who  would  act  as  the  servant  of  God,  must  "  not  be  unwise,  but 
understand  what  the  will  of  the  Lord  is."  And  in  order  to  this,  he 
must  study  the  word  of  God,  he  must  observe  the  providence  of  God, 
and  he  must  seek  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  He  must  make 
himself  well  acquainted  with  those  "scriptures  given  by  inspiration 
of  God,  which  are  profitable  for  doctrine,  and  for  reproof,  for  correc 
tion,  and  instruction  in  righteousness,  and  by  which  the  servant  of 
God  may  be  made  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  to  every  good  work." 
He  must  let  this  word  "  dwell  in  him  richly,  in  all  wisdom,"  that  in 
all  the  variety  of  circumstances  in  which  he  may  be  placed,  he  may 
know  what  God  would  have  him  to  do.  He  must  make  the  Divine 
prdcepts  the  men  of  his  counsel,  and  take  them  as  "  a  lamp  to  his  feet, 
and  a  light  to  his  path." 1  There  is  no  doing  a  master's  will  without 
knowing  it. 

In  order  to  know  our  Divine  Master's  will,  we  must  consider  the 
operation  of  his  hand,  as  well  as  attend  to  the  declarations  of  his 
mouth ;  we  must  stndy  the  Divine  providence,  in  order  to  enable  us 
wisely  to  apply  the  instructions  of  the  Divine  word  ;  we  must  learn 
to  "hear  the  rod"  as  well  as  the  ivord;  and  under  a  deep  sense  of 
our  spiritual  blindness,  our  tendency  to  overlook,  and  misapprehend, 
very  plain  intimations  of  the  Divine  will  both  in  his  word  and  in  hi? 
providence,  and  of  our  indisposition  to  comply  with  his  will,  even 
when  we  cannot  help  perceiving  it ;  we  must  seek  the  good  Spirit, 
who  is  promised  to  enlighten  our  darkness,  and  to  rectify  our  obliqui 
ties.  Believing  that  if  any  man  lack  wisdom,  the  knowledge  of  God's 
will,  he  should  ask  it  of  God,  who  giveth  liberally,  and  upbraids  not, 
we  should  in  faith,  nothing  doubting,  in  the  full  assurance  of  faith, 
present  these  prayers :  "  Open  mine  eyes;  that  I  may  behold  wonders 
out  of  thy  law.  Put  thy  Spirit  within  me.  Write  thy  law  on  my 
heart;  put  it  in  my  inward  part.  Hide  not  thy  commandments 
from  me.  Teach  me  the  way  of  thy  statutes.  Make  me  to  under 
stand  the  way  of  thy  precepts'.  Order  my  steps  in  thy  word." 

Thus  cultivating  the  principle  of  obedience,  and  studying  the  rule 
of  obedience,  Christians  are  to  act  as  the  servants  of  God,  by  exer- 

1  Eph.  v.  17.     2  Tim.  iii.  16.     CoL  iii.  16.    Psal.  cxix.  105. 


PART  II.]  TO  ACT  AS  THE  SERVANTS  OF  GOD.  287 

cising  the  principle,  and  applying  the  rule  in  actual  obedience,  both 
active  and  passive.  They  are  to  regulate  the -whole  outer  and  innei 
man,  according  to  the  Divine  will.  They  are  to  "  serve  him  in  then 
bodies,  and  in  their  spirits,  which  are  his." 

They  are  to  "  serve  him  with  their  spirits,"  believing,  willing,  loving, 
choosing,  fearing,  hoping,  according  to  his  word.  Those  high  things 
within,  which  no  human,  no  created  power  can  control,  must  be  en 
tirely  subjected  to  the  Divine  authority.  When  a  Christian  is  acting 
in  character  as  a  servant  of  God,  the  answer  to  the  question,  Why  do 
you  account  that  true?  is,  God  has  said  so;  Why  do  you  account 
that  false  ?  God  has  said  so  ;  Why  do  you  will  this?  God  has  said  it 
is  right ;  Why  do  you  choose  that  ?  God  has  said  that  it  is  good ; 
Why  do  you  fear  that  ?  God  has  interposed  a  prohibition  or  uttered 
a  threatening  respecting  it ;  Why  do  you  hope  for  that?  God  has 
promised  it. 

This  internal  obedience  must  be  manifested  in  external  obedience. 
The  language  of  our  conduct  must  be,  "  The  Lord  our  God  we  will 
serve,  and  his  voice  we  will  obey  :"  we  must  "  deny  ungodliness  and 
worldly  lusts,  and  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly."  We  must 
serve  him  in  the  various  appointed  institutions  of  secret  and  public 
religion  ;  "  entering  into  our  closets,  shutting  our  doors  on  us,  pray- 
ing'to  our  Father,  who  seeth  in  secret :"  "  not  forsaking  the  assem 
bling  of  ourselves  together,"  but  "  walking  in  all  the  ordinances  of  the 
Lord  blameless  ;"  and  such  of  us  as  have  families,  saying  with  Joshua, 
"  As  for  me  and  my  house,  we  will  serve  the  Lord."  But  we  must 
not  suppose  that  it  is  only  when  we  engage  in  strictly  religious  ser 
vices  that  we  are  to  act  as  the  servants  of  God.  His  law  of  justice, 
truth,  and  love,  is  to  regulate  all  our  transactions  with  our  fellow  men, 
and  in  performing  our  various  relative  duties,  as  superiors,  inferiors, 
or  equals,  we  are  to  do  all  "  as  to  the  Lord." 

Oar  obedience  to  God  as  his  servants,  is  to  be  passive  as  well  as 
active.  It  has  been  justly  said,  that  obedience  consists  in  the  sub 
jecting  of  a  man's  own  will  to  the  will  of  another.  If  that  subjection 
be  in.  something  to  be  done,  it  is  active  obedience  ;  if  it  be  in  some 
thing  to  be  suffered,  it  is  passive  obedience.  Now,  as  God's  ser 
vants,  we  must  not  only  do  bat  suffer  his  will.  And  we  must  show 
our  passive  obedience,  by  being  contented  with  his  allotments,  and  by 
being  submissive  to  his  chastisements.  It  is  meet  that  the  servant  of 
so  great,  and  wise,  and  good  a  Master,  should  be  satisfied  with  the 
place  in  the  family  he  assigns  him,  with  the  kind  and  degree  of  work 
he  allots  him,  with  the  kind  and  measare  of  food,  support,  and  wages 
he  gives  him.  We  are  not  acting  like  the  servants  of  God,  when  we 
grudge  and  murmur  at  his  appointments,  and  envy  those  to  whom  he 
may  have  assigned  a  higher  place,  and  more  abundant  accommodations. 
In  such  a  case,  we  ought  to  say,  "  Should  it  be  altogether  according 
to  my  mind?"  "  Has  he  not  a  right  to  do  what  he  wills  with  his 
own  ?"  It  is  not  for  God's  servant  to  choose  out  the  lot  of  his  inherit 
ance.  It  is  in  better  hands.  We  must  never  say,  never  think  that 
he  is  a  hard  Master.  "  Having  food  and  raiment,"  however  scanty 
and  coarse,  we  should  "be  content;"  "content with  present  things." 
We  should  Icnrn  of  that  old  and  experienced  servant  of  God,  the 


288  THE   DUTY   OP   CHBISTIANS.  [DISC.  XI. 

apostle  Paul,  what  the  good  Spirit  had  taught  him :  "  In  whatsoever 
state  we  are,  therewith  to  be  content.  Our  passive  obedience  as  God's 
servants  is  to  be  shown  in  our  patience  as  well  as  in  our  contentment. 
What  servant  is  there  whom  the  great  Master  does  not  require  to 
chasten  ?  "  He  does  not  afflict  willingly."  It  is  always  for  our  fault ; 
such  is  his  justice ;  and  such  is  his  goodness,  it  is  always  for  our  profit. 
We  certainly  do  not  act  like  well-informed  and  well-dispositioned 
servants,  if  we  do  not  take  patiently,  cheerfully,  thankfully,  those 
afflictions  which  we  deserve,  which  we  need,  and  which  the  great 
Master  not  only  means  for  our  good,  but  will  make  effectual  for  the 
purpose  for  which  he  intends  them,  the  making  us  "  partakers  of  his 
holiness."  Such  is  a  hasty  sketch  of  that  obedience  which,  as  ser 
vants  of  God,  Christians  owe  to  their  Divine  Master. 

It  may  serve  a  good  purpose  to  notice  some  of  the  characteristic 
marks  by  which  the  obedience  of  Christians,  as  servants  of  God,  ought 
to  be,  and  indeed  is,  distinguished  from  what  is  not  unfrequently  mis 
taken  for  it.1  There  are,  particularly,  four  characteristics  to  which  I 
wish  to  turn  your  attention.  In  order  to  act  as  the  servant  of  God, 
the  Christian's  obedience  must  be  implicit,  impartial,  cheerful,  and 
persevering.  Let  me  say  a  word  or  two  in  illustration  of  each  of 
these.  If  we  would  act  as  servants  of  God,  our  obedience  must  be 
implicit.  We  must  do  what  God  bids  us  do,  because  God  bids  us  do 
it.  There  are  many  who  do  many  things  which  God  commands,  who 
never  obey  God.  The  doing  what  God  commands  may  be  agreeable 
to  my  inclination,  or  conducive  to  my  interest;  and  if,  on  these 
grounds,  I  do  it,  I  serve  myself,  not  God.  What  God  commands  may 
be  commanded  by  those  whose  authority  I  acknowledge,  and  whose 
favor  I  wish  to  secure ;  if  I  do  it  on  these  grounds,  I  am  man's  ser 
vant,  not  God's  servant.  I  serve  God  only  when  I  do  what  he  bids 
me,  because  he  bids  me.  Everything  he  bids  me  do  is  right,  and 
ought  to  be  done  for  its  own  sake.  Everything  he  bids  me  do  is  fitted 
to  promote  my  happiness,  and  ought  to  be  done  on  this  account ;  but 
it  is  only  so  far  as  I  do  it  for  the  Lord's  sake  that  it  is  obedience. 
God  is  the  only  being  in  the  universe  that  deserves  to  be  implicitly 
obeyed.  I  act  like  a  fool  when  I  believe  what  the  wisest  and  best 
man  in  the  world  tells  me,  when  I  do  what  the  wisest  and  best  man 
in  the  world  bids  me  do,  if  he  do  not  give  me  a  satisfactory  reason  for 
it ;  but  I  act  like  a  wise  man,  when  I  believe  what  God  tells  me,  and 
do  what  God  bids  me,  though  I  have  no  other  reason  but  that  he  tells 
me,  and  that  he  bids  me ;  for  there  can  be  no  stronger  proof  of  the 
truth  of  a  proposition  than  that  the  omniscient  and  infinitely -faithful 
One  utters  it ;  no  stronger  proof  that  an  action  is  right,  than  that  the 
infinitely  wise  and  righteous  Governor  of  the  world  has  commanded 
it.  The  temper  of  the  servant  of  God  is  expressed  in  these  words, 
"  Speak,  Lord,  thy  servant  heareth:"  he  listens ;  he  listens  to  under 
stand,  and  to  understand  that  he  may  obey.  "  I  will  hear,"  listen  to, 
believe,  obey,  "what  God  the  Lord  will  speak." 

If  we  would  act  as  the  servants  of  God,  our  obedience  must  be  im- 

1  These  characteristics  are  noticed  Disc.  v.  P.I,  §  1,  p.  90  ;  but,  as  the  illustration  hero 
would  be  imperfect  without  a  reference  to  them,  I  have,  at  the  risk  of  appearing  "  actum 
agere,"  introduced  them  again. 


PART  II.] 


TO  ACT  AS  THE  SERVANTS  OF  GOD. 


289 


partial  as  well  as  implicit.  It  will  be  impartial  if  it  be  implicit.  There 
are  too  many  who  profess  to  be  Christians  who  are  partial  in  the  law 
of  the  Lord.  To  use  a  familiar  but  expressive  phrase,  they  "  pick  and 
choose"  among  his  commandments.  They  do  this,  but  they  leave 
that,  which  is  commanded  with  equal  explicitness,  undone.  In  every 
case  of  this  kind  it  is  plain  that  the  soul  of  true  obedience  is  wanting. 
If  I  do  anything  just  because  God  commands  it  (and  unless  I  do  this, 
I  do  not  obey  God  at  all),  I  will  do  whatever  he  commands  me.  In 
stead  of  thinking,  as  some  seem  to  do,  that  their  strictness  with  regard 
to  certain  portions  of  commanded  duty,  will  be  sustained  as  an  excuse 
for  their  neglect  or  violation  of  other  parts  of  commanded  duty,  I  will 
account  God's  commandments  concerning  all  things  to  be  right,  and 
I  will  abhor  every  wicked  way.  "  Ye  are  my  ^friends,"  says  our 
Lord  ;  ye  are  my  servants,  says  his  Father — our  Father,  his  God — 
our  God,  "  if  ye  do,"  not  some  things  that  I  command  you,  not  many 
things  that  I  command  you,  but  "  whatsoever  I  command  you." 

If  we  would  act  as  the  servants  of  God,  our  obedience  must  be 
cheerful.  It  must  be  obedience  from  the  heart.  "  God  is  a  Spirit," 
and  he  who  would  serve  him  must  serve  him  with  his  spirit.  Mere 
bodily  service  profits  nothing.  And  not  only  must  there  be  spirit  in 
the  service,  there  must  be  a  free  spirit ;  not  the  spirit  of  bondage,  but 
the  spirit  of  adoption.  It  must  not  be  the  spirit  of  fear,  but  of  love. 
There  are  men  who  do  many  things  from  the  fear  of  punishment. 
The  external  service  of  God  (and  with  them  there  is,  there  can  be, 
nothing  but  external  service),  is  very  irksome  ;  but  then  they  hope  by 
submitting  to  this  penance  to  escape  the  still  more  painful  sufferings 
of  a  future  state.  It  is  otherwise  with  the  Christian.  His  language 
is,  "  Truly,  O  Lord !  I  am  thy  servant,  thou  hast  loosed  my  bonds. 
I  walk  at  liberty,  keeping  thy  commandments.  Thy  commandments 
are  not  grievous.  In  keeping  thy  commandments  there  is  great  re 
ward.  I  will  be  thy  servant  forever." 

This  leads  me  to  remark,  that  if  we  would  act  as  the  servants  of 
God,  our  obedience  must  be  persevering.  God's  servants  are  not 
hired  servants  engaged  for  a  term  of  years.  They  are  bought  with  the 
blood  of  his  Son ;  and  they  are  to  serve  him  not  only  on  earth,  but 
even  in  the  better  world  they  are  to  "  serve  him  day  and  night  in  his 
temple,"  and  to  "  go  no  more  out."  The  promise  is,  "  He  that  en- 
dureth  to  the  end  shall  be  saved."  The  command  with  promise  is, 
"  Be  faithful  to  death,  and  I  will  give  you  the  crown  of  life."  The 
perfections  of  the  Divine  character,  and  the  relations  he  bears  to  us, 
out  of  which  grow  our  condition  as  his  sons,  never  change.  He 
always  continues  our  Lord,  we  must  always  continue  his  servants. 

There  is  still  another  important  view  of  the  Christian's  duty  sug 
gested  by  his  being  required  to  be  "  as  a  servant  of  God,"  to  which  I 
wish  shortly  to  call  your  attention  before  leaving  this  part  of  the 
subject.  Every  Christian  should  consider  himself  as  engaged  in  a 
work  committed  to  him  by  God,  to  the  right  management  of  which 
all  his  time,  talents,  property,  and  influence  are  to  be  devoted,  and  a 
work  to  be  carried  on  as  under  God's  eye,  and  of  which  an  account 
must  be  given  before  his  tribunal.  "  No  Christian  liveth  to  himself, 
no  Christian  dieth  to  himself.  Whether  he  live,  he  lives  to  the 

19 


290  THE    DUTY    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DESC.  XI. 

Lord  ;  and  whether  he  die,  he  dies  to  the  Lord :  living  and  dying  he 
is  the  Lord's."  1  When  a  man  becomes  a  Christian,  he  is  called  into 
the  vineyard  of  the  Lord,  and  his  work  is  assigned  him ;  or  to  vary 
the  figure,  he  is  intrusted  with  so  many  talents,  and  required  to  oc 
cupy  them  till  the  Lord  come.2  He  is  not  here  to  obtain  pleasure, 
honor,  or  wealth  for  himself.  His  business  is  to  "  seek  the  Idngdom 
of  God  and  his  righteousness  ;"  to  promote  in  himself  and  around  him 
that  kingdom  which  is  not  of  this  world,  "  which  is  not  meat  and 
drink,  but  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  3 
Like  his  Lord,  then,  whose  meat  it  was  to  do  the  will  of  his  Father 
who  is  in  heaven,  and  to  finish  his  work,  he  should  continually  be 
about  his  Master's  business,  "  as  ever  in  the  great  Taskmaster's  eye," 
remembering  that  yet  a  little  while,  and  he  will  call  his  stewards  to 
give  an  account  of  their  stewardship,  and  "  every  man  shall  receive 
his  own  reward  according  to  his  own  labor."  The  Christian  should 
always  act  as  if  these  words  were  sounding  in  his  ears :  "  Every 
man's  work  must  be  made  manifest.  The  day  shall  declare  it.  It 
shall  be  revealed  by  fire.  The  fire  shall  try  every  man's  work."  4 
Happy  is  that  man  whose  work  shall  stand  the  trial,  and  abide !  He 
shall  receive  a  great  reward. 

So  much  for  the  illustration  of  that  view  of  the  Christian's  duty 
which  corresponds  to  his  condition  considered  as  one  of  subjection. 
It  is  to  act  "  as  the  servant  of  God." 

The  motives  which  urge  Christians  to  the  performance  of  this  duty 
are  numerous  and  powerful.  The  service  of  God  is  in  the  highest 
degree  reasonable,  pleasant,  honorable,  and  advantageous. 

It  is  a  most  reasonable  thing  that  Christians  should  act  as  the 
servants  of  God.  It  is  most  reasonable  that  all  men  should  serve 
God.  A  disobedient  creature  is  a  moral  monster.  Can  anything  be 
more  reasonable  than  that  the  will  of  the  all- wise  and  thrice  holy  and 
infinitely  benignant  Jehovah,  should  be  the  rule  of  the  conduct  of  his 
creatures  ?  All  that  men  are  and  have  is  the  gift  of  God.  He  gives 
them  their  existence,  and  all  their  faculties  of  reason,  and  action,  and 
enjoyment.  "  In  him  they  live,  and  move,  and  have  their  being."  It 
is  his  sun  which  warms  them  ;  his  air  which  they  breathe  ;  his  flax 
and  wool  which  clothe  them :  his  corn,  and  wine,  and  oil,  which  sup 
port  them,  It  is  his  Spirit  which  gives  them  understanding.  He 
gives  them  life  and  favor,  and  his  visitation  preserves  their  souls  ;  and 
far,  infinitely  far  above  these  manifestations  of  kindness,  he  has,  for 
the  great  love  wherewith  he  loved  our  fallen  race,  given  his  Son, 
"  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  might  not  perish,  but  have  ever 
lasting  life ;"  and  is  ready  with  him  to  bestow  on  the  guiltiest  of  the 
guilty  believing  on  him,  "  all  heavenly  and  spiritual  blessings."  Surely, 
if  it  be  reasonable  to  be  just,  if  it  be  reasonable  to  be  grateful,  all 
men  should  serve  God.  But,  besides  these  powerful  reasons  why  all 
men  should  serve  God,  very  strong  additional  ones  urge  Christians  to 
this  duty.  They  have  been  put  in  possession  of  the  blessings  of  the 
Christian  salvation.  "  In  Christ  they  have  redemption  through  his 
blood,  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  according  to  the  riches  of  Divine 

1  Rom.  xiv.  7,  8.  2  Luke  xix.  13. 

'  Matt  vi.  33.     Rom.  xiv.  17.  *  1  Cor.  iii.  13,  14. 


PART  IF.]         TO  ACT  AS  THE  SERVANTS  OP  GOD.  291 

grace."  The  very  design  of  this  redemption  is,  "that  they  may 
serve  God.''  "Christ  gave  himself  for  them,  that  he  might  redeem 
them  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  them  unto  himself  a  peculiar  peo 
ple,  zealous  of  good  works."  l  Is  it  reasonable  that  the  great  design 
of  the  death  of  the  Son  of  God  should  be  obstructed  ?  They  have 
had  the  Holy  Spirit  in  his  enlightening,  sanctifying,  and  consoling 
influences  bestowed  on  them.  God  has  given  them  "  one  heart,"  and 
put  "  a  new  spirit  within  them  ;  and  has  taken  the  stony  heart  out  of 
their  flesh,  and  has  given  them  a  heart  of  flesh."  For  what  end  ? 
"  That  they  may  walk  in  his  statutes,  and  keep  his  ordinances,  and 
do  them."  2  And  is  it  not  reasonable  that  the  great  design  of  the 
gift  of  the  Spirit  should  be  accomplished  ?  It  is  surely  right  that  the 
great  object  of  their  deliverance  from  the  hands  of  their  enemies 
should  be  attained ;  and  that  is,  that  they  may  "  serve  God  in  holiness 
and  righteousness  before  him  all  the  days  of  their  lives."  Still  farther, 
they  have  in  the  free  exercise  of  their  own  choice,  devoted  them 
selves  to  God's  service.  They  have  said  each  of  them,  "  I  am  the 
Lord's ;  I  am  thy  servant ;  thou  hast  loosed  my  bonds.  1  \vill  pay 
my  vows  to  the  Lord  in  the  presence  of  all  his  people."  3  And  is  it 
not  reasonable  that  these  obligations,  so  freely  incurred,  so  solemnly 
acknowledged,  should  be  discharged  ? 

But,  in  the  second  place,  the  service  of  God  is  in  the  highest  de 
gree  pleasant.  "  His  yoke  is  easy,  and  his  burden  is  light."  "  Wis 
dom's  ways  are  pleasantness,  her  paths  are  peace."  "  In  keeping 
God's  commandments  there  is  great  reward."  "His  commandments 
are  not  grievous."  *  It  is  difficult  to  convince  an  unconverted  man 
of  this.  Indeed,  he  must  become  a  converted  man  before  he  can 
have  personal  experimental  evidence  of  these  truths.  But  every 
converted  man  knows  that  it  is  so.  The  following  is  a  true  as  well 
as  a  beautiful  picture :  "  Behold  that  servant  of  the  Lord ;  he  is  just 
rising  from  his  knees,  where  he  has  been  saying  to  his  heavenly  Mas 
ter,  '  Thou  hast  dealt  well  with  thy  servant,  according  to  thy  word. 
Thou  art  good,  and  dost  good  ;  teach  me  thy  statutes/ 5  Take  him 
aside,  and  converse  with  him.  Ask  him  if  the  service  of  God  is  not 
a  delightful  one?  his  answer  is,  'I  love  his  commandments  above 
gold,  yea,  above  fine  gold ;  and  I  delight  myself  in  his  command 
ments,  which  I  love.' '  But  you  are  often  in  heaviness  ?  c  Yes  ;  but 
my  sorrow  shall  be  turned  into  joy.  The  tears  of  penitential  regret 
and  patient  suffering  are  sweet :  and  I  am  never  happier  than  when, 
with  a  broken  and  contrite  heart,  'I  turn  my  feet  unto  his  testi 
monies.'  7  But  the  world  frowns  on  you  ?  '  What  then,  God  smiles 
on  me  ;  he  life  up  the  light  of  his  countenance  on  me.  I  have  peace 
— peace  which  the  world  cannot  give,  and  cannot  take  away.  Hea 
ven  is  my  home ;  death  is  my  friend.  Providence  manages  all  my 
affairs.  My  Master  in  heaven  cares  for  me,  and  I  am  "  anxious  for 
nothing."'  But  your  happiness  is  all  in  prospect?  'O,  no!  I  have 
4<  the  earnest  of  the  inheritance  ;"  I  have  a  "  peace  that  passeth  all 
understanding ;"  he  is  faithful  who  says,  "  Great  peace  have  they  who 

1  Tit.  ii.  14.  2  Ezek.  xi.  19,  20. 

8  Isa.  xliv.  5.    Psal.  cxvi.  16,  18.  4  Matt.  xi.  30.     Psal.  xix.  11.     1  John  v.  3. 

•  Psal.  cxix  65.  c  Psal.  cxix.  47.  7  Psal.  cxix.  59. 


292  THE    DUTY    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XI. 

love  my  law."  I  "joy  in  God;"  I  find  it  good  to  draw  near  to  him. 
"  His  statutes  are  my  song  in  the  house  of  my  pilgrimage."  It  was 
once  otherwise  ;  I  once  thought,  that  to  be  God's  servant  was  to  be  a 
slave  ;  what  I  then  thought  freedom  I  now  see  to  be  most  debasing 
slavery,  and  I  find  that  his  service  is  true  freedom/  '  O  taste  arid 
see  that  the  Lord  is  good ;  blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  him.' "  l 

In  the  third  place,  the  serrice  of  God  is  highly  honorable.  Men 
count  it  an  honor  to  serve  kings  and  princes.  But  what  is  the  honor 
of  being  prime  minister  to  the  greatest  of  earthly  monarchs,  com 
pared  with  the  honor  of  being  the  servants  of  the  Most  High  God, 
the  King  of  kings,  and  the  Lord  of  lords.  It  is  well  said  by  an  apoc 
ryphal  writer,  'It  is  a  great  glory  to  follow  the  Lord.'  a  The  highest 
angel  in  heaven  counts  this  his  highest  honor.  The  office  is  honor 
able,  and  the  discharge  of  its  duties  secures  honor  from  him  who  is 
the  fountain  of  all  honor — obtains  the  approbation  of  him  whose  good 
opinion  is  of  infinitely  more  value  than  the  applause  of  the  whole 
universe  of  created  intelligent  beings.  "  Them  who  honor  me,"  says 
Jehovah,  "  I  will  honor."  "  If  any  man  serve  me,"  says  our  Lord, 
"  him  will  my  Father  honor."  How  far  elevated  above  all  earthly 
honor  will  the  servant  of  the  Lord  stand  on  that  day,  "  when  the 
King  shall  say  to  him,  Come  to  me,  thou  blessed  one ;  well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant,  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord !" 3 

Finally,  the  service  of  God  is  in  the  highest  degree  advantageous. 
Our  service  of  God  can  never  merit  anything  from  him.  It  is  always 
imperfect  and  faulty  ;  and,  even  though  it  were  not  so,  we  should  still 
be  unprofitable  servants,  for  we  would  do  only  what  it  is  our  duty  to 
do.  We  cannot  be  "  profitable  to  God,  as  he  who  is  wise  is  profitable 
to  himself."  4  We  can  lay  him  under  no  obligation.  But  he  has 
laid  himself  under  obligations.  He  has  promised  that  affectionate, 
sincere,  persevering  service,  shall  not  lose  its  reward.  His  command 
and  promise  to  his  servants  is  :  "  Be  strong,  and  let  not  your  hands 
be  weak;  for  your  work  shall  be  rewarded."5  In  illustrating  the 
pleasantness  of  the  service  of  God,  we  have  seen  that  it  brings  its 
reward  to  a  considerable  degree  along  with  it ;  but  there  remains  "  the 
recompense  of  reward"  to  be  bestowed  when  the  work  is  finished. 
Of  that  reward  we  can  form  but  very  inadequate  ideas.  "  It  does 
not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be."  We  may  fairly  conclude,  how 
ever,  from  the  language  of  Scripture,  that  "the  reward  of  the  in 
heritance"  is  incomparably  superior  not  only  to  all  we  can  enjoy,  but 
to  all  we  can  conceive  in  the  present  state.  It  is  "  a  crown  of  glory 
and  of  life ;"  an  "  enduring  substance  ;"  an  "  inheritance  incorruptible, 
undefiled,  unfading;"  an  "eternal  weight  of  glory,"  "fulness  of  joy, 
rivers  of  pleasure  for  evermore."  6  And  this  reward  is  not  more 
valuable  than  secure,  to  all  who  act  as  the  servants  of  God.  "  To 
them  who,  by  a  patient  continuance  in  well-doing,  seek  for  glory, 

1  Eph.  i.  14.  Psal.  cxix.  165,  54  ;  xxxiv.  8.  The  picture  here  sketched  is  more  fully 
delineated  by  Mr.  Jay,  in  his  sermon  entitled  "  Neutrality  in  Religion  Exposed." — Sermons, 
vol.  ii.  pp.  337,  8. 

a  Wisd.  xxiii.  28.  s  John  xii.  26.     Matt,  xxv.  21. 

4  Job  xxii.  2.  6  2  Chron.  xv.  7. 

8  Heb.  xi.  26.  Col.  iii.  24.  1  John  iii.  1.  1  Pet.  v.  4.  James  i.  12.  Heb.  x.  34 
1  Pet.  L  4.  2  Cor  iv.  17.  Psal.  xvi.  11. 


DISC.  XI.]  NOTES.  293 

honor,  and  immortality,  he  will  render,"  as  their  gracious  reward, 
"  eternal  life."  "  Faithful  is  he  that  hath  promised,  who  also  will  do 
it.'7  "  God  is  not  a  man,  that  he  should  lie  ;  nor  the  son  of  man,  that 
he  should  repent :  hath  he  said  it,  and  shall  he  not  do  it  ?  Hath  he 
spoken  it,  and  shall  he  not  make  it  good  ?"  l  Surely,  then,  Christians 
ought  to  act  as  the  servants  of  God.  Constrained  by  the  mercies  of 
God,  they  should  present  themselves  to  him  "  a  living  sacrifice,  holy 
and  acceptable,  which  is  rational  worship  ;"  they  should  be  "  steadfast 
and  unmovable,  always  abounding  in  the  service  of  God,  knowing 
that  their  labors  shall  not  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord."  2 

These  motives  are  directly  addressed  to  those  who  are  engaged  in 
the  service  of  God ;  their  force  will  be  perceived  and  acknowledged 
by  them,  and  I  trust  under  their  influence  they  will  become  more  dil 
igent  in  the  discharge  of  their  honorable  and  delightful  duties  than 
ever.  But  what  shall  we  say  to  those  who  are  not  free,  or  if  free,  are 
what  the  apostle  terms  "  free  from  righteousness  ;"  who  are  not  the 
servants  of  God,  but  the  slaves  of  his  and  their  great  enemy  ?  We 
could  say  much  of  their  degradation,  and  criminality,  and  wretched 
ness  ;  but  we  prefer  "  proclaiming  liberty  to  these  captives,  and  the 
opening  of  the  prison  to  those  who  are  thus  bound."3  Fellow-sin 
ners,  we  call  your  attention  to  the  truth,  "the  word  of  the  truth  of 
the  gospel"  That  truth,  understood  and  believed,  will  make  you 
free,  free  indeed ;  and  that  very  truth  which  will  loose  the  fetters  of 
guilt  and  depravity,  of  Satan  and  sin,  will  bind  on  you  the  easy  yoke, 
lay  on  you  the  light  burden  of  the  Divine  service.  Remaining  in 
your  present  state,  which  you  well  know  is  far  from  a  happy  one,  you 
will  become  more  and  more  miserable  throughout  eternity.  Unless 
you  are  released  from  the  chains  of  condemnation  and  depravity,  you 
must  ere  long,  bound  hand  and  foot,  be  cast  into  the  prison  of  hell, 
whose  adamantine  gates  open  only  inward.  He  whom  you  have 
chosen  as  your  master,  shall  then  be  constituted  your  jailer  and  tor 
mentor.  "  He  opens  not  the  house  of  his  prisoners."  The  prey  of 
the  mighty  shall  not  then  be  taken  away,  nor  the  captives  of  the  ter 
rible  one  be  delivered.  To  his  prisoners  the  gladsome  sound,  Go' 
forth,  will  never  come.  Prisoners  of  hope!  It  comes  now  to  you. 
It  has  come  to  you  often,  but  you  have  lent  a  deaf  ear  to  it.  It 
comes  to  you  once  more,  it  may  be  only  once  more.  May  it  not 
come  in  vain ! 


NOTE  A.  p.  255. 

This  verse  is  obviously  not  a  complete  sentence,  and  must  be  considered  as  connected  either 
with  what  goes  before,  or  with  what  follows,  or  with  both.  Its  meaning  and  design  can 
not  well  be  distinctly  apprehended,  unless  this  question  respecting  its  construction  be  sat 
isfactorily  resolved.  If  it  be  considered  as  connected  with  what  precedes  it,  then  the 
Words  are  descriptive  of  the  manner  in  which  the  duty  of  submission,  for  the  Lord's  sake, 

1  Heb.  x.  23.     1  Thess.  v.  24.    Numb,  xxiii.  19.        3  1  Cor.  xv.  58.         a  ISA.  Ixi  1. 


294  NOTES.  [DISC.  XL 

to  every  human  institution  "  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  for  the  praise  of  them 
who  do  well,  whether  to  the  king  or  emperor,  as  supreme;  or  to  governors,  as  to  them 
gent  by  him" — i.  e.  to  the  institute  of  civil  government,  whatever  its  form  may  be — ought 
to  be  performed  by  Christians.  It  ought  to  be  performed  in  a  manner  suitable  to  their 
condition,  as  at  once  a  condition  of  freedom  and  of  subjection;  in  a  way  becoming  at  once 
the  glorious  liberty  wherewith  Christ  had  made  them  free,  and  that  entire  subjection  to 
the  mind  and  will  of  God  which  befits  those  who  are  His  servants.  It  intimates  that, 
"  being  set  at  liberty  by  Christ,  they  are  not  to  enthral  themselves  to  any  creature,  how 
ever  elevated,  nor  to  submit  to  any  human  institution  as  slaves,  as  if  the  ordinance  or  insti 
tution  itself,  as  a  human  ordinance  and  institution,  did  by  any  inherent  power  bind  the 
conscience  ;  but  that,  as  the  Lord's  freemen,  in  a  manner  becoming  so  exalted  a  character, 
they  should  yield  a  cheerful  subjection  to  the  power  of  civil  magistrates,  and  a  ready 
obedience  to  their  lawful  commands,  from  a  regard  to  the  authority  of  Christ,  the  sole 
Lord  of  their  conscience,  requiring  them  so  to  do, — taking  heed  '  not  to  use  their  liberty 
for  an  occasion  to  the  flesh,'  not  making  that  a  cloak  or  excuse  for  disrespect  or  disobe 
dience  to  their  civil  superiors :  for  though,  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  term,  they  be  not 
the  servants  of  men,  but  of  God,  and  therefore  are  not  bound  to  obey  any  human  com 
mand  without  a  reference  to  the  authority  of  God  requiring  them  to  do  so ;  yet,  on  the 
ground  of  his  command  to  be  subject  to  the  higher  powers,  they  are  bound  to  yield  to 
them  such  honor  and  obedience  as  does  not  interfere  with  the  supreme  reverence  and  obe 
dience  which  they  owe  to  him  as  the  only  Lord  of  the  conscience."  l  This,  from  the  punc 
tuation  adopted  by  our  translators,  seems  to  have  been  their  view  of  the  reference  and 
meaning  of  the  words.  The  whole  passage,  from  the  beginning  of  the  13th  verse  to  the 
end  of  the  first  clause  of  the  17th,  may  be  viewed  as  one  sentence;  in  which  case,  the 
words  of  the  16th  verse  stand  connected  both  with  what  goes  before  and  with  what  fol 
lows.  Thus, "  Submit  yourselves  for  the  Lord's  sake  to  every  ordinance  of  man  for  pun 
ishing  evil-doers  and  rewarding  those  who  do  well,  whether  to  the  king  as  supreme,  or  to 
governors  as  to  them  who  are  sent  by  him  (for  so  is  the  will  of  God,  that  with  well-doing 
ye  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men :  as  free,  and  not  using  your  liberty  as  a 
cloak  of  maliciousness,  but  as  the  servants  of  God,  honor  them  all — all  civil  magistrates, 
whether  supreme  or  subordinate."  To  the  first  mode  of  connecting  the  16th  verse  it  is 
an  objection,  that  it  seems  an  unnatural  mode  of  concluding  a  sentence,  and  gives  a  very 
disjointed  aspect  to  the  whole  period ;  and  to  the  second,  that  the  four  injunctions  in  the 
17th  verse  are  so  closely  connected,  that  it  seems  improper  to  separate  one  of  them  from 
the  rest.  We  are  disposed,  therefore,  to  consider  the  16th  verse  as  the  commencement  of 
a  new  sentence,  which  closes  with  the  17th. 


B.  p.  261. 

The  passage  referred  to,  Rom.  vi.  20,  has  received  another  interpretation.  It  has  been 
supposed  that  iXcvdepoi  here  is  used  as  if  it  were  the  participle  cXnQspwQivn:^  as  it 
seems  to  be,  ch.  vii.  3,  where  tXfvtf.-joa  is  obviously  equivalent  to  Karnnyvrai  in  verse 
2.  In  this  case  ry  diKaioav.y  must  be  rendered,  "  by  righteousness ;"  and  the  words, 
tXsfli'ifjOoi  ijr£  TTJ  5iKaioavvr>  are  the  statement  of  the  fact,  the  consequences  of  which  are 
etated  in  verse  22.  This  secures  to  Sixauoavvri  its  ordinary  meaning  in  the  epistle ;  and 
the  use  of  dro  in  verse  22  seems  to  intimate,  that  another  idea  is  meant  to  be  convey 
ed  there,  than  by  the  use  of  the  dative  without  a  preposition,  in  verse  20. 


NOTE  0.  p.  279. 

"  When  he  was  to  do  for  us  the  part  of  a  Redeemer,  he  was  to  redeem  us  from  the 
curse  of  the  law,  not  from  the  command  of  it ;  to  save  us  from  the  wrath  of  God,  not  from 
his  government.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  so  firm  and  indissoluble  is  the  connection  be 
tween  our  duty  and  our  felicity,  that  the  Sovereign  Ruler  had  been  eternally  injured,  and 
we  not  advantaged.  Were  we  to  have  been  set  free  from  the  preceptive  obligation  of 
God's  holy  law  ;  then,  most  of  all,  from  that  most  fundamental  precept,  '  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God,  with  all  thine  heart,  soul,  might,  and  mind.'  Had  this  been  redemp 
tion,  which  supposes  only  what  is  evil  and  hurtful  as  that  we  are  to  be  redeemed  from  ? 
This  were  a  strange  sort  of  self-repugnant  redemption,  not  from  sin  arid  misery,  but  from 

1  Sanderson. 


DISC.  XI.] 


NOTES. 


295 


our  duty  and  felicity.  This  \vere  so  to  be  redeemed  as  to  be  still  lost,  and  every  way  lost, 
both  to  God  and  to  ourselves  forever.  Redeemed  from  loving  God !  What  a  monstrous 
thought !  Redeemed  from  what  is  the  great,  active,  and  fruitive  principle — the  source 
of  obedience  and  blessedness — the  eternal  spring,  even  in  the  heavenly  state  of  adoration 
and  fruition.  This  had  been  to  legitimate  everlasting  enmity  and  rebellion  against  the 
blessed  God,  and  to  redeem  us  into  an  eternal  hell  of  horror  and  misery  to  ourselves. 
This  had  been  to  cut  off  from  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  world  forever,  so  considerable  a 
limb  of  his  most  rightful  dominion ;  and  to  leave  us  as  miserable  as  everlasting  separation 
from  the  fountain  of  life  and  blessedness  could  make  us." — HOWE.  "None  can  be 
exempted  from  this  law,  unless  he  will  be  banished  from  his  own  essence,  and  be 
excommunicated  from  human  nature."— CULVJEUWEL. 


DISCOURSE   XII. 

A  FOURFOLD  VIEW  OF  THE  DUTY  OF  CHRISTIANS  AS  FREE, 
YET  THE  SERVANTS  OF  GOD. 

1  PET.  ii.  17. — Honor  all  men.    Love  the  brotherhood.    Fear  God.    Honor  the  king. 

IN  our  last  discourse  our  attention  was  turned  to  the  view  which 
the  preceding  verse  gives  us  of  the  condition  and  character  of  true 
Christians.  Their  condition  is  one  both  of  liberty  and  of  subjection  : 
they  are  "  free,"  yet  "  the  servants  of  God."  .  They  are  "  free :"  free 
in  reference  to  God,  both  as  to  state  arfti  disposition ;  free  in  reference 
to  man ;  free  in  reference  to  the  powers  and  principles  of  evil :  they 
are  "  the  servants  of  God,"  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  his  Son  ;  formed 
by  his  Spirit  to  the  character  of  servants,  being  made  acquainted 
with  his  will,  and  disposed  to  do  it ;  devoted  by  their  own  most  free 
choice  to  his  service,  and  actually  engaged  in  that  service ;  obeying 
his  law,  and  promoting  his  cause.  Their  duty,  when  viewed  gener 
ally,  consists  in  acting  in  a  manner  suited  to  their  condition,  as  a  con 
dition  equally  of  freedom  and  subjection.  They  are  to  act  "as  free", 
in  all  the  varied  senses  in  which  they  enjoy  the  privilege  of  liberty, 
guarding  against  abusing  that  privilege  in  any  of  its  forms,  "  as  a 
cloak,"  pretext,  apology,  or  excuse  for  sin ;  and  they  are  to  act  "  as 
the  servants  of  God,"  to  cultivate  the  principle  of  obedience,  habitu 
ally  keeping  in  view  those  perfections  of  the  Divine  character,  and 
those  relations  which  they  bear  to  God,  in  which  the  obligation  to 
serve  God  originates,  and  the  belief  of  which  is  the  grand  means 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  employs  to  fit  and  dispose  us  to  recognize  and 
discharge  that  obligation ;  to  make  themselves  acquainted  with  ths 
rule  of  obedience,  carefully  studying  the  word  of  God,  observing  the 
providence  of  God,  and  seeking  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  God; 
and  to  exercise  this  principle,  and  apply  this  rule  in  actual  obedience, 
both  inward  and  outward,  both  active  and  passive. 

To  this  general  view  of  the  Christian's  duty,  as  an  acting  in  con 
formity  to  his  condition,  the  apostle  adds  a  somewhat  more  detailed 
and  particular  account,  for  the  purpose  of  illustration.  In  the  words 
before  us,  he  specifies  four  different  ways  in  which  Christians  are  to 
conduct  themselves  "as  free,"  and  yet  "as  the  servants  of  God." 
They  are  to  "  honor  all  men ;"  they  are  to  "  love  the  brotherhood ;" 
they  are  to  "fear  God;"  they  are  to  "honor  the  king."  Let  us 
now  proceed  to  inquire  into  the  meaning  of  these  Divine  injunctions, 
and  into  the  motives  which  urge  to  a  cheerful  compliance  with  them. 
And  while  we  do  so,  may  God  give  us  the  understanding  mind  and 


DISC.  XII.]  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  297 

the  obedient  heart !  May  He  "  open  our  understandings,"  to  under 
stand  this  portion  of  "  Scripture  given  by  inspiration  of  God,"  that 
we  may  become  wiser ;  and  open  our  hearts  to  love  it,  that  it  may  be 
the  effectual  means  of  making  us  better  as  well  as  wiser ;  giving  us 
clearer  views  of  what  is  our  duty,  and  a  deeper  impression  of  our 
obligations  to  discharge  it ! 

"Here,"  as  the  good  Archbishop  remarks,  "are  no  dark  sentences 
to  puzzle  the  understanding,  nor  large  discourses,  and  long  periods,  to 
burden  the  memory.  As  the  Divine  Wisdom  says  of  her  instruc 
tions  in  the  book  of  Proverbs,  These  precepts  are  all  '  plain ;'  there 
is  nothing  '  froward  or  perverse,'  nothing  '  wreathed,'  as  it  is  in  the 
margin,  involved,  distorted,  perplexed,  difficult,  in  them.  And  this 
gives  check  to  a  double  folly  among  men,  contrary  the  one  to  the 
other,  but  both  agreeing  in  mistaking  and  wronging  the  word  of  God. 
The  one  is,  of  those  who  despise  the  word,  and  that  doctrine  and 
preaching  which  is  according  to  it,  for  its  plainness  and  simplicity ; 
the  other,  of  those  who  complain  of  its  difficulty  and  darkness.  As 
for  the  first,  they  certainly  do  not  apprehend  the  true  end  for  which 
the  word  is  designed,  that  is,  to  be  the  law  of  our  life ;  and  that  it  is 
mainly  requisite  in  laws  that  they  be  both  brief  and  clear.  It  is  our 
guide  to  light  and  happiness ;  and  if  that  which  ought  to  be  our  light 
were  darkness,  how  great  would  that  darkness  be !  It  is  true  that 
there  be  dark  and  deep  passages  in  Scripture  for  the  exercise,  yea 
for  the  humbling,  yea  for  the  amazing  arid  astonishing,  of  the  sharp 
est-sighted  readers.  But  it  argues  much  the  pride  and  vanity  of 
men's  minds,  when  they  busy  themselves  only  in  these,  and  throw 
aside  altogether  the  most  necessary,  which  are  therefore  the  easiest 
and  plainest  truths  in  it,  evidencing  that  they  had  rather  be  learned 
than  holy,  '  wise  than  good,'  and  have  still  more  mind  to  '  the  tree  of 
knowledge'  than  to  '  the  tree  of  life.'  In  hearing  the  word,  too  many 
are  still  gaping  after  new  notions,  something  to  add  to  the  stock  of 
their  speculative  and  discoursing  knowledge,  loathing  the  daily  manna 
of  such  profitable  exhortations,  and  'requiring  meat  for  their  lust/ 
There  is  an  intemperance  of  the  mind  as  well  as  of  the  mouth.  You 
would  think  it,  and  may  be  not  spare  to  call  it,  a  poor  cold  sermon, 
that  was  made  up  of  such  plain  precepts  as  these  :  '  Honor  all  men  : 
love  the  brotherhood :  fear  God :  honor  the  king :'  and  yet  this  is 
the  language  of  God.  It  is  his  way,  this  foolish  despicable  way,  by 
which  he  guides  and  brings  to  heaven  them  that  believe." 

As  to  those  who  complain  of  the  difficulties  of  Scripture,  let  them 
but  believe  and  do  what  is  perfectly  level  to  the  apprehension  of  the 
simplest  mind,  and  they  will  thus  take  the  most  probable  means  of 
arriving  at  just  views  of  what  is  obscure ;  for  he  is  faithful  who  has 
promised — "If  any  man  will  do" — that  is,  be  willing  to  do — "the 
will  of  my  Father  in  heaven,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether 
it  be  of  God;"1  and,  at  all  events,  he  will  soon  and  certainly  find  his 
way  to  that  region  where  all  difficulties  are  removed,  all  mysteries 
are  unveiled,  all  obscurities  are  explained.  There,  in  God's  light,  he 
shall  see  light ;  no  longer  seeing  as  through  a  glass  darkly,  but  face 
to  face ;  no  longer  knowing  in  part  only,  but  knowing  even  as  he  is 

1  John  vii.  17. 


298  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.  XII. 

known.     But  to  return  to  the  illustration  of  the  apostle's  four  compre 
hensive  precepts. 

I— CHRISTIANS  ARE  TO  "HONOR  ALL  MEN." 

The  first  particular  duty  which  he  calls  on  Christians  to  perform 
"as  free,  and  yet  as  the  servants  of  God/'  is  the  honoring  of  all  men. 
"  Honor  all  men."  To  bring  out  the  true  and  the  full  meaning  of  this 
important  and  very  comprehensive  precept  of  the  Christian  Jaw,  it  is 
necessary  to  remark,  that  "  all  men"  is  here  used  in  contrast  with 
some  men,  and  to  inquire  who  are  these  some  men  referred  to;  and 
in  looking  into  the  immediate  context,  we  find  two  classes  of  men 
mentioned,  to  either,  or  to  both  of  whom,  the  apostle  may  be  consid 
ered  as  referring. 

There  are  "the  brotherhood" — that  is,  true  Christians,  "the  chosen 
generation,  the  kingdom  of  priests,  the  holy  nation,  the  peculiar  peo 
ple,  the  dwellers  in  light,  the  people  of  God."  If  the  reference  is  to 
them,  the  sentiment  contained  in  the  words  before  us  is :  '  While 
"the  saints,  the  excellent  ones  of  the  earth,"  ought  to  be  the  objects 
of  your  highest  respect  and  honor,  as  well  as  affection,  yet  you  are 
not  warranted  to  regard  unbelieving  men  with  contempt  because  they 
do  not  belong  to  the  Holy  Society,  are  not  "  partakers  of  the  bene 
fit  ;"  but,  on  the  contrary,  wherever,  from  civil  or  natural,  or  from 
intellectual  endowments,  or  moral  dispositions,  they  are  the  proper 
objects  of  respect,  you  are  bound  to  render  honor  to  whom  honor 
is  due/ 

The  brotherhood  is  not,  however,  the  only  class  of  men  mentioned 
in  the  context.  There  are  also  "  the  men  ordained  for  the  punishment 
of  evil-doers,  and  for  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well:  the  king  as 
supreme,  and  the  governors  who  are  sent  by  him."  These  are  to  be 
honored,  all  of  them  honored,  by  being  obeyed  and  submitted  to.  If 
the  reference  is  to  them,  then  the  sentiment  conveyed  is :  '  While 
magistrates  are  to  be  honored  in  a  manner  suited  to  the  nature  and 
design  of  the  office  which  they  fill,  no  human  being  is  to  be  despised. 
There  is  a  respect  due  to  every  man,  just  because  he  is  a  man  ;  there 
is  an  honor  due  to  the  king,  but  there  is  also  an  honor  due  to  all  men/ 
As  the  language  of  the  apostle,  without  using  undue  violence,  may  be 
considered  as  suggesting  both  these  important  and  closely  connected 
sentiments,  I  will  endeavor  briefly  to  illustrate  and  enforce  them  in 
their  order. 

§  1. — Honor  not  to  be  confined  to  the  brotherhood,  but  rendered  to  all 

to  whom  it  is  due. 

The  first  principle  which  we  consider,  as  suggested  by  the  apostle's 
words,  is,  that  the  respectful  regards  of  Christians  are  not  to  be  con 
fined  "  to  the  brotherhood,"  but  are  to  be  extended  to  unbelieving 
men,  according  to  the  claims  which,  from  civil  or  natural  relation, 
from  intellectual  endowments  or  moral  dispositions,  they  may  have 
on  them.  Honor  is  to  be  yielded  to  all  to  whom  honor  is  due,  though 
u  aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of"  spiritual  "  Israel,  and  strangers 
to  the  covenant  of  promise." 


PART  I.] 


TO    HONOR    ALL    MEN. 


299 


The  injunction,  viewed  in  this  light,  like  the  strikingly  similar  one, 
"  Use  not  your  liberty  as  a  cloak  of  wickedness,"  seems,  from  the  pe 
culiar  circumstances  and  previous  habits  of  thought  of  many  of  the 
primitive  Christians,  to  have  been  far  from  unnecessary.  It  seems 
plain  that  a  very  large  proportion  at  least  of  those  to  whom  this  epis 
tle  was  addressed,  consisted  of  Jewish  converts.  The  Jews  were 
accustomed  to  consider  their  own  nation  as  the  chosen  people  of  Je 
hovah,  and  on  this  account  as  worthy  of  the  highest  honor ;  while 
they  regarded  the  Gentiles,  the  nations  as  they  termed  them,  all  the 
rest  of  mankind,  with  a  malignant  contempt,  which  its  objects,  in 
most  instances,  repaid  with  liberal  interest.  They  generally  consid 
ered  all  authority  exercised  by  Gentiles  over  Jews  as  impious  usurpa 
tion  ;  and  if  they  submitted  to  it,  they  did  so  "  for  wrath  sake,"  not  "  for 
conscience  sake  ;"  not  because  obedience  was  in  their  estimation 
right,  but  because  disobedience  was  found  in  their  experience  unsafe ; 
not  from  a  sense  of  duty,  but  from  a  fear  of  punishment.  There  was 
some  hazard  that  these  habits  of  thought  and  feeling,  modified  by 
their  new  circumstances  and  relations,  might  influence  the  Jewish 
converts  :  that  they  might  regard  the  spiritual  nation,  of  which  they 
had  become  a  part  by  believing,  with  sentiments  similar  to  those  with 
which  they  used  to  contemplate  "  Israel  according  to  the  flesh  ;"  and 
might  consider  unbelievers,  whether  Jews  or  heathens,  in  a  light  cor 
responding  to  that  in  \vhich  they  looked  on  the  Gentiles  in  the  days 
of  their  Judaism  ;  and  indeed,  from  various  passages  in  the  apostolic 
writings,  it  seems,  to  say  the  least,  highly  probable  that  this  hazard 
was,  to  some  extent,  realized. 

It  was  of  importance,  then,  for  the  apostles  distinctly  to  assert,  that 
the  new  religious  relations  and  duties  of  Christians  by  no  means  un 
hinged  their  existing  natural  and  civil  relations,  or*  interfered  with 
the  duties  rising  out  of  these,  except  by  furnishing  clearer  directions 
for,  and  stronger  motives  to,  their  performance.  Christian  subjects 
are  bound  to  honor  heathen  or  Jewish  magistrates.  The  command, 
when  there  were  no  magistrates  that  even  professed  Christianity,  was, 
"  Let  every  soul  be  subject  to  the  higher  powers.  The  powers  that 
be  are  ordained  by  God."  l  "Submit  to  every  human  institution  for 
the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  the  praise  of  them  who  do  well." 
Christian  servants  were  to  regard  with  the  honor  which  finds  its  ex 
pression  in  cheerful,  conscientious,  uncomplaining  obedience,  their 
heathen  masters.  "  Servants,"  says  the  apostle  in  the  next  verse, 
"  be  subject  to  your  masters  with  all  fear  ;  not  only  to  the  good  and 
gentle,  but  also  to  the  froward."  And  the  Apostle  Paul,  speaking  of 
masters  not  believing,  says,  "  Let  as  many  servants  as  are  under  the 
yoke  count  their  own  masters  worthy  of  all  honor,  that  the  name  of 
God  and  his  doctrine  be  not  blasphemed."  2  Christian  wives  were 
bound  to  honor  their  heathen  husbands.  The  conjugual  relation  was 
not  dissolved,  nor  its  duties  changed,  by  conversion  to  Christianity. 
The  law  is,  "  If  the  woman  hath  a  husband  that  believelh  not,  and 
if  he  be  pleased  to  dwell  with  her,  let  her  not  leave  him  ;"  3  and  it  is 
plainly  to  Christian  wives  in  these  circumstances,  that  the  command 
ment  in  the  beginning  of  the  3d  chapter  of  this  epistle  is  addressed : 
1  Rom.  xiii.  1.  2  1  Pet.  ii.  18.  1  Tim.  vi.  1.  3  1  Cor.  vii.  13. 


300  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.  XII. 

"  Likewise,  ye  wives,  be  in  subjection  to  your  own  husbands ;  that,  if 
any  obey  not  the  word,  they  also  may  without  the  word  be  won  by 
the  conversation  of  the  wives  ;  while  they  behold  your  chaste  conver 
sation  coupled  with  fear."  Christian  children  were  bound  to  honor 
heathen  parents  by  providing  for  their  support  when  necessary,  and 
by  "  obeying  them  in  the  Lord" — that  is,  so  far  as  their  commands 
did  not  interfere  with  those  of  their  Master  in  heaven. 

On  the  same  principle,  wherever  a  Christian  met  with  distinguished 
intellectual  endowment  or  acquirement,  extensive  knowledge,  remark 
able  wisdom,  or  with  manifestations  of  integrity,  public  spirit,  patriot 
ism,  benevolence,  in  unbelieving  Jews  or  heathens,  he  was  not  to  shut 
his  mind  against  the  admission  that  such  intellectual  and  moral  excel 
lencies  did  exist,  nor  his  heart  against  the  feeling  of  respect  and  honor 
which  they  are  naturally  fitted  to  awaken,  because  their  owners  did 
not  belong  to  the  Christian  community.  In  such  cases  though  so  far 
as  the  display  of  moral  qualities  was  concerned,  they  were,  we  be 
lieve,  of  very  rare  occurrence  in  the  primitive  age,  Christians  were 
to  do  full  justice,  and  "render  honor  to  whom  honor  was  due."  In 
yielding  honor  to  heathens,  corresponding  to  the  natural  and  civil 
relations  of  society,  they  did  honor  to  Him  who  established  these  re 
lations  ;  and  in  yielding  honor  to  heathens  corresponding  to  their  in 
tellectual  and  moral  endowments,  they  did  honor  to  Him  who  con 
ferred  these  gifts. 

The  principle  we  have  been  illustrating  is  of  universal  application, 
and  the  precept  grounded  on  it  of  permanent  obligation.  Christians 
of  the  present  age  are  equally  bound,  with  those  of  the  primitive  age, 
to  "  honor  all  men"  in  the  sense  in  which  we  have  explained  these 
words.  The  circumstance  that  individuals,  who  from  their  natural 
or  civil  relation,  or  from  their  intellectual  or  moral  qualities,  have  a 
claim  on  respect,  are  not  Christians  in  the  only  proper  sense  of  the 
term,  though  necessarily  giving  to  that  respect  a  different  character 
from  what  it  would  naturally  assume  if  they  were  Christians,  ought 
to  be  felt  by  true  Christians  as  a  reason  why  they  should  be  particu 
larly  careful  in  answering  such  a  claim.  They  should  act  on  the 
principle,  recommended  to  Christian  wives  by  the  apostle,  to  guide 
them  in  their  conduct  to  their  heathen  husbands.  In  that  readiness 
to  acknowledge  what  deserves  to  be  honored  wherever  it  is  found, 
they  may  do  much  to  remove  prejudice,  and  to  recommend  Christian 
ity  to  a  favorable  consideration;  and  "win,  without  the  word,"  those 
to  whom  there  might  be  no  opportunity  of  presenting  the  word ;  or 
who,  if  it  were  presented  to  them,  would  not  listen  to  it. 

Few  things  have  injured  the  cause  of  genuine  Christianity  more, 
than  a  bigoted  blindness  on  the  part  of  some  of  its  professors  to  the 
unquestionable  claims  to  respect  of  various  kinds,  which  some  men 
possess,  who,  unhappily  for  themselves  as  well  as  the  world,  have 
neglected  or  resisted  the  evidence  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  Such 
men  are  deeply  to  be  pitied  ;  they  are,  in  many  cases,  greatly  to  be 
blamed  ;  in  no  case  are  they  blameless ;  but  still  their  fault,  their  fatal 
fault,  if  persisted  in,  ought  not  to  prevent  us  from  honoring  them  for 
that  which,  in  their  station,  or  attainments,  or  character,  or  conduct, 
is  really  honorable.  Those  men  who  please  themselves  with  the 


PART  I.]  TO    HONOR    ALL    MEN.  301 

thought,  that  in  despising  those  men  they  are  showing  their  enlight 
ened  zeal  for  Christianity,  are  greatly  mistaken.  They  are  manifest 
ing  their  own  ignorant,  ill-judging  mind,  and  their  wayward,  ill-regu 
lated  temper.  Their  zeal  is  "  a  cloak  of  maliciousness."  In  the  name 
of  the  religion  of  love,  they  are  gratifying  low  and  malignant  feelings  ; 
and,  if  they  are  true  Christians,  they,  pfainly  in  this  case,  "  know  not 
what  spirit  they  are  of." 

And  surely  if  the  law  of  Christ  expressly  requires  honor  to  be  given 
to  men  according  to  their  rank,  and  endowments,  and  attainments, 
and  character,  though  they  are  not  Christians  at  all,  its  spirit  must  be 
very  hostile  to  that  petty,  selfish,  malignant  temper,  which,  availing 
itself  of  the  unnaturally  divided  state  of  Christ's  church,  leads  those 
possessed  by  it  to  withhold  honor  from  men  the  most  distinguished 
for  their  talents,  their  worth,  and  their  usefulness,  and,  it  may  be,  to 
cherish  towards  them  sentiments  of  bitter  contempt,  merely  because 
they  belong  to  a  different  section  of  the  great  body  bearing  the  name 
of  our  common  Lord,  separated  by  barriers  which  exist  only  in  their 
prejudiced  minds  from  that  to  which  they  happen  to  be  attached. 
Alas !  how  much  has  there  been  among  Christian  denominations  of 
"  biting  and  devouring"  one  another,  and  "  smiting  fellow-servants," 
who  ought  to  have  been  "esteemed  very  highly  in  love  for  their 
work's  sake !"  How  different  from,  how  opposite  to,  the  spirit  of  the 
injunction  before  us,  "  Honor  all  men,"  is  this  !  Surely  if  we  are  to 
honor  all  men  who  deserve  honor,  much  more  are  we  to  honor  all 
Christian  men  who  deserve  honor,  though  they  follow  not  with  us. 

§  2. — Honor  not  to  be  confined  to  classes,  but  extended  to  all  men. 

But  we  apprehend  the  apostle's  words  not  only  suggest  the  princi 
ple,  that  the  respectful  regards  of  Christians  are  not  to  be  confined 
to  the  brotherhood,  but  are  to  be  extended  to  unbelieving  men,  ac 
cording  to  the  claims  which,  from  natural  or  civil  relation,  or  from 
intellectual  endowments  or  moral  dispositions,  they  may  have  on 
them :  They  appear  to  us  to  intimate  another  very  important  princi 
ple,  that  there  is  a  respect  due  to  every  human  being,  and  that  it  is 
a  Christian  duty  to  cherish  that  respect,  and  to  act  accordingly. 

There  is  an  honor  which  we  owe  to  men,  just  because  they  are 
men :  an  honor  of  course  due  to  all  men,  without  exception  and  with 
out  distinction.  That  honor  is  not  the  honor  of  moral  esteem. 
There  are  individuals,  many  individuals,  that  deserve  to  be  approved 
and  admired  for  their  moral  qualities.  Man,  as  God  made  him,  de 
served  thus  to  be  honored  ;  but  the  moral  qualities  which  univers 
ally  characterize  mankind  as  a  race,  in  their  present  state,  are  those 
which  are  the  proper  objects,  not  of  approbation,  but  of  disapproba 
tion.  What  is  the  testimony  of  Him  who  knows  what  is  in  man? 
"Every  imagination  of  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  is  only  evil  continu 
ally.  The  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately  wicked." 
In  man,  that  is,  "in  his  flesh,"  that  is,  a  man  in  his  present  fallen  state, 
"there  dwelleth  no  good  thing."  Fools,  they  say  in  their  heart,  there 
is  no  God ;  "  they  are  corrupt,  they  have  done  abominable  works, 
there  is  none  that  doeth  good.  The  Lord  looked  down  from  heaven 


302  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.  XII. 

upon  the  children  of  men,  to  see  if  there  were  any  that  did  under 
stand  and  seek  God.  They  are  all  gone  aside,  they  are  altogether 
become  filthy  ;  there  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no  not  one.  Their  "throat 
is  an  open  sepulchre :  with  their  tongues  have  they  used  deceit  :  the 
poison  of  asps  is  under  their  lips :  whose  mouth  is  full  of  cursing  and 
bitterness :  their  feet  are  swift  to  shed  blood :  destruction  and  misery 
are  in  their  ways  :  and  the  way  of  peace  they  have  not  known  :  there 
is  no  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes.3' l  This  is  what  man  is,  what 
man  has  made  himself,  the  very  reverse  indeed  of  what  God  made 
him  ;  yet  what  he  is,  and  what  he  must  continue  to  be,  till  God  new- 
make  him,  "  create  him  anew  in  Christ  Jesus  to  good  works." 

The  foundation  of  the  claim  for  honor  to  all  men,  as  men,  does  not 
then  consist  in  their  moral  state  as  exemplified  in  their  conduct ;  that, 
in ta  rightly  constituted  mind,  must  call  forth  the  sentiment  of  strong 
disapprobation,  not  un mingled  with  contempt,  disapprobation  on  ac 
count  of  its  wickedness,  contempt  on  account  of  its  folly,  both  of 
which  are  plainly  immeasurable :  it  lies  in  their  possession  of  a  spir 
itual,  rational,  responsible,  immortal  nature.  Every  human  being  is, 
from  the  very  constitution  of  his  nature,  of  far  more  importance  and 
dignity,  than  a  whole  universe  of  inanimate  matter,  or  even  of  irra 
tional  animated  beings.2  Every  human  being  has  the  capacity  of  ap 
prehending  truth  and  its  evidence,  of  distinguishing  what  is  true  from 
what  is  false,  and  what  is  good  from  what  is  evil ;  every  man  has 
the  faculty  of  knowing,  loving,  praising,  serving,  and  enjoying  God; 
every  man  is  destined  to  an  immortality  of  being.  An  eternity  of 
ever-growing  knowledge,  and  holiness,  and  happiness,  or  of  ever-aug 
menting  depravity,  and  degradation,  and  misery,  is  before  every  indi 
vidual  of  our  race.  These  faculties  form  the  native  nobility  of  every 
human  being ;  and  to  think,  and  feel,  and  act,  towards  every  human 
being,  as  possessed  of  this  nobility,  is  to  honor  all  men,  and  to  perform 
the  duty  enjoined  in  the  text.  And  surely  to  despise  the  possessor  of 
that  for  the  loss  of  which  the  gain  of  the  whole  world  could  not  com 
pensate,  however  humble  his  rank,  however  low  the  degree  of  his 
civilization,  however  limited  his  knowledge,  ay,  however  depraved  his 
character,  is  obviously  at  once  irrational  and  immoral.  The  feeling 
such  endowments  should  excite  in  their  possessor  is  mingled  gratitude 
and  fear.  The  feeling  they  should  excite  in  others,  that  of  solemn 
interest.3 

The  cultivation  of  an  habitual  reverence  for  man,  as  man,  the 
noblest  of  the  works  God  in  this  region  of  his  universe,  and,  though 
fallen  from  his  high  estate,  capable  of,  destined  to,  restoration  to  more 
than  his  pristine  glory,  is  obviously  of  the  greatest  importance.  It 
affords  constant  motive,  and  gives  right  direction,  to  our  benevolent 
feelings  and  exertions  in  reference  to  our  fellow-men.  It  impresses 
us  with  the  thought,  how  much  good,  and  how  much  good  of  the  very 
highest  kind,  may  be  done,  when  such  a  being  as  man  is  the  object 
of  our  benevolence.  It  leads  us  chiefly  to  think  of,  and  provide  for, 

*  Gen.  vi.  5.     Psal.  xiv.  1.     Rom.  iii.  10-18. 

"  There  is  an  indelible  character  of  dignity  engraven  on  the  reasonable  nature  by  the 
hand  of  God."— BATES. 

NEANDER,  finely  describes  the  feeling  referred  to  as  "  a  consciousness  of  the  higher 
dignity  of  man's  nature,  in  the  oneness  of  the  Divine  image  in  all." 


PART  I.J  TO    HONOR    ALL    MEN.  303 

and  relieve,  those  wants  and  miseries  which  belong  to  him  as  the 
object  of  our  reverence  ;  his  wants  as  an  intelligent,  responsible,  re 
ligious,  immortal  being ;  and  it  at  the  same  time  guides  us  in  the  use 
of  the  means  fitted  to  gain  the  desired  end  in  reference  to  such  a  being, 
leading  us  to  remember  what,  even  by  some  persons  not  destitute  of 
benevolence,  seems  often  overlooked  or  forgotten,  that  in  endeavor 
ing  to  reclaim  and  relieve  him,  we  must  deal  with  him  as  a  being  who 
has  reason,  and  conscience,  and  feeling,  as  well  as  ourselves ;  who 
may  be  reasoned  or  persuaded  into  a  better  mind,  but  cannot  be 
scolded,  or  beaten,  or  bribed  into  it,  and  who  must  "  give  an  account 
of  himself  to  God/' 

The  want  of  this  feeling  has  contributed,  in  no  limited  degree,  to 
the  production  and  permanence  of  some  of  the  greatest  social  evils 
which  prevail  in  the  world.  Had  man  had  reverence  for  man,  slavery 
with  all  its  horrors  could  never  have  existed.1  Every  feeling  like 
honoring  our  common  nature  must  be  extinct,  before  man  can  make 
property  of  his  brother,  can  treat  him  as  if  he  was  not  a  person  at  all, 
but  a  thing,  a  portion  of  his  goods  and  chattels.  Had  this  sentiment 
prevailed,  there  would  have  been  no  murder ;  far  less  would  there 
have  been  those  wholesale  legalized  murders  which  civilized  nations 
commit  under  the  name  of  war.  The  notorious  disgraceful  fact  never 
could  have  existed,  that  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  men  not  only 
outwardly  to  express,  but  inwardly  to  feel,  more  regard  for  some 
dog  or  horse  they  love,  than  for  poor  distressed  partakers  of  their  own 
nature  ;  thus  "reflecting,"  as  Archbishop  Leighton  says,  "  at  once  dis 
honor  on  themselves  and  mankind/'  It  has  been  justly  remarked, 
that  "  respect  is  the  parent  of  kindness.  From  contempt  to  injury  the 
transition  is  short  and  easy.  He  that  despises  human  nature,  wants 
only  the  opportunity  to  oppress  man.  The  pride  of  man  leads  him  to 
treat  the  sensitive  nature  that  is  beneath  him,  as  if  it  were  so  much 
inanimate  matter.  It  is  the  feeling  that  they  are  so  far  beneath  him, 
that  induces  him  to  be  so  careless  of  the  sufferings  of  the  lower  crea 
tion,  and  just  the  more  careless  as  they  are  inferior  to  his  level.  He 
scarcely  thinks  of  moving  in  the  slightest  degree  out  of  his  way  to  save 
the  reptile  from  pain,  or  mutilation,  or  death.  And  it  is  on  the  same 
principle  that  much,  very  much,  of  the  oppression  exercised,  and  ths 
injury  inflicted  by  one  class  of  men  on  another,  is  to  be  accounted  for. 
Would  so  many  rich  men  have  oppressed  their  poorer  brethren,  ground 
their  faces,  and  despised  their  cause  ;  would  so  many  rulers  have 
wrested  judgment,  and  crushed  those  whom  they  should  have  pro 
tected  ;  would  so  many  princes  have  spilt  as  in  sport  the  blood  of 
thousands,  and  made  the  murder  of  mankind  a  game  ;  would  so  many 
tyrants  have  trampled  on  the  neck  of  nations,  and  treated  millions  as 
made  for  one,  had  they  honored  man,  had  they  considered  that  every 
human  creature,  whatever  may  be  the  meanness  of  his  birth,  the  con- 
tractedness  of  his  education,  the  depth  of  his  destitution,  is  an  image 
of  God,  an  heir  of  immortality,  a  being  containing  in  him  capacities 

1  Misapprehension  as  to  the  higher  nature  common  to  all  men,  connected  with  the 
notion  of  different  races  originally  of  different  degrees  or  even  kinds  of  mental  endow 
ment,  go  far  to  account  for  the  prevalence  of  slavery  among  the  civilized  Pagans. — AIUSTOT. 
Pol.  i.  2.  A  still  more  discreditable  parentage  must  be  found  for  the  monstrous  usage 
among  self-called  civilized  Christians. 


304  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.  XII. 

of  illimitable  improvement;  a  wonderful  creature,  who  in  its  chrysalis 
state,  under  a  humble  form,  conceals  within  his  bosom  wings  which, 
if  expanded,  may  carry  him  upward  and  onward  in  the  pursuit  of 
glory,  honor,  and  immortality,  forever."  l  It  is  because  man  does 
not  honor  man,  that  there  is  so  much  reason  for  the  complaint — 

"  The  natural  bond 
Of  brotherhood  is  sever'd  as  the  flax 
That  falls  asunder  at  the  touch  of  fire. 
He  finds  his  fellow  guilty  of  a  skin 
Not  color'd  like  his  own ;  and,  having  power 
To  enforce  the  wrong,  for  such  a  worthy  cause 
Dooms  and  devotes  him  as  his  lawful  prey, — 
Chains  him,  and  tasks  him,  and  exacts  his  sweat 
With  stripes,  that  mercy,  with  a  bleeding  heart, 
"Weeps  when  she  sees  inflicted  on  a  beast."  a 

The  prevalence  of  infidel  opinions  is  deeply  to  be  deprecated,  for 
many  reasons ;  and,  among  these  reasons,  its  tendency  to  destroy 
man's  reverence  for  man  is  by  no  means  the  least  important.  This 
has  been  put  in  a  very  striking  point  of  view  by  Robert  Hall,  and  I 
make  no  apology  for  laying  the  substance  of  his  illustration  before 
you :  "  The  supposition  that  man  is  a  moral  and  accountable  being, 
destined  to  survive  the  stroke  of  death,  and  to  live  in  a  future  world 
in  a  never-ending  state  of  happiness  or  misery,  makes  him  a  creature 
of  incomparably  greater  consequence  than  the  opposite  supposition. 
When  we  consider  him  as  placed  here  by  the  Almighty  Ruler  in  a 
state  of  probation,  and  that  the  present  life  is  his  period  of  trial,  the 
first  link  in  a  vast  and  interminable  chain  which  stretches  into  eternity, 
he  assumes  a  dignified  character  in  our  eyes.  Everything  that  relates 
to  him  becomes  interesting ;  and  to  trifle  with  his  happiness  is  felt  to 
be  the  most  unpardonable  levity.  On  the  opposite  supposition,  he  is 
a  contemptible  creature,  whose  existence  and  happiness  are  insignifi 
cant.  He  is  nothing  more  than  an  animal,  distinguished  from  other 
animals  merely  by  the  vividness  and  multiplicity  of  his  perceptions. 
He  is  entirely  of  the  earth  earthy,  and  his  spirit,  like  those  of  his  fellows, 
goes  down  to  the  earth.  From  these  principles  it  is  a  fair  inference, 
that  to  extinguish  human  life  by  the  hand  of  violence,  must  be  quite  a 
different  thing  in  the  eyes  of  a  sceptic  from  what  it  is  in  those  of  a 
Christian.  With  the  sceptic  it  is  merely  the  diverting  the  course  of 
a  little  red  fluid  called  blood ;  it  is  merely  lessening  by  one  the  num 
ber  of  many  millions  of  fugitive  contemptible  creatures.  The  Chris 
tian  sees  in  the  same  event  an  accountable  being  cut  off  from  a  state 
of  probation,  and  hurried,  perhaps  unprepared,  into  the  presence  of 
his  Judge,  to  hear  that  final,  that  irrevocable  sentence,  which  is  to 
fix  him  forever  in  an  unalterable  condition  of  felicity  or  of  woe."  3 

Reverence  for  man  is  the  great  security  for  property,  liberty,  and 
life ;  and  just  views  of  man  as  a  responsible  and  immortal  being,  are 
the  foundation  of  this  reverence.  Most  justly,  as  well  as  forcibly, 
has  the  distinguished  author  referred  to  remarked,  that  "  the  specula 
tions  of  atheistical  philosophy  matured,  gave  birth  to  a  ferocity  which 

1  Joseph  Fawcett.    "  3  Cowper. 

3  Modern  Infidelity  Considered.     Works,  L  p.  41-47. 


PART  I.J  TO    HONOR    ALL    MEN.  305 

converted  the  most  polished  people  in  Europe  into  a  horde  of  assas 
sins.  Having  been  taught  by  them  to  consider  mankind  as  little  better 
,  than  a  nest  ot'  insects,  in  the  fierce  conflicts  of  party  they  trampled 
on  them  without  pity,  and  extinguished  them  without  remorse." 

Besides  the  obvious  connection  which  the  principle  enjoined  in  the 
text  has  with  the  security  and  promotion  of  all  the  more  important 
interests  of  society,  there  are  other  and  most  powerful  motives  which 
urge  us  to  cultivate  and  exemplify  it.  To  the  question,  Why  should 
we  honor  all  men  ?  we  have  already  given  the  reply,  Because  all  men, 
viewed  as  rational,  responsible,  and  immortal,  deserve  to  be  honored ; 
and  because  the  honoring  of  men  is  necessary,  in  order  to  the  attain 
ment  and  security  of  the  greatest  amount  of  social  happiness.  We 
now  add  :  we  should  honor  all  men ;  for  God,  the  fountain  of  true 
honor,  the  best  judge  of  what  is  to  be  honored,  honors  men,  honors 
all  men.  He  has  honored  them,  in  making  them  honorable  in  the  pos 
session  of  those  capacities  to  which  we  have  already  referred.  The 
eighth  Psalm,  whether  descriptive  of  man  in  the  primitive,  or  of  man 
in  the  millennial  state,  is  a  striking  proof  that  God  honors  men.  And 
in  the  place  he  has  assigned  them  among  his  creatures  on  this  earth, 
and  in  the  arrangements  of  his  providence,  he  takes  kind  notice  of 
the  whole  race.  He  makes  his  sun  to  shine,  and  his  rain  to  descend 
on  them  all.  "  Have  we  not  all  one  Father,"  and  is  he  not  a  kind 
Father  to  us  all  ?  "  Behold  God  is  mighty,  yet  he  despiseth  not  any." 
He  is  "mindful"  of  our  race,  he  "visits"  man.1 

For  reasons  known  only  to  himself,  but  necessarily  most  sufficient, 
he  shows  a  respect  to  men  which  he  did  not  show  to  angels.  When 
men  ruined  themselves,  he  did  not  act  as  if  their  perdition  would  be 
a  slight  matter,  an  easily  reparable  loss.  He  was  gracious  to  them, 
and  said,  "  Deliver  them  from  going  down  to  the  pit :  I  have  found  a 
ransom."  And  their  deliverer  sent  by  him  was  not  an  angel,  not  the 
highest  of  angels,  but  his  own  Son ;  and  that  deliverance  was  obtained 
by  nothing  short  of  the  sacrifice  of  the  life  of  that  Son.  What  an 
apparatus  of  means  has  he  called  into  being  for  bringing  this  deliver 
ance  home  to  individual  men,  in  the  revelation  of  his  word,  the  ordi 
nances  of  his  worship,  the  influence  of  his  Spirit !  And  these  amazing 
dispensations  are  the  result  of  love  to  the  race,  love  to  the  world,  the 
love  of  man ; 2  and  the  deliverance  is  not  a  deliverance  for  men  of 
particular  nations,  or  particular  ranks,  but  for  men  of  every  rank, 
every  nation,  Jew  and  Gentile,  Greek  and  Barbarian,  male  and  female, 
bond  and  free.3 

In  his  dealings  with  man  he  honors  him,  treating  him  in  a  way 
corresponding  to  his  rational  and  moral  nature.  He  does  not  act  to 
wards  him  as  if  he  were  a  piece  of  inanimate  matter,  or  a  brute  ani 
mal.  He  seeks  to  enlighten  and  convince  his  mind,  and  to  engage 
his  affections.  He  says,  "  Come  now,  let  us  reason  together."  He 
employs  "  cords  of  a  man,  bands  of  love ;"  arguments  and  motives 
fitted  to  his  reason,  and  conscience,  and  heart,  to  draw  him  to  himself, 
and  bind  him  to  his  service.4 

1  Psal.  viii.  5-8  ;  com  p.  Heb.  ii.  6,  Ac.     Matt.  v.  45.     Mai.  ii.  10.     Job  xxxvi.  5. 
9  John  iii.  16.     Tit.  iii.  4.     0iXuify«jria.  3  Job  xxxiii.  24.     Col.  iii.  11. 

4  Isa.  i.  18.     Hos.  xi.  4. 

20 


306  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.  XII. 

Jesus  Christ,  the  only  begotten  of  God,  honors  man.  He  has  taken 
into  union  with  his  divinity  man's  nature.  He  never  so  honored 
angels :  they  count  it  an  honor  to  call  him  Lord ;  but  man  may,  with 
out  presumption,  call  him  brother.  "  The  word  of  life,"  the  living 
one  who  was  "  in  the  beginning  with  God,  who  was  and  is  God,  be 
came  flesh/'  "  Inasmuch  as  the  children  are  partakers  of  flesh  and 
blood,  he  also  took  part  of  the  same ;"  and  in  human  nature  he  died 
for  men,  "the  just  in  the  room  of  the  unjust/5  giving  himself  a  "ran 
som  for  all,"  and  bringing  in  an  everlasting  salvation — a  salvation 
suited  to  all,  needed  by  all,  and  to  which  all  are  invited,  with  an  assur 
ance  that  "  whosoever  believeth  shall  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life."  His  command  is,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gos 
pel  to  every  creature."  It  is  his  will  that  his  salvation  should  be 
brought  near  "  to  every  creature  under  heaven."  1  Farther,  he  car 
ried  human  nature  to  heaven  with  him.  A  man  sits  on  the  throne  of 
the  universe;  one  who  is  not  ashamed  to  call  men  brethren,  and 
whom  the  most  abject  of  the  human  race  may  call  brother.  This  is 
the  true  dignity  of  human  nature.  "  Human  nature,"  as  an  old  divine 
forcibly  remarks,  "has  become  adorable  as  the  true  Shekinah,  the 
everlasting  palace  of  the  supreme  Majesty,  wherein  the  fulness  of  the 
Godhead  dwelleth  bodily ;  the  most  holy  shrine  of  the  divinity,  the 
orb  of  inaccessible  light,  as  this,  and  more  than  all  this,  if  more  could 
be  expressed,  or,  if  we  could  explain  that  text,  '  The  word  was  made 
flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us.'  "  * 

It  is  obvious,  then,  that  we  cannot  treat  disrespectfully  or  contu- 
meliously  any  human  being  without  dishonoring  God  and  his  Son. 
"  When  a  piece  even  of  base  metal  is  coined  with  the  king's  stamp," 
to  use  Bishop  Sanderson's  illustration,  "and  made  current  by  his 
edict,  no  man  may  henceforth  presume  either  to  refuse  it  in  payment, 
or  to  abate  the  value  of  it ;  so  God,  having  stamped  his  own  image 
upon  every  man,  and  withal  signified  his  blessed  pleasure,  how  pre 
cious  he  would  have  him  to  be  in  our  eyes  and  esteem,  by  express  edict 
proclaiming,  '  At  the  hand  of  every  man's  brother  will  I  require  the 
life  of  man :  I  require  every  man  to  be  his  brother's  keeper ;  for  in 
the  image  of  God  made  he  man ; '  *  we  must  look  to  answer  it  as  a 
high  contempt  of  that  sacred  Majesty,  if  we  set  any  man  at  naught, 
or  make  less  account  of  him  than  God  would  have  us.  The  contu 
melious  use  of  the  image  is  in  common  construction  ever  understood 
as  a  dishonor  meant  to  the  prototype.  The  Romans,  when  they  meant 
to  set  a  mark  of  public  disgrace  or  dishonor  on  any  eminent  person, 
did  manifest  their  intention  by  throwing  down,  breaking,  trampling 
upon,  or  doing  some  other  like  disgrace  to  their  statues  or  pictures. 
And  Solomon,  in  sundry  places,  interpreted  all  acts  of  oppressing, 
mocking,  or  otherwise  despising  our  neighbors,  not  without  a  strong 
reflection  upon  God  himself;  as  leading  to  the  contempt  and  dishonor 
of  their  Maker.  '  He  that  oppresseth  the  poor  reproacheth  his  Maker : 
but  he  that  honoreth  HIM  hath  mercy  on  the  poor.'  '  Whoso  mock- 
eth  the  poor  reproacheth  his  Maker ; '  and  surely  there  is  much  force 
in  this  interrogration,  '  Why  settest  thou  at  naught,  not  only  thine 

1  1  Pet.  iii.  18.     1  Tim.  ii.  6.    John  iii.  16.    Mark  xvi.  15.     Col.  i.  23.    Heb.  ii.  11. 
9  Barrow.  »  Gen.  ix.  5. 


I 

PART  I.]  TO    HONOR    ALL    MEN.  307 

own  brother,  but  the  brother  of  the  Lord  of  Glory  ?'  Why  despiseth 
thou  him  for  whom  Christ  died  ?"  l 

There  is  indeed  something  revoltingly  unnatural,  something  incon 
ceivably  mean  and  base,  something  grotesquely  absurd,  in  a  human 
being  regarding  with  contempt  any  other  human  being.  Surely,  the 
man  who  treats  any  man  as  a  mean  contemptible  creature,  should  in 
a  double  sense  be  ashamed  of  himself,  for  what  is  HE  but  &  man? 
How  insignificant  the  distinction  which  elevates  one  man  above  ano 
ther,  in  comparison  of  the  distinction  which  elevates  all  men  above 
the  brutal  tribes  ?  How  little  does  wealth,  or  rank,  or  even  human 
learning,  bulk  in  the  eye  of  angels  ?  How  highly  do  they  estimate 
reason,  conscience,  affection,  capacity  for  being  like  God,  immortali 
ty  ?  The  man  who  contemns  any  man,  shows  that  he  does  not  so 
much  value  himself  because  he  is  a  man,  but  that  whatever  respect 
he  has  for  human  nature,  flows  from  its  being  his  nature.  How  mean, 
how  absurd,  how  thoroughly  contemptible,  is  pride !  Surely,  "  pride 
was  not  made  for  man,  nor  haughtiness  of  heart  for  him  who  is  born 
of  a  woman." 

The  sentiment  of  honor  for  man,  as  man,  which  we  have  been  illus- 
^trating  and  recommending,  should  manifest  itself  in  the  whole  of  our 
conduct  to  our  fellow-men,  especially  to  those  who  in  any  respect 
may  be  our  inferiors,  whether  in  intellect,  or  talent,  or  acquirement, 
or  moral  worth,  or  rank,  or  wealth,  leading  us  to  "  condescend  to  them 
that  are  of  low  estate :"  but  it  takes  its  best  form,  when  it  leads  us 
to  use  all  the  means  in  our  power  to  raise  our  fellow-men  in  the  scale 
of  true  honor  and  excellence ;  to  rescue  them  from  the  influence  of 
ignorance,  and  error,  and  superstition ;  to  put  down  slavery,  oppres 
sion,  war,  and  misgovernment  in  all  its  endlessly  varied  forms ;  to 
make  men  free,  intelligent,  industrious,  moral,  religious,  and  happy,  to 
the  greatest  attainable  degree  on  earth ;  to  save  them  from  the  shame 
and  everlasting  contempt  which  awaits  unimproved  advantages  and 
unanswered  responsibilities  in  eternity ;  and  to  secure  to  them  that 
"glory,  honor,  and  immortality,"  which,  while  it  is  "the  gift  of  God 
through  Jesus  Christ,"  is  to  be  sought  for  and  obtained  "in  a  constant 
continuance  in  well-doing."  2 

Few  things  are  better  fitted  at  once  to  stimulate  and  to  guide  in 
such  noble  enterprises,  than  enlightened,  impressive  views  of  the  true 
grandeur  of  human  nature.  While  humbled  to  the  dust  with  the 
overwhelming  evidence,  without  us,  within  us,  and  around  us,  of  the 
fearful  degradation  of  human  nature  by  sin,  let  us  never  forget  what 
that  nature  was  when  God  made  it,  what  it  is  still  capable  of,  what  it 
still  is  when  God  makes  it  anew  on  earth,  what  it  will  be  when  he 
completes  the  work  of  transformation  in  heaven.  Human  nature 
was  a  stately,  beautiful  fabric  as  God  reared  it.  It  is  majestic  even 
n  ruins,  exciting  in  every  right  constituted  mind  awe  as  well  as  sor- 
row.8  As  its  desolations  are  repaired  by  the  plastic  powers  of  the 
Divine  Spirit,  symmetry  and  beauty  are  seen  developing  themselves  ; 
and  when,  in  the  heaven  of  heavens,  man  stands  forth,  nearest  of  all 
created  beings  to  Him  who  sits  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Divine  Ma- 
'esty>  bearing  the  image  of  the  Second  Adam,  the  Lord  from  heaven, 

i  prov.  xiv.  31 ;  xvii.  5.     Rom.  xiv.  10. 15.         *  Rom.  vi.  23,  11,  7.        3  See  note  A. 


308  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.  XII. 

then  will  it  be  felt  by  all  intelligent  beings,  that  human  nature  is 
indeed  one  of  the  "  chief  of  the  works  of  God,"  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  results  of  Divine  wisdom,  and  power,  and  love. 

Rjcrht  views,  equally  of  man's  meanness  and  his  greatness,  are  to 
be  obtained  only  by  studying  the  representations  which  are  contained 
in  the  Divine  word,  an  impressive  abstract  of  which  is  contained  in 
the  following  plain  but  striking  stanzas : 

"  Lord !  what  is  man  ?  extremes  how  wide 

In  his  mysterious  nature  join : — 
The  flesh  to  worms  and  dust  allied ; 

The  soul  immortal  and  divine. 
Divine  at  first-^-a  holy  flame, 

Kindled  by  the  Almighty's  breath — 
Till,  stain' d  by  sin,  it  soon  became 

The  seat  of  darkness,  strife,  and  death. 

"  But  Jesus— Oh !  amazing  love ! — 

Assum'd  our  nature  as  his  own ; 
Obey'd  and  suft'er'd  in  our  place, 

Then  took  it  with  him  to  his  throne. 
Now  what  is  man,  when  grace  reveals 

The  virtue  of  a  Saviour's  blood  ? 
Again  a  life  divine  he  feels, 

Despises  earth,  and  walks  with  God. 

"  And  what,  in  yonder  realms  above, 

Is  ransom'd  man  ordain'd  to  be  ? 
"With  honor,  holiness,  and  love, 

No  seraph  more  adorn'd  than  he. 
Nearest  the  throne,  and  first  in  song, 

Man  shall  his  hallelujahs  raise ; 
While  wond'ring  angels  round  him  throng, 

And  swell  the  chorus  of  his  praise."  l 

He  who  believes  this,  he  alone  who  believes  this,  will  "  honor  ail 
men." 

II— CHRISTIANS  ARE  TO   "LOVE  THE  BROTHERHOOD." 

THE  "  BROTHERHOOD,"  and  OUR  DUTY  AS  CHRISTIANS  TOWARDS  THE 
BROTHERHOOD  i  these  are  the  two  interesting  topics  to  which  our  at 
tention  is  now  to  be  successively  directed. 

§  l.—Of  "  the  brotherhood." 

A  brotherhood  is  an  association  of  brothers.  Now,  who  are  the 
brethren  that  are  here  referred  to,  and  what  is  that  association  of 
them  which  is  termed  "  the  brotherhood  ?"  It  is  scarcely  necessary 
to  say,  that  the  language  is  not  here  used  in  its  strictly  literal  signifi 
cation:  the  signification  in  which  John  is  termed  the  brother  of 
James,  and  Andrew  of  Peter.  In  its  analogical  or  figurative  employ 
ment,  which  is  manifold,  it  entirely  overlooks  the  distinction  of  sex, 
and  far  overleaps  the  boundaries  of  families.  "  There  is  neither  Jew 
nor  Greek,  Barbarian,  Scythian,  bond  nor  free,  male  nor  female," 
here.  It  is  usual  in  Scripture  to  speak  of  all  the  descendants  of 

1  Olney  Hymn. 


PART  II.]  TO  LOVE  THE  BROTHERHOOD.  309 

Jacob  as  brethren,  and  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  represent  all  hu 
man  beings  as  brethren.  The  reason  of  this  is  obvious.  With  re 
gard  to  their  animal  frames,  they  are  all  the  descendants  of  the  origi 
nal  pair  ;  for  "  God  has  made  of  one  blood  all  the  nations  of  men  for 
to  dwell  on  the  face  of  the  earth ;"  and  with  regard  to  their  immortal 
minds,  they  are  all  "the  offspring  of  God."  He  is  "the  Father  of 
Spirirts."  "  In  him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being."  "  We 
have  one  Father,  one  God  hath  created  us."  l  From  our  common 
human,  and  our  common  Divine,  paternity,  we  are  all  members  of  the 
same  family ;  we  are  all  brethren. 

On  the  footing  of  this  common  relation,  mankind  form  a  great  va 
riety  of  associations  for  a  corresponding  variety  of  objects,  all  of 
which,  from  what  lies  at  their  foundation,  may  be  called  brotherhoods. 
A  nation  is  a  great  brotherhood.  Municipal  bodies,  societies  for  pro 
moting  science,  for  diffusing  knowledge,  for  relieving  distress  :  all 
these  are  so  many  minor  brotherhoods.  To  all  mankind,  as  brethren, 
we  owe  a  duty,  and  that  duty  is  love ;  and  to  all  the  brotherhoods,  all 
the  associations,  of  our  human  brethren,  to  which  we  belong,  we 
likewise  owe  a  duty,  the  fulfilment  of  which  also  is  expressed  in  that 
all-comprehensive  word,  love ;  and  the  manner  in  which  this  principle 
of  love  should  manifest  itself  towards  all  our  brethren  of  mankind  in 
dividually,  and  towards  all  the  particular  brotherhoods  with  which  we 
may  be  connected,  and  the  motives  which  urge  to  the  cultivation  and 
exercise  of  this  principle  in  all  these  various  ways,  would  afford  abun 
dant  materials  for  interesting  and  useful  discussion. 

But  it  cannot  be  reasonably  doubted,  that  "  the  brotherhood"  spoken 
of  in  our  text,  is  an  association  of  men,  not  as  men,  but  as  Christians. 
"  The  brotherhood"  to  be  loved,  is  placed  in  contrast  with  the  "  all 
men"  who  are  to  be  honored ;  and  therefore  our  appropriate  employ 
ment,  in  this  part  of  our  discourse,  is  to  inquire  in  what  peculiar  sense 
Christians  are  brethren,  and  what  we  are  to  understand  by  that 
brotherhood,  that  association  of  brethren,  which  ought  to  be  the  ob 
ject  of  the  love  of  all  individual  Christians. 

It  is  obvious,  from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  the  Apostolical 
Epistles,  that  "brethren"  was  the  first  name  used  to  express  the 
mutual  relation  of  Christians  to  each  other,  as  "  disciples"  was  that 
employed  to  express  their  common  relation  to  their  Lord.  It  was 
indeed  the  name  given  them  by  their  Lord:  "One,"  said  he,  "is 
your  Master,  and  all  ye  are  brethren."  2 

The  giving  of  this  figurative  appellation  to  Christians,  rests  on  a 
wide  and  varied  foundation.  They  are  spiritual  brethren,  for  they 
have  a  common  oriffin.  They  are  all  "  the  children  of  God,  by  faith 
in  Christ  Jesus."  iTiey  all  have  "  received  the  adoption  of  sons ;" 
they  all  have  entered  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  by  being  "  born  again, 
born  of  the  Spirit,  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the'will  of  the  flesh,  nor 
of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God ;"  born,  "  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but 
of  incorruptible,  by  the  word  of  God,  which  liveth  and  abideth  for 
ever."  They  all  have  Abraham  for  their  Father.  "  Being  Christ's, 
they  are  Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  according  to  the  promise;"  and, 

1  Gal.  iii.  28.    Col.  iii.  11.     Heb.  xii.  9.    Acts  xvii.  26,  28.    Mai.  ii.  10. 
3  Matt,  xxiii.  8. 


310  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.  XII. 

as  they  all  are  Abraham's  spiritual  children,  they  all  are  also  the 
offspring  of  mystical  Sarah  ;  the  patriarchal  church  under  the  cove 
nant  of^promise  ;  "  the  children,  not  of  the  bond  woman,  but  of  the 
free."  Ancient  Jerusalem,  "  Jerusalem  above,"  both  as  to  time  and 
place,  "  is  the  mother  of  them  all."  * 

They  are  spiritual  brethren,  for  they  have  a  common  character. 
They  all,  though  in  different  degrees,  resemble  their  Father  in  heaven, 
and  their  great  Elder  Brother.  They  all  are  "  renewed  after  the 
image  of  him  that  created  them,"  "in  knowledge,  righteousness,  and 
true  holiness."  They  all  "  are  conformed  to  the  image  of  God's  Son." 
They  all  already  bear  the  spiritual,  as  they  shall  all  ere  long  bear  the 
outward  image  of  "  the  Second  Man,  the  Lord  from  heaven."  They 
all  have  "  the  mind  in  them  that  was  in  him;"  they  all  are  "in  the 
world  as  he  was  in  the  world ;"  his  animated  images,  his  "  living 
epistles,  known  and  read  of  all  men."  2 

They  are  spiritual  brethren,  for  they  have  a  common  education. 
They  are  all  nourished  by  the  "sincere  milk  of  the  word."  In  a 
higher  sense  than  the  Israelitish  brethren,  who  were  their  prototypes, 
"  they  all  eat  the  same  spiritual  meat,  and  they  all  drink  the  same 
spiritual  drink  :"  "  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  which  is  meat  indeed ; 
the  blood  of  the  Son  of  Man,  which  is  drink  indeed."  They  all  are 
taught  by  the  same  Spirit;  taught  materially  the  same  truths,  so  that 
the  differences  on  vital  subjects  among  true  Christians  are  always 
rather  apparent  than  real — differences  rather  about  the  meaning  of 
words  than  the  truth  of  principles ;  and  they  all  are  disciplined  by 
the  same  paternal  Providence,  for  "  what  son  is  he  whom  the  Father 
chasteneth  not?"3 

They  are  spiritual  brethren,  for  they  have  a  common  residence. 
They  dwell  together  in  that  spiritual  "  better  country,"  of  which 
Canaan  was  an  emblem,  a  state  of  favor  and  fellowship  with  God; 
and  in  that  spiritual  house,  of  which  the  temple  was  a  type,  "  the 
church  of  the  living  God."  They  are  "  not  strangers  and  foreigners" 
to  one  another ;  they  are  "  fellow-citizens,"  they  belong  to  the  one 
"  household  of  God  ;"  and  they  shall  all  dwell  forever  in  their  Father's 
house  of  many  mansions  above ;  "  the  house  not  made  with  hands, 
eternal  in  the  heavens."4 

Finally,  they  are  spiritual  brethren,  for  they  have  a  common  inher 
itance.  "  If  children,  then  heirs ;  heirs  of  God,  and  joint-heirs  with 
Christ  Jesus."  They  all  are  "begotten  again  to  a  living  hope,  to  an 
inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved 
in  heaven  for  them."  * 

Such  are  the  brethren  who  are  here  referred  to.  Men  brought  out 
of  their  natural  condition  of  guilt  and  condemnation,  into  a  state  of 
forgiveness  and  acceptance ;  men  "  transformed"  in  their  characters, 
"  by  the  renewing  of  their  minds,"  in  the  exercise  of  the  same  Divine 
grace,  by  the  operation  of  the  same  Divine  influence  ;  and  thus,  by 

Gal.  iii.  26;  iv.  5.    John  iii.  5,  6  ;  i.  13.     1  Pet.  i.  23.     Gal.  iii.  29;  iv.  26. 
Col.  iii.  10.     Rom.  viii.  29.     Phil.  ii.  5.     1  John  iv.  17.     2  Cor.  iii.  2. 
1  Pet.  ii.  1.     1  Cor.  x.  3,  4.     John  vi.  55.     Heb.  xii.  7. 
Eph.  ii.  19.     Psal.  xci.  1.     John  xiv.  2.     2  Cor.  v.  1. 
Rom.  viil  17.     1  PeL  i.  3,  4. 


PART  II.]  TO  LOVE  THE  BROTHERHOOD.  311 

these  changes  of  state  and  character  which  are  common  to  them  all, 
materially  the  same  in  each,  placed  in  a  most  intimate  endearing 
relation  to  each  other;  with  common  views  and  affections,  common 
likings  and  dislikings,  common  hopes  and  fears,  common  joys  and 
sorrows,  a  common  interest,  common  friends,  common  enemies,  they 
are  brothers  indeed. 

Relation  and  duty  are  correlative  ideas,  and  the  weight  of  obliga 
tion  corresponds  with  the  closeness  of  the  connection.  Those  who 
are  connected  together  as  brethren,  must  be  bound  to  feel  towards 
one  another,  and  to  act  towards  one  another,  as  brethren.  The 
whole  of  the  duty  which  one  Christian  brother  owes  to  another 
Christian  brother,  to  all  other  Christian  brethren,  is  that  which  is  here 
enjoined  towards  the  brotherhood — Love.  This  duty  is  clearly  de 
scribed,  and  powerfully  enforced,  in  the  following  apostolic  injunction  : 
"  Seeing  ye  have  purified  your  souls  in  obeying  the  truth  through  the 
Spirit  unto  unfeigned  love  of  the  brethren,  see  that  ye  love  one  an 
other  with  a  pure  heart  fervently :  being  born  again,  not  of  corrupti 
ble  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the  word  of  God,  which  liveth  and 
abideth  forever." l  Christians  are  bound  to  love  all  men  with  a  love 
of  benevolence ;  but  the  love  of  esteem  and  complacency  which  a 
Christian  ought  to  cherish  towards  a  Christian,  is  a  sentiment  very 
different  from  this  general  benevolence ;  a  sentiment  of  which  none 
but  a  Christian  can  be  either  the  object  or  the  subject.  This  affec 
tion  originates  in  the  possession  of  a  peculiar  mode  of  thinking  and 
feeling,  produced  in  the  mind  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  the  knowl 
edge  and  belief  of  Christian  truth,  which  naturally  leads  those  who  are 
thus  distinguished  to  a  sympathy  of  mind  and  heart,  of  thought  and  af 
fection,  with  all  who,  under  the  same  influence,  have  been  led  to  enter 
tain  the  same  views  and  cherish  the  same  dispositions.  It  has  for  its 
end  the  highest  good,  the  spiritual  improvement  and  final  well-being 
of  its  objects,  consisting  in  entire  conformity  to  the  mind  and  will  of 
God,  the  unclouded  sense  of  the  Divine  favor,  the  uninterrupted  en 
joyment  of  the  Divine  fellowship,  the  being  with  and  like  the  ever- 
blessed,  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  One. 

This  subject,  the  duty  of  the  brethren  to  the  brethren,  individually 
considered,  is  a  very  interesting  and  important  one ;  but  the  subject 
to  which  our  attention  is  now  to  be  turned,  though  nearly  allied  to  it, 
is  still  a  different  one, — the  love  of  the  brethren  to  the  brotherhood 
as  a  body. 

The  "  brotherhood"  is  the  brethren  in  the  associated  form,  in  a 
social  capacity ;  and  it  is  plainly  necessary,  in  order  to  our  distinctly 
apprehending  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  duty  here  enjoined,  that 
we  clearly  perceive  what  is  its  object.  It  is  the  more  necessary  that 
this  be  attended  to,  that  mistaken  apprehension  as  to  what  this  broth 
erhood,  or,  in  other  words,  what  the  Church  of  Christ  is,  has  led  into 
very  important  practical  mistakes,  and  induced  men,  under  the  impres 
sion  that  they  were  loving  and  honoring  the  brotherhood,  to  hate  and 
persecute  the  brethren.  Men  have  often  thought  they^were  showing 
their  regard  to  the  Church  by  maltreating  its  true  members. 

It  is  impossible  to  read  the  New  Testament  carefully,  without  per- 

1  Pet.  i.  22,  23. 


312  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.  XII. 

ceiving  that  it  is  the  intention  of  Jesus  Christ,  not  only  to  render  his 
followers  individually  holy  and  happy,  as  so  many  distinct  children 
of  God  ;  but,  in  subordination  to  this  end,  to  form  them  into  a  happy, 
holy  fellowship,  the  bond  of  which  should  be  the  faith  and  love  of  the 
same  truth,  and  the  objects  of  which  should  be  the  united  worship  of 
their  common  God  and  Father,  the  united  promotion  of  the  honor 
and  interests  of  their  common  Lord  and  Saviour,  and  their  mutual 
improvement  in  the  knowledge  of  Christian  truth,  the  cultivation  of 
Christian  dispositions,  the  performance  of  Christian  duty,  and  the  en 
joyment  and  diffusion  of  Christian  happiness.  This  society,  founded 
on  Christ's  institution,  subject  to  his  authority,  regulated  by  his  law, 
animated  by  his  Spirit,  devoted  to  his  honor,  and  blessed  by  his  pres 
ence,  is  the  Christian  Church.  This  is  the  brotherhood.  None  ought 
to  be  admitted  into,  or  retained  in  this  society,  but  those  who,  by  an 
intelligent,  consistent  profession  of  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  give  evi 
dence  that  they  are  brethren  ;  and  all  who  are  brethren  should  readily 
join  themselves  to,  and  be  readily  welcomed  by,  the  brotherhood. 

This  society,  though  one  in  its  principles  and  objects,  was  necessa 
rily  from  the  beginning  divided  into  separate  associations,  composed 
of  the  brethren  residing  in  the  same  immediate  vicinity,  meeting 
together  for  the  common  observance  of  the  Christian  ordinances. 
These  associations  considered  themselves  each  as  a  component  part 
of  the  great  brotherhood,  "  the  Holy  Catholic  Church,"  "  all  who  in 
every  place  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus."  The  members  of 
one  of  these  brotherhoods  were  viewed,  of  course,  as  members  of  the 
great  brotherhood,  and  were  recognized  as  such  by  being  readily  ad 
mitted  into  fellowship  in  all  the  offices  of  religion  by  other  Christian 
societies  in  other  localities,  on  producing  a  satisfactory  letter  of  attes 
tation  from  the  society  with  which  they  were  more  immediately  con 
nected.1 

Nor  was  this  all.  In  joining  the  Christian  brotherhood  they  con 
nected  themselves  not  only  with  the  whole  of  the  brethren  on  earth, 
but  also  with  those  who  had  finished  their  course,  and  had  been  ad 
mitted  into  the  mansions  of  celestial  purity  and  rest.  They  joined 
the  great  "  family  in  heaven  and  in  earth  called  by  the  one  name  ;" 
they  "sat  down  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom 
of  their  Father  ;"  they  came  to  "  an  innumerable  company  of  angels, 
the  general  assembly,  to  the  church  of  the  first-born,  whose  names 
are  written  in  heaven,  and  to  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect."3 

There  are  various  important  truths  respecting  the  Church  of  Christ, 
suggested  by  its  being  termed  a  brotherhood,  especially  the  two  fol 
lowing,  which  I  shall  merely  notice  in  passing.  First,  none  but 
brethren  ought  to  be  admitted  to  be  its  members  :  an  ungodly  man  is 
fully  as  much  out  of  his  place  in  a  Christian  Church,  as  Satan  was 

Rom.  xvi.  1.  5  John  8,  9.  "When  a  Christian  entered  a  foreign  city,  his  first  inquiry 
was  for  the  church  (the  brotherhood)  ;  and  here  he  was  received  as  a  brother,  and  sup 
plied  with  whatever  could  contribute  to  his  spiritual  or  bodily  refreshment.  The  church 
letters,  which  were  as  tesserce  hospitales,  received  the  name  of  ypu^//ara  rcrvTrw/j^n,  Epistolce 
formates,  because,  to  guard  against  counterfeits,  they  were  drawn  up  after  a  certain  form, 
riiToj;  and  also  ypd^para  KOIVWVIKO,  Epistolce  communicatorice,  inasmuch  as  they  indicated 


,  , 

that  the  bearers  were  in  the  fellowship  of  the  church."—  EUSEB.  iv.  23.     CYPBIAN,  Epist. 
in.—  NEANDER,  vol.  i.  sect.  ii.  p.  280. 

9  Eph.  iii.  15.    Matt.  viii.  11.    Heb.  xii.  22,  23. 


PART  II.]  TO  LOVE  THE  BROTHERHOOD.  313 

when  he  presented  himself  among  the  sons  of  God;  and,  secondly, 
there  must  be  no  tyrannical  rule  in  the  Church  of  Christ.  "  The 
kings  of  the  Gentiles  exercise  lordship  over  them  ;  but  ye  shall  not  be 
so.  Be  not  ye  called  Rabbi ;  for  one  is  your  master,  even  Christ,  and 
all  ye  are  brethren."  * 

This  goodly  fellowship,  this  noble  brotherhood,  was  not  only  in  its 
elements,  but  in  its  social  capacity,  its  organized  form,  the  fit  object 
of  the  respectful  ardent  attachment  of  each  of  its  members;  and  this 
respectful  affectionate  attachment  was  to  be  manifested  in  a  corres 
ponding  course  of  conduct.  Every  Christian  had  a  duty  to  discharge, 
the  sum  of  which  was,  love  to  the  Christian  brotherhood  with  which 
he  was  connected,  and  to  the  whole  Christian  brotherhood,  both  on 
earth  and  in  heaven ;  and  it  is  to  this,  we  apprehend,  that  the  apostle 
refers,  when,  in  the  words  before  us,  he  calls  on  Christians  to  "love 
the  brotherhood." 

The  Christian  Church  does  not  now,  alas !  exhibit,  as  it  did  in  the 
primitive  age,  the  appearance  of  one  unbroken  brotherhood.  There 
are  many  societies  who  call  themselves  churches,  and  who  sometimes 
take  to  themselves  the  name,  as,  if  not  their  exclusive  property,  at 
least  belonging  to  them  with  some  peculiar  emphasis  of  meaning,  in 
whom  we  can  scarcely  trace  the  slightest  identifying  marks  of  the 
ancient  Christian  brotherhoods;  though  even  among  the  adherents  of 
these,  we  find  not  a  few  whom  we  gladly  recognize  as  "  faithful  and 
beloved  brethren  in  Christ  Jesus."  Here  we  have  brethren,  but  not 
a  brotherhood.  In  other  cases,  we  find  both  brethren  and  a  brother 
hood  ;  but,  in  too  many  instances,  we  have  to  regret  that  additional 
humanly-devised  bonds  have  been  added  to  the  divinely-appointed 
simple  silken  ties  of  primitive  fellowship,  and  that,  by  attempting  to 
carry  union  in  opinion  and  uniformity  of  usage,  farther  than  the  great 
Master  warrants,  they  have  hazarded  the  continuance  of  union  within, 
and  prevented  the  recognition  of  other  Christian  brethren  and  other 
Christian  brotherhoods,  who  are  determined  to  "  stand  fast  in  the  lib 
erty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made  them  free,"  and  to  count  all  terms 
of  fellowship  not  of  his  establishing,  but  various  forms  of  "  the  yoke 
of  bondage."3 

Still,  however,  there  are,  under  a  very  considerable  variety  of  ex 
ternal  form,  many  religious  societies  which,  with  all  their  defects  and 
faults  (and  none  of  them  want  these),  are,  in  their  elementary  prin 
ciples,  indeed  Christian  brotherhoods  ;  and  these  Christian  brother 
hoods,  substantially  united,  though  in  many  respects  different  from, 
and  in  some  even  opposed  to,  one  another,  along  with  those  individual 
Christian  brethren  who  are,  in  too  great  numbers,  to  be  found  in 
connection  with  societies  which  are  secular  and  anti-christian  in 
their  constitution,  form  the  whole  Christian  brotherhood  now  on 
earth. 

§  2. — Of  the  Christian's  duty  to  the  brotherhood. 

Now,  in  this  department  of  the  discourse,  my  object  is  briefly  to 
inquire  what  is  the  duty  of  the  individual  Christian  brother  to  this 

1  Luke  xxii.  25.  a  Gal.  v.  1. 


314  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.  XII. 

brotherhood,  both  towards  that  one  of  its  minor  divisions  with  which 
he  may  be  more  immediately  connected,  and  towards  the  whole 
brotherhood,  the  whole  collection  of  Christian  churches  and  Christian 
individuals  whom  he  can  recognize  as  forming  the  visible  holy  family, 
the  children  of  God,  the  brethren  of  Jesus  Christ,  "the  Holy  Catholic 
Church." 

Let  it  not  be  forgotten,  that  it  is  the  duty  of  a  brother  towards 
the  brotherhood  that  I  am  inquiring  into.  It  is  the  duty  of  every  one 
who  is  not  a  brother  to  become  a  brother,  of  every  man  who  is  not  a 
Christian  to  become  a  Christian ;  but,  till  he  does  so,  he  had  better 
not  seek  admission  into  the  brotherhood.  What  has  he  who  is  not  a 
brother  to  do  there  ?  It  is  a  happy  thing  for  all  parties  concerned, 
when  "  believers  are  added  to  the  Church,  multitudes  both  of  men 
and  women,"  and  when  "  of  the  rest,"  the  unbelieving  remainder, 
"none  dares  to  join  himself  to  them."  l 

The  first  way  in  which  a  Christian  brother  is  to  show  his  love  for 
the  brotherhood,  as  an  institution  or  society,  is  by  jojjomg  himself  to 
it;  and,  in  order  to  do  this,  he  must  connect  himself  with  some  par 
ticular  Christian  brotherhood.  It  is  in  this  way  he  forms  a  visible 
connection  with  the  whole  visible  brotherhood.  There  are  some 
good  men  who  seem  to  be  fond  of  being  Christians  at  large,  connected 
with  the  whole  society  invisibly,  but  visibly  with  no  individual  soci 
ety.  The  sectarianism  and  impurity  which  are  to  be  found,  more  or 
less,  in  all  existing  Christian  churches,  afford  but  too  plausible  an  ex 
cuse,  but  they  afford  no  sufficient  reason,  for  this  course.  Of  the 
great  ends  to  be  gained  by  connection  with  the  Christian  brotherhood, 
some  cannot  be  gained  at  all,  none  of  them  gained  in  a  high  degree, 
without  joining  the  fellowship  of  some  particular  church ;  and  it  is 
plain  that,  if  all  Christians  were  taking  the  same  liberty  as  those  priv 
ileged  persons,  there  would  be  no  such  thing  as  a  visible  church 
on  earth.  As  soon  as  Saul  came  to  Jerusalem,  "  he  essayed  to  join 
himself  to  the  disciples."  Both  his  eagerness  and  their  caution  are  full 
of  instructive  example.  They  were  backward  to  receive  him,  be 
cause  "  they  doubted  whether  he  was  a  disciple."  And  equally  wor 
thy  of  imitation  are  the  conduct  of  Barnabas,  who  "took  him  and 
brought  him  to  the  apostles,"  and  their  ready  reception  of  him  on 
Barnabas'  testimony,  so  that  "  he  was  with  them  coming  in  and 
going  out  at  Jerusalem."  * 

Having  shown  his  love  to  the  brotherhood,  by  joining  himself  to 
it,  the  Christian  brother  is  to  give  further  proof  of  his  love  to  it  after 
he  has  become  one  of  its  members.  He  is  to  be  regular  in  attending  on 
all  its  meetings  for  the  observance  of  ordinances.  He  is  not  to 
"forsake  the  assembling  together,  as  the  manner  of  some  is;"  he  is 
to  "continue  steadfastly  in  the  apostolic  doctrine  and  fellowship,  and 
in  breaking  of  bread,  and  in  prayers."  All  the  members  of  the 
brotherhood  are  to  show  their  love,  by  performing  the  duties  belong 
ing  to  the  place  they  hold  in  the  society.  They  are  cheerfully  to 
contribute  of  their  time,  and  labor,  and  property,  for  gaining  the 
great  objects  of  the  brotherhood,  both  within  and  without  its  pale ; 
the  overseers,  by  "  watching  for  souls  as  those  who  must  give  ac- 
1  Acts  v.  13,  14.  2  Acts  ix.  26,  27. 


PART  II.]  TO  LOVE  THE  BROTHERHOOD.  315 

count;"  the  members,  by  "obeying  them  that  have  the  rule  over 
them ;"  "  the  younger,"  by  obedience  to  the  elder ;  and  the  whole 
body,  by  "submitting  to  each  other  in  the  fear  of  God/'  "  He  that 
ministers,  must  wait  on  his  ministering ;  he  that  teacheth,  on  teach 
ing  ;  he  that  exhorteth,  on  exhortation ;  he  that  giveth,  must  do  it 
with  simplicity ;  he  that  ruleth,  with  diligence ;  he  that  showeth 
mercy,  with  cheerfulness."  "  He  who  is  taught  the  Word  is  to  com 
municate  to  them  who  teach  in  all  good  things/'  The  statute 
"  which  the  Lord  has  ordained"  must  be  observed,  "  that  they  who 
preach  the  gospel,  should  live  of  the  gospel;"  and  they  who,  "for 
Christ's  sake,  go  forth,  asking  nothing  of  the  Gentiles,"  ought,  by  the 
other  members  of  the  society,  to  be  "  brought  forward  on  their  jour 
ney  after  a  godly  sort."  Love  to  the  brotherhood  is  thus  to  be  shown 
by  contributing  to  the  maintenance  of  those  ordinances,  by  which 
the  highest  interests  of  the  society  are  promoted,  and  by  which  it  is 
enabled  to  perform  one  of  its  principal  duties,  in  "holding  forth  the 
word  of  life"  to  a  world  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge.1 

Another  way  in  which  the  Christian  brother  is  to  show  his  love  to 
the  brotherhood,  is  by  endeavoring  to  preserve  its  purity.  The  intro 
duction  of  corrupt  members  into  the  Church  of  Christ,  is  not  only 
great  cruelty  to  the  individuals  immediately  concerned,  but  it  is  in 
flicting  a  most  severe  injury  on  the  brotherhood.  It  is  in  reference 
to  this  crime — for  it  is  no  less — that  the  apostle  says,  "  If  any  man 
defile  the  temple  of  God,  him  shall  God  destroy."  An  unchristian 
man  can  do  no  good,  he  must  do  mischief  in  a  Christian  church. 
"  A  little  leaven  leavens  the  whole  lump."  2 

It  is  peculiarly  the  duty  of  official  Christians,  elders,  and  pastors, 
to  show  their  love  to  the  brotherhood  by  a  careful  attention  to  this 
matter.  To  them  the  command  is  given,  "  Let  every  man  take  heed 
how  he  buildeth"  on  the  foundation.  A  Christian  brotherhood  will 
serve  its  peculiar  purposes,  both  internal  and  external,  just  in  propor 
tion  to  its  purity.  A  small  Christian  society,  composed  of  right  mate 
rials,  will  be  far  more  powerful  in  doing  good,  than  a  large  Christian 
society  where  the  materials  are  of  an  interior  kind.  It  should,  then, 
be  the  constant  care  of  the  rulers  of  every  Christian  brotherhood  to 
admit  none  but  those  who  appear  to  be  Christians,  and  to  retain  none 
after  they  have  proved  themselves  not  to  be  Christians.  But  this 
will  be,  this  can  be,  but  very  imperfectly  done,  if  the  members  of  the 
society  generally  do  not  give  their  assistance  to  the  overseers  or 
bishops,  by  watching  for  one  another's  souls,  "  looking  diligently  lest 
any  man  fail  of  the  grace  of  God,  lest  any  root  of  bitterness  spring  up 
and  trouble  the  brotherhood,  and  thereby  many  be  defiled."  That 
man  does  not  love  the  brotherhood,  who  does  not  conscientiously  at 
tend  to  our  Lord's  directions  in  the  18th  chapter  of  the  gospel  by 
Matthew,  for  the  removal  of  offences.3 

Still  further,  the  brother  is  to  show  his  love  of  the  brotherhood  by 
seeking  its  peace.  No  society  can  well  gain  its  object  whose  mem 
bers  are  at  variance  with  one  another ;  and,  when  the  nature  and 

1  Heb.  x.  25.  Acts  ii.  42.  Heb.  xiii.  17.  1  Pet.  v.  5.  Eph.  v.  21.  Rom.  xii.  7,  8. 
Gal.  vi.  6.  1  Cor.  ix.  14.  3  John  6,  7.  Phil.  ii.  16. 

a  1  Cor.  iii.  17  ;  v.  6.  3  1  Cor.  iii.  10.    Matt,  xviii.  15-20. 


316  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY  [DISC.  XII. 

designs  of  the  Christian  brotherhood  are  considered,  it  must  be  plain, 
that  to  its  prosperity  peace  is  of  peculiar  importance.  The  things 
which  make  for  peace  are  the  things  which  edify  the  brotherhood. 
He  who  loves  the  brotherhood,  intelligently,  will  study  "  to  be  quiet, 
and  to  do  his  own  business/'  for  he  knows  that  the  way  to'  secure 
peace  in  any  society  is  for  every  member  to  do  his  own  business  ; 
and  there  is  not  a  more  certain  likelihood  of  producing  discord  than 
for  men  to  neglect  their  own  business,  and  become  "  busybodies  in 
other  men's  matters."  He  will  not,  like  Diotrephes,  "love,"  and 
seek  to  have  "  the  pre-eminence ;"  but  "  by  love  serve  his  brethren." 
He  will  "avoid  foolish  questions,  which  gender  strife  rather  than 
godly  edifying."  He  will  "  leave  off  contention  before  it  be  meddled 
with ;"  and  he  will  "  mark  those  who  cause  divisions  and  offences 
contrary  to  the  doctrine  which  he  has  learned,  and  avoid  them."  He 
will  be  found  a  steadfast  upholder  of  the  three  great  laws  of  the  broth- 
erhood,  on  which  its  peace  so  much  depends — "  Let  all  things  be 
done  in  charity,"  "  let  all  things  be  done  to  edifying,"  "  let  all  things 
be  done  decently  and  in  order."  l 

In  the  next  place,  the  brother  is  to  show  his  love  of  the  brotherhood 
by  seeking  its  increase.  Brethren  die ;  but  the  brotherhood  is  immor 
tal.  It  is  the  part  of  a  good  church-member  to  exert  himself  to  have 
the  breaches  made  by  death  and  otherwise  repaired,  and  to  prepare 
for  the  blank  which  his  own  removal  is  soon  to  make.  This  is  not 
to  be  done  by  robbing  other  churches,  by  seeking  to  thin  the  ranks 
of  some  other  brotherhood.  There  is  something  very  unseemly  in 
the  proselytizing  spirit  which  distinguishes  too  many  Christian  sects, 
and  which  marks  them  as  sects  indeed.  Jf  a  member  of  one  Christian 
brotherhood  seek  admission  into  another,  bringing  satisfactory  evi 
dence  that  he  is  a  brother,  he  is  not  to  be  refused ;  nor  is  Christian 
liberty  even  to  seem  to  be  trenched  on  by  inquisitorial  investigation — 
either  on  the  part  of  the  church  left  or  the  church  joined — into  the 
reasons  which,  he  says,  are  satisfactory  to  his  own  conscience  for  the 
change  ;  but  it  is  not  the  natural  order  of  things  to  gather  churches 
out  of  churches.  Little  is  gained,  and  often  much  is  lost  in  this  way. 

Churches  should  be  kept  up  by  conversion  rather  than  by  proselyt- 
ism ;  and  the  love  of  the  brotherhood  is  a  principle  which  operates 
in  entire  harmony  with  the  love  of  souls,  in  seeking  to  turn  men  from 
the  error  of  their  ways,  that  it  may  be  said  of  them,  "  Ye  were  as 
sheep  going  astray ;  but  ye  are  returned  to  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop 
of  souls."  Every  converted  man  should  endeavor  to  bring  as  many 
of  the  prodigal  children  home  to  his  Father's  house  as  possible,  that 
there  may  be  joy  in  the  brotherhood  on  earth  as  in  heaven,  that 
"  those  who  were  dead  have  become  alive  again,  and  those  who  were 
•lost  are  found."  2  The  member  of  a  Christian  church  who,  in  this 
way,  is  the  means  of  adding  even  one  member  of  the  right  kind  to 
its  communion,  is  a  real  and  great  benefactor  both  to  the  indi 
vidual  and  to  the  community,  both  to  the  brother  and  to  the  brother 
hood. 

1  1  Thesa.  iv.  11.     l  Pet.  iv.  15.     3  John  9.     Gal.  v.  13.     2  Tim.  ii.  23.    Tit.  iii.  9 
Prov.  xvii.  14.     Rom.  xvi.  17.     1  Cor.  xiv  16  26  40 
3  1  Pet.  iii.  25.     Luke  xv.  32. 


PART  II.]  TO  LOVE  THE  BROTHERHOOD.  317 

Finally,  the  Christian  brother  is  to  show  his  love  to  the  brotherhood 
he  is  immediately  connected  with,  by  making  its  welfare,  in  all  the 
extent  of  meaning  belonging  to  that  word,  the  subject  of  his  frequent 
and  fervent  ]^'ayers.  This  was  one  of  the  ways  in  which  the  apostle 
Paul,  who  had  a  great  deal  of  the  love  of  the  brethren,  as  well  as  of 
love  to  all  men,  expressed  his  affection  for  the  brotherhoods  with 
which  he  was  peculiarly  connected.  "Without  ceasing  he  made 
mention  of  them  always  in  his  prayers,  for  the  grace  of  God  to  them, 
that  they  might  in  everything  be  enriched  by  him,  and  come  behind 
in  no  gift ;  and  that  they  might  be  perfectly  joined  together  in  the  same 
mind  and  judgment."  We,  my  brethren,  should  imitate  his  example, 
and,  like  him,  when  we  "  bow  our  knees  to  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  of  whom  the  whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth  is 
named,"  we  should  bear  on  our  hearts  the  brotherhood ;  and  pray 
that  it  may  be  made  and  preserved  free,  and  pure,  and  peaceful,  and 
active,  and  prosperous,  that  "  the  whole  body  fitly  joined  together  and 
compacted  by  that  which  every  joint  supplieth,  according  to  the  ef 
fectual  working  in  the  measure  of  every  part,  may  make  increase 
of  the  body,  unto  the  edifying  of  itself  in  love."  l  It  is  thus  that 
the  Christian  brother  is  to  love  the  brotherhood,  of  which  he  is  a 
member. 

But  he  is  never  to  forget  that  that  brotherhood,  ay,  that  that  class 
of  brotherhoods,  however  numerous,  with  which  it  may  be  connected 
in  ecclesiastical  arrangement,  is  but  a  very  small  portion  of  the  great 
Christian  brotherhood,  consisting  as  it  does  of  all  the  associations 
which,  whatever  be  their  differences  and  faults,  deserve  the  name  of 
Christian  churches,  being  collections  of  men  honestly  associated  from 
a  regard  to  Christ's  authority,  founded  on  the  faith  of  his  gospel,  to 
observe  his  ordinances;  and  of  air  true  believers,  though  they  may 
not  be  in  Christian  fellowship,  properly  so  called,  whether  stand 
ing  aloof  from  all  the  sections  of  Christian  churches,  or  connected 
with  societies  which  we  cannot  recognize  as  Christian  churches  : 
and  with  regard  to  all  these  portions  of  "  the  household  of  faith," 
he  is  to  love  them,  and  "  do  good  to  them  as  he  has  opportu 
nity."  2 

One  of  the  best  ways  of  showing  love  to  the  whole  brotherhood, 
is  by  a  careful  discharge  of  our  duty  to  the  particular  brotherhood  we 
are  connected  with.  We  shall  do  more,  I  believe,  towards  having 
our  neighbors'  vineyards  well  kept  by  keeping  our  own  well,  by  mak 
ing  it  quite  a  pattern  vineyard  for  order,  and  freedom  from  weeds, 
and  fruitfulness,  than  by  leaving  our  own  vineyard  untended,  and 
occupying  our  time  in  pointing  out  their  neglects  and  faults,  thus  ul- 
troneously  assuming  the  office  of  "keepers  of  other  men's  vineyards." 
It  is  impossible  to  say  how  extensively  beneficial  might  be  the  influ 
ence  of  a  single  congregation,  however  small,  all  the  members  of 
which  set  themselves  to  do  all  that  lies  in  their  power,  according  to 
the  stations  they  bear  in  it,  that,  in  the  quiet  working  of  Christ's  sim 
ple  machinery,  their  brotherhood  should  do  all  the  good  possible 
within  and  without  its  pale.  This,  however,  is  by  no  means  to  inter 
fere — it  will  not — with  every  legitimate  means  of  obtaining  freedom 

1  1  Cor.  i.  4,  <fcc.    Eph.  ii.  14 ;  iv.  16.  f  Gal.  vi.  10. 


318  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  foiSC.  XII. 

and  purity,  both  as  to  doctrine  and  communion  and  order  for  the 
whole  brotherhood,  and  for  breaking  down  "  middle  walls  of  parti 
tion,"  and  hastening  onward  the  fulfilment  of  the  Saviour's  prayer,  in 
that  visible  union  of  his  genuine  followers,  which  will  come  on  the 
world  with  the  force  of  a  demonstration  that  the  Father  hath  sent  his 
Son.1 

The  duty  of  every  brother  to  the  whole  brotherhood  on  earth,  can 
not  be  more  succinctly  and  accurately  stated  than  in  the  well-consid 
ered  words  of  the  Westminster  Assembly:  "  All  saints  that  are  united 
to  Jesus  Christ  their  Head,  by  his  spirit  and  by  faith,  are  united  to 
one  another  in  love,  have  communion  in  each  other's  gifts  and  graces, 
and  are  obliged  to  the  performance  of  such  duties,  public  and  private, 
as  do  conduce  to  their  mutual  good,  both  in  the  inward  and  outward 
man.  Saints  by  profession  are  bound  to  maintain  a  holy  fellowship 
and  communion  in  the  worship  of  God  ;  and  in  performing  such  spir 
itual  services  as  tend  to  their  mutual  edification,  as  also  in  relieving 
each  other  in  outward  things,  according  to  their  several  abilities  and 
necessities ;  which  communion,  as  God  ofFereth  opportunity,  is  to  be 
extended  to  all  those  who  in  every  place  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus."2 

It  is  plain  that  the  Westminster  divines  never  contemplated  any 
thing  similar  to  what  has  long  existed  in  this  country  :  different  bo 
dies  of  Christian  churches  holding  the  same  doctrines,  observing  the 
same  ordinances,  and  following  the  same  order,  occupying  the  same 
territorial  region,  yet  living  as  distinct,  so  far  as  ecclesiastical  com 
munion  is  concerned,  as  if  their  creeds  were  contradictory,  their  in 
stitutions  different,  and  their  modes  of  government  incompatible. 
Such  an  unnatural  state  of  things  does  not  seem  to  have  entered  into 
their  minds.  Their  remarks  refer  to  sister  churches  situated  in  different 
countries,  or  organized  on  different  platforms,  or  to  individual  mem 
bers  of  such  sister  churches.  But,  a  fortiori,  on  the  principles  so 
well  stated  in  the  paragraph  just  quoted,  churches  in  the  circum 
stances  described  are  bound  not  only  to  occasional  communion 
and  friendly  co-operation,  but  to  entire  union,  to  ecclesiastical  incor 
poration.3 

With  regard  to  the  duties  of  Christian  brethren  and  Christian  broth 
erhoods  to  other  Christian  brotherhoods,  with  whom  circumstances 
may  prevent  complete  union,  I  beg  briefly  to  observe,  that  it  is  the 
obvious  duty  of  every  Christian  brother  to  love  not  only  his  own  broth 
erhood,  or  rather  his  corner  of  the  one  great  brotherhood  ;  but,  with 
out  being  blind  to  defects  and  faults,  to  cherish  affectionate,  respect 
ful  sentiments  towards  all  Christian  churches  who  hold  the  Head,  and 
habitually  to  express  these  sentiments  in  fervent  supplication  to  our 
One — common — Father,  in  the  name  of  our  One — common — Media 
tor,  and  under  the  influence  of  the  One — common — Spirit,  and,  as 
occasion  offers,  gladly  to  embrace  opportunities  of  promoting  their 
internal  improvement  and  outward  prosperity ;  and  what  is  true  of 
Christian  brethren  is  equally  true  of  Christian  brotherhoods.  Espe 
cially  should  we  use  every  means  in  our  power  towards  the  realiza 
tion  of  that  wide  enlargement  of  the  brotherhood,  which  prophecy 

1  John  xvii.  23.  2  Westminst.  Conf.,  ch.  xxvl  §  1,  2.  8  See  note  B. 


PART  IT.]  TO  LOVE  THE  BROTHERHOOD.  319 

leads  us  to  anticipate  as  drawing  near  in  these  later  ages  of  the 
world,  when  "  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  are  to  remember,  and  turn  to 
the  Lord,  and  all  the  kindreds  of  the  people  to  worship  before  him ;" 
when  "the  little  one  shall  become  a  thousand,  and  the  small  one 
a  strong  nation ;"  when  "  the  handful  of  corn  sown  on  the  top  of 
the  mountains  shall  shake  like  Lebanon  ;"  when  the  mother  of  us  all 
shall  "enlarge  the  place  of  her  tent,  and  stretch  forth  the  curtain  of 
her  habitation  :  whom  she  shall  not  spare,  but  lengthen  her  cords,  and 
strengthen  her  stakes ;  for  she  shall  break  forth  on  the  right  hand  and 
the  left ;  and  her  seed  shall  inherit  the  Gentiles,  and  make  the  deso 
late  cities  to  be  inhabited;"  when  "the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall 
become  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  his  Christ ;  and  he  shall  reign 
forever  and  ever."  Every  lover  of  the  brotherhood  should  express 
his  love  by  adopting  this  resolution  and  acting  it  out :  "  For  Zion's 
sake  I  will  not  hold  my  peace,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake  I  will  not 
rest,  till  the  righteousness  thereof  go  forth  as  brightness,  and  the  sal 
vation  thereof  as  a  lamp  that  burneth."  "  Peace  be  within  thy  walls, 
prosperity  be  within  thy  palaces."  "God  be  merciful  to  us,  and  bless 
us ;  and  cause  thy  face  to  shine  on  us.  That  thy  way  may  be  known 
upon  earth,  and  thy  saving  health  among  all  nations.  Let  the  people 
praise  thee,  O  God ;  let  all  the  people  praise  thee."  l 

It  only  remains,  on  this  part  of  the  subject,  that  I  say  a  word  or  two 
as  to  the  love  which  we  should  cherish  towards  that  part  of  the  great 
brotherhood  who  are  not  on  earth,  but  in  heaven,  and  the  manner  in 
which  we  should  express  this  love  : — 

<(  One  family  we  dwell  in  him, 
One  church  above,  beneath, 
Though  now  divided  by  the  stream, 
The  narrow  stream  of  death."  a 

The  stroke  of  mortality  has  broken  many  a  strong  and  tender  band ; 
but  it  has  not  broken,  it  could  not  break,  the  band  which  binds  Christian 
brother  to  Christian  brother.  We  have  no  reason  to  think  our  brethren 
on  high  have  forgotten  us,  or  have  ceased  to  love  us.  We  know  we 
have  not  forgotten  them,  nor  ceased  to  love  them.  They  stand  in  no 
need  of  our  offices  of  kindness ;  they  are  beyond  the  reach  of  imper 
fection,  and  want,  and  suffering;  but  they  are  the  proper  objects  of  a 
very  tender  and  ardent  affection — an  affection  which  has  more  of  the 
purity  of  heaven,  and  the  permanence  of  eternity,  than  any  other 
affection  which  has  a  fellow-creature  for  its  object.  That  affection  is 
surely  not  one  that  must  live  in  the  heart  without  ever  finding  appro 
priate  expression  in  this  world.  Our  love  to  our  brethren  in  heaven, 
is  to  be  shown  in  our  giving  thanks  to  Him  who  loves  them  and  us, 
for  making  them  "  more  than  conquerors ;"  in  keeping  steadily  in  our 
mind's  eye  all  that  was  excellent  in  their  character  and  conduct,  both 
for  model  and  for  motive ;  in  giving  "  all  diligence,  to  the  full  assur 
ance  of  hope,  that  we  may  not  be  slothful,  but  followers  of  them  who 
through  faith  and  patience  are  inheriting  the  promises  ;"  in  maintain- 

1  Psal.  xxii.  27.     Isa.  Ix.  22.     Psal.  IxxiL  16.     Isa.  liv.  2.     Rev.  xi.   15.    Isa.  Ixii.  1. 
Psal.  cxxii.  6,  7  ;  Ixvii.  1-3. 

2  Ch.  Wesley. 


320  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.  XII. 

ing  steadfastly  that  good  cause  which  was  dearer  to  them  than  life 
when  here,  and  which  we  know  is  dearer  to  them  now  than  ever ; 
and  in  often  practising  the  first  notes  of  the  ever  new  anthem,  which, 
as  sung  by  them,  and"  to  be  sung  by  us,  shall  "everlastingly  echo  in 
heaven  :"  "  Unto  Him  that  loveth  us,  and  hath  washed  us  from  our 
sins  in  his  blood.  Salvation  to  our  God  and  the  Lamb  forever  and 
ever."  l 

These  remarks  have  been  entirely  addressed  to  the  brethren.  They 
alone  could  relish  them ;  they  alone,  indeed,  could  fully  understand 
them.  But  is  there  any  one  here  uninterested  in  them  ?  Not  one. 
"  Strangers,  foreigners,  aliens,  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,"  from 
"the  household  of  faith,"  there  may  be  here;  but  every  one  of  these 
must  become  '"  brethren,"  else  they  are  undone  forever,  for  there  is  no 
salvation  but  by  union  to  the  Saviour — "  the  first-born  among  the 
many  brethren."  We  dare  not  say  to  such  persons,  make  a  profession 
of  brotherhood.  No  ;  in  your  present  circumstances  this  were  but  to 
accumulate  guilt,  to  increase  danger,  to  aggravate  damnation.  But 
we  do  say,  become  brothers.  The  brethren  with  one  voice  of  invita 
tion  say,  "  We  were  once  like  you,  '  far  off;' "  but  we  have  been 
"brought  nigh."  You,  too,  may  be  brought  nigh  by  that  all-attrac 
tive  blood  of  Jesus'  cross.  Are  you  very  guilty,  very  depraved,  very 
wretched  ?  So  were  some  of  us  ;  ay,  so  were  all  of  us,  but  "  we 
have  been  washed,  we  have  been  sanctified,  we  have  been  justified,  in 
the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God."  His  blood 
is  as  efficacious,  his  Spirit  as  free,  as  ever.  Oh,  come  to  him,  and 
then  come  to  us  !  Give  yourselves  to  him,  and  then  give  yourselves 
to  us  by  his  will.  Come  to  him  ;  he  will  put  you  among  the  brethren ; 
he  will  not  be  ashamed  to  call  you  brethren  ;  he  will  give  you  the 
brother's  inheritance,  the  goodly  land.  Come  to  us,  we  will  do  you 
good  ;  we  will  love  you  as  brethren,  and  you  will  love  us  as  brethren  ; 
we  will  strengthen  one  another's  hands,  and  comfort  one  another's 
hearts ;  and  move  onwards  and  upwards,  till  we,  one  by  one,  join  the 
goodly  fellowship  in  heaven.  And  when  God  has  filled  up  the  num 
ber  of  his  chosen  ones,  a  number  which  no  man  can  number,  then 
shall  the  completed  holy  brotherhood  be  presented  by  their  Elder 
Brother,  "  a  glorious  church,  without  spot  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such 
thing,"  to  his  Father  and  their  Father,  his  God  and  their  God,  "  with 
exceeding  joy,"  to  dwell  forever  in  "  his  presence,  where  there  is  ful 
ness  of  joy,  and  rivers  of  pleasure  for  evermore."  There  will  be  no 
need,  then,  to  press  the  exhortation,  "  Love  the  brotherhood."  They 
will  all  of  them  be  thoroughly  "  taught  of  God  to  love  one  another." 
"  Come  with  us,  and  we  will  do  you  good  ;  for  the  Lord  hath  spoken 
good  concerning  Israel."  2 


IIL-CHRISTIANS  ARE  TO  "FEAR  GOD." 

Let  us  now,  in  the  third  place,  turn  our  attention  to  the  account 
here  given  us  of  our  duty  to  God — we  are  to  FEAR  him :  that  is,  we  are 
to  cherish  an  awful  sense  of  his  infinite  grandeur  and  excellence,  cor 
responding  to  the  revelation  he  has  made  of  these  in  his  works  and 

Heb.  vi.  11.  12.     Rev.  i.  5,  6.     'Ayan-wyr/,  not  cyan-faa*™,  is  the  true  reading. 
2  Numb  x.  29-32. 


PART  III.J  TO    FEAR    GOD.  321 

word,  inducing  a  conviction  that  his  favor  is  the  greatest  of  all  bless 
ings,  and  his  disapprobation  the  greatest  of  all  evils,  and  manifesting 
itself  in  leading  us  practically  to  seek  his  favor  as  the  chief  good  we 
can  enjoy,  and  avoid  his  disapprobation  as  the  most  tremendous  evil 
we  can  be  subjected  to.  Such  is  the  fear  which  the  Christian  man 
ought  to  cherish  and  manifest  towards  God. 

The  foundation  of  this  fear  of  God  is  in  God  himself.  The  only 
way  in  which  we  can  apprehend  what  this  fear  is,  and  why  we  should 
cherish  it,  is  by  turning  our  minds  to  the  contemplation  of  the  vener 
able  excellences  of  the  Divine  character  ;  and  if  we  do  distinctly  per 
ceive  the  truth  and  its  evidence  on  this  subject,  not  only  will  there  be 
lodged  in  our  understandings  and  consciences  a  conviction  that  we 
ought  to  fear  God  ;  that  this  is  the  first  and  highest  requirement  of 
reason  as  well  as  of  revelation ;  but  the  sentiment  will  lay  hold  of  our 
heart,  and  obtain  a  place  in  our  affections,  corresponding  to  our  ap 
prehensions  of  the  truth  and  its  evidence. 

Everything  about  God  is  fitted  to  fill  the  mind  with  awe,  and  it 
would  seem  as  if  nothing  short  of  insanity  could  prevent  any  being 
possessed  of  reason  and  affection  from  habitually  feeling  the  sentiment 
of  supreme  veneration  for  Him.  He  is  the  inexhausted,  inexhaustible 
fountain,  of  all  the  being,  all  the  life,  all  the  intelligence,  all  the  power, 
all  the  activity,  all  the  excellence,  all  the  happiness  in  the  universe. 
He  is  "  the  first  and  the  last,  and  the  living  One ;"  "from  everlasting 
to  everlasting ;"  immense,  "filling  heaven  and  earth  with  his  presence," 
"a  God  at  hand,  a  God  afar  otf';"  unchanged,  unchangeable,  "with 
out  variableness  or  shadow  of  turning,"  "  the  same  yesterday,  to-day, 
and  forever :"  Infinite  in  power,  having  called  into  existence  myriads 
of  worlds,  capable  of  calling  into  existence  myriads  more;  upholding 
all  these  worlds,  himself  upheld  by  none  ;  controlling  all  things,  him 
self  uncontrolled  ;  "  doing  according  to  his  will  in  the  armies  of  heaven, 
and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth:"  Infinite  in  knowledge: 
"known  to  him  are  all  his  works  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  ;"  ! 
"every  creature  is  manifest  in  his  sight;"  ''all  things  are  naked  and 
open  in  his  eyes  ;"  "hell  itself  is  naked  before  him,  arid  destruction 
has  no  covering  :"  Infinite  in  wisdom.  "  wonderful  in  counsel,"  as  well 
as  "excellent  in  working,"  "wise  in  heart,"  as  we/1  as  "mighty  in 
strength;"  Ms  "judgments  are  unsearchable,  his  ways  past  finding 
out  :"  Infinite  in  holiness  ;  "of  purer  eyes  than  tobohold  iniquity,  and 
Me  cannot  look  on  sin;"  the  "Holy,  Holy,  Holyn  One:  Infinite  in 
righteousness :  "  he  is  the  Rock,  his  work  is  perfect ;  all  his  ways  are 
judgment ;  a  God  of  truth,  and  without  iniquity ;  just  and  right  is  he  ;" 
"  far  be  it  from  him,  that  he  should  do  wickedness  ;  and  from  the 
Almighty,  that  he  should  do  iniquity,  for  the  work  of  a  man  shall  he 
render  to  him,  and  cause  him  to  receive  according  to  his  ways  ;  yea, 
surely  God  will  not  do  wickedly,  neither  will  the  Almighty  pervert 
judgment."  :  The  benignity  of  the  Divine  Being  may  seem  a  quality 
fitted  to  excite  love  rather  than  fear,  yet  are  there  two  qualities  of  it  : 
its  immeasurable  extent,  and  its  immaculately  holy  character,  which 

1  See  note  C. 

2  Rev.  i.  17,  18.     Psnl.  xc.  2.     Jer.  xxiii.  24.     James  i.   17.     Dan.  iv.  35.     Acts  xv.  13. 
Heb.  iv.  13.     Job  xxvi.  6.     Is.a.  xxvii.  29.     Job  ix.  4.     Rom.  xi.  33.     Hab.  i.    13.     laa 
vi.  3.     Deut.  xxxii.  4.     Job.  xxxiv.  10. 

2J 


322  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.  XIL 

are  well  fitted  to  deepen  the  impression  of  awe  produced  by  his  eternal, 
infinite,  immutable  power,  and  wisdom,  and  rectitude.  "There  is 
mercy  with  him  and  plenteous  redemption  ;"  but  the  mercy  that  is  with 
him,  is  mercy  which  leads  men  to  fear  him.1  Such  is  the  truth,  stated 
in  the  plainest,  most  unadorned  language,  respecting  God.  But  "how 
small  a  portion  is  heard,"  or  can  be  heard  "  of  him  !"  "  Who  can  by 
searching  find  out  God  ?  who  can  find  out  the  Almighty  unto  perfec 
tion  ?  It  is  higher  than  heaven  ;  what  can  we  do  ?  deeper  than  hell : 
what  can  we  know  ?  The  measure  thereof  is  longer  than  the  earth, 
and  broader  than  the  sea/' 2  When  we  have  strained  our  faculties  to 
the  utmost,  in  conceiving  of  grandeur  and  excellence,  we  are  still  at 
an  immeasurable  distance  from  the  grandeur  and  the  excellence 
which  have  made  his  infinite  nature  their  eternal  dwelling-place. 

His  is  the  greatness:  and  the  most  exalted  of  his  creatures?  his 
whole  creation,  is  before  him  less  than  a  drop  to  the  ocean,  than  an  atom 
to  the  universe  of  matter,  "  less  than  nothing  and  vanity."  His  is  the 
power :  and  all  created  might  is  in  his  hand,  to  be  exerted,  directed, 
restrained,  and  resumed,  at  his  pleasure.  His  is  the  glory:  and  all 
created  splendor,  in  his  presence,  fades  into  obscurity,  and  vanishes 
into  nothing.  His  is  the  victory  :  in  all  his  purposes  he  ever  is  the 
overcomer;  and  all  victories  gained  by  his  creatures  are  won  by 
power  derived  from  him.  His  is  the  majesty :  and  all  the  potentates 
of  the  earth  before  him  are  contemptible  worms,  and  their  loftiest 
thrones  are  not  worthy  to  be  his  footstool.  All  that  is  in  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  is  his ;  he  is  the  maker,  preserver,  governor,  supreme 
and  sole  proprietor  of  the  universe,  of  whom,  and  through  whom,  and 
to  whom,  are  all  things.  His  is  the  kingdom:  unbounded  dominion 
belongs  to  him ;  his  reign  stretches  throughout  immensity,  and  eter 
nity;  and  all  powers  and  authorities,  in  all  worlds,  are  under  his 
feet.  And  all  this  physical  and  intellectual  greatness,  this  infinity  of 
power,  and  wisdom,  and  dominion,  is  heightened  by  corresponding 
moral  grandeur.  His  is  a  purity  before  which  the  holiness  of  angels 
waxes  dim :  His  a  righteousness,  of  the  stability  of  which  the  ever 
lasting  mountains  is  a  faint  figure:  His  a  benignity,  of  which  all  the 
kindness  in  the  hearts  of  men  and  angels  is  but  a  shadow. 

Surely  this  being  is  worthy  to  be  feared ;  surely  he  is  the  meet  ob 
ject  of  the  supreme  esteem,  and  reverence,  and  love  of  all  intelligent 
beings ;  surely,  to  be  the  objects  of  his  approbation,  and  love,  and 
care,  is  the  highest  honor  and  happiness  of  such  creatures ;  to  be  tlk? 
objects  of  his  disapprobation,  is  the  deepest  disgrace  and  misery  that 
can  befal  them;  and  of  course,  to  seek  his  approbation,  in  conformity 
of  mind  and  will  to  him,  is  their  highest  wisdom  and  duty. 

Such  are  the  convictions  and  feelings  of  the  unfallen  and  restored, 
the  angelic  and  human,  inhabitants  of  the  celestial  world.  Their 
unceasing  hymn  is,  "  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  great 
and  marvellous  are  thy  works,  just  and  true  are  thy  ways ;  who  shall 
not  fear  thee,  and  glorify  thy  name  ?  Thou,  Thou  only,  art  holy." 
And  this  enlightened,  affectionate  sense  of  the  infinite  grandeur  and 
excellence  of  God,  is  in  their  minds. a  principle  of  supreme  allegiance 
to  his  holy  government,  rendering  it  morally  impossible  that  they 

1  Psal.  cxxx.  4,  7.  a  Job  xi.  7. 


PART  III.]  TO    FEAR    GOD.  323 

should  disregard  his  authority,  or  seek  their  hnppiness  in  anything  but 
in  union  of  mind  and  will  and  enjoyment,  with  him. 

Had  sin  never  been  introduced  into  the  universe,  this  would  have 
been  the  only  kind  of  fear  of  God  that  ever  would  have  existed.  It 
would  have  been  a  fear  without  torment.  The  same  excellences 
which  produced  awe  would  have  produced  confidence  and  love.  All 
would  have  feared  God  ;  none  would  have  been  afraid  of  him.  In 
deed,  fear,  in  the  sense  of  the  anticipation  of  evil,  would  have  had  no 
being;  it  would  have  had  no  object;  for  evil  was  an  impossibility 
under  his  government  while  his  intelligent  creatures  retained  their 
allegiance. 

But  sin  has  been  introduced  into  the  world ;  and,  from  the  very 
excellence  of  the  Divine  character,  God  appears  as  the  hater  of  sin 
and  the  punisher  of  sinners,  and,  of  course,  an  object  of  fear  or  terror 
to  them,  as  even  imagination  cannot  grasp  the  miseries  which  may  be 
expected  from  infinite  wisdom  and  power  employed  as  the  agents  of 
incensed  justice.  He  has  inflicted  severe  and  numerous  evils  both 
on  sinning  men  and  angels ;  and  he  has  threatened  to  inflict  still  more 
dreadful  evils  on  them.  He  has  "cast  the  angels  who  kept  not  their 
first  abode,  down  out  of  heaven  into  hell,"  and  "reserved  them  under 
chains  of  darkness  to  the  judgment  of  the  great  day,"  when  they 
shall  be  doomed  to  everlasting  punishment  in  the  lake  that  burneth 
with  fire  unquenchable,  prepared  for  them.  He  has  visited  the  sin  of 
man  with  many  and  varied  tokens  of  his  displeasure.  Death  has 
entered  into  the  world,  and  passed  upon  all  men  ;  and  the  declarations 
of  his  faithful  word  are,  "The  wages  of  sin  is  death.  The  soul  that 
sinneth  shall  die.  God  will  turn  the  wicked  into  hell.  There  is  no 
peace  to  the  wicked.  God  is  jealous,  and  the  Lord  revengeth  ;  the 
Lord  revengeth  and  is  furious :  the  Lord  will  take  vengeance  on  his 
adversaries,  and  he  reserveth  wrath  for  his  enemies.  The  Lord  will 
not  at  all  acquit  the  wicked.  Who  can  stand  before  his  indignation, 
and  who  can  abide  in  the  fierceness  of  his  anger?  His  fury  is  poured 
out  like  fire,  and  the  rocks  are  thrown  down  by  him.  In  the  day  of 
wrath  and  revelation  of  the  righteous  judgments  of  God,  he  will  ren 
der  to  every  man  according  to  his  deeds ;  to  them  that  are  conten 
tious,  and  do  not  obey  the  truth,  but  obey  unrighteousness,  indigna 
tion  and  wrath,  tribulation  and  anguish,  upon  every  soul  of  man  that 
doeth  evil."  Who  can  hear  these  faithful  sayings  without  exclaiming, 
"  Thou,  even  thou,  art  He  who  is  to  be  feared ;  and  who  can  stand 
before  thee  when  once  thou  art  angry  ?"  "  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  living  God."1 

It  is  obvious,  then,  that  God  has  become  the  object  of  fear  to  sinful 
intelligent  creatures,  in  a  sense  altogether  different  from  that  in  which 
he  would  have  forever  continued  to  have  been  an  object  of  fear  to 
them  had  they  remained  in  innocence.  To  the  sinning  angels,  for 
whom  no  salvation  has  been  provided,  and  who  know  that  no  s?dva- 
tion  is  provided  for  them,  every  one  of  those  perfections  which,  in 
their  own  nature,  are  fitted  to  produce  holy  awe,  is  a  source  of  un 
mixed  terror,  as  all  of  them  go  to  enhance  the  security,  the  severity, 

1  2  Pet.  ii.  4.  Jude  6.  Rom.  vi.  23.  Ezek.  xviii.  4.  Psal.  ix.  17.  Isa,  Ivii.  21. 
Nahum  i.  2,  3.  Rom.  ii.  6,  8,  9.  Psal.  Ixxvi.  7.  Heb.  x.  81. 


324  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.   XII. 

and  the  duration  of  their  misery.  They  have  nothing  to  expect  from 
God  but  "a  certain  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment,"  and  then  ever 
lasting  destruction  from  his  presence,  and  from  the  glory  of  his  pow 
er;"  and  but  for  the  sovereign  mercy  of  God,  he  must  have  been  to 
all  sinning  men,  equally  as  to  all  sinning  angels,  thus  an  object  of 
this  fear  that  has  torment. 

"  But  God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  for  the  great  love  wherewith  he 
has  loved"  man,  has  formed  and  executed  a  plan  of  deliverance  from 
the  tremendous  evils  to  which  he  has  exposed  himself  by  sin  ;  and  he 
has  done  this  in  a  way  which  places  in  a  stronger  point  of  light  his 
hatred  of  sin,  than  the  infliction  of  eternal  punishment  on  the  whole 
sinning  race  would  have  done.  He  has  made  to  meet  on  his  incar 
nate  Son  the  iniquities  of  us  all.  Exaction  has  been  made,  and  he 
has  answered  it.  He  has  been  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  bruised 
for  our  iniquities,  and  has  undergone  the  chastisement  of  our  peace. 
He  has  borne  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree ;  he  has  given 
himself  for  us,  the  just  in  the  room  of  the  unjust.  God,  in  the  word 
of  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  has  set  Him  forth  a  propitiation  in  his 
blood,  declaring  his  righteousness  in  the  remission  of  sins  that  are 
past  through  his  forbearance,  declaring  his  righteousness  that  he  is 
just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  who  believeth  in  Jesus ;  and  he  has  com 
mitted  to  men  the  ministry  of  reconciliation,  sending  them  forth  to 
proclaim,  "  God  is  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  to  himself,  not  im 
puting  to  men  their  trespasses  ;  seeing  he  has  made  him  who  knew  no 
sin,  to  be  sin  for  us ;  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God 
n  him.  As  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  so  is  the 

•n  of  man  lifted  up  ;  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  may  not  perish, 
/ut  have  everlasting  life.  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his 
only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  may  not  perish, 
but  have  eternal  life.  For  God  sent  not  his  Son  to  condemn  the 
world,  but  to  save  the  world."1  Every  human  being  who  credits  this 
faithful  saying,  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  obtains  a  personal  interest 
in  the  Christian  salvation,  and  is  secured  of  all  its  blessings. 

While  the  sinner  continues  unbelieving,  he  is  exposed  to  all  the 
evils  denounced  against  sin ;  and  in  the  degree  in  which  he  becomes 
aware  of  his  situation,  previously  to  his  embracing  the  gospsl,  must  be 
the  subject  of  that  fear  of  God,  that  dread  of  his  righteous  vengeance, 
which  is  the  habitual  sentiment  of  devils.  This  emotion,  which 
is  just  a  consciousness  of  having  merited  the  displeasure  of  God,  a 
realization  of  the  danger  of  suffering  from  his  hand  the  punishment 
of  their  sins,  plainly  possesses  no  moral  excellence,  though  to  a  certain 
extent  it  may  check  open  sin,  and  may  be  overruled  by  the  good 
Spirit  for  urging  men  to  look  around  for  deliverance,  and  to  flee  for 
refuge  to  the  hope  set  before  them  in  the  gospel.  It  is  as  plainly  a 
sentiment  which  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  in  the  degree  in  which  it  pre 
vails,  banishes  from  the  heart.  "Faith  worketh  by  love ;"  and  the 
love  which  faith  works  "casts  out"  this  "fear." 

But  while  the  faith  of  the  gospel  casts  out  this  fear,  it  produces 
that  fear  which  is  enjoined  in  the  text,  and  which  is  one  of  the  lead 
ing  principles  of  Christian  obedience.  Ths  grandeur  of  the  Divine 
1  2  Cor.  v.  19-21.  John  iii.  14-17. 


PART  III.]  TO    FEAR    GOD.  325 

character  is  more  strikingly  manifested  in  those  Divine  dispensations, 
the  incarnation  and  sacrifice  of  the  Only-Begotten,  by  which  the  sal 
vation  of  sinners  is  made  consistent  with,  and  illustrative  of,  the 
Divine  holiness  and  righteousness,  and  a  statement  of  which  form  the 
gospel  message,  than  in  all  the  other  works  of  God.  Nothing  is  sc 
well  fitted  to  put  the  fear  of  God,  which  will  preserve  men  from 
offending  him,  into  the  heart,  as  an  enlightened  view  of  the  cross  of 
Christ.  "  There  shine  spotless  holiness,  inflexible  justice,  incompre 
hensible  wisdom,  omnipotent  power,  holy  love.  None  of  these  excel 
lences  darken  or  eclipse  the  other,  but  every  one  of  them  rather  gives 
a  lustre  to  the  rest.  They  mingle  their  beams,  and  shine  with  united 
eternal  splendor:  the  just  Judge,  the  merciful  Father,  the  wise  Gov 
ernor.  Nowhere  does  justice  appear  so  awful,  mercy  so  amiable,  or 
wisdom  so  profound."1 

These  views  of  the  character  of  God  naturally  and  necessarily 
produce  an  awful  sense  of  his  infinite  excellence,  and  a  holy  fear  of 
offending  him.  They  lodge  deep  in  the  heart  the  conviction,  that  it  is 
"an  evil  thing  and  a  bitter  to  sin  against  him."  It  appears  to  the 
mind,  under  the  influence  of  this  principle,  absolute  madness  to  do 
what  is  opposed  to  the  will  of  him  who  is  infinitely  wise,  and  right 
eous,  and  good ;  and  thus  to  lose  the  sense  of  his  approbation,  and  to 
expose  ourselves  to  his  rebukes  and  chastisements,  in  order  to  obtain 
any  good  which  man  can  bestow,  or  to  avoid  any  evil  which  man 
can  inflict. 

This  fear  of  God,  which  is  to  be  obtained  by  contemplating  these 
displays  of  the  Divine  character,  is  to  be  manifested  in  carefully 
avoiding  whatever  is  opposed  to  his  will,  whether  in  the  way  of  neg 
lecting  to  do  what  he  has  commanded,  or  doing  what  he  has  forbid 
den,  and  in  keeping  out  of  the  way  of  temptation,  and  abstaining 
even  from  the  appearance  of  evil.  This  fear  of  God  ought  to  be  the 
habitual  disposition  of  our  hearts.  We  should  "be  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  all  the  day  long ;"  and  we  should  never  forget,  that  the  only 
satisfactory  proof  that  God  has  put  his  fear  in  our  heart,  is  to  be 
found  in  our  not  departing  from  him.  The  best  evidence  we  can 
afford  that  we  fear  the  Lord,  is  our  delighting  greatly  in  his  command 
ments  ;  our  perfecting  holiness,  in  cleansing  ourselves  from  all  filthi- 
ness  of  the  flesh  and  the  spirit  by  the  fear  of  God.  Such  is  the 
Christian's  duty  to  his  Supreme  Ruler:  to  fear  him  ;  to  act  as  if  we 
considered  his  authority  to  be  supreme ;  no  blessing  to  be  compared 
with  his  approbation  ;  no  evil  to  be  compared  with  his  displeasure. 
Thus  shall  we  find,  that  "the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  a  fountain  of  life,  to 
depart  from  the  snares  of  death."  2 

Nothing  can  be  more  reasonable,  more  worthy  of  a  rational  being, 
than  compliance  with  this  command  ;  nothing  more  unreasonable  than 
neglect  or  violation  of  it.  Well  may  we  say  with  Nehemiah,  "Ought 
ye  not  to  walk  in  the  fear  of  our  God  ?"  or  with  Jeremiah,  "Fear  ye 
not  me?  saith  the  Lord :  O  foolish  people,  and  without  understanding. 
Will  ye  not  tremble  at  my  presence,  which  have  placed  the  sanrl  for 
the  bound  of  the  sea,  by  a,  perpetual  decree  that  it  cannot  pass  it ;  and 
though  the  waves  thereof  toss  themselves,  yet  can  they  not  prevail; 

1  Maclaurin.  a  See  note  D. 


326  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.   XII. 

though  the)7  roar,  yet  can  they  not  puss  over  it  ?    Who  would  not  fear 
thee,  O  King  of  nations?  forasmuch  as  there  is  none  like  unto  thee, 

0  Lord;  thou  art  great,  and  thy  name  is  great  in  might."     Or,  in  the 
words  of  our  Master  who  is  in  heaven,  "  Be  not  afraid  of  them  who 
can  kill  the  body,  and  after  that  have  no  more  that  they  can  do.     But 

1  will  forewarn  you  whom  you  shall  fear:  Fear  Him,  who  after  he 
hsith  killed,  hath  power  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell ;  yea,  I 
say  unto  you,  Fear  him."     Or,  in  the  words  of  his  angel,  "  Fear  God, 
:md  give  glory  to  him  ;  for  the  hour  of  his  judgment  is  coming."     Let 
us  then  habitually  fear  "that  great  and  dreadful  name,  the  Lord  our 
God  ;"  let  us  "feel  the  force  of  his  almightiness ;" l  let  us  fear,  that 
so  we  may  not  come  short  of  the  rest,  a  promise  of  entering  into 
which  has  been  left  us  ;  "  let  us  have  grace,  to  worship  God  acceptably 
with  reverence  and  godly  fear :  for  our  God  is  a  consuming  fire."  2 

IV.— CHRISTIANS  ARE  TO  "HONOR  THE  KING." 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  make  a  few  remarks  on  our  duty  as  Chris 
tians  to  our  subordinate  ruler,  the  civil  magistrate.  While  we  "fear 
God,"  we  are  to  "honor  the  king."  "The  king"  is  here  to  be  con 
sidered  as  an  expression  just  equivalent  to  the  civil  magistrate.  The 
command  is,  'Pay  a  proper  respect  to  every  person  who  is  invested 
with  civil  authority,  especially  to  those  who  are  at  the  head  of  the 
government.'  The  honor  here  referred  to,  is  that  which  is  due  to  the 
office,  whatever  may  be  the  personal  character  of  him  who  fills  it ;  the 
respect  due  to  the  magistrate,  when  acting  as  a  magistrate.  When 
the  magistrate  is  personally  possessed  of  those  qualities  which  are 
the  proper  objects  of  respect ;  when  he  is  a  man  distinguished  for 
his  wisdom,  piety,  prudence,  justice,  and  benevolence — he  is  to  be 
honored  for  these,  and  honored  the  more  because  he  is  a  magistrate, 
as  high  station  abounds  with  temptation,  and  he  who  in  such  trying 
circumstances  acquits  himself  well,  is  worthy  of  peculiar  respect;  but 
whatever  be  his  personal  character,  though  he  may  be  an  irre 
ligious  and  immoral  man  in  his  private  capacity,  which  is  always  to 
be  regretted,  especially  as  it  is  apt  to  bring  the  magistracy  into  con 
tempt,  we  are  to  respect  him  in  his  official  capacity,  and  to  honor  him 
while  he  performs  the  functions  of  a  public  ruler.  Christians  must 
keep  far  away  from  the  behavior  of  those  whom  the  apostle  in  his 
second  epistle  describes  as  "  presumptuous  and  self-willed,  who  despise 
g  'vernments,  and  are  not  afraid  to  speak  evil  of  dignities." 

The  honor  which  we  are  to  cherish  for  the  magistrate  is  to  be  man 
ifested  chiefly  in  our  conscientious  and  cheerful  obedience  to  all  his 
lawful  commands.  We  are  bound  to  disobey  him  if  he  commands 
us  to  do  anything  which  is  forbidden  by  the  law  of  God  ;  and  we  are 
nor  bound  to  obey  him  if  he  lays  on  us  commands  unwarranted  by 
th.r.  consJUJUUion  and  laws  of  the  country  ;  but,  with  these  exceptions, 
ve  are  to  be  "subject  to  the  higher  poweis."  We  are  not  to  think, 
thai  if  we  are  obedient  in  some  points  we  may  venture  to  be  disobe 
dient  in  others.  We  are  to  obey  all  lawful  commands  ;  for  all  rest  on 

1  Jeremy  Taylor. 

3  N  eh.  v.  9.    Jer.  x.  7.     Luke  xii.  4,  5.    Rev.  xir.  7.    Ileb.  xii.  28. 


PART  IV.]  TO    HONOR    THE    KING.  327 

the  same  authority.  Whosoever  keepeth  the  whole  law,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  offending  in  one  point,  is  guilty  of  all;  guilty  of  despising 
the  authority  of  the  whole  law,  guilty  of  failing  in  his  duty  as  a  good 
subject.  It  is  the  less  necessary  that  I  dwell  on  this  subject,  as  not 
long  ago  I  had  an  opportunity  of  discussing  it  at  full  length  when 
illustrating  the  13th  and  14th  verses  of  this  chapter:  "Submit  your 
selves,  for  the  Lord's  sake,  to  every  human  ordinance  for  the  punish 
ment  of  evil-doers,  and  the  praise  of  them  who  do  well ;  whether  it  be  to 
the  king,  as  supreme  ;  or  to  governors,  as  to  them  who  are  sent  by  him." 

It  will  be  proper,  before  concluding,  that  I  in  a  few  words  point  out 
the  connection  between  the  two  precepts,  "Fear  God;  Honor  the 
king."  The  connection  is  twofold.  The  first  precept  is  at  once  the 
foundation  and  the  limit  of  the  second.1 

It  is  its  foundation.  The  loyalty  of  a  Christian  man  rests  on  a  re 
gard  to  the  Divine  authority.  He  honors  the  king  because  he  fears 
God.  There  are  many  who,  in  their  obedience  to  civil  authority,  are 
influenced  entirely  by  reasons  of  expediency.  They  are  "  subject,  not 
for  conscience  but  for  wrath's  sake."  They  obey,  because  otherwise 
they  would  be  punished  ;  and  they  show  this  by  violating  law  without 
scruple,  when  they  think  tin's  can  be  done  with  advantage  or  impu 
nity.  There  are  others  who  obey  because  they  consider  it  right  to  obev: 
but  in  their  notion  of  what  is  right,  they  have  little  or  no  reference 
to  a  recognition  of  Divine  authority.  Their  obedience  has  nothing 
of  the  character  of  a  religious  duty:  they  obey  the  magistrate  as  they 
pay  their  debts:  they  think  both  right;  but  in  both  cases  "God  is  HIM 
in  all  their  thoughts." 

The  enlightened,  consistent  Christian  recognizes  civil  government 
as  a  Divine  ordinance.  He  believes  the  doctrine  laid  down  by  the 
apostle,  that  "  there  is  no  power  but  of  God,  that  the  powers  that  be 
are  ordained  of  God,  and  that  whosoever  resisteth  the  power  resisteth 
the  ordinance  of  God."  He  believes  that  the  magistrate  is  "a  minis 
ter  of  God  to  him  for  good,"  and  acts  accordingly,  being  "subject  for 
conscience'  sake."  He  recognizes  the  authority  of  God  in  these  com 
mands,  <%  Fear  the  Lord  and  the  King.  Render  to  Cassar  the  things 
which  are  Cesar's.  Let  every  soul  be  subject  to  the  higher  powers. 
Be  subject  to  principalities  and  powers.  Obey  magistrates ;  submit 
to  every  human  institution  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  for 
the  praise  of  them  who  do  well,  for  the  Lord's  sake."  With  him, 
obedience  is  not  a  matter  of  human  arrangement,  of  expediency,  of 
interest,  or  even  of  mere  moral  right;  it  is  a  religious  duty. 

This  secures  a  uniformity  of  obedience  which  nothing  else  can  do, 
and,  therefore,  there  is  no  class  of  subjects  who  may  be  so  safely  re 
lied  on  for  consistent  loyalty  as  enlightened  Christians.  They  obey 
the  magistrates  because  God  commands  them  to  do  so,  and  perform 
their  civil  duties  as  "doing  service  to  the  Lord."  What  Nehemiah 
says  of  himself,  in  reference  to  certain  practices  of  his  predecessors 
in  the  government,  a  Christian  man  may  say  of  himself,  in  reference 

1  "'Grivin:*  to  God  what  is  God's'  not  only  afford*  the  basis,  but  also  fixes  the  just 
HinitatioiH  <>t'  the  civil  obligations  growing  out  of  relations  brought  about  by  Divine 
Providence.'' — NEANDKH. 


328  FOURFOLD    VIEW    OF    CHRISTIAN    DUTY.  [DISC.  XII. 

to  the  practice  of  eluding  civil  duties  and  evading  civil  taxes,  in 
which  many  who,  it  may  be,  pride  themselves  on  their  loyalty,  do  not 
scruple  to  indulge  when  they  can  do  it  safely :  "  so  did  not  I,  because 
of  the  fear  of  God." 

But  as  the  precept,  "fear  God,"  is  with  a  Christian  the  foundation 
of  his  civil  obedience,  so  it  is  also  its  limit.  A  Christian  should  honor 
the  king  so  far,  and  only  so  far,  as  this  is  consistent  with  fearing  God. 
Should'the  civil  magistrate  require  us  to  do  anything  that  is  incon 
sistent  with  the  Divine  law;  should  he  require  us  to  neglect  what 
God  has  commanded,  or  to  do  what  God  has  forbidden — we  must  fear 
God,  and  not  honor  the  king,  if  such  obedience  is  to  be  accounted 
honor.  The  principle  on  which  we  are  to  act  in  such  cases  is  a  very 
plain  one:  "We  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  man;"  and,  what 
ever  the  consequences  may  be,  it  must  be  acted  on  ;  and  he  who 
really  fears  God  will  rise  above  the  fear  of  man.  Fearing  God,  he 
will  know  no  other  fear. 

Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego,  honored  the  king  by  a  faithful 
discharge  of  their  duties  as  superintendents  of  the  province  of 
Babylon ;  but  when  he  commanded  them  to  worship  the  colossal 
image  he  had  erected  in  the  plain  of  Dura,  with  the  assurance  that 
if  they  did  not,  they  should  be  cast  into  a  burning  fiery  furnace  ;  fear 
ing  God,  they  were  "not  afraid  of  the  king's  commandment;"  but 
respectfully,  yet  determinedly,  said,  "  Be  it  known  to  thee,  O  king, 
we  will  not  serve  thy  gods,  nor  worship  the  golden  image  which  thou 
hast  set  up."  Daniel,  on  prayer  being  prohibited  by  the  edict  of  a 
monarch  whom  Tie  most  faithfully  served,  disregarded  the  edict,  and 
took  good  care  that  this  should  be  no  secret.  "When  he  knew  that 
the  writing  was  signed,  he  went  to  his  house;  and  his  windows  being 
open  in  his  chamber  toward  Jerusalem,  he  kneeled  on  h:s  knees,  and 
prayed,  and  gave  thanks  before  his  God,  as  he  did  aforetime."  The 
very  apostle  who  says,  "  Be  subject  for  the  Lord's  sake,  to  every  or 
dinance  of  man,"  when  the  Jewish  magistrates  commanded  him  and 
John  "  to  speak  no  more  in  the  name  of  Jesus,"  replied,  "  Whether  it 
be  right  in  the  sight  of  God  to  hearken  unto  you  rather  than  to  God, 
judge  ye:"  and  when  called  to  account  for  acting  out  this  principle, 
his  answer  was,  "  We  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  man." 

It  seems  a  common  notion  that  I  am  bound  to  obey  the  law  just 
because  it  is  the  law;  and  if  what  the  law  requires  be  a  wrong  thing, 
the  magistrate,  not  I,  must  be  answerable  for  it.  But  neither  Scrip 
ture  nor  reason  sanctions  such  a  transfer  of  moral  responsibility. 
"  Every  man  must  give  account  of  HIMSELF  to  God."  Most  certainly 
I  am  bound  to  obey  the  law  of  the  land  because  it  is  the  law  of  the 
land ;  but  only  so  far  as  obedience  to  that  law  does  not  necessarily 
imply  disobedience  to  the  law  of  God:  no  farther.  "Honor  the 
king"  must  always  be  subordinate  to  "  fear  God  :" 

>    "Let  Caesar's  dues  be  ever  paid 

To  Cajsar  and  his  throne ; 
But  consciences  and  souls  were  made 
To  be  the  Lord's  alone."  1 

Watts.     "  Sic  honorandus  Rex,  ut  ne  contra  Deum  pecceinus."—  CIIUYSOSTOM,  in  Matt 
Horn.  IXXL 


PART  IV.]  TO    HONOR    THE    KING. 

I  have  thus  finished  the  illustration  of  the  apostle's  account  of  the 
condition  and  duty  of  Christians.  It  may  serve  a  good  purpose,  be 
fore  taking  leave  of  the  subject,  to  present  you  with  a  general  outline 
of  the  statements  which  have  been  made. 

The  condition  of  Christians  is,  at  once,  one  of  perfect  liberty  and 
entire  subjection.  They  are  " free,"  and  they  are  "the  servants  of 
God."  They  are  free  in  reference  to  God,  both  as  being  delivered 
from  a  condemned  state  and  a  slavish  character ;  free  in  reference  to 
their  fellow-men ;  free  in  reference  to  the  powers  and  the  principles 
of  evil.  They  are  the  servants  of  God,  bought  by  the  blood  of  his 
Son,  formed  to  habits  of  obedience  by  his  Spirit,  voluntarily  devoted 
to  and  actually  engaged  in  his  service. 

Their  duty  is  generally  to  act  according  to  their  condition  ;  to  act 
as  freemen  in  reference  to  God,  men,  and  the  powers  and  principles 
of  evil,  guarding  against  abusing  their  freedom  in  any  of  thesa  forms  ; 
and  to  net  as  tha  servants  of  God,  cultivating  the  principles  of  obe 
dience,  habitually  keeping  in  view  those  perfections  of  the  Divine 
character,  and  those  relations  in  which  they  stand  to  God,  in  which 
the  obligation  to  serve  God  originates,  and  the  belief  of  which  is  the 
grand  means  which  the  Holy  Scriptures  employ  to  fit  and  dispose  us 
to  recognize  and  discharge  that  obligation ;  making  themselves  ac 
quainted  with  the  rule  of  obedience,  carefully  studying  the  word  of 
God,  observing  the  providence  of  God,  and  seeking  the  guidance  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  ;  and  exercising  this  principle,  and  applying  this 
rule  in  actual  obedience,  both  inward  and  outward,  both  active  and 
passive — obedience  characterized  by  implicitness,  impartiality,  cheer 
fulness,  and  permanence. 

More  particularly  their  duty  is  to  "honor  all  men,"  to  cherish 
respect  for  all  who,  from  their  station,  endowments,  or  character,  de 
serve  respect,  though  they  be  not  Christians ;  and  to  cherish  and  ex 
press  in  their  conduct  respect  for  every  man,  as  a  rational,  respon 
sible,  immortal  being;  to  "  love  the  brotherhood,"  to  cultivate  and 
manifest  an  affectionate  regard  to  the  Christian  society  by  joining  a 
Christian  church  ;  being  regular  in  attending  its  assemblies,  contribut 
ing  time,  labor,  substance  to  its  objects,  seeking  its  purity,  peace,  and 
increase;  and  by  cherishing,  and  in  every  becoming  manner  express 
ing,  an  affectionate  regard  to  the  whole  household  of  faith,  both  in 
earth  and  heaven,  the  one  family  called  by  the  worthy  name ;  "to 
fear  God/'  cherishing  such  an  awful  sense  of  his  infinite  grandeur  and 
excellence,  as  will  make  us  practically  consider  his  approbation  as  the 
highest  of  blessings,  his  disapprobation  as  the  greatest  of  evils;  and. 
finally,  "to  honor  the  king,"  yielding  a  cheerful  conscientious  obe 
dience  to  the  laws,  an  obedience  founded  on,  and  limited  by,  the  com 
mand  to  "fear  God." 

All  that  remains  now  is  the  practical  application.  But  that  must 
be  attended  to,  not  here,  but  elsewhere.  "If  ye  know  these  things, 
happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them."  May  our  improved  character  and 
conduct  in  all  the  various  relations  of  life,  show  that  we  understand 
how  practically  to  apply  the  instructions  we  have  received,  and  that 
we  have  learned,  "as  free,  not  using  our  liberty  as  a  cloak  of  wick- 


330  NOTES.  [DISC.  xn. 

edness,  but  as  the  servants  of  God,  to  honor  all  men ;  to  love  the 
brotherhood ;  to  fear  God ;  and  to  honor  the  king."  "  Wherefore, 
my  beloved  brethren,  laying  apart  all  filthiness,  and  superfluity  of 
naughtiness,  let  us  show  that  we  have  received  with  meekness  the 
ingrafted  word,  which  is  able  to  save  our  souls:  but  be  ye  doers  of 
the  word,  and  not  hearers  only,  deceiving  your  own  selves,"  not  God  ; 
not  your  brethren  even,  generally,  only  your  own  selves.  "For  if 
any  be  a  hearer  of  the  word,  and  rrot  a  doer,  he  is  like  unto  a  man 
beholding  his  natural  face  in  a  glass :  for  he  beholdeth  himself,  and 
goetli  his  way,  and  straightway  forgetteth  what  manner  of  man  he 
was.  But  whoso  looketh  into  the  perfect  law  of  liberty,  and  continueth 
therein,  he  being  not  a  forgetful  hearer,  but  a  doer  of  the  work,  this 
man  shall  be  blessed  in  his  deed." 


NOTE  A.  p.  307. 

"  Man  was  God's  own  creature,  raised  out  of  nothing  by  his  mighty  and  most  arbitrary 
,  hand :  it  was  in  his  power  and  choice,  whether  he  ever  should  h;ive  a  being ;  any  or 
>  none;  another,  or  this,  of  so  noble  an  order  and  kind.  The  designation  was  must  apt  of 
=  so  excellent  a  creature,  to  by  immediately  sacred  to  himself  and  his  own  converse,  bis 

temple  and  hibitation,  the  mansion  and  residence  of  his  presence  and  in  1. veiling  glory. 

There  wa->  nothing  whereto  he  was  herein  designed,  whereof  his  nature  \vm  not  capable. 
|  His  soul  was,  after  the  required  manner,  receptive  of  a  D^ity.  Its  powers  were  compe- 
—  tent  to  their  appointed  work  and  employment.  It  could  entertain  God  by  knowledge 
~7  and  contemplation  of  his  glorious  excellences,  by  reverence  and  love,  by  a.lor.ition  and 
/  praise.  This  was  the  highest  kind  of  dignity  whereto  created  n iture  could  b^  raised,  the 

most  honorable  state.  How  high  and  quick  un  advance!  This  moment  nothing;  the 
;  next,  a  bjiug  capable,  and  full,  of  God." 

*  #  -x-  #  *  *  *  * 

"  The  stately  ruins  (of  human  nature)  are  visible  to  every  eye,  that  bear  in  their  front, 
yet  extant,  this  doleful  inscription — HKUE  GOD  ONOK  DWKLT.  Enough  appears  of  the  ad 
mirable  frame  and  structure  of  the  soul  of  man,  to  show  the  Divine  presence  did  some 
time  resid.1  m  it;  imre  than  enough  of  vicious  deformity,  to  proclaim  that  he  is  now  re- 

•  '  tired  and  gone.     The  lamps  are  extinct;  the  altar  overturned  :  the  light  and  love  are  now 

\  vanished,  which  did  the  one  shine  with  so  heavenly  brightness,  the  other  burn  with  such 

(  pious  fervor.     The  gol.len  candlestick  is  displaced,  and  thrown  away  as  a  useless  thing,  to 
make  way  for  the  throne  of  the  prince  of  darkness ;  the  sacred  incense,  which  pent  rolling 

/  up  in  clouds  its  rich  perfumes,  is  exchanged  for  a  poisonous  helli-h  vap  >r.  The  comely 
order  ol'  this  house  is  turned  all  into  confusion  ;  the  beauties  of  holiness  into  noxious  im 
purities:  the  house  of  prayer  into  a  den  of  thieves.  The  noble  powers,  which  were  de 
signed  and  dedicated  to  Divine  contemplation  and  delight,  are  alienated  to  tli2  service  of 
the  most  despicable  idols,  and  employed  in  vilest  intuitions  and  embraces:  to  behold  and 
admire  lying  vanities ;  to  indulge  and  cheri-h  lust  and  wickedness:  * 
Look  upon  the  fragments  of  that  curious  sculpture,  which  once  adorned  this  palace  of  that 

1    great  King:  the  relics  of  common  notions;  the  lively  prints  of  some  undefaced  truth;  the 
fair  ideas  of  things;  the  yet  legible  precepts  that  relate  to  practice.     Behold  with  what 

)  accuracy  the  broken  pieces  show  them  to  have  been  engraven  by  the  finger  of  God;  and 
how  they  now      ;  torn  an  1  scatteru  1,  one  in  this  dark  corner  and  another  in  that,  buried 

/    in  hein-5  of  du^t  and  rubbish  !     There  is  not  now  a  system,  an  entire  table  of  coherent 
«~j  truth"  to  bj  found,  or  a  frame  of  holiness ;  but  some  shivered  parcels.     And  if  anv,  with 

<    great  skill  and  labor,  apply  themselves  to  draw  out  here  one  piece,  and  there  another, 
and  set  them  together,  they  serve  rather  to  show  how  exquisite  the  Divine  workmanship 

<!  was  in  the  origin  il  composition,  than  for  present  use  to  the  excellent  purposes  for  which 
)  the  \vh  >ie  was  first  d^ig  10  1.     *     *     •*     You  come  amid  all   this  confusion  as  into  the 

^  ruined  palace  of  some  great  prince  ;  in  which  you  see  here  the  fragments  of  a  noble  pillar, 
there  the  shattered  pieces  of  some  curious  imagery,  aud  all  lying,  neglected  and  useless, 


DISC.  XII.]  NOTES.  331 

among  heaps  of  dust.     *     *    *    The  faded  glory,  the  darkness,  the  disorder,  the  itn«  v; 
purity,  the  decayed  state  in  all  respects  of  the  temple,  too  plainly  show  THE  GREAT  IN 
HABITANT  is  GONE." — HOWE.     Living  Temple,  Part.  ii.  eh.  iv. 

"Homo  est  animal  rationale,  et  ex  hoc,  cunctis  terrenis  animantibus  excellentius  atque 
praBstantius,  sed  in  qualibet  minutissima  muscula  bene  con»ideranti  stupoivm  mentis  inge- 
rat,  laudemque  pariat  creatoris.  Ipse  itaque  aniime  humane  mentem  dedit,  ubi  ratio  et 
intelligentia  in  infante  eopita eat  quodammodo,  quasi  nulla  sit,  excitanda  scilicet  atque  exer- 
cenda  ietatis  acce-su,  qua  sitscientiae  capax  atque  doctrines,  et  habilis  perceptiuui  veritatia 
et  amori  boni.  Qua  capacitate  hauriat  sapientiam  virtutibusque  sit  prasdita,  quibus  pru- 
denter,  fortiter,  temperanter  et  juste  adversus  errores  et  coetera  ingenerata  viiia  dimicet, 
eaque  nullius  rei  desiderio  nisi  boni  illius  sumtni  atque  incommutabilis  vincat.  Quod  etsi 
non  faciat  ipsa  talium  bonorum  capacitas  in  natura  rational!  divinitus  institute,  quantum 
sit  boni,  quam  mirabile  opus  omnipo tends,  quiscompetenter  effatur,  aut  cogitat  ?  Pr  aster 
cnim  artes  bene  vivendi,  et  ad  immortalem  perveniendi  i'elicitatern  quze  virtutes  vocan- 
tur,  etsola  Dei  gratia  qusB  in  Christo  est,  riliis  promissionis  regnique  donantur,  nonne  hu- 
mano  ingenio  tot  tantceque  artes  sunt  inventaa  et  exercita3  partim  necessarite,  partim  vol- 
untarice,  ut  tarn  excellens  vis  mentis  atque  rationis  in  his  etiam  rebus,  quas  superfluas,  imo 
et  periculosas  perniciosasque  appetit  quantum  bonuin  habeat  in  natura,  unde  ista  potuit 
vel  invenire,  vel  disccre,  vel  exercere  testetur  ?  Vestimentorum  et  aedificiorum.  ail  opera 
quam  mirabilia,  quam  stupenda  industria  humana  pervenerit,  quo  in  agricultura,  quo  in 
navigatione  profecerit:  qiue  in  fabricatione  quorumque  vasorum.  vel  etiam  statuarum  et 
picturarum  varietate  excogitaverit  et  impleverit:  quae  in  theatrU  mirabilia  spectantibus, 
audientibus  incredibilia  facienda  et  exhibenda  molita  sit :  in  capiendis,  occidendis,  doman- 
dis  irrationalibus  animantibus,  quas  et  quanta  repererit:  adversus  ipsos  homines,  tot  genera 
venenorum,  tot  armorum,  tot  machinanientoruni,  et  pro  salute  mortal!  tuenda  atque 
reparanda,  quot  medicamenta  atque  adjumenta  comprehenderit  :  pro  voluptate  fau- 
ciiim,  quo:  cojlimeiti  et  gile  i.icitaaient.i  repererit:  ad  inlic.in.la*  et  sua  lendas 
cogitationes,  multitudinem  varietatemque  signorum,  ubi  praccipuum  locum  verba  et 
literaj  tenent  :  ad  delectan Jos  animos,  quos  elocutionis  ornatus,  quam  diversorum  car- 
minum  copiam :  ad  mulcendas  aures,  quot  organa  musica,  quot  cantileno3  modus  excogita 
verit:  qimntam  peritiam  dimensionum  atque  numerorum:  meatusque  et  ordines  siderum 
quanta  sagacitate  comprehenderit,  quam  multa  rerum  mundanarum  cognitione  se  imple 
verit,  quis  po*sit  eloqui.  rnaxime  si  velimus  non  acervatim  cuncta  cogerere,  sed  in  singulia 
irnmprari?  In  ipsis  postremo  erroribus  et  falsitatibus  defendendis,  quam  magna  clarue- 
rint  ingenia  philosophorum  atque  ha3reticorum,  quis  existimare  sufficiat?" 

***»*« 

"Apostolusde  ipsis  in  illud  regnum  proedestinatus  loquens:  Qui  proprio,  inquit,  filio 
non  perpercit,  sed  pro  nobis  omnibus  tradidit  eum,  quomodo  non  etiam  cum  illo  omnia 
nobis  donavit  ?  Cum  haec  promissio  complebitur,  quid  erimus?  quales  erimus?  quaa 
bona  in  illo  regno  accepturi  sumu-s,  quandoquidem  Ohristo  moriente  pro  nobis  tale  iam 
pigtius  acccpimus  ?  qualis  erit  spiritus  honiinis,  nullum  omnino  habens  vitium,  nee  sub  quo 
jaceat:  neccuicedat:  nee  contra  quod  saltern  laudabiliter  dimicet,  pacatissima  virtute 
perfectus  ?  Rerum  ibi  omnium  quanta,  quam  speciosa,  quam  certa  scientia  sine  errore 
aliquo,  vel  labore,  ubi  Doi  sapientia  de  ipso  suo  fonte  potabitur,  cum  summa  felicitate, 
sine  ulla  diffioultate  ?  Quale  erit  corpus,  quod  omnimodo  spiritui  subditum,  et  eo  suffi- 
cienter  vivificatum  nullis  alimoniis  indigebit  ?  Non  enim  animale,  sed  spirituale  erit,  ha 
bens  quidem  carnis,  sed  sine  ulla  carnal!  corruptione,  substantiam." — AUGUSTIXL'S.  De 
Civitate  Dei,  Lib.  xxii.  cap.  xxiv. 


B.  p,  318. 


address 
The 


The  sentences  which  follow  formed  part  of  the  discourse,  \vhen  delivered  as  an  a 
to  a  joint  meeting  of  the  United  Secession  .and  Relief  Presbyteries  of  Edinburgh, 
union  anticipated  has  been  consummated  under  the  happiest  "auspices.  ESTO  PEKPETUA. 

"  These  two  bodies  l  are,  in  reality,  more  united  than  any  one  large  ecclesiastical  body 
that  I  am  acquainted  with;  and  it  would  be  much  easier  to  prove  that  most  of  lho?e 
bodies  should  become  two  or  more  distinct  societies,  than  that  our  two  distinct  societies 
should  not  become  one.  I  will  not  speak  of  the  great  Antichristian  confederacy,  which 
boasts  of  union  as  one  of  its  characteristics  ;  but  in  which  almost  every  variety  of  opinion, 
every  degree  of  belief,  and  unbelief,  and  misbelief,  may  be  found,  under  the  cloak  of  'ex 
oteric  faith  in  the  bond  of  ignorance,  feir,  and  hypocrisy.'3  Nor  will  I  speak  of  the  estab 
lished  churches,  those  'cities  of  the  nations,' daughters  of  'Great  Babylon,'  which,  in  this 

*  The  United  Secession  and  the  Relu;f  Churches.  a  Jortiii. 


332  NOTES.  [DISC.  xn. 

respect,  have  generally  a  strong  likeness  to  their  mystic  mother ;  but  I  run  no  hazard  of 
being  confuted,  when  I  say,  that  there  is  far  less  extent  of  agreement  of  sentiment,  and 
much  greater  diversity  of  opinion,  among  the  Congregational  Us,  or  the  B.iptLsts,  or  the 
Melhodidts,  in  Britain,  who  are  generally  regarded  as  each  forming  but  one  body,  or  in 
either  of  the  great  bodies  of  Presbyterians  in  America,  thau  in  the  two  clnm'hes  which 
are  represented  here  this  evening.  I  do  not  think  that  it  would  be  easy  to  prove  that  these 
churches  should  ever  have  been  separate.  I  should  not  like  to  attempt  it,  though  their 
separate  existence  may  easily  be  accounted  for,  on  principles  which  throw  no  discredit  on 
the  conscientiousness  of  either  body;  but  I  am  quite  sure  it  would  be  very  difficult  to 
prove  that  they  ought  not  now  to  be  one.  I  know  no  argument  which  would  prove  that 
I  should  not  unite  with  the  Relief  Church,  which,  if  fairly  followed  out,  would  not  com 
pel  me  to  abandon  the  communion  of  the  United  Secession  Church.  It  has  been  my  con 
viction  for  a  considerable  period,  that  if  these  churches  are  not  ripe  for  union,  they  ought 
to  be  so;  and,  while  utterly  indisposed  to  push  an  incorporation  of  the  two  bodies,  at  the 
hazard  of  mutilating  either,  or  of  pressing  brethren  to  take  a  step  regarding  which  they 
are  not  'fully  persuaded  in  their  own  minis,'  Iain  rcnre  an. I  more  convinced,  that  if  those 
ministers  and  people  of  both  bodies  who  see  their  way  clear,  would  act  out  their  princi 
ples  to  the  fail  extent  that  tlu  decisions  of  the  two  supreme  courts  warrant,  the  period 
could  not  be  distant  when  the  feeling  of  wonder  why,  being  one,  we  should  still  continue 
divided,  and  the  experience  of  the  sacred  delights  and  solid  advantages  of  such  occasional 
intercourse,  would  c.ill  forth,  on  the  part  of  the  Christian  people,  an  expression  of  desire 
for  complete  union,  which  the  two  Synods  would  not  only  feel  warranted  to  respond  to, 
but  would  feel  it  impossible  to  refuse  to  gratify.  The  Lord  hasten  it  in  his  time." 

NOTE  C.  p.  G21. 

There  is  something  very  plea^in^in  the  following  ascription  of  prai=e  to  God  by  a  bish 
op  of  the  rjth  century,  clothed  though  it  be  in  monkish  rhymes,  which  Archbishop  U^her 
designate  <  '*  Rhythm  >s  Elegantifsi/noa  ;n  an  epithet  which  makes  n.-j  somewhat  doubtful 
if  his  Grace's  taote  was  at  all  proportionate  to  his  piety  and  learning: 

"  Super  cuncta,  subter  cunctu3, 
Extra  cuncta,  intra  cunctus, 
Subter  cuncta,  nee  subtractus, 
Super  cuncta,  nee  elatu?, 
Inter  cuncta,  nee  inclusus, 
Extra  cuncta,  nee  exclusus, 
Intra,  nusquam  coarctaris, 
Extra  nusquam  delataris, 
Subter,  nullo  fa'igaris, 
Super,  uullo  BUtfteiitaris." 

HILDEBKIITUS.     Rhythm,  de  Trin. 

NOTE  D.  p.  ^25. 

The  following  account  of  the  fear  of  God  which  Christians  should  cherish,  by  Arch 
bishop  Leighum,  presents  a  noble  specimen  of  the  most  of  the  characteristic  excellencies 
of  that  mo<t  satn'ly  man,  sound  divine,  and  elegant  scholar  : — 

"This  fear  h.i  1  chiefly  these  things: — I.  A  reverent  esteem  of  the  majesty  of  God, 
which  is  a  main  fundamental  thing  in  religion,  and  that  moulds  the  heart  most  power 
fully  to  tiii  obedience  of  his  will.  2.  A.  linn  belief  of  the  purity  of  Go  I,  anl  of  his 
power  an  1  justice;  that  he  loves  holiness  and  hates  all  sin,  and  can  and  will  puni>h  it. 
3.  A  ri.;ht  apprehension  of  the  bitterness  of  his  wrath  and  the  sweetness  of  his  love: 
that  hi-  i:KV!iHjd  anger  is  the  most  terrible  and  intolerable  thing  in  the  world,  absolutely 
the  fearl'.il,-a  of  all  evils;  and,  on  the  other  side,  his  love,  of  all  good  things  the  be-t,  the 
most  blessed  an]  delightful,  yea,  only  blesse  Iness.  Life  is  the  name  of  the  sweetest  good 
we  know;  and  yet  this  '  loving-kindness  is  better  than  life,'  says  David.  4.  It  suppose* 
likewise  sovereign  love  to  God,  for  his  own  infinite  excellency  and  goodness.  5.  From 
all  the  e  tilings  spring  a  most  earnest  desire  to  please  him  in  all  thing-,  and  unwillingness 
to  olfend  him  in  the  least;  and  because  of  our  danger  through  the  multitude  and  strength 
of  tentati.His  and  our  own  weakness,  a  continual  self-suspicion,  a  holy  fear  lest  we  should 
ein,  and  a  care  mid  watchfulness  that  we  sin  not,  and  deep  sorrow  and  speedy  returning, 
and  humbling  before  him,  when  we  have  sinned. 

"Tuere  h  indeed  a  b  ise  khvl  of  fear,  that,  in  the  usual  distinction,  they  call  servile 
fear  ;  but  to  account  all  fear  of  the  judgments  and  wrath  of  God  a  servile  fear  (or,  no't  to 


DISC.  XII.]  NOTES.  333 

etand  upon  •words),  to  account  such  a  fear  improper  to  the  children  of  God,  I  conceive,  is 
a  wide  mistake.  Indeed,  to  fear  the  punishment  of  sin,  without  regard  to  God,  and  his 
justice  as  the  iufiicter  of  them,  or  to  forbear  to  sin  only  because  of  those  punishments,  so 
as  if  a  mini  can  be  secured  from  those,  who  hath  no  other  respect  to  God  that  would  make 
him  fear  to  offend,  this  is  the  character  of  a  slavish  and  base  rnind. 

"  Again,  for  a  man  so  to  apprehend  wrath  in  relation  to  himself  as  to  be  still  under  the 
norror  of  it  in  that  notion,  and  not  to  apprehend  redemption  and  deliverance  by  Jesus 
Christ,  is  to  be  under  that  spirit  of  bondage  which  the  apostle  speaks  of,  Rom.  vin.  And 
such  fear,  though  a  child  of  God  may  for  a  time  be  under  it,  yet  the  lively  actings  of  faith 
and  persuasion  of  God's  love,  and  the  feeling  of  reflex  love  to  him  in  the  soul,  doth  cast 
it  out ;  according  to  that  of  the  apostle,  1  John  iv.  18, '  True  love  casteth  out  fear.'  But 
to  apprehend  the  punishments  the  Lord  threatens  against  sin  as  certain  and  true,  and  to 
consider  the  greatness  and  tearfulness  of  them,  but  especially  the  terror  of  the  Lord's  an 
ger  and  hot  displeasure  above  all  punishments,  and  (though  not  only,  no,  nor  chiefly  for 
these)  yet,  in  contemplation  of  those,  as  very  great  and  weighty,  to  be  afraid  to  offend  that 
God  who  hath  threatened  such  things  as  the  just  reward  of  sin;  this,  I  say,  is  not  incon 
gruous  with  the  estate  of  the  son  of  God,  yea,  it  is  their  duty  and  their  property  even  thus 
to  fear. 

"  ].  This  is  (he  very  end  for  which  God  hath  published  these  intimations  of  his  justice, 
and  hath  threatened  to  punish  men  if  they  transgress,  to  the  end  they  may  fear  anil  not 
transgress;  so  that  not  to  look  upon  them  thus,  and  to  be  affected  with  them  answerably 
to  their  intendment,  were  a  very  grievous  sin,  a  slight  and  disregard  put  upon  the  words 
of  the  great  God. 

"  2.  Of  all  others,  the  children  of  God  have  the  rightest  and  clearest  knowledge  of  God, 
and  the  deepest  belief  of  his  word;  and  therefore  they  cannot  choose  but  be  afraid,  and 
more  afraid  than  all  others,  to  fill  under  the  stroke  of  his  hand.  They  know  more  of  the 
greatness  and  truth,  an:l  justice  of  God,  than  others,  and  therefore  they  fear  when  he 
threatens.  '  My  fle^h  trembleth  for  fear  of  thee  (says  David),  and  I  am  afraid  of  thy 
judgments;'  yea,  they  tremble  when  they  hear  the  sentence  against  others,  or  see  the 
execution  on  them,  it  minds  them  when  they  see  public  executions ;  and  'knowing  the  ter 
ror  of  the  Lord,  we  persuade  men,'  says  St.  P.iul;  they  cry  out  with  Moses,  Psal.  xc., 
'  Who  knows  the  power  of  thine  anger  ?  even  according  to  thy  fear  so  is  thy  wrath.'  It 
is  not  an  imagination  nor  invention  that  makes  men  fear  more  than  they  need  ;  His  wrath 
is  as  terrible  as  any  that  fears  it  most  can  apprehend,  and  beyond.  So  that  this  doth  not 
only  consist  witli  the  estate  of  the  saints,  but  is  their  very  character,  to  tremble  at  the 
word  of  their  Lord:  the  vest  neglect  what  he  says,  till  death  and  judgment  seize  on 
them  ;  but  the  godly  know  and  believe  that '  it  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
the  living  God.' 

"  And  though  they  have  firm  promises,  and  a  kingdom  that  cannot  be  shaken,  yet  they 
have  still  this  grace  by  which  they  serve  God  acceptably  with  reverence  and  godly  fear, 
even  in  this  consideration,  that  our  God,  even  he  that  is  ours  by  peculiar  covenant,  is  a 
'  consuming  fire,'  Heb.  xii.  28,  29. 

"But  indeed,  together  with  this,  yea,  more  than  with  these,  they  are  persuaded  to  fear 
the  Lord  by  the  sense  of  his  great  love  to  them,  and  the  power  of  that  love  that  works 
in  them  towards  him,  and  is  wrought  in  them  by  his.  'They  shall  fear  the  Lord  and  his 
goodness  in  the  latter  days,'  Hos.  iii.  5.  In  those  days  his  goodness  shall  manifest  itself 
more  than  before ;  the  beams  of  his  love  shall  break  forth  more  abundantly  in  the  days  of 
the  gospel,  and  shall  beat  more  direct  and  hotter  on  the  hearts  of  men  ;  and  then  they 
shall  fear  him  more,  because  they  shall  love  him  more. 

"This  fear  agrees  well  both  with  faith  an  1  love;  yea,  they  work  it:  compare  Psal. 
xxxi.  23,  with  Psal.  xxxiv.  9;  and  that  same  Psal.  xxxiv.  8,  with  9,  and  Psal.  cxii.  1,  with 
7.  The  heart,  touched  with  the  loadstone  of  Divine  love,  trembles  still  with  this  godly 
fear,  and  yet  looks  fixedly  by  faith  to  that  star  of  Jacob,  Jesus  Christ,  who  guides  it  to 
the  haven  of  happiness. 

"  The  looking  upon  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ  takes  off  that  terror  of  his  coun 
tenance  that  drives  men  from  him  ;  and  in  the  smiles  of  his  love  that  appear  through 

SM*  ..!,!.      4) '        ^-     _1        -  •  L  A!.  _•        1.      _  ._      T_*     _         1 L.    !i. !>!.„'  .„     t»      .— 


though  it  excludes  not  the  consideration  of  wrath,  as  terrible  in  itself,  and  some  fear  of  it, 
yet  it  may  surmount  it;  and  doubtless,  where  much  of  that  love  possesses  the  heart,  it 
will  sometimes  drown  the  other  consideration,  that  it  shall  scarcely  be  sensible  at,  all,  and 
Will  constantly  set  it  aside,  and  persuade  a  man  purely  for  the  goodness  and  loveliness  of 
Go  I  to  fear  to  oflend  him,  though  there  were  no  interest  at  all  in  it  of  a  man's  own  per 
sonal  misery  or  happiness." 


DISCOURSE    XIII, 

THE  DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIAN  SERVANTS  ENJOINED  AND 
ENFORCED. 

1  PET.  ii.  18-25. — Servants,  be  subject  to  your  masters  with  all  fear:  not  only  to  tho 
good  and  gentle,  but  also  to  the  froward.  For  this  is  thank-worthy,  if  a  man  for  con-cience 
toward  God  endure  grief,  suffering  wrongfully.  For  what  glory  Is  it,  if,  when  ye  be  buf 
feted  for  your  faults,  ye  shall  take  it  patiently  ?  but  if,  when  ye  do  well,  and  suffer  for  it, 
ye  take  it  patiently,  this  is  acceptable  witli  God.  For  even  hereunto  were  ye  called; 
because  Christ  also  suffered  for  us.  leaving  us  an  example,  that  ye  should  follow  his  steps: 
who  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in  his  mouth  :  who.  when  he  was  reviled,  reviled 
not  again;  when  he  suffered,  he  threatened  not ;  but  committed  himself  to  him  that  judgeth 
righteously ;  Who  his  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,  that  we,  being 
dead  to  sins,  should  live  unto  righteousness ;  by  whose  stripes  ye  were  healed.  For  ye 
were  as  sheep  going  astray  ;  but  are  now  returned  unto  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  your 
souls. 

IN  these  words  we  have  a  further  illustration  of  the  general  injunc 
tion  laid  on  Christians  by  the  apostle  at  the  12th  verse  of  this  chapter, 
to  "  have  their  conversation  honest  among  the  Gentiles ;"  that  is,  so 
to  conduct  themselves  as  that  even  their  heathen  neighbors  should 
be  constrained  to  approve  them.  That  injunction  is,  as  it  were,  the 
text  of  a  considerably  long  paragraph  which  immediately  follows. 
The  manner  in  which  that  command  was  to  be  obeyed,  was  by  a 
careful  performance  of  relative  duties,  especially  such  as  they  owed 
to  their  heathen  connections.  Of  the  excellence  of  such  a  course  of 
conduct  they  were  qualified  judges,  which  they  were  not  of  duties  of 
a  more  strictly  religious  and  Christian  character.  All  Christians 
were,  therefore,  to  yield  a  loyal  subjection  to  civil  authority,  as  lodged 
both  in  its  supreme  and  subordinate  administrators  ;  to  cherish  and 
display  a  becoming  respect  for  all  who,  on  whatever  ground,  had  a 
claim  to  respect ;  to  cultivate  and  manifest  that  peculiar  regard  to  the 
Christian  society,  which  in  Christians  even  heathens  could  not  help 
considering  as  becoming  and  proper ;  and  to  show  a  reverence  for 
the  supreme  civil  power,  based  on,  and  only  limited  by,  the  reverence 
due  to  Him  who  is  "  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords."  The  natural 
tendency  of  such  "good  works,"  habitually  and  perseveringly  main 
tained,  was  to  overcome  the  prejudice  of  their  heathen  neighbors, 
and  constrain  those  "  who  spoke  against  them  as  evil-doers,  to  glorify 
God  in  the  day  of  visitation." 

Another  way  in  which  the  same  desirable  object  was  to  be  sought 
is  that  specified  in  our  text:  such  Christians  as  stood  in  the- relation 
of  servants,  especially  to  heathen  masters,  faithfully  discharging  the 
duties,  and  patiently  submitting  to  the  hardships,  connected  with  the 
situation  in  which  they  were  placed.  The  passage  contains  an  ac- 


DISC.  XIII.]  FOUNDATION    OF    THESE    DUTIES.  335 

count  first  of  the  duties  of  Christian  servants  generally,  and  of  the 
manner  in  which  they  should  be  performed;  they  are  to  be  ''subject 
to  their  masters/1  and  they  are  to  be  so  "in  all  fear  :"  And  then  of 
the  duty  of  a  particular  class  of  servants  :  those  who  have  not  good 
and  gentle,  but  fro  ward  masters,  and  of  the  motives  which  urge  to  its 
performance.  Though  their  service  may  be  harder,  and  their  treat 
ment  more  severe  than  those  of  their  more  favored  brethren,  they  are 
to  be  equally  obedient  and  submissive;  and  they  are  to  act  in  this 
way,  because  such  conduct  is  peculiarly  weil-pleasing  to  God,  and 
because  it  is  a  part  of  that  holiness,  that  conformity  to  Christ,  to 
which  as  Christians  they  were  called.  Let  us  turn  our  attention  to 
these  important  and  interesting  topics  in  their  order. 

§  1. — The  foundation  and  nature  of  the  relation  between  Servant  and 

Master. 

Servants,  at  the  period  when,  and  in  the  country  where,  the  Chris 
tians,  to  whom  the  apostle's  epistle  was  directed,  lived,  were  divided 
into  two  classes,  the  bond  and  the  free ;  the  first,  slaves,  persons  who 
had  been  taken  in  war,  or  had  been  born  in  a  state  of  slavery,  or  had, 
for  certain  considerations,  sold  their  freedom  ;  the  second,  hired  ser 
vants,  persons  who,  as  in  this  and  other  free  countries,  voluntarily 
sell  their  time  and  labor,  during  a  specified  period,  for  a  certain  price, 
under  the  name  of  sustenance  and  wages.  The  injunction  of  the 
apostle  is  intended  for  both  these  classes ;  for,  however  a  person  may 
be  brought  into  the  condition  of  a  servant,  the  duties  of  that  condi 
tion  are  substantially  the  same.  Before  entering  on  the  considera 
tion  of  these  duties,  it  may  not  be  without  its  use  to  unfold  in  a  few 
sentences,  the  nature  and  foundation  of  that  relation  in  which  these 
duties  originate. 

All  men,  viewed  merely  as  men,  are  equal.  They  all  have  the 
same  nature,  and  there  are  rights  and  duties  common  to  all.  They 
all  belong  to  the  same  order  of  God's  creatures,  "  God  has  made  of 
one  blood  all  the  nations  of  men  for  to  dwell  on  the  face  of  the  earth/'1 
Their  bodies  have  the  same  members,  their  minds  the  same  faculties. 
They  are  all  rational,  responsible,  immortal  beings,  and  every  man  is 
equally  bound  to  treat  every  other  man  according  to  the  laws  of  truth, 
justice,  and  humanity. 

But  while,  in  reference  to  nature,  men  are  equal,  in  reference  to 
condition  they  are  endlessly  diversified.  In  bodily  qualities,  such  as 
beauty,  strength,  and  agility  ;  in  mental  faculties,  such  as  judgment, 
imagination,  and  memory;  in  external  circumstances,  from  the  rudest 
state  of  barbarism  to  the  highest  state  of  refinement,  from  the  most 
abject  poverty  to  the  most  abundant  wealth,  the  greatest  differences 
prevail  among  the  possessors  of  our  common  nature.  And  these  dif 
ferences,  to  a  great  extent,  are  the  necessary  effect  of  the  operations 
of  the  God  of  nature  and  of  providence. 

In  consequence  of  this  diversity  of  condition,  individuals  are  not 
sufficient  for  their  own  comfortable  support,  and  stand  in  need  of  one 
another's  assistance ;  and  the  happiness  of  men  in  society,  depends  on 

1  Acts  xvii.  26. 


336  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.  XIII, 

mutually  giving  and  receiving :  giving  what  they  can  spare,  receiving 
what  they  need.  Out  of  these  facts  grow  all  social  arrangements,  and, 
among  the  rest,  the  relation  of  master  and  servant. 

A  person  possessed  of  property  finds  it  inconvenient  or  impossible 
for  him  to  do  personal!}7  many  things  which  he  finds  it  desirable 
should  be  done,  and  he  parts  with  a  portion  of  his  property  to  induce 
another  person,  fit  for  accomplishing  the  objects  in  view,  who  has 
time,  and  skill,  and  capacity  of  labor  to  dispose  of,  to  do  for  him  what 
he  cannot  do,  or  is  not  inclined  to  do,  for  himself.  The  master  has 
no  natural  authority  over  the  servant.  He  has  no  more  right  to  de 
mand  the  labors  of  the  servant,  than  the  servant  has  to  demand  his. 

The  relation,  when  legitimately  formed,  originates  in  a  bargain  or 
agreement  between  two  independent  individuals;  the  one  having 
property,  the  other  labor,  to  dispose  of.  The  master  stipulates  that 
the  servant  shall  perform  certain  services  for  certain  wages  ;  and  the 
servant  stipulates  that  the  master  shall  pay  him  certain  wages  for  cer 
tain  services.  The  result  of  the  bargain  is,  that  the  master  has  au 
thority  to  demand  the  stipulated  service,  and  the  servant  has  a  right, 
which  he  may  call  on  their  common  superior  to  enforce,  to  receive 
his  wages.1 

§  2. — The  duties  of  Christian  servants  in  general. 

Having  thus  stated,  as  shortly  and  plainly  as  I  could,  the  nature  and 
foundation  of  the  relation  of  the  servant  to  the  master,  let  us  now 
attend  to  the  duties  which  flow  from  it.  These  are  all  summed  up  in 
one  very  comprehensive  word  in  the  passage  before  us  :  "  Subjection." 
"Servants  be  subject  to  your  masters  :"  that  is,  let  your  will  be  regu 
lated  by  their  will.  In  other  words,  be  obedient  to  their  commands ; 
be  submissive  to  their  arrangements. 

(1.)  Servants  are  to  be  obedient  to  the  commands  of  their  master  ; 
that  is,  they  are  to  do  what  their  master  bids  them,  in  the  way  in 
which  he  requires  it  to  be  done,  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  A  ser 
vant  cannot  reasonably  expect  to  be  his  own  master  ;  to  be  allowed 
to  choose  how  he  shall  employ  his  time ;  what  he  shall  do,  or  even  in 
what  manner  the  service  required  shall  be  executed.  He  has  taken 
a  price  for  his  time  and  his  capacity  of  labor,  and  it  is  but  just  that  he 
who  has  bought  them  should  dispose  of  them.  They  are  no  more  his 
than  his  wages  are  his  master's.  He  is  a  person  under  authority,  who, 
when  bid  come,  must  come ;  when  bid  go,  must  go ;  and  when  bid  do 
this,  must  do  it. 

The  servant's  obligation  to  obey,  however,  is  by  no  means  un 
limited.  It  has  bounds  corresponding  with  the  master's  right.  No 
master  has,  or  can  have,  a  right  to  command  anything  that  is  incon 
sistent  with  the  divine  law;  and  of  course  no  servant  can  be  under 
an  obligation  to  comply  with  such  a  command.  The  rule  is  plain 
and  absolute,  when  the  will  of  an  earthly  master  is  opposed  to  the  will 
of  our  Master  in  heaven,  "We  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  man."1 

1  In  tliis  and  the  succeeding  part  of  the  discourse,  the  author  lias  availed  him-olf  of 
the  useful  labors  of  Bishop  Fleetwood,  in  his   "  Sermons  on  Relative  Duties/'  uuJ  of  Dr. 
^tennet,  in  his  "Discourses  on  Domestic  Duties." 

2  Acts  v.  29. 


DISC.  XIII.]  GENERAL    STATEMENT.  337 

Should  a  master  require  his  servant  to  speak  falsely,  to  act  fraudu 
lently  or  to  violate  any  Divine  precept,  such  a  command  ought  to 
•neet  with  a  respectful,  but  peremptory  refusal.  And  it  is  for  the  ser 
vant  to  judge  whether  a  particular  command  is  or  is  not  consistent 
with  the  Divine  law :  for  "every  one  of  us  shall  give  an  account  of 
himself  to  God."  *  It  will  not  be  sustained  as  an  excuse  at  the  Divine 
tribunal,  for  a  servant  doing  what  was  wrong,  that  his  master  com 
manded  him  to  do  it.  Servants  ought,  however,  to  take  care  not  to 
withhold  obedience  to  a  just  command,  from  a  pretended  regard  to 
conscience,  when  the  true  cause  of  their  non-compliance  is  their  sloth 
or  self-indulgence.  In  such  a  case  there  is  a  double  guilt  contracted. 
The  human  master  is  disobeyed,  and  the  Divine  Master  is  insulted. 
There  is  a  shocking  union  of  dishonesty  and  impiety. 

A  master  has,  can  have,  no  right,  to  command  what  is  impracti 
cable,  what  is  not  in  the  servant's  power ;  and  therefore,  in  such  cases, 
the  servant  is  under  no  obligation  to  obedience.  The  Israelites  were 
not  to  blame  when  they  did  not  obey  Pharaoh,  commanding  them  to 
make  bricks,  when  he  withheld  from  them  straw.  There  is  nothing 
wrong  in  a  servant  refusing  to  attempt  what  he  knows  to  be  an  im 
possibility,  or  what  he  is  aware  cannot  be  done,  or  attempted  to  be 
done,  without  materially  injuring  him.  It  is  quite  possible,  indeed, 
that  a  servant  may  pretend  incapacity  for  a  particular  piece  of  ser 
vice,  when  what  is  wanting  is  not  power  but  will ;  but  no  Christian 
servant  will  ever  act  in  this  way,  and  masters  ought  to  be  careful  not 
to  impose  any  unreasonable  burdens;  acting  always  on  that  rule  of 
our  Lord,  which,  if  carefully  attended  to,  would  keep  everything  in 
social  life  right:  "Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you, 
do  ye  even  so  to  them."  2 

Masters  have  no  right  to  demand  obedience  in  matters  that  do  not 
fall  within  the  limits  of  the  agreement  entered  into  with  the  servant ; 
and  of  course  servants  are  under  no  obligation  to  yield  obedience  in 
such  cases1.  At  the  same  time  servants  of  a  right  disposition  will  not, 
where  the  comfort  of  the  family  is  obviously  concerned,  be  very  nice 
in  measuring  the  precise  limits  of  the  appropriate  sphere  of  service, 
and  will  conscientiously  guard  against  making  their  freedom  from  obli 
gation  in  this  matter  a  cloak  of  sloth  or  ill  temper. 

With  these  exceptions,  servants  are  bound  to  obey  their  masters  in 
all  things.  A  servant  must  not  trifle  with,  or  disobey  a  command, 
because  he  thinks  it  refers  to  a  matter  of  but  little  moment.  That  is 
a  subject  in  which  he  is  not  at  all  called  to  judge  ;  and  what  he  thinks 
of  little  importance,  may  be,  in  his  master's  estimation,  and  in  reality, 
a  matter  of  the  greatest  importance ;  nor  is  difference  of  opinion, 
though  the  servant  may  be  right,  nor  disinclination  to  the  service  re 
quired,  to  be  considered  as  affording  any  reason  for  disobedience.  A 
servant  may,  without  any  violation  of  duty,  offer  his  opinion  to  his 
master,  if  he  do  it  respectfully ;  nay,  duty  may  in  some  cases  require 
him  to  do  so ;  but  he  is  never  to  forget,  that  it  is  not  his  judgment, 
but  his  master's,  that  is  ultimately  to  determine  the  matter ;  and  this 
even  although  his  master  assign  no  satisfactory  reason,  or  no  reason 
at  all. 

1  Rom.  xiv.  12.  •  Matt  rli.  12. 

22 


338  THE    DUTIES    OP    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.  XIII. 

This  obedience,  which  is  due  by  servants  to  their  masters,  ought  to 
be  characterized,  by  respectfulness,  faithfulness,  diligence,  and  cheer 
fulness.  A  rude,  forward,  assuming  behavior,  is  exceedingly  unbe 
coming  in  servants.  The  Divine  command  is,  that  Christian  servants, 
even  in  the  case  of  their  masters  being  heathens,  "  count  them  worthy 
of  all  honor,  not  answering  again  :"  "  And  if  they  are  believers,  that 
they  do  not  despise  them,  because  they  are  brethren/' l  Fidelity  must 
also  characterize  the  Christian  servant.  With  regard  to  the  time,  and 
the  property,  and  the  reputation  of  his  master,  he  must  be  scrupu 
lously  faithful.  He  must  guard  these  as  if  they  were  his  own.  There 
must  be  "  no  purloining,  but  a  showing  all-good  fidelity."  Diligence 
is  a  third  character  which  should  distinguish  the  obedience  of  the 
Christian  servant.  All  trifling,  sauntering,  and  loitering  should  be 
avoided  ;  and  they  should  not  be  "  eye-servants,  as  men-pleasers,"  but 
"  diligent  in  business,"  "  as  the  servants  of  God."  And,  finally,  they 
should  be  cheerful  in  their  obedience.  Few  things  are  more  unworthy 
of  a  Christian  servant  than  that  mulish  surly  obstinacy,  which  Solomon 
so  graphically  describes  when  he  says :  "  He  is  not  to  be  corrected 
by  words  ;  for  though  he  understand,  yet  will  he  not  answer."  The 
apostle  Paul  enjoins  Christian  servants,  "  with  good- will  to  do  service, 
as  to  the  Lord,  and  not  to  man."  This  forms  the  most  important  part 
of  the  Christian  servant's  duty,  to  obey  the  commands  of  his  master. 

(2.)  Under  the  general  head  "  subjection,"  however,  is  also  included 
submission  to  the  appointments  of  his  master.  The  economy  of  the 
household  is  to  be  directed  by  the  master;  and  where  these  arrange 
ments  in  no  degree  interfere  with  Divine  appointments,  and  are  not 
precluded  by  express  stipulation,  the  servant  must  submit  to  them, 
though  they  may  be  in  many  respects  disagreeable  to  him.  The  hours 
of  rising  and  retiring  to  rest ;  the  quality,  and  to  a  certain  extent  the 
quantity  of  sustenance,  and  a  vast  variety  of  other  arrangements, 
must  to  a  great  extent  depend  on  the  will  of  the  master ;  and  it  is  an 
important,  though  sometimes  not  a  very  easy  part  of  the  Christian  ser 
vant's  duty  to  submit  to  these  without  murmuring,  and  not  permit 
them  to  fret  the  temper,  so  as  to  be  unfit  for  the  cheerful  and  prin 
cipled  obedience  which  the  law  of  Christ  requires. 

The  manner  in  which  the  duty  of  subjection  should  be  performed, 
the  temper  in  which  obedience  and  submission  are  to  be  yielded, 
comes  now  to  be  considered.  "  Servants,  be  subject  to  your  masters 
in  all  fear."  It  has  been  common  to  consider  these  words  as  descrip 
tive  of  that  respectful  feeling  which  servants  should  cherish  towards 
their  own  masters,  and  to  which  we  have  already  alluded.  I  appre 
hend,  however,  that  the  fear  here  referred  to  is  not  the  fear  of  man  in 
any  of  its  forms,  but  the  fear  of  God.  The  phrase  "  all  fear,"  accord 
ing  to  the  idiom  of  the  New  Testament,  signifies  a  high,  or  the  highest 
degree  of  fear  ;  as  "  all  acceptation"  is  the  highest  degree  of  accepta 
tion,  "  all  wisdom"  every  kind  and  degree  of  wisdom ;  and  it  is  not 
according  to  the  genius  of  Christianity,  nor  indeed  of  revelation  gen 
erally,  to  inculcate  any  high  degree  of  fear  of  man.  On  the  contrary, 
a  leading  object  which  they  contemplate,  is  to  elevate  the  mind  above 
the  fear  of  man,  and,  by  leading  man  to  fear  God,  to  free  him  from  all 

1  Tit.  ii.  9.     1  Tim.  vL  1,  2. 


DISC.  XIII.]  GENERAL    STATEMENT.  339 

other  fear.  "  Who  art  thou,"  says  the  prophet,  "  that  thou  shouldest 
be  afraid  of  a  man  that  shall  die,  and  of  the  son  of  man  that  shall  be 
as  the  grass  ?"  "  Be  ye  not  afraid  of  them,"  says  our  Lord,  "  who 
kill  the  body,  and  after  that  have  no  more  that  they  can  do :"  "  Be 
not  afraid  of  their  terror,"  says  the  apostle  ;  "  neither  be  ye  troubled." 
The  prophet  says,  "Sanctify  the  Lord  in  your  heart,  and  let  Him  be 
your  fear  and  your  dread  ;"  our  Lord  says,  "  Fear  Him,  who  after  he 
has  killed  the  body,  can  cast  both  soul  and  body  into  hell-fire ;  yea,  I 
say  unto  you,  Fear  Him ;"  and  his  apostle  repeats  the  injunction  of 
the  prophet,  "  Sanctify  the  Lord  in  your  heart."  l 

The  fear  of  God  is  the  temper  in  which  Christians  are  to  perform 
all  their  duties.  They  are  "to  cleanse  themselves  from  all  filthiness 
of  the  flesh  and  the  spirit,  and  to  perfect  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God." 
They  are  to  "  submit  themselves  to  one  another  in  the  fear  of  God."  a 

The  word  "fear,"  without  the  adjunct  "of  the  Lord,"  is  certainly 
used  in  the  New  Testament  to  signify  religious  fear ;  fear  which  has 
God  for  its  object.  That  is  plainly  its  meaning  when  it  is  said,  that 
"  Noah,  moved  with  fear,  prepared  an  ark ;"  and  when  it  is  said,  "  Pass 
the  time  of  your  sojourning  here  in  fear."  That  seems  its  meaning, 
also,  when  the  Corinthians  are  said  to  have  received  Titus,  "  with  fear 
and  trembling ;"  and  when  Christians  are  commanded  to  "  work  out 
their  own  salvation,"  or  rather,  as  we  are  disposed  to  think,  to  labor 
for  one  another's  salvation,  "  with  fear  and  trembling :  for  it  is  God 
who  worketh  in  them,  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure."  5 

In  the  passage  in  Eph.  vi.  5,  parallel  to  that  under  consideration, 
the  "fear  and  trembling"  with  which  servants  are  to  perform  their 
duties,  is  strictly  connected  with,  "  in  singleness  of  your  heart,  as  to 
Christ;  not  with  eye-service,  as  men  pleasers ;  but  as  the  servants  of 
Christ,  doing  the  will  of  Gtfd  from  the  heart."  And  in  Col.  iii.  22, 
what  in  the  passage  just  quoted  is  called  "fear  and  trembling,"  is  ex 
plained  by  the  phrase  "  fearing  God."  Comparing  all  these  passages 
together,  I  can  scarcely  doubt,  that  "  with  all  fear,"  in  the  passage 
before  us,  is  equivalent  to,  with  a  deeply  pious  temper ;  and  that  this, 
too,  is  its  meaning  at  the  second  verse  of  the  next  chapter — where 
"  chaste  conversation  mingled  with  fear,"  is  just,  I  apprehend,  chaste 
pious  behavior,  purity  obviously  rising  from  piety. 

Christian  servants,  then,  in  performing  their  duties,  are  to  do  them 
from  a  regard  to  the  Divine  authority,  depending  on  the  Divine  assist 
ance,  looking  forward  to  the  Divine  tribunal,  desirous,  above  all  things, 
of  the  Divine  approbation;  fearing  lest  in  anything  the  Divine  disap 
probation  should  be  incurred.  This  is  one  of  the  many  instances  in 
which  we  find  Christianity  converting  everything  into  religion,  teach 
ing  men  "  to  set  the  Lord  always  before  them  ;"  and  in  the  most  or 
dinary  offices  of  life,  "whether  they  eat,  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  they 
do,  to  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God." « 

1  Isa.  li.  12.    Luke  xii.  4.     Isa.  viii.  13.    Luke  xii.  5.     1  Pet.  iii.  14,  15. 
a  2  Cor.  vii.  1.    Eph.  v.  21. 

3  Heb.  xi.  7.     1  Pet.  i.  17.     2  Cor.  vii.  15.    Phil.  ii.  12.     On  the  last  of  these  passages 
—a  difficult  one,  and  generally,  I  think,  misunderstood — Pierce's  Note  deserves  to  be 
consulted. 

4  Psal.  xvi.  8.     1  Cor.  x.  31. 


340  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.  XIII. 

§  3. — The  duties  of  a  particular  class  of  Christian  servants. 

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  for  a  little,  to  the  view  which  the 
apostle  gives  us  of  the  duty  of  a  particular  class  of  Christian  servants, 
and  of  the  motives  which  he  employs  to  urge  them  to  its  performance. 
The  servants  he  refers  to  are  those  who  have  not  "good,"  kind, 
"and  gentle  masters,"  but  "  froward,"  perverse,  unreasonable,  rough, 
unkind  masters.  Now  what  is  their  duty  ?  It  is  still  to  be  subject, 
just  as  if  they  were  good  and  gentle. 

It  is  no  part  of  a  Christian's  duty  to  enter  into  the  service  of  a  fro- 
ward  master,  if  he  can  make  a  better  arrangement ;  nor  to  remain  in 
his  service  any  longer  than  engagement  obliges,  or  other  circumstan 
ces  require ;  and  it  is  not  wrong  for  a  Christian  servant  to  avail  him 
self  of  all  the  means  which  the  law  of  his  country  furnishes  him  with, 
to  protect  himself  from  injury  and  ill-usage  from  a  froward  master. 
But  the  apostle  supposes  the  Christian  servant,  or  slave,  in  the  provi 
dence  of  God,  placed  under  a  froward  master.  Even  in  countries 
where  the  interests  of  servants  are  much  better  cared  for  by  law  than 
in  the  age  and  country  referred  to  by  the  apostle,  servants  who  have 
froward  masters  have  often  a  great  deal  of  suffering  to  submit  to  from 
unreasonable  commands,  and  arrangements,  and  unkind  overbearing 
tempers,  that  no  law  can  protect  them  from ;  and  this  was  the  case 
to  an  immeasurably  greater  degree  among  those  to  whom  this  epistle 
was  directed. 

Now,  what  was  their  duty  ?  Was  there  any  relaxation  in  the  pre 
cept,  "  Be  subject  ?"  None  in  the  least.  The  unkind  irritating  be 
havior  of  the  master  is  not  to  be  sustained  as  an  excuse  for  evading 
or  disobeying  his  commands,  nor  even  for  yielding  a  grudging  obedi 
ence  :  the  hardships  of  the  situation  are*to  be  patiently  submitted  to 
while  they  continue ;  and  there  is  to  be  no  attempt  to  lessen  or  re 
move  them  by  neglecting  or  violating  relative  duty.  This  makes  us 
see  how  necessary  it  is  for  the  Christian  servant  to  do  his  duty  "with 
all  fear,"  in  a  pious  spirit,  from  a  regard  to  God's  authority ;  feeling 
that  though  the  commands  of  his  master  are  in  themselves  harsh  and 
unreasonable,  it  is  a  wise  and  good  commandment  that  requires  him, 
in  his  circumstances,  to  be  subject  to  his  master,  within  the  limits 
already  described ;  that  though  the  yoke  of  the  earthly  master  is 
oppressive,  the  yoke  of  the  Master  in  heaven  is  reasonable. 

§  4. — Motives  to  the  discharge  of  these  duties. 

This  duty  of  cheerful,  patient  obedience  to  harsh  and  unreasonable 
masters,  is  a  very  difficult  one,  and  therefore  the  apostle  enforces  it  by 
very  powerful  motives.  These  are  two :  first,  patient  endurance  of 
undeserved  suffering,  is  of  high  estimation  in  the  sight  of  God ;  and, 
secondly,  it  is  a  part  of  that  conformity  to  the  image  of  God's  Son, 
to  which  Christians  are  called,  and  to  secure  which  was  one  great 
design  of  the  sacrifice  of  God's  Son.  Let  us  look  at  these  two  mo 
tives  in  their  order. 


DISC.  XIII.J  MOTIVES,  341 

(1.)  Patient  endurance  of  undeserved  wrong  enforced  by  the  con 
sideration,   that  it  is   "acceptable  to   God." 

The  first  is  stated  in  these  words,  "  For  this  is  thank-worthy,  if  a 
man  for  conscience  toward  God  endure  grief,  suffering  wrongfully : 
for  what  glory  is  it,  if,  when  ye  be  buffeted  for  your  faults,  ye  shall 
take  it  patiently  ?  but  if,  when  ye  do  well,  and  suffer  for  it,  ye  take  it 
patiently,  this  is1  acceptable  with  God."  The  Christian  servant  under 
a  frovvard  master  is  described  as  "  suffering  wrongfully."  He  does 
his  duty  faithfully  and  cheerfully,  yet  he  does  not  receive  the  kind 
treatment  his  conduct  merits ;  he  may  not  be  treated  illegally,  so  as 
that  his  master  lays  himself  open  to  punishment,  but  he  may  be  made  to 
endure  a  great  deal  of  severe  suffering  within  these  limits.  That  may 
take  place,  often  does  take  place,  even  now,  and  in  this  country, 
where  the  rights  of  servants  are  better  understood,  and  more  effectu 
ally  protected,  than  in  most  countries;  and  must  have  taken  place  to 
a  much  greater  degree  in  ages  and  countries  where  heathenism  and 
slavery  prevailed,  and  where  even  the  civil  rights  of  hired  servants 
were  much  more  limited  than  they  are  with  us. 

When  the  Christian  servant  acted  in  character,  though  suffering 
wrongfully,  he  "endured  grief;"  that  is,  not  merely  felt  the  uneasiness 
his  master's  treatment  of  him  naturally  produced,  but  bore  it  meekly 
and  patiently.  The  word  "  endure,"  is  employed  in  the  same  sense 
as  when  it  is  said,  "  Moses  endured,  as  seeing  him  who  is  invisible." 
"  We  count  them  happy  that  endure."  "  Blessed  is  the  man  that  en- 
dureth  temptation,"  that  is,  trial.2  There  is  neither  merit  nor  demerit 
in  merely  suffering.  It  is  the  manner  in  which  we  suffer  that  deserves 
praise  or  blame. 

Now,  says  the  apostle,  a  Christian  servant  conscientiously  doing  his 
duty  to  a  froward  master,  bears  patiently  the  unkind  and  injurious 
treatment  he  receives  from  him,  "  for  conscience  .towards  God." 
Some  have  supposed,  that  these  words  mean,  that  the  bad  treatment 
of  the  froward  master  was  persecution  because  the  servant  was  a 
Christian.  That  this  might  be,  often  was,  the  case,  we  cannot  doubt ; 
but  that  is  not  the  idea  conveyed  by  the  words.  The  statement  is, 
not  that  he  suffers  wrongfully  for  conscience  towards  God ;  but  for 
conscience  towards  God  he  "  endures,"  patiently  suffers  grief.  He 
submits  patiently  to  suffering,  from  an  enlightened  regard  to  the  char 
acter  and  will  of  God.  He  believes  that  he  is  in  his  present  circum 
stances  by  the  providence  of  God ;  he  knows  God  requires  him  to 
bear  the  evils  he  is  subject  to  with  fortitude  and  patience;  he  believes 
that  God  will  support  him  under  them,  in  due  time  deliver  him  from, 
them,  and  make  them  work  for  his  good ;  and  therefore  he  "  endures" 
them.  "  Such  a  servant's  obedience  is  not  pinned  to  the  goodness 
and  equity  of  his  master,  but,  when  that  fails,  will  subsist  on  its  own 
inward  ground.  This  is  the  thin^  that  makes  sure  and  constant  walk 
ing.  It  makes  a  man  step  even  in  the  ways  of  God." 3 

Now,  says  the  apostle,  a  Christian  servant  acting  in  this  way  is 

1  Xapts  Trapa  0£(7).  Imitatur  Petrus  phrasin,  quam  ipse,  rccens  discipulus,  ex  Domino 
audierat.  Luke  vi.  32,  55.— BENGEL. 

8  Heb.  xi.  27.    James  v.  2;  i.  12.  9  Leighton. 


342  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.   XIII. 

an  object  of  the  complacent  approbation  of  God.  "This  is  thank 
worthy,"  this  is  "  acceptable  with  God  ;"  there  is  glory  in  this.  It  is 
the  same  word  that  is  rendered  "  thank-worthy"  and  "  acceptable," 
and  no  good  end  is  gained  by  varying  the  rendering.  God  regards 
with  complacency  the  Christian  servant  who,  from  a  regard  to  his 
will,  from  a  trust  in  his  character,  quietly  and  patiently  bears  unpro 
voked  wrong,  and  does  not  allow  his  master's  unworthy  behavior 
to  influence  his  discharge  of  his  duty  to  him.  And  to  every  Christian 
the  assurance  that  God  looks  with  complacency  on  a  particular 
course  of  conduct,  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  motives  which  can  be 
suggested  for  following  it.  Men  may  count  you  mean-spirited  in 
submitting  to  such  usage.  God,  who  is  infinitely  wise,  and  whose 
approbation  is  of  more  importance  than  that  of  the  whole  universe  of 
created  beings,  approves  your  conduct,  counts  your  meekness  true 
glory,  and  regards  you  with  affectionate  complacency.  His  eye 
rests  benignantly  on  you.  That  far  more  than  counterbalances  the 
sour  looks,  and  the  harsh  language,  and  the  unkind  treatment,  of  the 
fro  ward  master. 

That  such  conduct,  the  patient  endurance  of  undeserved  suffering, 
is  a  proper  object  of  complacent  regard,  the  apostle  shows,  by  con 
trasting  it  with  the  patient  endurance  of  deserved  suffering:  "  For 
what  glory  is  it,  if,  when  ye  are  buffeted  for  your  faults,  ye  shall  take 
it  patiently  ?  but  if,  when  ye  do  well,  and  suffer  ('for  it,'  is  a  supple 
ment,  and  should  not  have  been  inserted  ;  for  there  is  no  reason  to 
think  the  servants  suffered  for  doing  well,  but  only  notwithstanding 
their  doing  well),  ye  take  it  patiently,  this  is  acceptable  with  God." 

In  these  words  the  apostle  meets  the  very  natural  thought :  It  is 
very  hard  to  suffer  when  we  deserve  a  reward ;  we  could  receive 
merited  chastisement  without  complaint;  we  should  feel  that  in  that 
case  complaint  was  unreasonable ;  but  to  endure  undeserved,  unpro 
voked  grief;  to  meet  with  insult  and  outrage,  instead  of  the  kind 
treatment  our  dutiful  conduct  entitles  us  to,  this  is  hard  indeed.  The 
apostle  does  not  deny  this ;  but  he  says,  you  are  placed  in  circum 
stances  in  which  you  have  an  opportunity  of  drawing  down  upon 
yourselves  a  larger  measure  of  the  approbation  of  God,  than  had  you 
been  placed  in  what  you  might  have  thought  better  circumstances. 
Neither  God  nor  man  could  have  regarded,  with  approbation,  your 
conduct  in  meriting  chastisement.  If,  after  meriting  chastisement, 
you  had  submitted  to  it  patiently,  both  God  and  man  would  have  ap 
proved  of  your  conduct  as  what  was  fitting  in  the  circumstances; 
but  they  would  not  have  considered  it  as  deserving  of  praise  ;  the 
opposite  kind  of  conduct,  murmuring  under  chastisement  incurred  by 
fault,  would  have  appeared  most  unreasonable  and  blamable.  But 
God,  and  all  good  men  who  think  along  with  God,  will  regard  you 
with  a  high  degree  of  affectionate  complacency,  if,  under  strong 
temptations  to  murmur,  you  "possess  your  souls  in  patience,"  and  in 
stead  of,  in  any  degree,  "rendering  evil  for  evil,"  endeavor  to  '-over 
come  evil  with  good."  l 

The  reason  why  such  conduct  is  peculiarly  acceptable  to  God  is, 
that  all  undeserved  suffering,  endured  patiently  from  religious  motives, 

1  Luke  xxl  19.     Rom.  xil  17,  21. 


DISC.  XIII.]  *  MOTIVES.  343 

shows  the  submission  of  the  mind  and  will  to  God.  It  is  an  embodi 
ment  of  the  soul  of  true  religion,  "  Not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done. 
The  cup  which  my  Father  giveth  me  to  drink,  shall  I  not  drink  it?"1 

It  may  be  worth  observing,  in  passing,  that  from  the  language 
used,  it  is  plain  that  masters  had  then  the  power  of  corporal  chas 
tisement,  and  that  they  were  not  slack  in  using  it:  "  If  ye  be  buffet 
ed  for  your  faults."  All  ranks  of  men,  and  especially  the  subordi 
nate  ones,  have  great  cause  to  be  thankful  to  Christianity,  which  not 
only  changes  the  hearts  of  individuals,  but  mitigates  and  mellows  the 
manners  of  communities.  No  master  in  our  land  can  buffet  a  ser 
vant  but  at  his  peril. 

This,  then,  is  the  first  motive  which  the  apotle  urges  on  Christian 
servants  to  patient  endurance  of  unmerited  suffering  from  froward 
masters. 

And  is  it  not  a  powerful  one  ?  What  the  Christian  would  be  at  is 
the  praise  of  God.  If  he  can  secure  that,  is  it  not  enough  ?  As 
Archbishop  Leighton  says,  "  If  men  commend  him  not,  he  accounts 
it  no  loss,  and  little  gain  if  they  do.  He  is  bound  to  a  country 
where  that  coin  grows  not,  and  whither  he  cannot  carry  it;  and 
therefore  he  gathers  it  not.  That  which  he  seeks  in  all  is,  that  he 
may  be  approved  and  accepted  of  God,  whose  thanks  to  the  least  of 
those  whom  he  accepts  is  no  less  than  a  crown  of  unfading  glory. 
Not  a  poor  servant  that  fears  his  name,  and  is  obedient  and  patient 
for  his  sake,  but  will  thus  be  rewarded.  Not  any  cross  that  is  taken, 
what  way  so  ever  it  comes,  as  out  of  his  hand,  and  carried  patiently, 
yea,  and  welcomed  and  embraced  for  his  sake,  but  he  observes  our  so 
entertaining  it.  Not  an  injury  which  the  meanest  servant  bears  chris- 
tianly,  but  goes  upon  account  with  him,  and  he  sets  them  so  as  that 
they  bear  much  value  through  his  esteem  and  way  of  reckoning 
them,  though  in  themselves  they  are  all  less  than  nothing,  as  a  worth 
less  counter  stands  for  hundreds  or  thousands,  according  to  the  place 
you  set  it  in.  Happy  they  who  have  to  deal  with  such  a  Lord  ;  and 
be  they  servants  or  masters,  are  avowed  servants  to  Him.  When 
he  comes  his  reward  will  be  with  him." 

The  great  principle  which  the  apostle  requires  Christian  servants 
to  act  from,  in  cheerfully  doing  the  duties  and  enduring  the  hardships 
of  their  condition,  is  "  conscience  towards  God."  Submission  to  the 
Divine  will,  respect  to  the  Divine  authority,  desire  of  the  Divine 
approbation,  should  be,  and,  if  we  are  Christians,  will  be,  the  ruling 
principle  of  our  conduct  in  all  our  actings  and  sufferings  in  life.  To 
borrow  the  striking  words  of  him  whom  in  these  discourses  I  so  often 
quote,  "  Let  us  all,  whether  servants  or  not,  set  the  Lord  always  be 
fore  us,  and  study,  with  Paul,  to  have  '  a  conscience  void  of  offence 
towards  God  and  towards  man.'  Let  us  apply  constantly  to  our 
actions  and  to  our  inward  thoughts  the  command  of  God.  Let  us 
walk  by  that  rule  abroad  and  at  home,  in  our  houses  and  in  the  sev 
eral  ways  of  our  calling,  as  an  exact  workman,  who  is  ever  and  anon 
applying  his  rule  to  his  work,  and  squaring  it.  Let  us,  from  con 
science  towards  God,  do  and  suffer  his  will  cheerfully  in  everything, 
being  content  that  he  should  choose  our  condition  and  trials  for  us  ; 
1  John  xviii.  11.  Luke  xxii.  43. 


344  THE    DUTIES    OP    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.  XIII. 

only  desirous  to  be  assured  that  he  has  chosen  us  for  his  own,  set  us 
apart  for  himself,  and  secured  for  us  *  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  chil 
dren  of  God/  and  the  full  '  redemption  of  the  purchased  possession.' " 
Let  us  seek  as  our  great  object,  "  that  whether  we  sleep  or  wake  we 
may  be  accepted  of  him,"  and  obtain  at  last  the  inheritance,  as  those 
who  serve  the  Lord  Christ.  Let  us  steadily  walk  in  the  way  that 
leads  to  this  inheritance,  overlooking  this  momentary  scene  and  all 
things  in  it,  accounting  it  a  very  indifferent  matter  what  our  outward 
state  here  be  in  this  moment,  provided  we  may  be  happy  in  eter 
nity.  Whether  we  be  high  or  low  here,  bond  or  free,  imports  but 
little,  seeing  all  these  differences  will  so  quickly  be  at  an  end,  and  no 
traces  of  them  be  found  forever.  It  is  so  with  individual  men  in  the 
grave  :  you  may  distinguish  the  greater  from  the  less,  the  monarch 
from  the  slave,  by  their  tombs,  but  not  by  their  dust ;  and  yet  a  little 
while  in  the  reckoning  of  the  Eternal,  and  all  these  external  distinc 
tions  will  pass  away ;  the  palace  and  the  cottage  equally  disappear 
ing,  while  "  the  elements  melt  in  fervent  heat,  and  the  earth  and  all 
the  works  that  are  therein  are  burnt  up."  Yet,  then  shall  the  "  right 
eous  shine  forth  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father,"  and  their  lustre  shall 
be  proportioned  to  their  righteousness.  When  all  earthly  splendor 
has  vanished  in  darkness,  patient  endurance  of  suffering  for  con 
science'  sake  shall  be  found  unto  glory  inextinguishable ;  and  the 
slave  who  for  conscience  to  God,  in  circumstances  of  peculiar  trial, 
"enduring  grief,  suffering  wrongfully,"  proved  that  the  mind  of 
Christ  was  in  him,  and  that  he  had  learned  to  walk  in  the  steps  of  the 
example  he  has  left  behind  him,  shall  receive  tokens  of  a  degree  of 
Divine  approbation,  which  may  be  withheld  from  many  who,  placed 
in  what  men  reckoned  far  more  enviable  circumstances,  have  not  at 
tained  to  the  same  measure  of  conformity  to  him  who  is  "  the  bright 
ness  of  glory,"  "  the  excellency  of  beauty,"  the  "  first-born  among 
many  brethren." 

(2.)  Patient  endurance  of  undeserved  suffering   enforced  from  a 
consideration  of  Christ's  sufferings. 

I  go  on  now  to  turn  your  attention  to  the  second  motive  by  which 
the  apostle  enforces  the'  duty  of  Christian  servants  patiently  enduring 
undeserved  suffering.  That  motive  is  stated  in  the  following  words  : 
— "  For  even  hereunto  were  ye  called  :  because  Christ  also  suffered 
for  us,  leaving  us  an  example,  that  ye  should  follow  his  steps :  who 
did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in  his  mouth  :  who,  when  he  was 
reviled,  reviled  not  again ;  when  he  suffered,  he  threatened  not ;  but 
committed  himself  to  him  who  judgeth  righteously:  who  his  own 
self  bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,  that  we,  being  dead 
to  sin,  should  live  unto  righteousness :  by  whose  stripes  ye  were 
healed.  For  ye  were  as  sheep  going  astray ;  but  are  now  returned 
unto  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  your  souls."  The  motive  is  de 
rived  from  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  may  so  far  be  considered  a 
simple  one  ;  but  as  these  sufferings  are  plainly,  in  different  parts  of  the 
text,  viewed  in  different  aspects,  first  as  exemplary,  and  then  as  ex 
piatory,  it  must  also,  if  we  would  feel  its  full  force,  be  considered  as 


DISC.  XIII.]  MOTIVES.  345 

a  complex  one.  "Hereunto  are  ye  called."  Patient,  undeserved 
suffering  is  a  portion  of  that  conformity  to  Christ,  to  which,  as  Chris 
tians,  ye  are  called  :  "  Hereunto  are  ye  called."  Patient,  undeserved 
suffering  is  a  part  of  that  universal  holiness  to  which  ye  are  called, 
and  to  secure  which,  was,  so  far  as  relates  to  man  subjectively  con 
sidered,  the  great  ultimate  object  of  our  Lord's  expiatory  sufferings. 
The  motive  is  presented  in  the  first  of  these  aspects  in  the  21st,  22d, 
and  23d  verses,  and  in  the  second  of  them  in  the  24th  and  25th. 
Let  us  attend  to  them  in  their  order. 

1. — Christians  called  to  patient  suffering  as  a  part  of  conformity  to 

Christ. 

"  Hereunto  were  ye  called,"  or,  to  this  were  ye  called.  The  firs! 
question  that  requires  to  be  answered  here  is,  to  what  does  the  apostle 
refer  in  these  words  ?  What  is  it  that  he  represents  these  Christian 
servants  whom  he  is  addressing  as  called  to?  Some  have  supposed 
that  it  is  suffering  for  the  cause  of  Christ — suffering  on  account  of 
being  Christians ;  and  that  the  force  of  what  he  says  may  be  thus 
stated,  '  Ye  are  called  to  suffer  for  Christ,  and  it  is  very  reasonable 
that  ye  should  be  so  called,  for  HE  suffered  for  you.'  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  the  Christians  of  that  age  were  generally  called  to  suf 
fer  for  Christ,  and  in  a  remarkable  manner  and  degree ;  there  can  be 
as  little  doubt  that  it  is  a  very  good  reason  why  Christians  of  every 
age  should  suffer  for  Christ,  that  HE  suffered  for  them ;  but  a  little 
attention  will  make  it  evident  that  it  is  not  suffering  merely  for  the 
cause  of  Christ,  but  patient,  undeserved  suffering,  whatever  might  be 
the  occasion,  that  is  here  referred  to ;  and  that  the  motive  is  not  the 
general  statement,  "  Christ  suffered  for  us,"  but  "  Christ  has  set  us  an 
example  of  the  patient  endurance  of  undeserved  suffering." 

The  substance  of  the  apostle's  argument  may  be  thus  stated :  '  To 
this,  even  the  patient  endurance  of  sufferings  wrongfully  inflicted,  are 
ye  called  as  Christians,  and  to  this,  from  a  regard  to  the  will  of  God/ 
And  how  does  it  appear,  that  as  Christians,  they  are  called  to  this  ? 
They  were  called  to  be  "conformed  to  the  image  of  God's  Son,"  and 
in  particular,  they  were  called  to  "  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings," 
to  suffer  with  him,  like  him,  "  in  order  to  their  being  glorified  together 
with  him."  1  "  He  left  them  an  example  that  they  should  follow  his 
steps."  He  suffered ;  his  sufferings  were  undeserved  sufferings ;  he 
suffered  for  them,  not  for  himself;  and  he  sustained  these  undeserved 
sufferings  most  patiently,  and  from  regard  to  the  will  of  God.  "  When 
reviled,  he  reviled  not  again ;  when  he  suffered,  he  threatened  not, 
but  committed  himself  to  him  who  judgeth  righteously."  Admitting 
these  premises,  it  follows  that  Christian  servants,  exposed  to  unde 
served  sufferings,  should  not  allow  these  sufferings  to  interfere  with 
the  discharge  of  their  duties,  but  should  bear  them  without  murmur- 
ing,  in  submission  to  the  Divine  will.  Let  us  look  a  little  more 
closely  at  the  facts  here  stated,  the  general  principles  here  laid  down, 
and  the  bearing  which  the  two  in  connection  have  on  the  duty  of 
Christian  servants  exposed  to  unmerited  suffering  from  froward  mas- 

1  Rom.  viii.  29.     1  Cor.  i.  9.     Phil.  iii.  10. 


346  THE    DUTIES    OP    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.  XIII, 

ters,  and  of  all  Christians  exposed  to  unmerited  suffering  from  what 
ever  cause. 

And  first,  Of  the  facts  here  stated.  The  first  of  these  is,  "Christ 
suffered."  l  Our  Lord,  on  assuming  human  nature,  became  capable 
of  suffering;  and  having  become  a  man  born  of  woman,  his  days 
were  few,  and  full  of  trouble.  The  sufferings  which  he  endured 
were  in  number,  variety,  and  severity,  such  as  no  human  being  ever 
experienced.  He  was  "  a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief." 
"  His  countenance  was  more  marred  than  that  of  any  man,  and  his 
form  than  that  of  the  sons  of  men." 2  The  language  which  the 
prophet  Jeremiah  puts  in  the  mouth  of  desolated  Jerusalem  might 
have  been  most  appropriately  used  by  him  :  ''Is  it  nothing  to  all  you 
who  pass  by :  behold  and  see  if  there  be  any  sorrow  like  unto  my 
sorrow  ?"  The  Captain  of  our  salvation  was  made  "  perfect  through 
suffering."3 

These  sufferings  were  all  unmerited — unmerited  by  him.  They 
were  richly  merited  by  those  for  whom,  on  whose  account,  for  whose 
benefit,  in  whose  room,  they  were  endured,  but  they  were  utterly  un 
deserved  by  him.  His  desert  was  the  highest  degree  of  enjoyment, 
of  which  his  assumed  nature  was  capable.  When  he  suffered,  he 
suffered  for  others,  not  for  himself.  Viewed  in  whatever  light  you 
please,  his  sufferings  were  undeserved  from  men.  Viewed  apart  from 
the  relation,  which,  in  glad  compliance  with  the  will  of  his  Father,  he 
stood  to  ill-deserving,  hell-deserving  sinners  of  the  human  race,  they 
were  undeserved  from  his  Father. 

The  idea,  which  is  certainly  intended  to  be  suggested  by  the  ex 
pression,  "  Christ  suffered  FOR  us,"  is  more  fully  brought  out  in  the 
words  that  follow,  "  who  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guilt  found  in  his 
mouth."  In  this  clause  the  words  of  the  prophet  Isaiah,  in  the  fifty- 
third  chapter  of  his  prophecy,  are  certainly  alluded  to,  if  not  directly 
quoted  :  "  Who  did  no  violence,  neither  was  guile  found  in  his  mouth." 
It  is  scarcely  possible  to  doubt  that  in  these  words  there  is  a  reference 
to  the  two  charges  which  were  brought  against  our  Lord,  and  for 
which  he  was  tried  before  the  supreme  civil  and  ecclesiastical  courts 
of  his  country.  Before  the  Roman  government  he  was  accused  of 
"violence" — of  "perverting  the  nation  and  forbidding  to  give  tribute 
to  Caesar,  stirring  up  all  the  people  throughout  all  Jewry  from  Galilee 
to  Jerusalem  ;"4  and  before  the  high  priest  and  Sanhedrim  he  was  ac 
cused  of  "  guile" — of  false  doctrine  in  calling  himself  the  Son  of  God, 
"'making  himself  equal  with  God."  The  first  charge  his  enemies  so 
completely  failed  in  substantiating,  that  the  Roman  governor,  pecu 
liarly  sensitive  on  such  a  subject,  and  likely  to  have  his  suspicions 
easily  roused  and  not  easily  allayed,  after  the  closest  examination,  de 
clared,  "  I  find  no  fault  in  this  man,"5  that  is,  'nothing  even  approxi 
mating  to  the  charge  brought  against  hirn  has  been  proved.'  And  as 
to  the  second,  there  needed  no  proof  that  he  made  such  claims ;  he 
readily  admitted  this :  but  he  accompanied  his  claims  with  abundant 

Petvus  non  exprimit  quod  Christus  passus  sit,  scd  simpliciter  elicit  Xp«rrdj  srradcv,  ut 
innuat,  omne  passiunis  genus  Christum  pro  nobis  tolerasse." — Jo.  Hus. 
2  Job  xiv.  1.     Isa.  liii.  3;  liL  14.  8  Lam.  i.  12.     Heb.  ii.  10. 

Luke  xxiii.  5,  14.  «  John  v.  18.     Luke  xxii.  70 ;  xxiii.  4. 


DISC.  XIII.]  MOTIVES.  347 

evidence,  that  in  making  them  there  was  "no  guile  in  his  mouth;" 
that  he  spoke  nothing  but  the  truth.  All  the  sufferings,  then,  which 
were  inflicted  on  him,  as  if  he  had  been  a  perpetrator  of  crime,  a 
teacher  of  falsehood,  were  undeserved  sufferings. 

But  while  this  seems  the  direct  reference  of  the  words,  they  are 
without  doubt  intended  to  convey  the  idea  of  the  perfect  innocence, 
the  absolute  excellence  of  our  Lord.  Actions  and  words  are  the  ex 
pression  of  thoughts  and  feelings ;  and  he  who  neither  in  deed  nor  in 
word  offends  may  well  be  presumed  to  be  a  perfect  man.  It  has  been 
truly  and  beautifully  said,  that  "  all  Christ's  words  and  actions  flowed 
from  a  pure  spring  that  had  nothing  defiled  in  it ;  other  men  may  seem 
clean  as  long  as  they  are  unstirred,  but  move  and  trouble  them,  and 
the  mud  arises.  But  in  this  case,  though  stirred  and  agitated  to  the 
utmost,  the  deep  fountain  of  his  mind  and  heart  refnained,  though 
troubled,  perfectly  pure,  and  sent  forth  nothing  but  the  most  pellucid 
streams."  Men  tried  him,  devils  tried  him,  God  tried  him,  and  the 
result  always  was,  "he  did-  no  sin,  no  guile  was  found  in  his  mouth." 
Nothing  could  convict  him  of  sin.  There  was  no  fault  in  him.  He 
was,  indeed,  "such  a  high  priest  as  became  us,  holy,  harmless,  unde- 
filed,  and  separate  from  sinners."  "  He  was  all  fair ;  there  was  no 
spot  in  him."  1 

The  third  fact  is,  He  endured  all  these  undeserved  sufferings  with 
the  utmost  patience.  "  When  reviled,  he  did  not  revile  again  ;  when 
he  suffered,  he  threatened  not."  He  patiently  "endured"  the  "so 
great  contradiction  of  sinners  against  himself,"  to  which  he  was  ex 
posed.  In  many  cases  he  maintained  a  meek  silence,  at  other  times 
he  replied  to  their  upbraidings  and  reproaches  with  calm  reasonings, 
affectionate  expostulations,  and  benignant  prayers.  When  called  a 
Sabbath-breaker,  he  replied  by  telling  them  that  his  Father,  as  well  as 
himself,  worked  on  the  Sabbath-day;  asking  them  whether  it  was 
lawful  to  do  good  or  evil  on  that  day;  putting  them  in  mind,  that 
"  the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the  Sabbath ;"  and 
bidding  them  "go  and  learn  what  that  means,  I  will  have  mercy,  and 
not  sacrifice."  When  charged  with  casting  out  devils  by  the  power 
of  Beelzebub,  the  prince  of  devils,  he  merely  rebutted  the  shocking 
imputation  by  showing  its  absurdity.  When  upbraided  as  a  compan 
ion  of  the  dissolute  and  worthless,  he  justified  the  conduct  on  which 
they  grounded  the  foul  imputation,  by  saying,  "  they  that  are  whole 
need  not  the  physician,  but  they  that  are  sick.  I  came  not  to  call  the 
righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance."  When  charged  with  blasphe 
my  for  saying  to  the  man  sick  of  the  palsy,  "  Thy  sins  be  forgiven 
thee,"  he  merely  directed  their  attention  to  the  effect  of  his  words,  as 
containing  a  sufficient  vindication  of  them.  When  they  calumniated 
him  as  an  impostor  and  seducer  of  the  people,  he  made  no  sharp  an 
swer,  but  appealed  to  the  works  which  he  had  done  among  them,  as 
abundant  evidence  of  the  truth  of  all  he  said,  as  proving  that  he  had 
not  come  of  himself,  but  had  been  sent  of  his  Father,  God.  When 
they  took  up  stones  to  throw  at  him,  all  that  he  said  was,  "Many 
good  works  I  have  showed  you  of  my  Father ;  for  which  of  these 
works  do  ye  stone  me  ?"  When  he  was  rudely  addressed,  inhumanly 
1  Heb.  vil  26.  Cant.  iv.  7. 


348  THE    DUTIES    OP    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.  XIII. 

treated  by  a  menial  while  at  the  bar  of  the  Sanhedrim,  his  reply  was, 
<f  If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness  of  the  evil ;  but  if  well,  why 
smitest  thou  rne  ?"  And  when  in  the  extremity  of  his  suffering,  the 
high  priests,  the  soldiers,  and  the  populace  vied  with  each  other  whc 
should  most  embitter  his  dying  agonies,  by  scornful  taunts  and  bitter 
revilings,  they  could  draw  forth  from  him  neither  reproach  nor  threat 
ening.  With  a  heart  full  of  pity,  he  turned  from  them  to  his  Father, 
and  urged  the  only  palliating  circumstance  in  their  crime,  as  an  argu 
ment  for  their  pardon,  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do."  l 

Well  does  Archbishop  Leighton  say :  "  None  ever  did  so  little  de 
serve  revilings  :  none  ever  could  have  said  so  much  in  his  own  just 
defence,  and  to  the  just  reproach  of  his  enemies,  and  yet  in  both  he 
preferred  silence :  none  could  ever  threaten  so  heavy  things  as  he 
could  against  his  enemies,  and  have  made  good  all  that  he  threatened, 
and  yet  no  such  thing  was  ever  heard  of  him.  The  heavens  and  the 
earth,  as  it  were,  spoke  their  resentment  of  the  dishonor  done  to  him 
who  made  them.  The  darkened  sun,  the  shaking  earth,  the  rending 
rocks,  uttered  rebuke,  and  denounced  vengeance  ;  but  He  held  his 
peace.  He  was  silent ;  or  if  he  spoke,  it  was  to  show  how  far  he  was 
from  revilings  and  threatenings." 

The  only  other  fact  mentioned  is,  that  when  Christ  patiently  en 
dured  unmerited  sufferings,  he  did  so,  from  a  regard  to  the  will  of  his 
Father.  It  was  not  stupidity,  it  was  not  stoicism,  it  was  enlightened, 
affectionate  piety,  which  produced  this  patient,  unresisting,  uncom 
plaining  suffering.  "  He  committed  himself  to  him  who  judgeth  right 
eously."  2 

He  looked  above  all  second  causes  to  the  Great  First  Cause.  He 
saw  all  coming  forth  from  Him  who  is  "  wonderful  in  counsel,  and 
excellent  in  working."  He  saw  in  the  events  which  occurred  to  him 
the  manifestation  of  His  will ;  and  fully  confident  of  his  wisdom,  and 
righteousness,  and  faithfulness,  and  benignity,  he  meekly  submitted 
to  them,  persuaded  that  He  would  do  all  things  well.  "  The  cup 
which  my  Father  giveth-me  to  drink,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ?"  "  Shall 
I  say,  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour  ?  For  this  purpose  came  I  to 
this  hour.  Father,  glorify  thine  own  name."  "  Not  my  will,  but 

1  John  v.  17.  Mark  ii.  27.  Matt.  xii.  26.  Luke  v.  23,  31.  John  x.  32  ;  xviii.  23. 
Luke  xxiii.  34. 

3  It  deserves  to  be  noticed  here  that  the  Vulgate  renders  these  words  "  tradebat 
judicanti  se  injuste;"  and  that  the  versions  from  the  Vulgate  give  corresponding  render 
ings.  Roman  Catholic  critics  and  interpreters,  who  are  generally  unwilling  to  acknowledge 
errors  in  a  version  pronounced  by  the  Council  of  Trent  "  authentica,"  have  attempted  to 
defend  the  rendering  on  the  ground  that  it  exhibits  a  very  good  sense,  supposing  the  ref 
erence  to  be  to  Pilate.  Though  it  were  to  give  what  might  be  thought  a  better  sense 
than  the  "  textus  receptus, '  that  is  no  evidence  against  the  testimony  of  the  Codd.  Now 
all  the  Greek  Codd.  read  with  the  "  textus  receptus."  The  citations  of  the  Greek  Fathers 
are  also  coincident.  With  the  exception  of  one  or  two  cases  in  the  Latin  Fathers,  which 
may  have  been  interpolations,  they  also  agree  with  the  T.  R.  It  is  not  wonderful  that 
Father  Simon — very  acute,  but  not  very  scrupulous — should  support  the  Vulgate  ;  but  it 
is  remarkable  to  find  Causabon  b  tt'ivt  taking  the  same  side.  Estius,  one  of  the  most 
judicious  and  candid  of  the  Roman  Catholic  commentators,  says — "librariorum  incuria  in 
Codd.  Latt.  legitur  injuste  pro  juste"  There  has  been  supposed  to  be  a  reference  here  to 
Jer.  xi.  19,  20.  If  any  passage  of  the  Old  Testament  was  in  the  apostles  mind,  we  should 
rather  think  of  Psal.  vii.  8  ;  xxvi.  1 ;  xxxv.  24 ;  especially  the  last,  as  the  19th  verse  of 
that  Psalm  is  referred  to  our  Lord  by  himself. — John  xv.  25. 


DISC.  XIII.]  MOTIVES.  349 

thine  be  done."  l  He  was  persuaded  that  both  HE  and  his  righteous 
cause,  the  cause  of  the  divine  glory,  and  the  salvation  of  man,  were 
safe,  perfectly  safe,  in  the  hands  of  "  him  who  judges  righteously." 
He  believed  and  he  did  not  make  haste.  His  own  deliverance  and 
glorious  exaltation,  the  salvation  of  the  millions  for  whom  he  was 
pouring  out  his  soul  unto  death,  and  the  merited  punishment  of  the 
obstinate  opposers  of  truth  and  righteousness,  he  was  persuaded  were 
as  certain  as  if  they  had  already  taken  place.  They  would  all  take 
place  at  the  time,  and  in  the  manner,  that  seemed  best  to  infinite 
wisdom,  and  holiness,  and  benignity  ;  and  he  was  willing  to  suffer  as 
severely  and  as  long  as  was  requisite,  to  the  gaining  of  these  grand 
objects,  according  to  the  arrangements  of  Him  who  alone  has  wis 
dom.  His  temper  is  strikingly  described  in  the  words  of  one  of  his 
servants,  who  had  much  of  the  mind  that  was  in  him  :  "  Lord,  what 
thou  wilt :  when  thou  wilt :  how  thou  wilt."  8  These  are  the  facts, 
then,  with  regard  to  our  Lord  stated  in  the  text  :  He  suffered ;  his 
sufferings  were  undeserved;  these  undeserved  sufferings  were  borne 
with  patience  ;  this  patience  originated  in  submission  to  the  will  of 
God. 

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  a  little  to  the  general  principles  here 
laid  down.  These  are  two.  In  thus  patiently  enduring  undeserved 
suffering  from  a  regard  to  the  divine  will,  our  Lord  set  an  example 
to  his  people  ;  and  to  the  imitation  of  this  example  Christians  are  ex 
pressly  called. 

The  first  of  these  principles  is  stated  in  these  words :  "  Christ  also 
suffered  for  us,  leaving  us  an  example  that  we  should  follow  his  steps." 
1  Ye  servants,  who  have  froward  masters,  are  suffering  ;  but  remem 
ber  ye  are  not  the  only  sufferers,  Christ  also  suffered  ;  suffered  unde 
servedly,  suffered  patiently,  suffered  piously,  leaving  you  an  example 
that  ye  should  follow  in  his  steps  ;  he  did  all  this  with  the  intention 
of  showing  you  what  you  might  expect,  and  how  you  should  behave.' 

It  is  quite  plain,  that  within  certain  clearly  definable  limits,  our 
Lord's  character  and  conduct  is  the  great  exemplar  after  which  his 
followers  are  to  fashion  theirs.  They  are  commanded  to  have  the 
mind  in  them  that  was  in  him.  They  are- to  think  as  he  thought: 
they  are  to  feel  as  he  felt :  they  are  to  "  walk  as  he  also  walked.''' 
They  are  to  be  "in  the  world  as  he  was  in  the  world."  "  To  follow 
him,"  is  the  comprehensive  term  which  describes  all  the  varied  duties 
of  discipleship.  In  running  the  Christian  race,  we  are  constantly  to 
"  look  to  him"  as  the  "exemplar  as  well  as  the  rewarder."  3 

Whatever  in  qualification  or  function  belonged  to  him  as  a  person 
invested  with  an  office  altogether  peculiar,  that  of  Mediator  between 
God  and  man,  the  Saviour  of  sinners,  and  possessed  of  supernatural 
powers,  fitting  him  to  accomplish  the  great  ends  for  which  he  was 
invested  with  that  office,  is  obviously  not  to  be  considered  as  exem 
plary.  Within  that  circle  none  must  attempt  to  walk  but  he.  It 
would  be  folly  and  impiety  to  attempt  to  expiate  sin,  either  our  own 
or  other  men's  ;  or,  without  a  divine  commission,  to  work  miracles, 
or  to  do  what,  when  done  by  our  Lord,  obviously  went  on  the  supposi- 

1  John  xviii.  11 ;  xii.  27,  28.  '  Baxter. 

'  Phil.  ii.  5.     1  John  ii.  6  ;  ir.  IT.    John  xii.  26.     Heb.  xii.  2. 


350  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.  XIIl. 

lion  of  his  possessing  a  species  of  authority  and  knowledge  which  do 
not,  which  cannot,  belong  to  his  followers,  to  forgive  sins,  or  to  pro 
nounce  on  the  spiritual  state  and  eternal  destiny  of  individual  men. 

But  in  the  great  leading  principles  of  our  Lord's  conduct,  supreme 
love  to  God,  disinterested  love  to  man,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he 
is  our  exemplar  ;  and,  supposing  him  placed  in  our  circumstances,  we 
are  always  to  think,  and  feel,  and  act,  as  he  would  have  thought,  and 
felt,  and  acted.  There  may  be  some  difficulty  in  certain  cases,  though 
they  are  of  rare  occurrence,  in  saying,  whether  a  particular  action 
of  our  Lord,  recorded  in  the  evangelical  history,  is  to  be,  to  the  letter, 
imitated  by  us  :  but  there  can  be  no  difficulty  in  the  case  before  us  ; 
for  the  mode  of  conduct  referred  to  is  just  the  natural  expression  of 
those  great  principles  of  love  to  God,  and  love  to  man,  by  which,  in 
common  with  Christ,  all  Christians  should  be  animated  and  guided ; 
and  we  have  the  express  declaration  of  an  inspired  writer,  that  in  sub 
mitting  to  undeserved  suffering,  and  in  enduring  it  patiently  and 
piously,  it  was  the  intention  of  our  Lord  to  exhibit  to  his  people  a 
picture  of  the  trials  which  they  might  expect  to  meet  with,  and  a  pat 
tern  of  the  manner  in  which  they  ought  to  sustain  these  trials.  This 
fact,  of  itself,  then,  sufficiently  shows  that  Christians  are  bound  not 
only  to  admire,  but  to  imitate,  their  Lord,  in  meekly  and  piously  sub 
mitting  to  undeserved  suffering. 

This  is  made  still  more  evident  by  the  second  general  principle 
laid  down  in  the  text.  To  this  meek,  pious  submission  to  suffering, 
in  imitation  of  Christ,  Christians  are  expressly  called.  "  Hereunto," 
to  this,  "  are  ye  called  ;"  that  is,  when  you  were  called  to  be  Chris 
tians,  you  were  distinctly  told  that  you  should  meet  with  suffering, 
with  undeserved  suffering,  and  that  you  would  be  expected  to  bear  it 
in  a  meek,  pious  spirit.  What  says  our  Lord  ?  "  If  any  man  will  be 
my  disciple,  let  him  deny  himself,  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me." 
"  If  the  world  hate  you,  ye  know  that  it  hated  me  before  it  hated  you. 
If  ye  were  of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  its  own ;  but  because 
ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world,  there 
fore  the  world  hateth  you.  Remember  the  word  which  I  said  unto 
you,  the  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  Lord  ;  if  they  have  persecuted 
me,  they  will  persecute  you :  if  they  have  kept  my  saying,  they  will 
keep  yours  also.  In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation.  These 
things  have  I  spoken  to  you,  that  ye  should  not  be  offended,"  stum 
bled,  when  they  come  to  pass ;  thinking  it  strange,  as  if  some  strange 
thing  had  happened  to  you.  "  Behold  I  tell  you  before."  *  And 
what  say  the  apostles  ?  They  assure  Christians  that  it  is  "  through 
much  tribulation  that  they  are  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  ;"  and  that 
"all  who  will,"  who  are  determined  to,  "live  godly  in  this  world,  must 
suffer  persecution."  They  bid  them  "  count  it  all  joy  when  they  are 
brought  into  manifold  trials;"  tell  them  that  is  needful  that  they  "for 
a  season  be  in  heaviness  through  these  manifold  trials ;"  caution  them 
against  counting  fiery  trials  strange  things,  and  exhort  them  when 
they  meet  with  these  to  "  rejoice  that  they  are  partakers  of  Christ's 
sufferings."  And  as  to  the  manner  in  which  these  afflictions  are  to 
be  borne,  this  is  their  calling :  "  Let  patience  have  its  perfect  work." 

1  John  xv.  18-20 ;  xvi,  33. 


DISC.  XIII.]  MOTIVES.  351 

"  Humble  yourselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God."      '  Be  patient, 
stablish  your  hearts,  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth  nigh."  l 

Having  thus  shortly  illustrated  the  facts  stated,  '  Christ  suffered,  he 
suffered  undeservedly,  he  suffered  patiently,  he  suffered  piously ;'  and 
the  general  principles  stated,  '  In  thus  meekly  and  piously  enduring 
undeserved  suffering,  Christ  has  set  an  example  to  his  followers  which 
they  should  imitate ;  and,  To  this  imitation  of  Christ's  example  in 
meek,  pious  endurance  of  undeserved  suffering,  they  are  expressly 
called ;'  we  proceed  to  show  the  bearing  that  the  two,  taken  in  con 
nection,  have  on  the  enforcement  of  the  duty  which  the  apostle  is 
here  enjoining  on  Christian  servants  in  peculiar  circumstances.  As 
there  is  nothing  either  in  the  duty  enjoined,  or  in  the  motives  enfor 
cing  it,  peculiar  to  the  situation  of  sefvants,  as  both  are  equally  appli 
cable  to  all  Christians  when  exposed  to  undeserved  suffering  from 
their  fellow-men,  it  may  serve  a  good  purpose,  in  the  succeeding  ob 
servations,  to  treat  the  subject  in  this  more  extended  view. 

It  clearly  follows,  from  the  facts  stated,  and  the  principles  laid 
down,  that  Christians  need  not  wonder,  and  ought  not  to  be  dis 
couraged,  when  they  meet  with  undeserved  suffering  from  the  world ; 
that  they  should  be  careful  that  all  the  sufferings  they  are  exposed  to 
from  the  world  be  indeed  undeserved  sufferings ;  and  that  they  ought 
to  submit  to  these  undeserved  sufferings  in  a  spirit  of  meek  forgive 
ness  towards  those  who  inflict  them,  and  of  humble,  hopeful  resigna 
tion  to  HIM  by  whose  appointment  they  are  subjected  to  them. 

I  observe,  then,  in  the  first  place,  that  Christians  need  not  wonder, 
and  ought  not  to  be  discouraged,  when  they  meet  with  undeserved 
sufferings  from  the  world.  Christ  suffered — suffered  without  deserv 
ing  suffering — suffered  from  those  from  whom  kindness,  not  injury, 
had  been  merited  by  him.  If  Christ  thus  suffered,  is  it  strange  that 
Christians  should  thus  suffer  ?  So  far  as  they  deserve  the  name,  they 
are  like  Christ ;  they  have  his  Spirit ;  they  speak  like  .him  ;  they  act 
like  him.  The  world  in  the  midst  of  which  they  live  is  substantially 
the  same  as  the  world  in  the  midst  of  which  he  lived.  How  can  they 
expect,  then,  to  be  otherwise  treated  in  it,  or  by  it,  than  he  was  ?  Can 
they  deserve  ill  usage  less  than  he  did  ?  Can  they  merit  kindness 
more  than  he  did  ?  What  is  the  unreasonableness  and  unkindness 
implied  in  treating  even  the  best  of  them  ill,  compared  with  that  im 
plied  in  treating  him  ill  ?  This  ill  treatment  by  the  world,  without  a 
good  reason,  is  one  of  the  proofs  that  we  belong  to  Christ.  If  the 
world  love  us  out  and  out,  it  is  a  proof  that  we  are  its  own  ;  for  the 
world  thus  loves  none  but  its  own.  "Can  the  Christian  choose  but 
to  have  the  same  common  friends  and  enemies  with  his  Lord  ?  Could 
he  be  gratified  with  the  friendship  of  that  world  which  hated  and 
murdered  his  Master,  and,  if  he  were  here,  would  hate  and  murder 
him  over  again  ?  Would  he  have  nothing  but  kindness  and  ease, 
where  Christ  had  nothing  but  enmity  and  trouble  ?  Would  he  not 
rather  refuse  and  disdain  to  be  so  unlike  the  Lord  ?" 

"  There  is  a  family  on  earth 

Whose  Father  fills  a  throne  ; 

1  Acts  xiv.  22.     2  Tim.  iii.  12.     1  Pet.  i.  6  ;  iv.  12,  13.     James  i.  -i.     1  Pet.  v.  6. 


352  THE    DUTIES    OP    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.   Kill. 

But,  though  a  seed  of  heavenly  birth, 

Ou  earth  they're  little  known. 
Where'er  they  meet  the  public  eye, 

They  feel  the  public  scorn  ; 
For  men  their  fairest  claims  deny, 

And  count  them  basely  born. 

"  But  'tis  the  King  who  reigns  above 

That  claims  them  for  his  own— 
The  favored  objects  of  his  love, 

And  destin'd  to  a  throne. 
"Were  honors  evident  to  sense 

Their  portion  here  below, 
The  world  would  do  them  reverence, 

And  all  their  claims  allow. 

"  But,  when  the  King  himself  was  here, 

His  claims  were  set  at  naught ; — 
Would  they  another  lot  prefer  ? 

Rejected  be  the  thought. 
No  ;  they  will  tread,  while  here  below, 

The  path  their  Master  trod— 
Content  all  honor  to  forego 

But  that  which  comes  from  God." l 

I  remark,  in  the  second  place,  that  Christians  should  be  careful  that 
all  the  sufferings  they  are  exposed  to  from  the  world  be  indeed  unde 
served  sufferings.  Christ  suffered  for  us,  not  for  himself :  "  He  did 
no  sin,  no  guile  was  found  in  his  mouth."  His  sufferings  were,  in  the 
sense  we  have  already  explained,  undeserved  sufferings ;  and  in  thus 
suffering,  he  set  us  an  example,  that  we  should  follow  his  steps.  Every 
sufferer  has  not  fellowship  with  Christ  in  his  sufferings.  He  who 
brings  suffering  on  himself  by  his  folly  and  sin, 'manifests  not  likeness, 
but  unlikeness  to  the  Saviour.  He  does  not  follow  in  his  steps.  He 
travels  in  a  different,  in  an  opposite,  path  from  that  in  which  he 
travelled.  A  Christian  has  fellowship  with  Christ  in  his  sufferings, 
"  fills  up  what  is  behind  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Lord  Jesus/' 2  only 
when  his  sufferings  are  like  Christ's,  u  sufferings  for  righteousness* 
sake,"  or  at  any  rate  sufferings  unprovoked,  undeserved.  All  suffer 
ing,  as  coming  from  God,  is  deserved.  The  holiest  man  on  earth, 
though  he  should  be  the  most  afflicted,  is  punished  less  than  his  in 
iquities  deserve.  But  Christians  must  take  care  that,  so  far  as  men 
are  concerned,  their  sufferings  are  undeserved  sufferings.  Christian 
servants,  who  have  fro  ward  masters,  are  to  take  care  that,  if  buffeted, 
they  be  not  buffeted  for  their  faults.  Christians  must  take  care  that, 
however  much  evil  their  enemies  may  do  them,  they  may  have  no 
evil  thing  to  say  truly  of  them.  They  must  so  conduct  themselves, 
as  that  their  enemies,  like  Daniel's,  shall  not  be  able  to  find  anything 
against  them,  "  except  concerning  the  law  of  their  God."  3  None  of 
them  must  "  suffer  as  a  murderer,  or  a  thief,  or  an  evil-doer,  or  even 
as  a  busybody  in  other  men's  matters."  When  they  suffer,  let  it  be 
as  Christians,  innocently,  undeservedly.  Then  shall  they  have  no 
cause  to  be  ashamed,  but  rather  to  "glorify  God  on  this  behalf." 
Being  "partakers  of  Christ's  sufferings  they  may  well  rejoice,  for 
when  his  glory  is  revealed,  they  shall  be  glad  also  with  exceeding 
joy." « 

»  Kelly.  »  Col.  i.  24.  *  Dan.  vi.  5.  4  1  Pet.  iv.  15. 


DISC,  xnr.]  MOTIVES.  353 

I  observe,  in  the  third  place,  that  Christians  should  submit  to  the 
undeserved  sufferings  to  which  they  are  exposed  in  a  meek,  patient, 
forgiving  spirit.  When  Christ  suffered,  not  on  his  own  account, 
when  he  suffered  undeservedly,  having  done  no  sin,  no  guile  having 
been  found  in  his  mouth,  "when  reviled,  he  did  not  revile  again,  when- 
he  suffered,  he  threatened  not/'  and  in  this  he  hath  "  set  us  an  exam 
ple,  that  we  should  follow  his  steps."  We  do  not  act  like  Christians, 
for  we  do  not  act  like  Christ,  when  we  make  the  fact  that  our  suffer 
ings  are  undeserved  an  excuse  for  impatience  under  them,  or  revenge 
ful  thoughts  and  wishes  in  reference  to  their  authors.  Christians  can 
be  said  to  have  fellowship  with  Christ  in  their  undeserved  sufferings, 
only  when  they  endure  them,  as  he  endured  his,  and  requires  them  to 
endure  theirs ;  when  they  "  love  their  enemies,  do  good  to  them  that 
hate  them,  bless  them  that  curse  them,  and  pray  for  them  who  perse 
cute  them  and  despitefully  use  them ;"  when  they  do  not  seek  to 
avenge  themselves,  when  they  are  not  "overcome  of  evil,  but  over 
come  evil  with  good."  l  Such  is  the  course  Christians  should  follow, 
for  such  is  the  law,  such  the  example  of  their  Lord.  And  there  is  an 
additional  reason,  very  touchingly  urged  by  the  apostle,  in  his  Epistle 
to  Titus,  why  they  should  thus  be  "gentle,  showing  all  meekness  to 
all  men,"  even  those  who  are  most  unreasonably  unjust  and  wicked 
to  them ;  "  for  they  themselves  were  sometime  foolish,  disobedient, 
deceived,  serving  divers  lusts  and  pleasures,  living  in  malice  and  envy, 
hateful,  and  hating  one  another." 2 

I  observe  in  the  last  place,  Christians  should  patiently  endure  the 
unmerited  sufferings  to  which  they  are  exposed,  in  a  spirit  of  pious 
resignation.  Christ,  when  he  personally  submitted  to  undeserved 
sufferings,  "  committed  himself  to  Him  who  judgeth  righteously,"  and 
in  this  too  he  hath  "  set  us  an  example  that  we  should  follow  his  steps." 
In  his  sufferings  he  saw  the  appointment  of  his  Father.  However 
unjust  these  sufferings  were  as  coming  from  man,  they  were  just  as 
coming  from  Him.  They  were  the  expression  of  holy  displeasure  at 
the  sins  of  men,  whose  place  he,  by  his  own  most  voluntary  consent, 
occupied.  In  number  and  severity  they  were  just  what  He  willed 
them  to  be  ;  he  believed  He  would  sustain  him  under  them,  deliver 
him  from  them,  and  make  them  the  means  of  fully  accomplishing  him 
as  the  Captain  of  Salvation,  and  he  committed  himself  unreservedly 
into  His  hands,  persuaded  that  He  would  do  all  things  well. 

In  like  manner  Christians  are  to  see  in  the  men  of  the  world  who 
treat  them  unjustly  and  unkindly,  "  the  hand,"  "  the  staff/'  "  the  rod" 
of  Jehovah ;  and  of  all  the  afflictions  produced  by  their  instrument 
ality  to  say,  "  This  cometh  forth  from  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  wonderful 
in  counsel,  excellent  in  working."  They  are  to  recollect  that  though 
they  have  not  deserved  this,  though  they  may  have  deserved  the  very 
reverse,  from  those  who  maltreat  them,  they  deserve  this,  far  more 
than  this,  at  the  hand  of  God :  "  It  is  of  his  mercies  that  they  are  not 
consumed."  They  are  to  remember  that  both  as  creatures  and  re 
deemed  creatures,  he  has  an  undoubted  right  entirely  to  manage  their 
affairs.  They  are  to  believe  that  he  orders  all  things  well  and  wisely ; 
that  he  "  will  not  suffer  them  to  be  tried  above  what  they  are  able  to 

1  Matt.  v.  44.     Rom.  xii.  21.  a  Tit.  iii.  2. 

23 


354  THE    DUTIES    OP    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.  XIII. 

bear ;"  that  he  will  sustain  them  under  their  afflictions ;  that  he  will 
ihake  them  work  together  for  their  good ;  work  out  for  them  "  a  far 
more  exceeding  and  an  eternal  weight -of  glory."  And  under  the  in 
fluence  of  these  convictions,  they,  when  suffering  according  to  the 
will  of  God,  like  their  Lord  who,  when  suffering  according  to  the 
will  of  God,  "  committed  himself  to  Him  who  judgeth  righteously," 
are  to  "commit  the  keeping  of  their  souls  to  God  in  well-doing,  as 
unto  a  faithful  Creator."  1  Thus  have  I  endeavored  to  brin^  out  the 
force  of  the  motive  to  patient  endurance  of  undeserved  suffering  on 
the  part  of  Christians,  grounded  on  that  example  of  our  Lord,  to  the 
imitation  of  which  they  are  called  in  their  high  and  holy  calling. 

2. — Christians  called  to  patient  suffering,  as  a  constituent  part  of 
that  holiness,  to  secure  which  was  a  great  end  of  Christ's  expia 
tory  sufferings. 

But  the  apostle  represents  our  Lord's  sufferings  not  only  as  exem 
plary,  but  also  as  expiatory ;  and  he  represents  them  in  the  latter,  as 
well  as  the  former  aspect,  as  affording  powerful  motives  to  the  per 
formance  of  the  duties  which  he  is  enjoining.  He  says,  not  only 
'perform  the  duty  of  patient  pious  endurance  of  undeserved  suffering, 
"  for  hereunto  were  ye  called,  because  Christ  also  suffered  for  you, 
leaving  us  an  example,  that  we  should  follow  his  steps ;"  '  but  also, 
'perform  this  duty,  ''for  hereunto  were  ye  called,  because  Christ  also 
suffered  for  you,  himself  bearing  your  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the 
tree."  "  That  Jesus  Christ  is,  in  doing  and  suffering,  our  supreme 
and  matchless  example,  and  that  he  came  to  be  so,  is  a  truth  ;  but  that 
he  is  nothing  further,  and  came  for  no  other  end,  is  a  high  point  of 
falsehood :  for  how  should  man  be  enabled  to  learn  and  follow  that 
example,  unless  there  was  more  in  Christ ;  and  what  would  become 
of  that  great  reckoning  of  disobedience  that  man  stands  guilty  of? 
No,  these  are  too  narrow.  He  came  to  bear  our  sins  in  his  own 
body  on  the  tree ;  a  body  prepared  for  him,  and  given  to  him  to  bear 
this  burden,  to  do  this  as  the  will  of  the  Father,  to  stand  for  us  in 
the  room  of  all  offerings  and  sacrifices.  And  by  that  will,  says  the 
apostle,  we  are  sanctified,  by  the  offering  of  the  body  of  Christ  once 
for  all."  2 

To  explain  the  statement  made  by  the  apostle  respecting  the  suffer 
ings  of  Christ,  viewed  as  expiatory,  and  to  show  its  force  as  a  motive 
to  the  discharge  of  the  duties  which  he  is  enjoining,  are  the  objects  I 
have  in  view  in  the  remaining  part  of  this  discourse. 

The  statement  made  by  the  apostle  naturally  divides  itself  into 
three  parts :  When  Christ  suffered  for  us  he  himself  bore  our  sins  in 
his  own  body  on  the  tree ;  when  he  thus  suffered,  it  was,  that  we,  being 
dead  to  sin,  should  live  unto  righteousness:  and  the  effect  of  this  is 
that  we  are  healed  by  his  stripes :  we,  who  were  like  sheep  going 
astray,  are  thus  brought  back  to  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls. 
The  first  part  of  the  statement  describes  the  nature ;  the  second,  the 
design ;  the  third,  the  consequences,  of  our  Lord's  sufferings  for  us. 
Let  us  attend  to  these  important  topics  in  their  order. 

1  Isa.  viii.  5.     Psal.  xviL  14.     1  Cor.x.  13.     2  Cor.  iv.  17.     1  Pet  v.  19         •  Leightoa 


DISC.  XIII.]  MOTIVES.  355 

And,  first,  let  us  attend  to  the  account  which  the  text  gives  us  of 
the  NATURE  of  our  Lord's  sufferings.  When  he  suffered  tor  us,  "he 
himself  bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree."  These  words 
plainly  intimate  that  the  sufferings  of  our  Lord  were  penal,  that  is, 
they  were  the  manifestation  of  the  displeasure  of  God  against  sin : 
when  he  suffered,  "  he  bare  sin ;"  that  they  were  vicarious,  that  is, 
they  were  the  manifestation  of  the  displeasure  of  God  against  the  sin, 
not  of  the  sufferer,  but  of  men  in  whose  place  he  stood,  for  he  had  no 
sin  ;  "  he  bare  our  sins  :"  and  that  they  were  expiatory ;  that  is,  they 
were  intended  for,  and  effectual  for,  the  purpose  of  expiating,  or 
making  atonement  for,  the  sins  on  account  of  which  they  were  in 
flicted,  laying  a  foundation  for  the  pardon  of  these  sins  in  a  way  con 
sistent  with  the  perfections  of  the  Divine  character  and  the  principles 
of  the  Divine  government.  He  bare  them  that  he  might  bear  them 
away. 

1  need  not  say  that  "  the  tree"  here  means  the  cross,  the  accursed 
tree,  just  as  we  call  the  gibbet,  the  fatal  tree.  I  am  not  sure  that  our 
version  of  these  words,  "  he  bare  our  sins  on  the  tree,"  fully  and  ex 
actly  brings  out  the  apostle's  idea.  The  thought  which  the  English 
words  naturally  suggests  is  this,  Christ  bare  our  sins  on  the  cross. 
He  suffered  the  penalty  of  our  sins,  and  made  expiation  for  them 
when  he  was  crucified,  and  by  being  crucified.  Now  crucifixion,  and 
the  sufferings  endured  under  crucifixion,  were  no  doubt  a  part  of  the 
penalty  of  our  sins,  a  part  of  the  price  of  our  salvation,  but  they 
were  only  a  part  of  it.  The  inward  agony  of  Gethsemane,  equally 
with  the  pain  and  the  shame  of  Calvary,  was  the  payment  of  the  ran 
som  of  man.(  The  whole  of  our  Lord's  sufferings,  from  the  moment 
he  became  capable  of  suffering,  till  the  moment  he  became  incapable 
of  suffering,  when  on  the  cross  he  gave  up  the  ghost,  were  that  ade 
quate  expression  of  the  Divine  displeasure  against  sin,  which  recon 
ciles  the  exercise  of  mercy  with  the  claims  of  justice ;  and  he  as 
really,  though  not  so  obviously,  bare  our  sins  when  he  lay  a  helpless 
infant,  in  the  manger  in  Bethlehem,  as  when  he  hung,  an  agonized 
man,  on  the  accursed  tree.  The  words  admit,  perhaps  require,  cer 
tainly  have  received,  from  some  of  the  ablest  scholars,  and  the  sound 
est  divines,  a  slightly  different  rendering,  which  brings  out  this  im 
portant  truth :  "  He  himself  bare 'our  sins  in  his  own  body  to  the 
tree."  x  It  is  the  same  word  that  in  the  verse  before  us  is  rendered 
on,  that  in  the  following  verse  is  rendered  to,  "  Ye  are  returned  to 
the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls."  This,  then,  we  apprehend,  is  the 
apostle's  statement,  "  He  himself  bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  to  the 
tree." 

There  are  two  questions  which  must  be  answered  in  order  to  our 
fully  apprehending  the  meaning  of  these  words :  What  are  we  to  un 
derstand  by  our  Lord,  when  he  suffered  for  us,  "  bearing  our  sins  to 
the  tree  ?"  and  what  is  the  import  of  the  phrase,  "  He  himself  in  his 
own  body"  bare  our  sins  to  the  tree  ? 

Let  us  then  inquire,  what  are  we  to  understand  by  our  Lord's 

1  'Errl  rfi  £<3W.  Vide  Robinson  on  'E?ri,  ill  6.  (-1)  and  (/?).  Matt.  iii.  13  ;  xii.  28 ;  xxii. 
34.  Acts  iv.  26.  Luke  iii.  2.  2  Thess.  i.  10.  1  Pet  iii.  12.  Answering  to  the  Heb.  $K 
P«»  xxxiv.  16.  Sept. 


356  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.  XIII. 

bearing  our  sins  to  the  cross.  Our  sins  are  represented  here  as  a 
burden  which  had  been  laid  on  our  Lord,  and  which  he  bore  to  the 
cross,  where  he  got  rid  of  the  burden.  Now,  what  are  we  to  under 
stand  by  "  our  sins  ?"  What  by  their  being  laid  on  our  Lord  ?  What 
by  his  bearing  them,  bearing  them  to  the  cross  ? 

"  Our  sins"  here  are  our  liabilities  to  punishment  on  account  of  our 
violations  of  the  Divine  law,  and  the  necessary  consequences  of 
these  liabilities ;  in  other  words,  guilt  in  the  sense  of  binding  over  to 
punishment,  and  punishment  itself.  "Our  sins,"  meaning  by  that 
phrase  our  acts  of  violation  of  the  Divine  law,  cannot  by  any  power, 
not  even  that  of  God,  be  transferred  from  us  and  laid  on  another.  It 
must  always  be  true  that  we  committed  them.  It  never  can  be  true 
that  another  committed  them.  Neither  can  our  sinfulness,  our  culpa 
bility,  our  blameworthiness,  in  committing  those  acts  be  removed 
from  us,  or  transferred  to  another.  It  must  always  be  true  that  we, 
we  alone,  were  to  blame  for  our  violation  of  the  Divine  law.  It  never 
can  be  true  that  in  this  sense  our  guilt  can  be  transferred  to  another ; 
but  liability  to  punishment,  and  the  punishment  to  which  we  are  lia 
ble,  may  be  transferred  from  us,  and  laid  on  another,  and  the  state 
ment  in  the  text  obviously  goes  on  the  supposition  that  "  our  sins,"  in 
this  sense,  were  laid  on  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Now  what  do  we  mean  when  we  say  that  our  sins  in  this  sense 
were  laid  on  Christ?  We  mean,  that  by  a  Divine  appointment. 
Jesus  Christ,  the  incarnate  Son  of  God,  the  God-man,  was,  \vith  his 
own  most  free  consent,  subjected  to  the  liabilities  to  punishment 
which  man's  sins  had  incurred ;  and  to  the  punishment,  that  is,  to  the 
evils  manifestative  of  the  Divine  displeasure  at  the  sin  o^man,  which 
necessarily  rose  out  of  these  liabilities.  This  is  the  truth  which  is  taught 
us  when  it  is  said,  that  when  "  we  all  like  lost  sheep  had  gone  astray, 
and  had  turned  every  one  to  his  own  way,"  God  made  to  meet  on  his 
righteous  servant,  "  the  iniquities,"  the  ill-deserts,  the  liabilities  to  pun 
ishment,  "of  us  all."  And  the  consequence  was,  "exaction  was 
made."  He  not  we  became  answerable ;  and  "  it  pleased  the  Lord  to 
bruise  him,"  and  "  he  \vas  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  and  bruised 
for  our  iniquities."  The  same  truth  is  stated,  when  it  is  said,  "God 
sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law ;"  and 
when  it  is  said  "God  made  him  who  knew  no  sin,  to  be  sin  for  us?" 
sin  there  meaning,  a  guilty  person  not  in  the  sense  of  a  culpable  per 
son,  but  a  person,  by  Divine  appointment,  liable  to  evils  manifesting 
the  Divine  displeasure  against  sin,  just  as  righteousness  in  the  an 
tithetical  clause  means  a  righteous  person,  a  person  standing  clear  of 
all  claims  for  punishment  at  the  hand  of  the  Divine  law,  and  enjoying 
the  acceptance  of  the  Supreme  Lawgiver.  It  is  still  the  same  idea,, 
when  it  is  said,  "  Christ  became  a  curse,"  that  is,  accursed,  doomed 
to  endure  evils  which  the  law  denounces  against  transgressors,  "  for 
us,"  in  our  room,  who  were  "  a  curse,"  accursed,  doomed  to  punish 
ment.  Laying  our  sins  on  our  Lord,  is  the  same  thing  as  what  is 
ordinarily  expressed  by  imputing  our  sins  to  him.1 

1  Isa.  liii.  4-7.  2  Cor.  v.  21.  Gal.  iiL  13.  It  is  acute  remark  of  CAMERO:— "Si  quis 
dicat '  Christum  pro  nobis  factum  esse  peccatum  et  maledictum'  idem  certo  dicitur  form- 
aliter,  sed  significandi  modus  et  considerandi  diversus  est;  nam  cum  Cliristus  dicitur  fac- 


DISC.  xiir.J  MOTIVES.  357 

Now,  if  we  distinctly  apprehend  what  is  meant  by  laying  our  sins 
on  Jesus  Christ,  we  can  have  no  difficulty  in  understanding  what  is 
meant  by  his  bearing  or  carrying  these  sins.  It  means  that  as  he,  by 
Divine  appointment,  stood  in  our  room,  he  incurred  our  liabilities,  he 
was  exposed  to,  and  actually  endured  evils  which  we  had  deserved, 
and  which  were  the  expression  of  the  Divine  displeasure  against  our 
evil  deserts  ;  and  that  all  the  multiplied  and  multifarious  evils  that  he 
was  exposed  to,  were  the  consequence  of  his,  by  Divine  appointment, 
occupy'ng  this  place,  and  being  charged  with  these  liabilities. 

This  fearful  load  of  responsibility  and  of  suffering,  our  Lord  "bare 
to  the  cross."  The  cross  was  the  term  of  his  humbled  life  and  of  his 
vicarious  endurance.  The  words  before  us,  are  substantially  equiva 
lent  to,  "  he  became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross."  • 
He  continued  obedient,  till  he  had  exhausted  all  the  demands  of  the 
law  on  him,  as  the  victim  of  human  transgression,  in  offering  up  to 
God  his  completed  sacrifice.  He  "  carried  our  sins"  during  the  whole 
of  his  humbled  state ;  and  still  laden  with  them,  he  submitted  to  be 
nailed  to  the  cross,  in  its  shame,  and  agonies,  and  unknown  conflicts, 
consummating  the  great  work  of  expiation;  and  in  his  dead  body 
hanging  on  it,  intimating,  according  to  the  statute  of  the  Mosaic  law, 
"cursed  is  every  one  that  hangeth  on  a  tree,"  that  he  had  been  liable 
to  the  vengeance  of  public  justice,  and  that  he  had  now  fully  paid  the 
debt  with  which  he  had  been  charged,  "  restored  that  which  he  had 
not  taken  away." 

He  carried  our  "liabilities  to  the  tree  :"  they  were  there  crucified 
with  him  :  they  expired  with  him :  they  were  buried  with  him.  He 
rose  again,  but  they  did  not :  they  are  buried  forever  in  his  grave. 
"  It  is  finished,"  said  the  Saviour ;  and  the  Supreme  Ruler  nailed  the 
bond,  which  had  been  fully  paid,  to  the  cross.  "  The  handwriting 
which  had  been  against  us"  was  blotted  out  forever.  He  thus  finish 
ed  the  work  which  the  Father  gave  him  to  do.  He  completely  did 
his  will,  in  "  the  offering  of  his  body  once  for  all."  He  "  finished 
transgression,  made  an  end  of  sin,  and  put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice 
of  himself"  2  So  much  for  the  import  of  the  expression,  Christ  has 
borne  our  sins  to  the  cross. 

Let  us  now,  in  a  sentence  or  two,  unfold  the  import  of  the  some- 
*  what  peculiar  phraseology  :  "  He,  his  own  self,  bare  our  sins  in  his 
own  body  to  the  tree."  There  is  here,  I  apprehend,  a  tacit  contrast 
between  our  Lord  and  the  Levitical  priesthood.  Aaron  and  his  sons 
are  said  to  "  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  congregation,"  "  to  make  atone 
ment  for  them  before  the  Lord  :"  3  but  this  they  did,  not  by  presenting 
themselves  victims,  but  by  presenting,  as  the  representatives  of  the 
people,  the  sacrifices  on  which  the  sins  of  the  congregation  had  been 
laid  :  they  did  not  lay  themselves,  but  these  sacrifices,  on  the  altar. 
But  Jesus  "  Christ  being  come,  a  High  Priest  of  good  things  to  come, 
not  by  the  blood  of  bulls  or  of  goats,  but  by  his  own  blood,  obtained 
eternal  redemption  for  us :  He  purged  our  sins  by  himself."  He 

poenae  ad  culpam,  cum  vero  dieitur 
. 

3  Lev.  x.  17. 


358  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.  XIII. 

carried  them  in  his  own  person  to  the  altar  of  justice ;  and  by  his 
own  sufferings  and  death,  made  expiation  for  them.  "  He  offered 
himse.lf,  without  spot,  to  God."  l  It  was  thi§  which  gave  efficacy  to 
his  sacrifice.  It  was  because  it  was  "  He  himself/'  the  Only-Begotten 
of  God,  "in  his  own  body;"  in  a  human  nature,  infinitely  dignified 
by  connection  with  the  Divine,  prepared  for  him  for  this  very  pur 
pose,  to  suffer,  and  die  in  our  room,  that  he  was  able  to  carry  our  sins, 
even  to  the  cross;  and  by  bearing  them  there,  to  bear  them  away 
completely  and  forever.  The  meaning  of  the  whole  passage  may  be 
summed  up  in  these  words:  Jesus  Christ,  being  the  Son  of  God,  has, 
by  his  vicarious  sufferings  and  death,  fully  expiated  the  sins  of  men. 

Let  us  now  turn  our  mind  a  little  to  the  account  here  given  us,  of 
the  DESIGN  of  our  Lord's  expiatory  sufferings.  "  Christ  bare  our  sins 
in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,  that  we,  being  dead  to  sins,  might  live 
unto  righteousness."  It  has  been  usual  to  consider  these  words  as 
meaning,  that  Christ  expiated  our  sins,  that  we,  through  the  influence 
of  his  Spirit  (a  channel  for  the  communication  of  which  is  opened  up 
by  the  atonement),  "  having  died  to  sin,"  that  is,  having  been  delivered 
from  the  love  of  sin,  having  had  our  sinful  propensities  mortified,  may 
live  a  holy  life,  such  a  life  as  is  consistent  with  righteousness,  such  a 
life  as  the  righteous  law  of  God  demands.  The  passage  has  been 
considered  as  exactly  parallel  with  the  declaration,  that  "Christ  gave 
himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify 
unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works."  2  A  closer 
examination  of  the  passage  will  persuade  us,  that  the  apostle's  mean 
ing  is  somewhat  different  from  this. 

There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt,  that  the  "sins"  to  which  Chris 
tians  are  represented  as  dead,  through  the  expiatory  sufferings  of 
Christ,  are  the  very  same  "sins"  which,  in  these  expiatory  sufferings, 
He  bare  and  bare  away.  Now,  we  have  seen,  those  "sins"  are  liabil 
ities  to  punishment.  The  direct  reference,  then,  is  not  to  the  deprav 
ing  power,  but  to  the  condemning  power,  of  sin,  which  is  the  source, 
the  foundation,  of  its  depraving  power.  To  be  "dead  to  sins,"  is  to 
be  delivered  from  the  condemning  power  of  sin;  or,  in  other  words, 
from  the  condemning  sentence  of  the  law,  under  which,  if  a  man  lies, 
he  cannot  be  holy ;  and  from  which,  if  a  man  is  delivered,  his  holiness 
is  absolutely  secured.  "To  live  unto  righteousness,"  is  plainly  just 
the  positive  view  of  that,  of  which  "to  be  dead  to  sins"  is  the  nega 
tive  view.  '  Righteousness,  when  opposed  to  'sin,' in  the  sense  of 
guilt  or  liability  to  punishment,  as  it  very  often  is  in  the  writings  of 
the  Apostle  Paul,  is  descriptive  of  a  state  of  justification.  A  state  of 
guilt  is  a  state  of  condemnation  by  God ;  a  state  of  righteousness  is 
a  state  of  acceptance  with  God.  To  live  unto  righteousness,  is  in 
this  case  to  live  under  the  influence  of  a  justified  state,  a  state  of 
acceptance  with  God ;  and  the  apostle's  statement  is :  Christ  Jesus, 
by  his  sufferings  unto  death,  completely  answered  the  demands  of  the 
law  on  us,  by  bearing,  and  bearing  away  our  sins,  that  we,  believing 
in  him,  and  thereby  being  united  to  him,  might  be  as  completely  freed 
from  our  liabilities  to  punishment ;  as  if  we,  in  our  person,  not  he 
himself,  in  his  own  body,  had  undergone  them;  and  that  we  might  as^ 
1  Heb.  ix.  11,  12,  U.  o  Tit  ii.  14. 


DISC.  Xlfl.]  MOTIVES.  359 

really  be  brought  into  a  state  of  righteousness,  justification,  accept 
ance  with  God,  as  if  we,  not  he,  in  his  obedience  to  death,  had  mag 
nified  the  law,  and  made  it  honorable ;  and  that  thus  delivered  from 
the  demoralizing  influence  of  a  state  of  guilt  and  condemnation,  and 
subjected  to  the  sanctifying  influence  of  a  state  of  justification  and 
acceptance,  we  might  "  serve  God,  not  in  the  oldness  of  the  letter, 
but  in  the  newness  of  the  Spirit;"  "Serving  him  without  fear;" 
"  Walking  at  liberty,  keeping  his  commandments." 

The  sentiment  of  the  apostle  is  the  same  as  that  which  his  "  beloved 
brother  Paul,  according  to  the  wisdom  given  him,"  states  and  illus 
trates  more  fully  in  the  first  part  of  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Epistle 
to  the  Romans  ;  where  he  shows  us,  that  Christians  are  by  faith  united 
to  Christ,  as  dying,  dead,  raised  again ;  and  that  the  moral  transform 
ation  of  their  character,  is  the  natural  and  necessary  result  of  their 
being,  as  it  were,  united  to  Christ  in  his  dying,  and  in  his  rising,  and 
in  his  new  life.1 

The  ultimate  design  of  the  atonement,  in  reference  to  man,  is  to 
form  him  to  a  holy  character ;  but  its  direct  design,  with  a  reference 
to  this,  is  to  bring  him  out  of  a  state  of  guilt  and  condemnation,  into 
a  state  of  pardon  and  acceptance.  Had  not  Christ  died,  men  could 
not  have  been  pardoned ;  arid  man  remaining  unpardoned,  must  have 
remained  unsanctified.  Since  Christ  has  died,  the  man  who  by  faith 
is  interested  in  the  expiatory  efficacy  of  his  sufferings  and  death,  is 
restored  to  the  Divine  favor;  and  if  restored  to  the  Divine  favor, 
must,  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  com 
munication  of  which  is  the  great  proof  of  the  Divine  favor,  be  con 
formed  to  the  Divine  image.  The  tendency  of  the  expiatory  suffer 
ings  of  Christ  to  gain  their  design,  must  be  obvious  to  every  one,  who 
reflects,  that  they  removed  otherwise  insurmountable  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  man's  holiness ;  that  they  opened  up  a  way  for  the  communi 
cation  of  that  influence,  which  is  at  once  necessary  and  sufficient  to 
make  men  holy ;  and  that,  as  a  display  of  the  Divine  character,  and 
the  subject  of  a  plain,  well-accredited  revelation,  they  furnish  the  fit 
instrumentality  for  the  Holy  Spirit  to  employ,  in  making  men  holy. 
These  are  but  hints  on  a  subject,  which  would  require  a  volume  to  do 
justice  to;  but  if  followed  out,  they  will  be  found  to  give  important 
lights  in  the  investigation  of  the  principles  of  Christian  doctrine,  and 
in  the  guidance  of  the  exercises  of  Christian  experience. 

Let  us  now  attend  to  the  account  here  given  of  the  EFFECTS  of  the 
expiatory  sufferings  of  our  Lord.  "  By  his  stripes  ye  are  healed  ;"  and 
though  "  ye  were  as  sheep  going  astray,  ye  are  returned  to  the  Shep 
herd  and  Bishop  of  your  souls."  The  effects  of  the  atonement  on 
those  who,  by  faith,  are  interested  in  its  saving  efficacy,  are  described 
by  two  instructive  figures:  the  healing  of  diseased  persons,  and  there- 
claiming  of  lost  sheep  ;  both  of  them  borrowed  from  the  liii.  chapter 
of  the  Prophecy  of  Isaiah,  to  which  also  the  apostle  refers,  when  speak 
ing  of  our  Lord  bearing  our  sins. 

"  By  his  stripes  ye  are  healed."  Sin  is  often  represented  in  Scrip 
ture  as  a  disease.  It  makes  men  miserable  in  themselves,  useless, 
sometimes  loathsome,  often  dangerous  to  others ;  and  its  natural  and 

1  Rom.  vi.  1-14. 


360  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.   XIII. 

certain  termination,  if  allowed  to  run  its  course,  is  death,  the  second 
death,  eternal  death.  Various,  endlessly- various  methods  have  been 
invented  for  curing  this  disease.  The  best  of  them  are  mere  pallia 
tives.  The  only  effectual  cure  is  that  here  mentioned  :  "  the  stripes" 
of  the  righteous  servant  of  God.  This  is  a  cure  which  it  never  could 
have  entered  into  the  mind  of  man  to  conceive ;  and  even  when  made 
known,  it  seems  foolishness  to  the  wisdom  of  this  world :  the  disease 
of  one  man  healed  by  the  stripes  of  another!  the  death  of  Jesus  on  a 
cross,  the  means  of  making  men  holy  and  happy  !  Yet  so  it  is  :  "  The 
foolishness  of  God  is  wiser  than  men ;  and  the  weakness  of  God 
stronger  than  men." l 

Man's  disease  is  a  deep-rooted  one.  It  arises  out  of  the  circum 
stances  in  which  he  is  placed.  It  has  affected  the  inmost  springs  of 
life,  and  it  discovers  itself  by  an  endless  variety  of  external  symptoms. 
The  "  stripes"  of  the  Great  Physician  are  a  remedy  which  answers  all 
these  peculiarities.  The  expiatory  sufferings  of  Christ,  when  the  sin 
ner  believes,  change  his  state.  They  take  him  out  of  the  pestilential 
region  of  the  Divine  curse,  and  translate  him  into  the  health-breathing 
region  of  Divine  favor.  In  the  Divine  influences,  for  which  they  open 
the  way,  is  giving  a  powerful  principle  of  health,  which  penetrates 
into  the  very  first  springs  of  thought,  and  feeling,  and  action  ;  and  in 
the  views  which  these  sufferings  give  us  of  the  holy  benignant  char 
acter  of  God,  the  malignity  of  sin,  the  vanity  of  the  world,  the  impor 
tance  of  eternity,  there  are  furnished,  as  it  were,  remedies  fitted  to 
meet  and  remove  all  the  various  external  symptoms  of  this  worst  of 
diseases. 

This  was  not  a  matter  of  speculation,  but  of  experience,  with  those 
to  whom  Peter  was  writing.  "  By  his  stripes  ye  are  healed."  You 
were  once  depraved  and  miserable ;  you  are  now  comparatively  holy 
and  happy  :  and  you  know  how  the  change  was  effected.  It  was  by 
the  expiatory  sufferings  of  Jesus  Christ :  His  stripes  have  healed  you. 

The  same  truth  is  brought  before  the  mind  under  another  figure,  in 
the  words  that  follow  :  "  Ye  were  as  sheep  going  astray  :  but  ye  are 
now  returned  to  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  your  souls."  The  nat 
ural  state  of  mankind  is  like  that  of  strayed  sheep.  It  is  a  state  of 
error,  of  want,  of  perplexity,  of  dissatisfaction,  of  danger.  It  is  a  state 
that  gives  no  promise  of  improvement.  The  strayed  sheep,  if  left  to 
itself,  will  wander  farther  and  farther  from  the  fold,  till  it  perish  of 
nunger,  fall  over  the  precipice,  or  be  devoured  by  the  wild  beast. 
Such  is  the  state  of  all  men  by  nature ;  but  all  true  Christians  have, 
like  those  to  whom  the  apostle  was  writing,  "returned  to  the  Shep 
herd  and  Bishop,"2  that  is,  overseer  "of  their  souls."  They  have 
been  reclaimed  from  their  wanderings,  and  have  found  peace  and 
security,  the  green  pasture  of  heavenly  truth,  the  still  waters  of  heav 
enly  consolation,  under  the  care  of  Him  who  is  the  good  Shepherd, 
the  kind,  faithful  Overseer  of  souls. 

And  how  were  they  brought  back  ?     It  was  by  the  expiatory  suffer- 

1  I  Cor.  i.  25. 

2  The  use  of  the  -word  Bishop,  appropriated,  as  it  now  is  in  the  English  language,  to  a 
particular  ecclesiastical  officer,  of  whom  the  New  Testament  knows  nothing — the  Diocesan 
Hierarch  of  the  Papal  and  Anglican  churches — is  here  obviously  improper  ;  and  were  not 
our  ears  familiar  to  it,  would  be  even  ludicrous. 


DISC.  XIII.J  MOTIVES.  361 

ings  of  their  Saviour.  "  The  good  Shepherd  laid  down  his  life  for  the 
sheep."  l  Without  this,  they  could  not  have  been  reclaimed.  It  is 
the  voice  of  his  blood ;  the  blood  "  that  speaketh  better  things  than 
that  of  Abel ;"  2  that  penetrates  their  hearts  and  leads  them  to  return. 
It  is  his  love  and  his  Father's,  manifested  in  these  sufferings,  when  ap 
prehended  and  believed,  that  bring  them  near  him,  and  keep  them 
near  him.  Every  Christian  knows  this. 

It  is  an  excellent  use  which  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  Fathers3 
would  have  us  to  make  of  this  statement :  "  We  were  as  sheep  going 
astray  :  but  are  returned  to  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls.33  "  Let 
us  not  despair  of  those  who  yet  wander,  but  rather  earnestly  pray  for 
them.  We  once  wandered  as  well  as  they  ;  the  grace  which  brought 
us  back  can  bring  them  back.  The  number  of  the  saints  is  to  be 
increased  from  among  the  unholy.  Those  who  to-day  are  goats  may 
be  sheep  to-morrow ;  and  the  tares  of  to-day  may  to-morrow  be  good 
grain.  With  God,  through  Christ,  nothing  is  impossible.3' 

Having  thus  very  cursorily  considered  the  apostle's  statement  re 
specting  the  nature,  design,  and  effects  of  our  Lord's  sufferings,  viewed 
as  expiatory,  let  us  now  still  more  cursorily  show  the  force  of  this 
statement  considered  as  a  motive  to  those  duties  which  in  this  para 
graph  he  is  enjoining.  Did  Jesus  Christ,  God's  Son,  bear  our  sins  ? 
Was  he  treated,  both  by  God  and  man,  as  if  he  had  sinned  ?  Did  he 
bear  our  sins  in  his  body  to  the  cross,  patiently  enduring  all  that  was 
necessary  to  their  expiation  ?  Is  it  not,  then,  reasonable  and  right 
that  we  should  devote  ourselves  to  him  who  devoted  himself  for  us? 
Should  we  not  patiently  do  and  suffer  whatever  he  calls  us  to  do  and 
suffer  ?  If  he,  to  expiate  our  sins,  voluntarily  took  upon  himself  "  the 
form  of  a  servant,"  and  in  that  form  submitted  to  such  toil  and  suffer 
ing,  should  not  his  people  who,  in  the  course  of  providence,  are  placed 
in  the  situation  of  servants,  from  a  regard  to  Him,  cheerfully  do  the 
duties,  and  submit  to  the  hardships,  to  which  they  may  be  exposed  ? 
Did  he  expiate  our  sins,  "  that  we,  being  dead  to  sin,  might  live  unto 
righteousness  ?''  that  we  might  be  freed  from  the  irritating,  demoral 
izing  influence  of  a  state  of  condemnation,  and  be  subject  to  the  tran 
quillizing,  sanctifying  influences  of  a  state  of  pardon  and  acceptance 
with  God  ?  Should  "not  we,  then,  who  profess  to  believe  in  him,  and 
through  that  faith  to  be  interested  in  these  saving  effects  of  his  aton 
ing  sacrifice,  show  by  our  cheerfully  doing  and  suffering  all  the  will  of 
God,  that  in  our  case  the  expiatory  sufferings  of  Christ  have,  indeed, 
served  their  purpose,  that  we  are  "  dead  to  sin,  that  we  are  alive  to 
righteousness  ?"  Have  the  great  ends  of  the  atonement  been  in  some 
degree  answered  in  our  experience?  Have  we  obtained  some  meas 
ure  of  spiritual  health  and  welfare  by  virtue  of  the  stripes  which  he 
received  from  God  and  men  for  our  sakes?  Surely,  then,  we  should 
not  take  in  ill  part  the  shame  and  suffering  we  may  be  exposed  to, 
especially  that  which  we  meet  with  on  his  account,  for  bearing  his 
name,  sustaining  his  cause. 

It  is  well  said  by  an  old  Scotch  divine :  "  None  can  with  patience 
and  cheerfulness  suffer  wrongs  for  Christ,  but  they  who  do  by  faith 
apply  the  virtue  of  his  sufferings  for  them  to  their  own  souls,  for  the 

1  John  x.  11.  2  Heb.  xii.  24.  3  Augustine. 


362  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    SERVANTS.  [DISC.  XIII. 

pardoning  and  subduing  of  sin,  quickening  of  their  hearts  in  holiness, 
and  healing  of  their  spiritual  distempers  :  which  effects  of  his  death 
are  so  sweet  to  them  that  partake  of  them,  that  they  cannot  but  cheer- 
'"ullv  endure  the  worst  that  men  can  do  against  them,  rather  than  do 
.he  least  thing  that  may  be  offensive  to  him."  l 

Have  we,  in  consequence  of  the  good  Shepherd  laying  down  his 
,ife  for  us,  been  reclaimed  from  our  wanderings,  joined  to  his  flock, 
and  blessed  with  his  pastoral  care?  Should  we  not,  then,  entirely 
resign  ourselves  to  his  guidance,  and  follow  him  fearlessly  and  readily 
through  paths,  however  rugged  and  thorny,  while  he  is  conducting  us 
to  his  heavenly  fold?  Should  we  not  have  perfect  confidence  in  his 
love  and  power,  manifested  in  dying  for  us,  and  in  reclaiming  us  from 
our  wanderings,  and  therefore  readily  do  whatever  he  commands,  be 
cause  he  commands  it ;  cheerfully  submit  to  whatever  he  appoints, 
oecause  he  appoints  it? 

Thus  have  I  endeavored  to  bring  out  the  meaning  and  force  of  the 
apostle's  statement  respecting  the  nature,  design,  and  effects  of  the 
Bufferings  of  Christ,  viewed  as  expiatory,  as  a  motive  to  Christian  duty 
generally,  and  especially  to  the  patient  endurance  of  such  undeserved 
suffering  as  Christians  may  be  exposed  to.  The  practical  effect  of 
those  powerful  motives  on  our  minds  and  conduct  will  be  proportioned 
to  the  decree  in  which  we  understand  and  believe  the  great  funda 
mental  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christian  faith  on  which  they  are 
founded  ;  and  neglect  of,  or  carelessness  in  duty,  and  impatience 
under  affliction,  are  to  be  traced  to  want  or  weakness  of  faith  in  these 
principles. 

Let  us,  then,  not  cease  to  pray,  each  for  himself,  and  all  of  us  for 
each  other,  and  '"'desire,  that  we  may  be  rilled  with  the  knowledge  of 
his  will  in  all  wisdom  and  spiritual  understanding,  that  we  may  walk 
worthy  of  the  Lord  unto  all  pleasing,  being  fruitful  in  every  good 
work,  and  abounding  in  the  knowledge  of  God :  strengthened  with 
all  might,  according  to  his  glorious  power,  unto  all  patience  and  long- 
suffering  with  joyfulness,  giving  thanks  to  the  Father,  who  hath  made 
us  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light:  who 
hath  delivered  us  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and  hath  translated  us 
into  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son;  in  whom  we  have  redemption 
through  his  blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins."2 

1  Nisbet.  a  CoL  i.  11-14. 


DISCOURSE   XIV. 

THE  CONJUGAL  DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIANS  ILLUSTRATED  AND 

ENFORCED. 

1  PET.  iii.  1-7. — Likewise,  ye  wives,  be  in  subjection  to  your  own  husbands ;  that,  if 
any  obey  not  the  word,  they  also  may  without  the  word  be  won  by  the  conversation  of 
the  wives ;  while  they  behold  your  chaste  conversation  coupled  with  fear.  Whose 
adorning,  let  it  not  be  that  outward  adorning  of  plaiting  the  hair,  and  of  wearing  of  gold, 
or  of  putting  on  of  apparel ;  but  let  it  be  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart,  in  that  which  is 
not  corruptible,  even  the  ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  is  in  the  sight 
of  God  of  great  price.  For  after  this  manner  in  the  old  time  the .  holy  women  also, 
who  trusted  in  God,  adorned  themselves,  being  in  subjection  unto  their  own  husbands : 
even  as  Sarah  obeyed  Abraham,  calling  him  lord :  whose  daughters  ye  are  as  long 
as  ye  do  well,  and  are  not  afraid  with  any  amazement.  Likewise,  ye  husbands, 
dwell  with  them  according  to  knowledge,  giving  honor  unto  the  wife,  as  unto  the 
weaker  vessel,  and  as  being  heirs  together  of  the  grace  of  life;  that  your  prayers  be  not 
hindered. 

DIVINE  revelation  has  often  been  compared  to  the  sun  ;  and  it 
would  be  easy  to  trace  out  many  striking,  pleasing,  instructive  anal 
ogies  between  these  two  glorious  works  of  God.  To  one  of  these 
analogies,  suggested  by  that  portion  of  Scripture  which  now  lies  before 
us,  I  would,  for  a  moment,  solicit  your  attention.  The  sun,  from  his 
high  throne  in  the  heavens,  diffuses  light  and  heat  and  genial  influence 
over  all  the  earth,  smiling  benignantly  on  the  lofty  mountain  and  the 
humble  vale,  the  populous  city  and  the  obs.cure  village,  the  fertile  field 
and  the  wilderness,  the  noble's  mansion,  with  its  richly  cultivated  de 
mesne,  and  the  peasant's  cottage,  with  its  surrounding  barren  waste. 
"His  going  forth  is  from  the  end  of  heaven,  and  his  circuit  unto  the 
ends  of  it,  and  there  is  nothing  hid  from  the  heat  thereof."1  The 
sun  is  a  common  good.  It  is  for  the  world,  for  all  the  world. 

It  is  thus,  also,  with  Divine  truth  enshrined  in  the  Bible.  It  pours 
forth  direction,  and  motive,  and  warning,  and  comfort  suited  to  all 
men  of  all  countries,  all  ages,  all  conditions ;  to  the  young,  to  the 
middle-aged,  and  to  the  old ;  to  the  rich  and  to  the  poor,  and  to 
those  to  whom  neither  poverty  nor  riches  have  been  given ;  to  the 
prosperous  and  to  the  afflicted  ;  to  the  happy  and  to  the  miserable  ;  to 
man  in  the  lowest  and  in  the  highest  station  in  society  and  state  of 
civilization ;  to  the  savage  and  to  the  sage ;  to  the  monarch  and  to 
the  slave.  It  is  the  moral  sun  of  the  world  of  humanity,  shedding 
pure  light,  holy  influence  over  the  whole  of  its  diversified  surface. 
No  class  of  men  is  overlooked;  every  individual,  in  whatever  cir 
cumstances  he  may  be  placed,  may  find  suitable  instruction  here. 

In  the  verses  immediately  preceding  our  text,  we  see  the  light  of 
inspired  truth  shining  most  benignantly  on  the  humble  dwelling  of  the 

1  PsaL  xk.  6. 


364  CONJUGAL   DUTIES    OF   CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XIV. 

Christian  slave,  and  guiding  and  sustaining,  and  cheering  him,  amid 
his  unmerited  sufferings  and  ill-rewarded  toils  ;  and  in  the  text  itself, 
the  sun  of  righteousness  sheds  beams  full  of  healing  on  the  very 
sources  of  society,  in  those  directions,  by  complying  with  which, 
families  might  be  made  the  abodes  of  a  tranquil  enjoyment  and  holy 
happiness,  which  would  lead  the  mind  backward  to  Eden,  and  for 
ward  to  heaven. 

The  words  that  lie  before  us  are  a  farther  illustration  of  the  gen 
eral  injunction  given  to  Christians,  to  "have  their  conversation  honest 
among  the  Gentiles,"  that  is,  so  to  conduct  themselves  as  that  even 
their  heathen  neighbors  should  be  constrained  to  approve  and  respect 
them.  The  manner  in  which  this  injunction  was  to  be  obeyed,  was 
by  a  careful  performance  of  relative  duties,  especially  such  as  they 
owed  to  their  heathen  connections.  Of  the  excellence  of  such  a 
course  of  conduct  they  were  qualified  judges,  but  they  were  not  of 
the  principles  of  "  our  most  holy  faith,"  nor  of  duties  of  a  more  strict 
ly  religious  and  Christian  character.  All  Christians,  therefore,  were 
to  yield  a  cheerful,  loyal  subjection  to  civil  authority,  as  lodged  both 
in  its  supreme  and  subordinate  administrators ;  to  cherish  and  display 
a  becoming  respect  for  all  who,  on  whatever  ground,  had  a  claim  on 
their  respect :  to  cultivate  and  manifest  that  peculiar  regard  to  the 
Christian  society,  which,  in  Christians,  even  heathens  could  not  help 
perceiving  to  be  becoming  and  proper ;  and  to  show  a  reverence  for 
the  supreme  civil  power,  based  on,  and  limited  only  by,  the  reverence 
due  to  Him  who  is  "  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords."  Such  Chris 
tians  as  stood  in  the  relation  of  servants,  especially  to  heathen  mas 
ters,  were  carefully  to  discharge  the  duties  and  submit  to  the  hard 
ships  connected  with  the  situation  in  which  they  were  placed. 
The  natural  tendency  of  such  conduct,  such  "good  works,"  habitually 
and  perseveringly  maintained,  was  to  overcome  the  prejudices  of 
their  heathen  neighbors,  to  convince  them  that  they  had  misappre 
hended  the  true  character  both  of  their  religion,  and  of  themselves ; 
and  to  constrain  those  "  who  spoke  against  them  as  evil-doers,  to  glo 
rify  God  in  the  day  of  visitation." 

Another  way  in  which  the  same  desirable  object  was  to  be  sought, 
was  by  those  who  stood  in  the  relation  of  husbands  and  wives,  con 
scientiously  discharging  the  duties  which  grew  out  of  their  union. 
And  when  we  reflect  on  the  manner  in  which  the  duties  of  the  conju 
gal  relation  were  neglected  and  violated  among  heathens ;  how  much 
there  was  of  the  harshness  of  the  tyrant  in  the  character  of  the  hea 
then  husband,  and  of  the  baseness  of  the  slave  in  the  character  of  the 
heathen  wife;  how  much  pollution  and  cruelty  prevailed,  in  what 
should  be  the  sanctuary  of  purity  and  love — we  cannot  help  seeing 
that  few  things  were  more  calculated  to  strike,  and  to  strike  favora 
bly,  heathen  observers,  than  the  exemplification  of  the  genius  and 
power  of  Christianity,  in  softening  the  character  of  the  husband,  and 
elevating,  at  once,  the  condition  and  character  of  the  wife;  and  in 
thus  introducing  an  order,  and  purity,  and  endearment,  and  enjoy 
ment  into  the  domestic  circle,  not  only  beyond  what  heathen  philos 
ophy  had  accomplished,  but  beyond  what  it  had  ever  dreamed  of. 

Such  is  the  connection,  we  apprehend,  in  which  the  interesting 


PART  I.]  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    WIVES.  365 

passage  I  have  read,  is  introduced;  and  it  contains  a  brief  statement, 
and  a  powerful  enforcement,  of  the  conjugal  duties;  first  of  the  du 
ties  of  the  wife,  and  then,  of  the  duties  of  the  husband. 

The  whole  of  the  conjugal  duties,  like  indeed  all  duties,  may  be  and 
are  "  summed  up  in  one  word,  love."  "  Husbands,"  says  the  apostle 
Paul,  "  love  your  wives ;"  and  the  same  apostle  commands  Titus,  to 
take  care  "  that  the  aged  women  teach  the  young  women  to  love  their 
husbands."  x  But  the  appropriate  form  of  love,  in  any  particular  case, 
when  embodied  in  action,  depends  on  the  relation  in  which  the  party 
who  loves  stands  to  the  party  beloved.  Parents  are  to  "love  their 
children,"  and  to  show  that  they  do  so  by  "  bringing  them  up  in  the 
nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord."  Children  are  to  "  love  their 
parents,"  and  to  show  that  they  do  so,  by  "  being  obedient  to  them  in 
the  Lord."  Masters  are  to  love  their  servants,  and  to  show  this  by 
being  kind  and  considerate  in  their  requisitions  and  arrangements ; 
and  servants  are  to  love  their  masters,  and  to  show  that  they  do  so, 
by  being  obedient  and  submissive,  diligent  and  faithful.2  In  the  like 
manner,  husbands  and  wives  are  to  "love  one  another,  with  a  pure 
heart  fervently;"  and  they  are  to  manifest  that  love  by  a  careful  per 
formance  of  the  duties  which  rise  out  of,  and  are  suited  to,  the  rela 
tion  in  which  they  respectively  stand  to  each  other.  What  these  are, 
we  are  told  by  the  apostle,  in  the  passage  before  us.  The  duties  of 
the  wives  are,  subjection,  chaste  conversation  coupled  with  fear,  and 
an  adorning  of  themselves  ;  which  is  described,  first,  negatively,  and 
then  positively ;  and  the  motives  urging  to  the  performance  of  these 
duties  are  two:  first,  that  thus  they  might,  probably,  be  the  means  of 
converting  their  heathen  husbands  ;  and,  secondly,  that  they  would 
follow  the  example  of  holy  women  in  former  ages.  The  duties  of  the 
husbands  are,  dwelling  with  their  wives  according  to  knowledge,  and 
giving  honor  to  them;  and  the  motive  urging  to  the  performance  of 
these  duties  are  three  :  first,  that  the  wife  is  '  the  weaker  vessel ;'  sec 
ondly,  that  their  wives,  as  Christians,  are,  equally  with  themselves, 
heirs  of  the  grace  of  life  ;  and  thirdly,  that  an  opposite  mode  of  con 
duct  would  hinder  their  prayers.  Let  us  attend,  then,  in  their  order, 
to  these  statements  and  enforcements  of  the  conjugal  duties. 


PART  I. 
I— THE  DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIAN  WIVES. 

And  first,  of  the  duties  of  wives.  Their  duty  is  thus  stated  and 
enforced,  in  the  first  six  verses.  "  Likewise  ye  wives,  be  in  subjec 
tion  to  your  husbands  ;  that,  if  any  obey  not  the  word,  they  also  may 
without  the  word  be  won  by  the  conversation  of  the  wives ;  when 
they  behold  your  chaste  conversation  coupled  with  fear ;  whose 
adorning,  let  it  not  be  that  outward  adorning  of  plaiting  the  hair,  and 
of  wearing  of  gold,  or  of  putting  on  of  apparel ;  but  let  it  be  the  hid 
den  man  of  the  heart,  in  that  which  is  not  corruptible,  even  the  orna 
ment  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  is  in  the  sight  of  God  of  great 

1  Eph.  v.  25.    Tit.  ii.  4.  3  Eph.  vi.  4,  1,  9,  5. 


366  CONJUGAL    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XIV. 

price.  For  after  this  manner  in  the  old  time  the  holy  women  also, 
who  trusted  in  God.  adorned  themselves,  being  in  subjection  to  t'heir 
own  husbands :  even  as  Sarah  obeyed  Abraham,  calling  him  Lord: 
whose  daughters  ye  are  as  long  as  ye  do  well,  and  are  not  afraid  with 
any  amazement." 

§  1. — Subjection. 

The  first  duty  of  Christian  wives,  mentioned  by  the  apostle,  is  SUB 
JECTION.  "  Be  in  subjection  to  your  own  husbands."  The  apostle 
Paul  enjoins  the  same  duty  in  similar  terms:  "Wives,  submit  your 
selves  to  your  own  husbands,  as  to  the  Lord  :  Wives,  submit  your 
selves  unto  your  own  husbands,  as  is  fit  in  the  Lord ;"  and  he  com 
mands  Titus,  in  "speaking  the  things  that  become  sound  doctrine," 
to  exhort  "  that  the  aged  women  teach  the  young  women  to  be  obedi 
ent  to  their  own  husbands."  l  I  believe,  that  in  the  conjugal  rela 
tion,  matters  are  best  managed  when  there  is  little  display,  or  asser 
tion  of  superiority,  or  rule,  on  the  part  of  the  husband,  but  where  the 
spouses  "  submit  themselves  one  to  another,  in  the  fear  of  God."a 
There  can,  however,  be  no  doubt,  that  God,  both  as  the  God  of 
nature,  and  the  God  of  revelation,  has  distinctly  indicated  that  the 
rule  of  the  domestic  society  is  vested  in  the  husband.  Hear  the  de 
clarations  of  Scripture:  "Adam  was  first  formed,  and  then  Eve. 
The  man  is  not  of  the  woman,  but  the  woman  of  the  man.  The  man 
was  not  created  for  the  woman,  but  the  woman  for  the  man.  The 
Lord  said,  it  is  not  good  for  man  to  be  alone,  I  will  make  him  a  help 
meet  for  him.  The  man  is  the  image  and  glory  of  God,  but  the 
woman  is  the  glory  of  the  man."  Even  in  a  state  of  innocence  the 
husband  had  rule ;  and  after  the  introduction  of  sin,  of  which  the 
apostle  gives  this  account,  "  Adam  was  not  deceived,  but  the  woman 
being  deceived,  was  in  the  transgression,"  the  Divine  will  was  thus 
declared :  "  And  to  the  woman  he  said,  Thy  desire  shall  be  to  thy 
husband,  and  he  shall  rule  over  thee."  3 

This  appointment  is  in  entire  concurrence  with  sound  reason  and 
true  expediency.  "  In  all  communities,  if  there  is  to  be  order  and 
peace,  there  must  be  rule.  There  can  be  no  happiness  without  peace, 
no  peace  without  order,  no  order  without  subordination,  no  subordi 
nation  without  subjection.  Perpetual  strife  would  arise  from  equali 
ty,  or  contested  superiority." 4  To  secure  the  advantages  of  society 
in  all  its  forms,  authority  must  be  established,  and  submission  enjoin 
ed.  The  only  question  in  such  a  case  is,  where  should  the  authority 
be  lodged  ?  And  in  the  case  of  the  domestic  society  it  would  seem 
that  the  question  admits  of  only  one  answer. 

The  subjection  of  the  wife  is  extensive,  but  by  no  means  unlimited. 
It  is  subjection  "  in  the  Lord ;"  such  a  subjection  as  becomes  a 
Christian  woman  who  feels  her  own  responsibilities  to  the  One  Master 
in  heaven.  "  His  authority  is  primitive,  and  binds  fast ;"  as  Leigh- 
ton  says,  "  All  other  have  their  patents  and  privileges  from  him.  He 
therefore  is  supremely  and  absolutely  to  be  obeyed  by  all."  Besides, 

1  Eph.  v.  22.     Col.  iii.  18.    Tit.  ii.  5.  a  Eph.  v.  21. 

"  1  Tim.  ii.  13.    1  Cor.  xl  7-9.    Gen.  it  23.    1  Tim.  ii.  14.    Gen.  iii.  16.  4  Jay. 


PART  I.]  THE    DUTIES    OP    CHRISTIAN    WIVES.  367 

"  it  is  not  the  submission  of  slaves  to  their  master,  or  of  subjects  to 
their  sovereign,  or  of  children  to  their  father.  It  is  a  subjection  that 
has  more  of  equality  in  it,  accords  with  the  idea  of  a  helper,  a  com 
panion  and  a  friend  ;  springs  originally  from  choice,  and  is  acqui 
esced  in  for  the  sake  of  propriety  and  advantage."  l  It  has  been  very 
justly  remarked,  "  Whatever  bitterness  there  is  in  this  subjection 
arises  from  the  corruption  of  nature  in  both  parties :  in  the  wife  of  a 
perverse  desire  rather  to  command,  or  at  least  a  repining  disinclina 
tion  to  obey;  and  this  increased  by  the  disorder  and  imprudence  and 
harshness  of  the  husband  in  the  use  of  his  authority.  But  in  a  Chris 
tian  woman,  the  conscience  of  divine  authority  will  carry  it,  and 
weigh  down  all  difficulties  ;  for  the  wife  considers  her  station.  She 
is  set  in  it;  it  is  the  rank  the  Lord's  hand  has  placed  her  in,  and 
therefore  she  will  not  break  it.  Out  of  respect  and  love  to  him,  she 
can  digest  much  frowardness  of  a  husband,  and  make  her  patient 
subjection  an  offering  to  God.  '  Lord,  I  offer  this  to  thee.  For  thy 
sake  I  humbly  bear  it.'  "  2 

It  is  a  happy  thing  when  the  personal  excellence  of  a  husband 
makes  submission  a  compliance  with  inclination ;  but  a  Christian 
woman,  even  when  her  husband  is  not  so  wise  or  reasonable  in  his 
requisitions  and  arrangements  as  she  could  wish,  yet,  because  by 
God's  providence,  he  is  her  own  husband,  and  God's  command  is  to 
be  subject  to  her  own  husband,  she  is  subject  to  the  marital  authority, 
not  only  "  for  wrath,  but  for  conscience'  sake."  Such  conduct  is  ac 
ceptable  to  God,  and  generally  draws  down  tokens  of  his  approbation. 
By  following  this  course,  many  a  woman  has  spent  a  life  of  respecta 
bility  and  usefulness,  who,  by  acting  otherwise,  would  neither  have 
been  respectable  nor  useful ;  and  many  a  family  has  been  a  scene  of 
order  and  peace,  where  otherwise  there  would  have  been  nothing  but 
confusion  and  every  evil  work.  Besides,  it  is  the  submissive  wife 
who  generally  gets  most  of  her  own  will.3 


3 


§  2. — "  Chaste  conversation  coupled  with  fear ." 

The  second  duty  of  Christian  wives,  mentioned  by  the  apostle,  is 
"  chaste  conversation  coupled  with  fear."  Conversation  here,  and 
uniformly  in  the  Scriptures,  does  not  signify  mutual  talk,  colloquial 
intercourse,  familiar  discourse,  but  habitual  conduct,  manner  of  life. 
Chaste  conversation  means  much  more  than  abstinence  from  gross  vice, 
direct  violation  of  the  seventh  commandment;  actual  infraction  of 
the  marriage  covenant.  Indeed  such  things  were  not  even  to  be 
named  among  Christians.  The  reference  is  rather  to  an  avoidance  of 
everything  that  has  even  the  appearance  of  an  approximation,  to  the 
indulgence  or  display  of  sentiments  and  feelings,  inconsistent  with 
that  purity  of  mind,  that  chastity  of  heart,  which  the  Christian  law 
requires.  There  is,  as  has  been  justly  observed,  an  audacity  of 
countenance,  a  boldness  of  look,  a  levity  of  discourse,  a  freedom  of 
manners,  a  forwardness  of  behavior,  a  challenging,  obtrusive,  advan 
cing  air,  very  unbecoming  the  sacred  decorum  which  should  mark 

'  1  Jay.  2  Leighton. 

8  Casta  ad  virum  matrona  parendo  imperat. — PUBLIUS  Svuus. 


368  CONJUGAL    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XIV. 

the  character  of  Christian  females.  Their  conduct  must  be  such  as 
to  awe  the  licentious  and  keep  them  at  a  distance  ;  and  their  lan 
guage  must  be  free  from  all  foolish  talking  and  jesting,  which  is  not 
convenient,  does  not  suit  with  their  character  and  profession,  as  holy 
women.  "  Diffidence,  the  blushings  of  reserve,  the  tremulous  re 
tiring  of  modesty ;  the  sensation  that  comes  from  the  union  of  inno 
cence  and  danger  ;  the  prudence  which  keeps  far  from  the  limits  of 
permission  ;  the  instinctive  vigilance  which  discerns  danger  afar  off; 
the  caution  which  never  allows  the  enemy  to  approach  near  enough, 
even  to  reconnoitre,"  1 — all  this,  which  virtuous  women  understand 
far  better  than  any  man  can  describe  it  to  them,  is  included  in  chaste 
conversation. 

This  "  chaste  conversation"  is  to  be  "  coupled  with  fear."  Some 
suppose  that  "  fear"  here  is  respect  to  their  husbands  ;  others  that  it 
is  that  timidity  which  I  have  just  noticed.  I  rather  think  that  here, 
as  at  the  18th  verse  of  the  preceding  chapter,  "  fear"  is  the  fear  of  God, 
reverence  for  the  divine  authority,  fear  of  the  divine  displeasure. 
Their  chastity,  like  all  their  virtues,  was  to  have  a  religious  character, 
being  based  on  faith,  and  sustained  and  nourished  by  those  principles 
which  naturally  spring  from  faith  of  the  truth  respecting  the  Divine 
character.  Genuine  religion  is  the  grand  security  of  all  the  virtues  ; 
and  it  was  of  importance  that  these  Christian  wives  of  heathen  hus 
bands  should  make  it  plain  that  their  chaste  behavior,  which  their 
husbands  could  not  but  appreciate,  was  the  result  of  that  religion 
which  they  neglected  or  opposed. 

§  3. — The  adorning  themselves  with  inward  ornaments. 

The  third  duty  enjoined  on  Christian  wives  refers  to  the  manner  in 
which  they  were  to  adorn  themselves  :  "  Whose  adorning  let  it  not 
be  that  outward  adorning  of  plaiting  the  hair,  and  of  wearing  of  gold, 
or  of  putting  on  of  apparel ; 2  but  let  it  be  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart 
in  that  which  is  not  corruptible,  even  the  ornament  of  a  meek  and 
quiet  spirit,  which  is  in  the  sight  of  God  of  great  price."  The  love 
of  ornament  belongs  to  the  species ;  but  it  is  a  principle  peculiarly 
strong  in  the  female  part  of  it.  That  a  maid  should  forget  her  orna 
ments,  or  a  bride  her  attire,  is  spoken  of  by  the  inspired  writer  as  a 
very  unlikely  thing.3  There  is  nothing  wrong  in  this  principle  itself. 
It  serves  important  purposes.  The  want  of  it  is  felt  as  a  serious 
drawback.  A  sloven  is  disagreeable,  a  slattern  intolerable.  Chris 
tianity  makes  no  war  with  anything  in  any  of  man's  natural  principles 
but  the  abuse  of  them.  Its  object  is  not  to  extirpate  them,  but  to  prune 
them,  to  train  them,  to  make  them  yield  good  fruit.  Thus  it  is  with 
the  love  of  ornament,  which  is  natural  to  the  female  mind.  The 
apostle  gives  directions  as  to  the  guidance  and  regulation  of  this  prin 
ciple.  These  are  both  negative  and  positive.  Let  us  look  at  them  in 
succession. 

1  Jay. 

1  "Ei/<Ju<rfs  Ijiariwv.  Lyra  gives  an  odd  reason  for  the  use  of  the  plural  here : — "  Solent 
enim  feminoe  TOT  induere  vestes,  TOTQUE  tunicis,  peplis,  palliis,  iisque  sericis,  byssinis, 
preciosis  et  sumptuosis  se  ornare,  ut  unius  ornatus  multis  feminis  sufficere  possit." 

3  Jer.  ii.  32. 


PART  I.J  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    WIVES.  369 

The  negative  direction  is,  "  Let  not  the  adorning"  of  Christian  wives 
— and  the  remark  is  applicable  to  Christian  women  generally — "let 
not  their  adorning"  be  that  outward  adorning  of  plaiting  the  hair,  and 
of  wearing  of  gold,1  and  of  putting,  on  of  apparel.  Some  have  consid 
ered  these  words,  and  the  corresponding  words  in  the  First  Epistle  to 
Timothy,  "  In  like  manner  that  women  adorn  themselves  in  modest 
apparel,  with  shame-facedness  and  sobriety ;  not  with  broidered  hair, 
or  gold,  or  pearls,  or  costly  array,"  2  as  an  absolute  prohibition  of 
Christian  women,  artificially  to  dress  their  hair,  to  wear  ornaments 
composed  of  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones,  or  to  clothe  themselves 
in  any  garment  but  what  is  plain  and  unadorned.  I  think  Christian 
woman  may  very  easily  fall  into  more  dangerous  misinterpretations 
of  the  Scripture  than  this ;  yet  I  have  no  doubt  it  is  a  misinterpreta 
tion.  The  words  before  us  do  not  contain  a  positive  prohibition  of 
all  ornamental  dress ;  but  they  are  a  statement  that  these  ornaments 
were  not  for  a  moment  to  be  compared  to  ornaments  of  a  higher  kind. 
"  I  will  have  mercy  and  not  sacrifice,"  means,  'I  prefer  mercy  to 
sacrifice/  And  the  passage  before  us  means,  '  I  pay  more,  far  more, 
attention  to  the  adorning  of"  your  minds  and  hearts  with  Christian 
graces  and  virtues,  than  of  your  bodies  with  jewels  and  splendid 
apparel/ 

At  the  same  time,  I  have  no  doubt  that  these  words  were  intended 
to  suggest  some  very  important  hints  as  to  the  principles  on  which 
Christian  women  should  regulate  their  dress.  Christian  women  should 
carefully  avoid  everything  which  has  the  appearance  of  immodesty 
or  levity  in  dress.  Abandoned  women  were  in  the  apostle's  time  dis 
tinguished  by  their  very  great  attention  to  external  ornament.  Chris 
tian  women,  on  the  contrary,  must  adorn  themselves  in  modest  ap 
parel.  It  is  most  unbecoming  that  a  woman,  professing  godliness, 
should  wear  the  attire  of  a  mere  woman  of  the  world,  much  more  the 
attire  of  a  harlot.  No  fashion  can  sanction  such  a  mode  of  dress. 

Christian  women  should  also  avoid  undue  expense  in  their  mode  of 
dress.  It  cometh  of  evil  when  Christian  females  aspire  to,  and  indulge 
in,  a  richness  of  apparel  and  ornament,  which  is  unsuitable  to  their 
rank  in  life,  and  which  curtails  their  means  of  Christian  beneficence, 
especially  in  clothing  the  poor.  "  Such  excessive  costliness,"  says  the 
good  archbishop,  "  both  argues  and  feeds  the  pride  of  the  heart,  and 
defrauds,  if  not  others  of  their  dues,  yet  the  poor  of  their  charity, 
which  in  God's  sight  is  a  due  debt,  too ;  and  far  more  comfort  shall 
thou  have  on  thy  death-bed  to  remember  that  at  such  a  time,  instead 
of  putting  lace  o*n  my  own  clothes,  I  helped  a  naked  back  to  clothing; 
I  abated  somewhat  of  my  former  superfluities  to  supply  the  poor  with 
necessities ;  far  sweeter  will  this  be  than  to  remember  that  I  could 
needlessly  cast  out  many  pounds  to  serve  rny  pride,  while  I  grudged 
a  penny  to  relieve  the  poor." 

There  is  still  another  hint  which  this  negative  injunction  is  intended 
and  fitted  to  give — that  dress  should  not  occupy  an  undue  share  of 
the  attention  and  time  of  Christian  wives.  The  apostle  intimates  that 
it  is  a  very  subordinate  thing.  No  Christian  woman  will  suffer  the 

1  Drusius  supposes  the  reference  to  be  to  golden  necklaces,  and  would  supply  rov 
1  1  Tim.  ii.  9. 

24 


370  CONJUGAL    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XIV. 

adorning  of  her  body  to  be  either  her  business  or  her  delight  She 
will  not  render  herself  responsible  at  the  bar  of  God  for  the  work  of 
hours,  days,  weeks,  months,  in  a  long  life  of  years,  which  might,  which 
ought  to,  have  been  otherwise  and  more  worthily  employed,  in  a  way 
more  becoming  rational,  responsible,  immortal  beings.  Listen  to  the 
good  archbishop  again  :  "  To  have  the  mind  taken  and  pleased  with 
such  things  is  so  foolish  and  childish  a  thing,  that  if  most  might  not 
find  it  in  themselves,  they  would  wonder  at  many  others  of  years  and 
common  wit,  not  twice  children,  but  always;  and  yet  truly  it  is  a 
disease  that  few  escape.  It  is  strange  upon  what  poor  things  men 
and  women  will  be  vain  and  think  themselves  somebody ;  not  only 
upon  some  comeliness  in  their  form  or  features,  which,  though  poor 
enough,  is  yet  a  part  of  themselves,  but  of  things  merely  without  them  ; 
that  they  are  well  apparelled,  either  richly  or  well  in  fashion.  Light, 
empty  minds  are  as  bladders,  blown  up  with  anything ;  and  they  that 
perceive  not  this  in  themselves  are  most  deluded ;  but  such  as  have 
found  it  out,  and  abhor  their  own  follies,  are  still  hunting  and  follow 
ing  them  to  beat  them  out  of  their  hearts,  and  to  shame  themselves 
out  of  such  fopperies.  The  soul  fallen  from  God  hath  lost  its  true 
worth  and  beauty,  and  therefore  it  basely  descends  to  these  mean 
things,  to  serve  and  dress  the  body,  and  to  take  share  with  it  of  its 
unworthy  borrowed  ornaments,  while  it  hath  lost  and  forgotten  God, 
and  seeks  not  after  him,  knows  not  that  he  alone  is  the  beauty  and 
ornament  of  the  soul,  and  his  Spirit  and  his  graces  its  rich  attire/' 

This  naturally  leads  to  the  apostle's  positive  injunction  regarding 
ornaments.  It  is  in  these  words  :  "  But  let  it  be  the  hidden  man  of 
the  heart,  in  that  which  h  not  corruptible;  even  the  ornament  of  a 
meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  is  in  the  sight  of  God,  of  great  price." 
The  general  meaning  here  is  plain  enough.  There  is  some  difficulty, 
however,  in  fixing  the  construction  of  the  passage,  which  is  obviously, 
to  some  extent,  elliptical.  The  precise  meaning,  of  course,  varies  ac 
cording  as  the  words  are  construed.  Some  would  construe  them  thus : 
"•Let  your  adorning  not  be  that  outward  adorning  of  plaiting  the  hair, 
and  of  wearing  of  gold,  or  of  putting  on  of  apparel ;  but  let  it  be  the 
hidden  man  of  the  heart,"  the  new  creature,  '  the  inner  man/  the  holy 
character  which  springs  out  of  the  faith  of  the  truth,  "  in  that  which 
is  incorruptible,"  which  is,  not  like  gold  and  jewels  put  on  thy  corrup 
tible  body,  but  which  inheres  in  the  incorruptible  mind,  "  the  ornament 
of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  m  the  sight  of  God  is  of  great  price." 
Others  would  construe  them  thus  :  "  Let  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart, 
in  contrast  to  the  outward  man  of  the  body,  be  adorned  with  the  in- 
corruptible  ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  in  contrast  with  the 
corruptible  ornaments  of  gold  and  apparel — an  ornament,  which  in 
the  sight  of  God  is  of  great  price,  in  contrast  with  the  estimation  in 
which  men  hold  external  ornaments."  The  latter  construction  seems 
to  me  to  bring  out  most  exactly  the  apostle's  thought,  which  let  us 
now  endeavor  shortly  to  illustrate. 

"  The  inner  man  of  the  heart"  is  just  the  heart,  which  is  the  inner 
man.  The  heart,  in  its  ordinary  figurative  sense,  is  the  mind  of  man 
considered  both  as  the  seat  of  intellect  and  of  affection,  the  soul. 
Christian  women,  indeed  all  Christians,  whether  men  or  women,  should 


PART  f.J  THE    DUTIES    OP    CHRISTIAN    WIVES,  ,      371 

be  most  solicitous  about  the  welfare  and  the  ornament,  not  of  the 
outer  man,  the  body,  but  of  this  inner  man,  the  soul.  And  the  orna 
ments  with  which  it  is  to  be  adorned  must  be  suitable  to  its  nature;  they 
must  be  incorruptible.  The  soul  is  indestructible  and  immortal ;  and 
so  should  its  ornaments  be.  The  appropriate  ornaments  of  the  soul 
are  truth  and  holiness,  knowledge,  faith,  hope,  love,  joy,  humility,  wis 
dom,  prudence,  fortitude,  gentleness,  and  all  the  other  gifts  and  graces 
of  the  Spirit ;  these  are  the  jewels  with  which  the  inner  man  should 
be  adorned.  The  outward  man  is  corruptible.  Dust  it  is,  and  unto  the 
dust  must  it  return.  However  stately  and  strong,  and  graceful  and 
beautiful,  it  must,  ere  long,  be  a  mass  of  putrefaction,  a  ghastly  skeleton, 
a  heap  of  bones,  a  heap  of  dust,  indistinguishable  from  the  dust  by 
which  it  is  surrounded.  And  all  its  ornaments  are,  like  itself,  destruc 
tible.  Moth  and  worm  destroy  the  richest  garments  ;  silver  and  gold 
are  perishable  things.  Gold,  though  tried  with  the  fire,  perishes. 
But  neither  time  nor  eternity  can  destroy  either  the  soul  or  its  appro 
priate  ornaments.  The  soul  is  immortal ;  these  ornaments  are  not 
put  on  it ;  they  are  essential  qualities  of  itself,  and  while  it  endures, 
they  must  endure. 

There  is  particular  notice  taken  of  one  of  these  imperishable  orna 
ments,  of  which  it  was  the  duty  of  the  Christian  wives  to  see  that 
they  were  possessed,  the  "ornaments  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit." 
Nothing  is  more  ornamental  to  a  Christian  wife  than  a  meek  an4  quiet 
spirit.  No  deformity  is  more  unsightly  than  its  reverse ;  a  discon- 
Jenjed,  fretful,  peevish,  domineering  spirit.  Hateful  everywhere;  it 
is  nowhere  more  hateful  than  in  woman ;  in  no  woman  so  hateful  as 
in  a  wife.  Hear  the  declaration  of  the  inspired  Israelitish  sage  :  "  A 
continual  dropping  in  a  very  rainy  day,  and  a  contentious  woman,  are 
alike.  It  is  better  to  dwell  in  the  corner  of  a  housetop  alone  than 
with  a  brawling  woman  in  a  wide  house.  It  is  better  to  dwell  in  the 
wilderness  than  with  a  contentious  and  angry  woman.  Whoso  hideth 
her  hideth  the  wind,  and  the  ointment  of  the  right  hand,  which  be- 
wrayeth  itself."  l  How  beautiful,  on  the  other  hand,  is  the  Christian 
woman  who,  amid  the  endlessly  perplexing  details  of  domestic  man 
agement,  maintains  an  unruffled  temper,  and  in  Christian  patience 
possess  her  soul.  It  is  a  lovely  picture  which  has  been  drawn  of  a 
Christian  wife,  as  "one  who  can  feel  neglects  and  unkindnesses,  and 
yet  retain  her  composure ;  wl]o  can  calmly  remonstrate  and  meekly 
reprove ;  who  can  yield  and  accommodate ;  who  is  not  '  easily  pro 
voked/  and  is  '  easily  entreated ;'  who  would  endure  rather  than  com 
plain,  and  would  rather  suffer  in  secret  than  disturb  others  with  her 
grief.'" 

This  ornament,  and  the  whole  class  it  belongs  to,  is  "  in  the  sight 
of  God  of  great  price."  One  of  the  reasons  why  many  females  are 
so  fond  of  fine  clothes  and  rich  ornaments  is,  that  these  are  admired 
by  others.  But  by  whom  are  they  admired  ?  By  men,  and  most 
admired  by  the  least  wise  and  worthy  of  the  species,  men  whose 
opinion  is  little  worth.  But  this  ornament  of  the  hidden  man  of  the 
heart  is  "  in  the  sight  of  God  of  great  price."  He  who  alone  has 

!  Prov.  xxvii.  15  ;  xxv.  24 ;  xxi.  19. 

2  Jay.    "A  courage  to  endure  and  to  obey." — TENNYSON. 


372  CONJUGAL   DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XIV 

wisdom  admires  it.  Yes,  "  he  looks  to,  he  dwells  with,  the  meek,  the 
humble,  the  lowly  heart."  And  his  approbation  is  of  more  value  than 
,that  of  all  the  other  beings  in  the  universe.  "  Not  she  who  commend- 
eth  herself,  not  she  whom  men  commend,  is  approved,  but  she  whom 
God  commendeth."  The  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  like  faith,  will  "  be 
found  to  glory  and  honor  and  praise  at  the  coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus." :  In  that  day,  the  man  who,  for  his  genius,  learning  or  suc 
cessful  ambition,  excited  the  wonder  of  nations,  and  whose  praises 
were  celebrated  from  age  to  age,  and  through  widely  distant  coun 
tries,  but  who  never  obtained,  because  he  never  sought,  the  honor 
that  cometh  down  from  above,  shall  be  filled  with  shame,  covered 
with  contempt ;  while  the  woman  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  who  in 
the  retirement  of  very  lowly  domestic  life,  performed  conscientiously 
the  laborious  duties,  and  sustained  patiently  the  varied  trials  of  her 
humble  sphere,  from  regard  to  the  authority  of  God,  and  under  the 
constraining  influence  of  the  love  of  the  Son,  shall  be  seen  to  be 
"  glorious  within/'  one  whom  the  King  of  kings  delights  to  honor, 
and  to  whom  he  will  say,  in  the  presence  of  assembled  men  and  an 
gels,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant ;  enter  thou  into  the  joy 
of  thy  Lord." 

"Men  think  it  poor  and  mean  to  be  meek.  Nothing  is  more  ex 
posed  to  contempt  than  the  spirit  of  meekness.  It  is  mere  folly  with 
men ;  but  that  is  no  matter  :  this  overweighs  all  their  disesteem  :  '  It 
is  with  God  of  great  price/  And  things  are  indeed  as  he  values 
them,  and  no  otherwise.  Though  it  be  not  the  country's  fashion,  yet 
it  is  the  fashion  at  court,  yea,  it  is  the  king's  own  fashion :  '  Learn  of 
me,  says  he,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart/  And  when  he  girds 
on  his  sword,  and  rides  forth  prosperously,  it  is  '  for  meekness,  and 
truth,  and  righteousness/  Some  that  are  court-bred,  will  send  for 
the  prevailing  fashions  there,  though  they  live  not  at  court :  and 
though  the  peasants  think  them  strange  dresses,  yet  they  regard  not 
that ;  but  use  them  as  finest  and  best.  Care  not  what  the  world  say ; 
you  are  not  to  stay  long  with  them.  Desire  to  have  both  your  fash 
ions  and  your  stuffs  from  heaven.  The  robe  of  humility,  the  garment 
of  meekness,  will  be  sent  you.  Wear  them,  for  his  sake  who  sends 
them  you.  He  will  be  pleased  to  see  you  in  them;  and  is  this  not 
enough  ?  It  is  never  right  in  anything  with  us  till  we  attain  to  this ; 
to  tread  on  the  opinion  of  men,  and  eye  nothing  but  God's  approba 
tion."  2 

It  may  perhaps  be  worth  while  noticing,  before  closing  this  part  of 
the  discourse,  that  the  greatest  of  all  the  Grecian  philosophers,  Plato, 
has  a  passage  which  strikingly  resembles  that  which  we  have  been 
illustrating :  "  Behavior,  and  not  gold,  is  the  ornament  of  a  woman. 
To  courtezans,  these  things,  jewels  and  ornaments,  are  advantageous 
to  their  catching  more  admirers ;  but  for  a  woman  who  wishes  to  en 
joy  the  favor  of  one  man,  good  behavior  is  the  proper  ornament,  and 
not  dresses.  And  you  should  have  the  blush  upon  your  countenance, 
which  is  the  sign  of  modesty,  instead  of  paint ;  and  worth  and  sobri 
ety,  instead  of  gold  and  emeralds."  3  It  is  impossible  not  to  notice 
the  similarity ;  but  it  is  as  impossible  not  at  the  same  time  to  notice 

1  Isa.  bcvl  2.    2  Cor.  x  18.  •  Leighton.  »  Plato  de  Repub. 


PART  I.]  THE   DUTIES    OP    CHRISTIAN    WIVES.  373 

the  superiority.  The  philosopher  is  entirely  of  the  earth,  earthy. 
The  apostle  brings  the  authority  of  God,  and  the  power  of  the  unseen 
world,  distinctly  into  view.  While  Plato  leads  wives  to  seek  exclu 
sively  the  honor  which  comes  from  men,  Peter  teaches  them  to  seek 
the  honor  that  cometh  down  from  God ;  the  true  judge  of  excellence, 
the  great  fountain  of  honor. 


II— MOTIVES  ADDRESSED  TO  CHRISTIAN  WIVES  TO  THE  PERFORMANCE 

OF  THEIR  DUTIES. 

§  1. — The  probability  of  Converting  their  Husbands. 

Let  us  proceed  now  to  the  consideration  of  the  motives  by  which 
the  discharge  of  these  duties  is  recommended.  The  first  of  these 
motives  is  drawn  from  the  probability  that,  by  following  the  course 
enjoined,  the  Christian  wife  might  be  the  means  of  converting,  to 
the  faith  and  obedience  of  Christ,  her  heathen  or  Jewish  husband. 
Christian  wives  are  to  be  in  subjection  to  their  husbands ;  they  are  to 
have  a  chaste  conversation,  mingled  with  fear ;  they  are  to  adorn 
themselves,  not  so  much  outwardly,  by  having  the  body  ornamented, 
with  plaiting  of  hair,  wearing  of  gold,  or  putting  on  of  apparel,  as 
inwardly,  by  having  the  mind  adorned  with  the  ornament  of  a  meek 
and  quiet  spirit ;  in  order  that  such  husbands  as  have  not  been  con 
verted  by  the  word,  may  be  won  to  the  faith  of  Christ  by  "  the  con 
versation/'  that  is,  the  character  and  conduct  of  their  wives. 

The  apostle  here  obviously  goes  on  the  supposition,  that  a  Christian 
woman  may  have  for  her  husband  a  man  who  is  not  a  Christian. 
Then,  as  now,  the  wife  might  be  an  heir  of  glory,  and  the  husband  a 
son  of  perdition.  The  closest  natural  alliance  might  be  associated 
with  the  most  complete  spiritual  disunion ;  and  between  persons  who 
are  so  intimately  connected,  as  to  be  "no  longer  twain,  but  one  flesh," 
in  reference  to  spiritual  character,  privilege,  and  hope,  there  might 
be  a  great  gulf  fixed.  They  who  have  civilly  all  things  common, 
spiritually  may  have  nothing  common :  no  common  principles,  no 
common  feelings,  no  common  hopes  or  fears,  joys  or  sorrows. 

This  is  very  far  from  being  a  desirable  state  of  things.  On  the 
part  of  the  converted  person,  it  must  be  the  source  of  constant  and 
most  fearful  anxiety  ;  and  this  just  in  proportion  to  the  degree  of  his  or 
her  piety,  and  of  the  love  cherished  to  the  unconverted  partner.  It 
is  a  state  of  things  into  which  a  very  rare  peculiarity  of  circumstances 
can  make  it  even  innocent  for  a  Christian  to  enter.  Some  Christian 
moralists  have  held  that  there  is  no  combination  of  circumstances 
which  can  do  this  ;  but  that  in  every  case,  for  a  Christian  to  contract 
marriage  with  an  unbeliever,  is  a  direct  violation  of  the  law  of  Christ. 
To  this  opinion  I  was  myself  at  one  time  an  adherent ;  but  on  further 
reflection  I  must  say,  that  this  appears  to  me  to  be  taking  higher 
ground  than  the  Scripture  warrants.  The  two  passages  of  Scripture 
commonly  quoted  in  support  of  this  sentiment,  when  carefully  exam 
ined,  will  be  found  incapable  of  answering  the  purpose.  The  first  of 
these  passages  :  "  Be  not  unequally  yoked  together  with  unbelievers," ! 

1  2  Cor.  vi.  14. 


874  CONJUGAL    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.   XIV, 

obviously  refers  to  church  fellowship,  and  not  to  the  marriage  rela 
tion,  as  'must  be  obvious  to  every  person,  who  reads  it  in  its  connec 
tion.  The  second  of  them,  where  the  Christian  widow  is  said  to  be 
at  liberty  to  marry  whom  she  will,  "only  in  the  Lord,"1  does  not 
mean  that  she  must  marry  a  Christian  man,  or  remain  unmarried: 
but  that,  in  using  her  liberty,  she  ought  to  act  as  a  person  "in  the 
Lord,"  in  a  manner  becoming  a  saint :  just  as  when  Christian  children 
are  required  to  obey  their  parents,  in  the  Lord,  the  meaning  is,  not 
that  they  obey  their  parents  if  they  be  Christians,  but  that  they  obey 
their  parents  as  Christians  are  bound  to  do. 

It  is  quite  a  conceivable  case,  that  it  may  be  a  Christian's  duty  to 
marry,  where  it  may  be  impossible  for  him  to  obtain  a  Christian  part 
ner  ;  and  it  is  to  be  recollected,  that  marriage  is  a  secular,  not  a  re 
ligious  relation.  At  the  same  time,  these  cases  are  of  very  rare 
occurrence  ;  and  generally  speaking,  the  Christian  who  does  not  marry 
a  Christian,  does  not  act  like  a  Christian.  In  all  ordinary  circum 
stances,  for  a  Christian  to  marry  a  person,  with  the  distinct  under 
standing  that  that  person  is  not  a  Christian,  or  indeed  without  satis 
factory  evidence  that  he  or  she  is  a  Christian,  is  equally  criminal  and 
unwise.  The  principles  and  the  histories  of  Scripture  are  equally 
opposed  to  such  connections ;  and  I  believe  that  there  are  few  viola 
tions  of  Christian  duty  that  are  more  frequently,  indeed  all  but 
uniformly,  and  severely,  punished  than  j;his.  The  consideration  which, 
in  some  cases,  has  blinded  the  eyes  of  individuals  to  the  impropriety 
and  folly  of  such  conduct;  the  hope  of  becoming  useful,  in  the  high 
est  sense  of  the  word,  to  an  object  of  affection,  by  becoming  the 
means  of  conversion,  is  plainly  most  fallacious.  We  must  not  do 
evil  that  good  may  come :  and  it  should  be  remembered,  that  if  there 
may  be  conversion  on  the  one  side,  there  may  be  perversion  on  the 
other;  and  in  the  whole  circumstances  of  the  case,  the  latter  may  be 
the  more  probable  of  the  two  events.  The  sad  result  of  the  marriages 
of  the  ante-diluvian  sons  of  God  with  the  daughters  of  men,  is  re 
corded  in  Scripture,  as  a  beacon,  to  warn  all  succeeding  generations 
against  such  unnatural  and  unhallowed  connections. 

But  a  Christian  woman  may,  without  fault  on  her  part,  find  herself 
the  wife  of  an  unconverted  man.  It  is  a  possible  thing  that  she  may 
have  been  deceived  in  her  estimate  of  the  character  of  him  whom  she 
has  chosen  for  her  companion  through  life ;  the  mask  of  religion 
having  been  assumed  to  serve  a  purpose  (and  sometimes  it  has  so 
much  the  appearance  of  reality,  that  it  is  not  wonderful  that  mistakes, 
sad  mistakes,  are  committed  by  the  inexperienced) ;  or,  what  is  of 
much  more  frequent  occurrence,  and  to  which,  in  all  probability,  the 
apostle  refers,  both  may  have  been  in  a  state  of  unconversion  when 
the  marriage  relation  was  formed,  but  a  change  in  the  wife  may  have 
taken  place  subsequently,  she,  under  divine  influence,  having  been  led 
to  embrace  a  vital  Christianity,  while  her  husband  remains  destitute 
of,  or  opposed  to  it,  "dead  in  trespasses  and  in  sins;"  she  becoming  a 
subject  of  Jesus  Christ,  while  he  continues  a  rebel.  What  probably 
would  have  prevented,  what,  in  ordinary  circumstances,  ought  to  have 
prevented,  marriage,  does  not  dissolve'it.  The  Christian  wife  is  not 

1  1  Cor.  vii.  39. 


PART  I.]  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    WIVES.  375 

warranted  to  withdraw  from  her  unconverted  husband  on  that  ground. 
She  must  continue  with  him,  and  perform  to  him  all  the  duties  of  an 
affectionate  and  respectful  wife.  She  must  be  in  subjection  to  her 
own  husband,  probably  more  in  subjection  than  ever;  for  her  conver 
sion  will  probably  have  greatly  widened  her  view  of  conjugal  duty, 
and  deepened  her  sense  of  its  obligation. 

The  situation  referred  to  is  a  very  trying  one,  and  the  apostle  pro 
poses  a  very  powerful  and  encouraging  motive  to  a  discharge  of  its 
difficult  duties.  He  holds  out  the  hope  of  the  Christian  wife  becoming 
the  means  of  the  salvation  of  her  husband.  He  supposes  a  very  bad 
case:  he  supposes  that  the  husband  has  not  "obeyed  the  word,"  that 
is,  "the  word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel ;"  he  has  resisted  its  claims 
on  his  attention,  faijh,  and  obedience.  The  Christian  wife,  no  doubt, 
has  endeavored  to  bring  him  within  the  reach  of  the  Christian  preach 
er's  voice  :  it  may  be,  he  refused  to  come ;  or  he  came,  but  departed 
unimpressed,  unbelieving:  it  may  be,  scoffing  and  blaspheming.  The 
Christian  wife,  if  she  act  in  character,  will  use  more  private  means  to 
bring  her  husband  under  the  influence  of  the  word,  by  reading  the 
Scriptures  and  other  good  books,  if.  she  can  get  him  to  listen  to  them ; 
and  by  wisely  and  affectionately, "with  her  own  living  voice,  endeavor 
ing  to  convey  to  him  the  saving  truth ;  but  all  may  be  in  vain,  all 
often  has  been  in  vain,  apparently  worse  than  in  vain ;  so  that  all  di 
rect  attempts  to  effect  a  change  have  to  be  abandoned,  as  likely  to  do 
mischief  rather  than  good,  hardening  prejudice,  provoking  resistance. 

Still  the  Christian  wife  must  not  despair;  especially  she  must  not 
be  weary  in  the  well-doing  of  a  conscientious  performance  of  her 
conjugal  duties;  and  the  motive,  the  all-powerful,  the  sweetly  con 
straining  motive,  so  full  of  power  over  the  principles  of  the  Christian, 
and  the  affections  of  the  wife,  is  :  and  "  what  knowest  thou,  O  woman, 
whether  thou  shalt  save  thy  husband?"  Even  without  the  word, 
which  he  will  not  obey,  he  may  be  gained  by  thy  chaste  conversation, 
obviously  based  on  and  sustained  by  Christian  piety.  It  has  been  said 
justly,  that  "  men  who  are  prejudiced  observe  actions  a  great  deal 
more  than  words."  l  The  cheerful,  affectionate,  constant  perform 
ance  of  all  conjugal  duties,  especially  when  it  is  made  quite  plain  that 
this  is  the  result  of  Christian  principle,  is  fitted  to  make  impression 
even  on  unthinking  and  insensible  men.  The  difference,  for  the 
better,  which  conversion  has  made  on  the  relative  conduct  of  the 
wife,  almost  necessarily  leads  the  husband's  mind  to  what  has  pro 
duced  it,  and  gives  birth  to  the  thought,  '  that  cannot  be  a  bad  thing 
which  produces  such  good  effects.'  His  prejudices  are  gradually 
weakened.  By  and  by,  he,  it  may  be  voluntarily,  commences  to  talk 
on  a  subject  on  which  formerly  he  had  angrily  forbidden  all  conver 
sation,  accompanies  his  wife  to  the  Christian  assembly,  and  ultimately 
listens  to,  believes,  and  obeys  the  word  which  he  had  formerly  reject 
ed.  "A  life  of  undissembled  holiness,  and  heavenliness,  and  self-de 
nial,  and  meekness,  and  love,  and  mortification,  is  a  powerful  sermon, 
which,  if  you  be  constantly  preaching  before  those  who  are  near  you, 
will  hardly  miss  of  a  good  effect.  Works  are  more  palpably  signifi 
cant  than  words  alone."  a  This  is  the  natural  tendency  of  a  quiet, 

1   *A.-j>uvav  tpyov  KpCiffaov  artdKTOV  \6yov. — CEcUMENIUS.  3    Baxter. 


376  CONJUGAL    DUTIES    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XIV. 

cheeiful,  persevering  performance  of  conjugal  duty  to  unconverted 
husbands ;  "not  only  to  the  good  and  gentle,  but  also  to  the  froward ;" 
and,  by  the  accompanying  blessing  of  the  good  Spirit,  this  has  not 
unfrequently  been  its  blessed  effect. 

There  is  something  very  beautiful  in  the  phraseology  in  which  the 
conversion  of  the  Jewish  or  heathen  husband  is  described.  He  is 
said  to  be  "won."  He  was  lost;  lost  to  true  happiness;  lost,  contin 
uing  in  his  present  state,  for  eternity ;  but  when  he  is  brought  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  he  is  won,  gained,  gained  to  himself,  gained 
to  the  Saviour,  "added,"  as  Leighton  says,  "to  His  treasury,  who 
thought  not  his  own  precious  blood  too  dear  to  lay  out  for  this  gain." 

The  motive  here  presented  to  a  truly  Christian  woman  is  certainly 
a  very  cogent  one.  Its  force  has  been  finely  brought  out  by  a  great 
living  preacher :  "The  salvation  of  a  soul!  the  salvation  of  a  hus 
band's  soul !  O  seek  that  you  lose  not  him  who  is  so  dear  to  you,  'in 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.'  See  that  the  parting  at  death  be 
not  a  final  parting.  Let  your  friendship  survive  the  desolations  of 
time,  and  be  renewed  to  infinite  advantage  beyond  the  grave.  To 
the  tie  that  nothing  but  death  can  sever,  seek  to  add  one  which  defies 
even  his  power  to  cut  asunder.  Think,  O  wife,  of  the  happiness 
which  will  result  from  the  success  of  your  endeavors.  What  pleasure 
will  attend  the  remainder  of  your  days,  now  of  one  heart  and  of  one 
mind.  How  sweet  will  be  the  counsel  you  can  now  take  together. 
How  delightful  to  go  to  the  house  of  God  in  company.  How  enliven 
ing  to  add  the  our  Father  of  the  family  altar  to  the  my  Father  of  the 
closet,  which  witnessed  your  wrestling  with  God,  that  he  whom  you 
loved  might  also  be  led  to  say  my  Father.  And  what  will  be  your 
joy  and  crown  of  rejoicing  in  that  day  when,  before  assembled  men 
and  angels,  he  will  say:  'Blessed  be  the  providence  which  attached 
us  in  yonder  world,  and  has  still  more  united  us  in  this.  "  The  woman 
thou  gavest  me  to  be  with  me,"  led  me  not  to  "  the  tree  of  knowledge 
of  good  and  evil ;"  but  to  "the  tree  of  life  which  is  in  the  midst  of 
the  paradise  of  God."'1  The  practical  effect  which  the  pressing  of 
this  motive  should  have  on  the  Christian  wife  is  excellently  expressed 
by  one  of  the  fathers  of  the  church  :  "  Let  a  prudent  woman  first  of 
all  endeavor  to  persuade  her  husband  to  become  a  partaker  with  her  in 
those  things  which  lead  to  blessedness;  but  if  he  prove  impracticable, 
let  her  still  apply  with  all  diligence  to  a  virtuous  life,  in  everything 
yielding  obedience  to  her  husband,  and  doing  nothing  contrary  to  his 
will,  except  in  such  things  as  are  reckoned  essential  to  virtue  and 
salvation."  2 

§  2. — The  example  of  holy  women  in  former  ages. 

The  second  motive  presented  by  the  apostle  to  Christian  wives  to 
stimulate  and  encourage  them  in  the  performance  of  their  conjugal 
duties  is,  that  in  doing  so  they  would  follow  the  example  of  holy 
women  in  former  ages:  "For  after  this  manner,  in  the  old  time,  the 
holy  women  also,  who  trusted  in  God,  adorned  themselves.  Even  as 
Sarah  obeyed  Abraham,  calling  him  lord,  whose  daughters  ye  are  as 
1  Jay-  2  clem.  Alex. 


PART  I.]  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    WIVES.  377 

long  as  ye  do  well,  and  are  not  afraid  with  any  amazement."  There 
is  a  natural  tendency  in  the  human  mind  to  regard  with  veneration 
the  characters  of  those  distinguished  for  sanctity  who  lived  in  distant 
ages ;  and  it  is  an  additional  recommendation  to  any  course  of  con 
duct  urged  on  us,  that  it  was  followed  by  those  to  whom  we  have 
been  accustomed  to  look  up  as  models.  The  good  women  whose 
names  are  recorded  in  the  book  of  God,  such  as  Sarah  and  Hannah, 
were  with  the  pious  Hebrews  objects  of  affectionate  admiration. 
They  deserve  to  be  so.  Their  sanctity  and  purity  of  manners,  for 
they  were  "  holy,"  joined  to  their  piety,  for  they  "  trusted  in  God," 
made  them  objects  of  the  love,  and  fit  models  for  the  imitation,  of 
their  descendants.  They  were  in  "  subjection  to  their  own  husbands," 
and  had  a  "chaste  conversation,  coupled  with  fear."  They  adorned 
less  the  seen  man  of  the  body  than  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart ;  and 
their  ornaments  were  not  so  much  golden  jewels  or  costly  apparel,  as 
the  meek  and  humble  spirit,  which  is,  in  the  sight  of  God,  of  great 
price.  No  one  who  is  not  thus  characterized  can  share  the  honor 
which  belongs  to  these  illustrious  females.  Every  one  who  is  thus 
characterized  does  share  their  honor.  However  inferior  in  her  tal 
ents,  however  obscure  in  her  situation,  however  poor  in  her  circum 
stances  ;  every  such  woman,  every  such  wife,  is  recognized  as  a 
daughter  of  Sarah,  a  sister  of  Hannah,  and  the  other  holy  women 
who  "  built  the  house  of  Jacob,  and  did  worthily  in  the  families  of 
Israel."  l 

Sarah  is  particularly  noticed  as  having  obeyed  Abraham,  and  as 
having  shown  her  respect  for  him,  by  calling  him  lord.  The  particu 
lar  instances  in  which  Sarah  obeyed  Abraham,  are  not  distinctly 
specified  by  the  apostle.  It  has  been  supposed  that  the  reference  may 
be  to  her  obeying  Abraham's  voice,  when  he  obeyed  Jehovah  in  leav 
ing  the  land  of  their  nativity,  where  they  had  many  relations  and 
probably  abundant  possessions,  to  go  forth  into  a  land  of  which  they 
knew  no  more  than  that  Jehovah  should  afterwards  tell  them  of  it ; 
and  to  her  yielding  up  Isaac,  her  only  son,  the  son  of  the  promise,  the 
son  of  her  old  age,  to  the  disposal  of  his  father,  when  he  received  the 
strange  command  to  take  him  and  offer  him  up  for  a  burnt-offering. 
If  in  these  two  trying  cases  Sarah  did  yield  a  ready  obedience  to  her 
husband's  expressed  will,  she  well  deserves  to  be  represented  as  a 
model  to  wives  in  succeeding  ages.  The  reference,  however,  does  not 
seem  so  much  to  particular  instances  as  to  the  habit  of  obedience. 
Indeed,  in  one  instance  at  least,  she  seems  to  have  carried  her  dispo 
sition  to  obey  her  husband  to  an  extreme ;  for  when  he  instructed 
her  to  equivocate  in  Egypt,  and  represent  herself  as  his  sister,  she 
would  have  done  well  respectfully  to  have  replied,  "  I  must  obey  God 
rather  than  my  husband."  Her  exemplary  character  as  a  wife  was 
manifested  also  in  the  manner  in  which  she  was  accustomed  to  ad 
dress  her  husband;  she  called  him  lord.  Though  of  the  same  rank 
with  her  husband,  a  member  of  the  same  family,  and  distinguished 
by  peculiar  honors  as  the  mother  of  the  son  of  the  promise,  she  never 
thought  herself  above  the  humblest  duties  of  her  station,  but  habitually 
reverenced  her  husband. 

1  Ruth  iv.  11. 


378  CONJUGAL    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XIV. 

It  deserves  notice  as  a  proof  how  ready  God  is  to  approve  of,  and 
to  testify  approbation  of,  what  is  good  in  the  conduct  of  his  people, 
that  ths  speech  of  which  this  compellation  was  a  part,  was  in  sub 
stance  an  expression  of  unbelief  respecting  the  promise  of  God,  for 
which  at  the  time  she  was"  severely  reprimanded ;  yet  here,  after  the 
lapse  of  so  many  ages,  she  is  spoken  honorably  of,  for  the  only  good 
thing  in  that  unhappy  speech,  a  becoming  expression  of  respectful 
regard  for  her  husband.  How  readily  does  God  pardon  the  sins  of 
the  upright  in  heart!  And  how  highly  does  he  estimate,  how  gra 
ciously  does  he  accept,  their  poorest  services  !  He  does  "  not  forget" 
them.1 

Sarah  was  highly  honored  among  the  pious  Jews  as  the  wife  of 
Abraham,  the  father  of  the  faithful  and  the  mother  of  Isaac,  the  son 
of  the  promise.  A  daughter  of  Sarah  was  to  the  Jewish  women  an 
appellation  of  similar  desirableness  and  dignity,  as  to  a  Jewish  man, 
a  son  of  Abraham.  All  truly  Christian  women  were  daughters  of 
Sarah,  as  all  truly  Christian  men  were  sons  of  Abraham  :  "  Children, 
according  to  the  promise;  not  of  the  bondwoman,  but  of  the  free."3 

There  is  more  true  honor  connected  with  this  spiritual  lineage  than 
springs  from  deriving  our  birth 

"  From  loins  cnthvou'd,  or  sovereigns  of  the  earth."  3 

Now  this  honor  belongs  to  all  Christian  wives  "so  long  as  they  do 
well."  While  they  discharge  the  duties  of  their  station  from  proper 
motives,  and  in  a  proper  manner,  they  will  be  reckoned  the  heirs  of 
her  faith,  sharers  in  her  honors ;  they  will  be  blessed  with  obedient 
Sarah  and  faithful  Abraham.  The  apostle's  declaration  goes  on  the 
same  principle  as  our  Lord's,  "If  ye  were  the  children  of  Abraham, 
ye  would  do  the  works  of  Abraham/'' 4  '  Doing  the  works  of  Sarah, 
ye  prove  yourselves  to  be  her  daughters.' 

The  apostle  adds,  "  And  are  not  afraid  with  any  amazement." 
There  is  some  difficulty  in  fixing  the  precise  meaning  and  reference 
of  these  words.  I  will  state  to  you  in  a  very  few  words  what  I  con 
sider  as  the  most  probable  interpretation  that  has  been  given  them. 
The  best  principles  may  be  carried  to  extremes.  The  duties  we  owe 
to  superiors  are  not  likely  to  be  performed  with  propriety  and  regu 
larity,  if  we  have  not  a  respect  for  their  persons  and  a  fear  of  their 
displeasure  ;  but  this  may  easily  become  excessive.  This  fear  of  man 
in  all  its  forms  brings  a  snare.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  Christian  wives 
of  heathen  husbands  to  respect  and  fear  them ;  and  to  show  this  by 
a  ready  obedience  to  their  lawful  commands,  a  ready  compliance 
with  their  lawful  appointments ;  but  they  must  not  allow  their  fear  of 
their  husbands  to  lead  them  to  neglect  their  duty  as  Christians.,  or  to 
violate  the  law  of  their  Lord  and  Master.  This  was  a  strong  temp 
tation,  for  heathen  husbands  were  often  very  arbitrary ;  and  the  ex 
isting  laws,  as  well  as  customs,  put  the  happiness  of  their  wives  in 
their  power  to  a  degree  of  which,  from  the  state  of  things  which  the 
progress  of  religion,  and  civilization,  and  law  has  produced  in  this 

1  Gen.  xviii.  12.     Heb.  vi.  10.  2  Gal.  iii.  29  ;  iv.  31. 

Cowper.  4 


PART  I.]  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN   WIVES.  379 

country,  we  happily  can  form  but  an  inadequate  conception.  So 
long  as  the  will  of  their  husbands  did  not  run  counter  to  the  will  of 
their  Lord,  they  could  scarcely  be  too  submissive  ;  but  when  they  for 
bade  what  he  commanded,  or  commanded  what  he  forbade,  then  the 
reply  must  be  ready  to  be  respectfully  made  and  steadily  acted  out, 
"  We  must  obey  God  rather  than  man."  *  I  am  under  strong  obliga 
tions  to  you,  but  I  am  under  infinitely  stronger  obligations  to  him.  I 
would  not  willingly  incur  your  displeasure,  but  I  dare  not  subject 
myself  to  his  indignation/ 

And  so  it  must  be  still.  Every  Christian  wife  must  remember  that 
she  has  higher  duties  than  those  she  owes  to  her  husband,  even  those 
she  owes  to  her  God  and  Saviour ;  and  whenever  these  come,  as  they 
sometimes  do,  into  competition,  she  must  not  be  "afraid  with  any 
amazement,"  but  calmly  say,  'I  would  willingly  do  and  suffer  very 
much  for  my  nearest  and  dearest  earthly  relation,  but  I  will  not  sin 
for  him.  His  lordship  does  not  extend  to  my  mind  and  conscience ; 
as  to  t'hese,  I  have  one  Lord,  the  Lord  who  bought  me ;  my  Master  is 
in  heaven.'  In  this  case,  as  in  every  other  of  a  similar  kind,  it  is 
proper  that  the  individual  should  carefully  guard  against  mistaking 
humor  for  principle,  and  be  very  sure  that  the  compliance  with  a  hus 
band's  will  is  indeed  incompatible  with  obedience  to  a  Saviour's,  be 
fore  such  a  course  is  adopted ;  but  when  this  is  made  clearly  out  to 
the  conscience,  there  must  be  no  hesitation;  we  must  deny  ourselves, 
our  best,  most  useful,  human  affections,  and  follow  Him.  If  in  this 
sense  a  child  do  not  hate  his  father,  a  brother  his  sister,  a  wife  her 
husband,  they  are  not  fit  for  being  Christ's  disciples.  In  matters  of 
conscience  all  Christians,  whether  men  or  women,  whatever  relation 
in  domestic  or  civil  society  they  may  occupy,  must  be  principled,  de 
cided,  resolute,  firm.  All  Christians  of  whatever  sex,  and  in  what 
ever  station,  must  "  add  to  their  faith  knowledge/'  to  enable  them  to 
discern  their  various  duties,  to  understand  their  various  obligations 
and  their  comparative  strength ;  "  and  to  faith"  and  "  knowledge,"  or 
enlightened  faith,  they  must  add  "virtue,"  that  is,  fortitude  to  enable 
them  at  all  hazards  to  perform  the  one  and  discharge  the  other.1 
They  must  learn  not  to  be  "  afraid  of  man's  terror,  neither  be  troubled, 
but  sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  their  heart,  and  make  him  their  fear  and 
their  dread  ;"  and  fearing  him  they  will  know  no  other  fear.  An  en 
lightened  fear  of  God  will  equally  lead  a  Christian  wife  to  yield  all  due 
respect  and  obedience  to  her  husband,  and  to  refuse  that  species  and 
degree  of  respect  and  obedience  which  are  due  only  to  God. 

This  superiority  to  fear  in  matters  of  duty,  seems  spoken  of  as  a 
point  of  resemblance  to  Sarah.  It  is  plain  from  the  slight  hints  we 
have  in  Genesis,  that  she  was  not  deficient  in  firmness  of  character, 
which  sprung  out  of  the  faith  ascribed  to  her  in  the  llth  chapter  of 
the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews ;  and  the  hope  in  God  by  which  she,  in 
common  with  the  other  holy  women,  was  characterized. 

It  may  not  be  improper  to  state  that  a  somewhat  different  view  has 
been  entertained  of  the  reference  and  design  of  this  concluding  clause. 
In  the  very  passage  where  Sarah's  respect  for  her  husband,  manifested 
in  her  calling  him  lord,  is  recorded,  she  is  ^  represented  as,  under  the, 

1  2  Pet.  i.  5. 


380  CONJUGAL    DUTIES    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XIV. 

influence  of  fear,  denying  the  truth  :  "  Then  Sarah,"  it  is  said,  "  de 
nied,  for  she  was  afraid."  l  To  this,  it  has  been  supposed,  that  the 
apostle  refers,  as  if  he  said,  '  Imitate  Sarah  in  what  was  good,  but 
avoid  her  failings.  Honor  your  husband,  but  guard  against  such  fear 
as  would  lead  you,  like  Sarah,  acting  incongruously  with  her  char 
acter  as  a  holy  woman  trusting  in  God,  to  deny  the  truth.' 2 

Such  is  the  apostle's  view  of  the  duties  of  .Christian  wives,  and  of 
the  motives  which  ought  to  stimulate  them  to  the  habitual  performance 
of  them.  As  might  be  expected,  there  is  a  peculiar  reference  to  the 
circumstances  in  which  Christian  females  were  placed  at  the  period 
in  which  the  epistle  was  written,  among  the  nations  amid  whom  those 
Christians  dwelt,  to  whom  it  was  addressed ;  but  in  all  its  essential 
principles  it  is  equally  applicable  to  all  ages  and  to  all  countries. 
The  individual  who  realizes  the  force  of  these  motives,  and  exempli 
fies  these  precepts,  habitually  in  heart,  temper,  and  behavior,  what 
ever  station  she  occupies,  is  a  blessing  to  society,  an  ornament  to  the 
Church  of  God.  Happy  is  the  man  who  has  such  a  wife.  He  who 
has  found  such  a  wife  has  found  a  good  thing,  and  has  obtained  favor 
of  the  Lord.  Happy  are  the  children  who  have  such  a  mother,  happy 
the  family  who  have  such  a  mistress,  happy  the  congregation  which 
has  many  such  members.  "  Such  a  gracious  woman  retaineth 
honor."  "Her  children  rise  up  arid  call  her  blessed;  her  husband 
also,  and  he  praiseth  her.  Favor  is  deceitful,  and  beauty  is  vain ; 
but  a  woman  that  feareth  the  Lord,  she  shall  be  praised.  Give  her 
of  the  fruit  of  her  hands,  and  let  own  works  praise  her  in  the  gates."  3 


PART  II. 

Out  of  all  the  relations  in  which  human  beings  can  be  placed  to 
each  other,  whether  as  superiors,  or  inferiors,  or  equals,  grow  mutual 
obligations,  and  reciprocal  duties.  In  no  case  is  the  one  party  free, 
and  the  other  bound.  Each  has  his  peculiar  right,  and  each  his  pe 
culiar  duties.  The  child  has  rights,  as  well  as  the  parent;  the  servant 
has  rights,  as  well  as  the  master ;  the  subject  has  rights,  as  well  as  the 
magistrate;  and,  as  a  necessary  consequence  of  this,  the  parent  has 
duties  as  well  as  the  child ;  the  master  as  well  as  the  servant ;  the 
magistrate  as  well  as  the  subject.  In  none  of  the  relations  of  human 
society,  can  the  one  party  with  truth  say  to  the  other,  you  are  my 
debtor,  but  I  owe  you  nothing.  The  debt  of  love  is  a  debt  which, 
though  we  should  constantly  be  paying  to  all,  we  never  can  discharge 
to  any.  We  must  all  ever  owe  love  to  all ;  and  the  particular  form 
in  which  the  various  instalments  of  this  inextinguishable  debt  are  to 
be  paid  by  one  individual  to  another,  depends  on  the  relation  which 
subsists  between  them,  and  is  indeed  just  the  appropriate  duty  of  that 
relation.  We  find  the  apostle  Peter  applying  this  principle,  in  his 

1  Gen.  xviii.  15. 

The  meaning  of  this  passage  seems  considerably  elucidated  by  including  ("  as  Sarah, 
whose  children  you  are,  obeyed  Abraham")  in  a  parenthesis,  and  connecting  "  doing  what 
is  good  and  alarmed  with  no  terrors,"  with  what  goes  before, — referring  to  "  the  holy 
women  generally  ."—Vide  "  Translation"  at  the  beginning  of  the  volume. 

1  Prov.  xxxi.  30,  31. 


PART  II. J  THE    DUTY    OF    CHRISTIAN    HUSBANDS.  381 

statements  of  the  duties  of  the  fundamental  and  primary  relation  of 
domestic  life,  that  of  husband  and  wife.  He  has  stated  and  enforced 
the  duties  of  the  wife ;  he  has  taught  the  Christian  wife  what  she  owes 
to  her  husband,  even  to  her  unconverted  husband,  and  why  she 
should  be  conscientious  in  discharging  this  debt.  He  has  explained 
her  duty,  and  the  motive  by  which  it  is  enforced.  He  now  proceeds 
to  show  Christian  husbands  that  they  have  duties  as  well  as  rights ; 
and  that  while  they  have  important  claims  on  their  wives,  their  wives 
also  have  important  claims  on  them  ;  claims,  certainly,  not  the  less 
sacred  and  cogent,  that  they  to  whom  they  belong  have,  in  compara 
tively  rare  instances,  the  means  of  authoritatively  enforcing  them. 


I— THE  DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIAN  HUSBANDS. 

The  view  of  the  duty  of  the  husband  to  the  wife,  given  by  the 
apostle,  is,  like  that  given  by  him  of  the  duty  of  the  wife  to  the  hus 
band,  accompanied  with  a  statement  of  some  of  the  motives  which 
urge  to  its  performance.  My  object,  in  the  remaining  part  of  this 
discourse,  is  to  unfold  the  meaning  of  the  apostle's  injunctions,  and  to 
point  out  the  appropriateness  and  force  of  the  considerations  which 
he  adduces  in  support  of  these  injunctions. 

You  will  observe,  that  my  object  is  not  to  give  you  a  full  account 
of  the  duties  of  husbands,  and  of  the  motives  enforcing  them.  Had 
that  been  my  design  I  should  have  taken  for  my  subject  the  whole 
of  the  Christian  law,  as  laid  down  in  the  following  passages  of  Scrip 
ture,  passages  which  I  hope  every  husband  in  this  assembly  has  en 
graved  on  the  tablet,  not  only  of  his  memory,  but  of  his  heart :  "  Hus 
bands,  love  your  wives,  even  as  Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and 
gave  himself  for  it,  that  he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the 
washing  of  water  by  the  word  ;  that  he  might  present  it  to  himself  a 
glorious  Church,  not  having  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing,  but 
that  it  should  be  holy,  and  without  blemish.  So  ought  men  to  love 
their  wives  as  their  own  bodies,  for  he  who  loveth  his  wife  loveth 
himself:  for  no  man  ever  yet  hated  his  own  flesh,  but  nourisheth  and 
cherisheth  it,  even  as  the  Lord  the  Church :  for  we  are  members  of 
his  body,  of  his  flesh,  and  of  his  bones.  For  this  cause  shall  a  man 
leave  his  father  and  mother,  and  shall  be  joined  to  his  wife,  and  they 
two  shall  be  one  flesh.  This  is  a  great  mystery :  but  I  speak  concern 
ing  Christ  and  the  Church.  Nevertheless,  let  every  one  of  you,  in 
particular,  so  love  his  wife  even  as  himself.  Husbands,  love  your 
wives,  and  be  not  bitter  against  them."  l 

My  object  is  a  much  more  limited  one.  Taking  for  granted,  with 
the  apostle,  that  the  husbands  addressed,  were  possessed  of  that  pecu 
liar  affection,  without  the  possession  of  the  elements  of  which,  the 
marriage  relation  ought  never  to  be  formed,  and  without  the  careful 
cultivation  and  steady  development  of  which,  the  duties  of  that  rela 
tion  cannot  be  performed,  nor  its  comforts  enjoyed,  I  mean  to  confine 
myself  to  those  manifestations  of  this  principle,  and  those  motives 
urging  to  these  manifestations,  to  which  the  apostle's  object  naturally 

1  Eph.  v.  25-33.     Col.  iii.  19. 


382  CONJUGAL    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XIV. 

led  him  particularly  to  advert,  in  showing  the  Christians  to  whom  he 
was  writing,  living  in  the  midst  of  heathens  ignorant  of  their  religion, 
how  to  "have  their  conversation  honest  among  the  Gentiles,  that  so 
with  well-doing  they  might  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish 
men."  For  this  purpose  he  exhorts  Christian  subjects  and  Christian 
servants  to  be  particularly  attentive  to  their  civil  and  domestic  du 
ties  ;  for  this  purpose  he  exhorts  Christian  wives  to  be  exemplary  in 
all  their  conjugal  duties ;  and  for  this  purpose  he,  in  our  text,  exhorts 
Christian  husbands  to  "  dwell  with  their  wives  according  to  knowl 
edge,  giving  honor  unto  the  wife  as  to  the  weaker  vessel,  and  as  be 
ing  heirs  of  the  grace  of  life,  that  their  prayers  be  not  hindered." 

A  certain  degree  of  obscurity  is  cast  over  this  passaga,  by  the  man 
ner  in  which  it  is  construed  in  our  version.  I  should  think  few  in 
telligent  persons  have  ever  read  the  passage  without  feeling  as  if  the 
first  reason  given  for  honoring  the  wife,  were  a  somewhat  paradoxical 
one.  It  seems  very  reasonable,  that  the  Christian  husband  should 
honor  the  Christian  wife,  because  she  is  equally  with  himself  an  "heir 
of  the  grace  of  life  ;"  but  it  seems  strange,  that  her  being  the  weaker 
vessel  should  be  assigned  as  a  reason  why  she  should  be  honored. 
That  is  a  very  good,  a  very  persuasive  reason,  to  sympathize  with 
her,  to  help  her,  to  be  kind  to  her;  but  it  does  not  seem  to  have  much 
cogency  as  a  reason  for  honoring  her.  On  looking  into  the  text,  as  it 
came  from  the  apostle's  pen,  there  appears  no  trace  of  this  apparent 
incongruity.  The  words  translated,  "  to  the  wife,  as  to  the  weaker 
vessel,"  l  and  which  might,  with  equal  propriety,  be  rendered,  "  with 
the  wife  as  with  the  weaker  vessel,"  immediately  follow  the  words, 
"dwell  according  to  knowledge,"  and  precede,  instead  of  following, 
as  from  our  version  we  would  naturally  suppose,  the  words,  "giving 
honor."  These  are  plainly  intended  to  quality  the  first  clause,  just  as 
the  words,  "  as  being  heirs  of  the  grace  of  life,"  are  intended  to  qualify 
the  second.  The  wife  being  the  weaker  vessel  is  the  reason  why  the 
husband  should  "  dwell  with  her  according  to  knowledge  ;"  just  as 
her  being  a  fellow- heir  of  the  grace  of  life,  is  the  reason  why  he 
should  honor  her;2  and  the  importance  of  preventing  any  hindrance 
to  their  prayers,  is  a  motive  equally  bearing  on  both  of  the  duties  en 
joined.  The  method,  then,  which  seems  best  fitted  to  bring  out  the 
meaning  and  force  of  the  text  is,  first,  to  explain  the  first  injunction, 
"  Dwell  with  the  wife  according  to  knowledge,"  and  its  appropriate 
motive  :'  "  She  is  the  weaker  vessel ;"  then  the  second  injunction,  and 
its  appropriate  motive  :  "  Honor  her,  as  she  is  a  joint-heir  of  the  grace 
of  life ;"  and,  finally,  the  concluding  consideration,  which  is  equally 
fitted  for  giving  force  to  both  these  injunctions. 

§  1. — To  "  dwell  with  the  wife  according  to  knowledge,  as  being  the 

weaker  vessel." 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  the  illustration  of  the  first  injunction,  and 
its  appropriate  motive:  "likewise  ye  husbands  dwell  according  to 

'  £2j  ci;T0£i/COTEpW  ffKCVSl  TM  yTJVUlKf |'&J. 

1  £2?  bis  hie  ponitui' :  priore  loco  pertinet  ad  yvc3<ni>,  altero  ad  Tififiv.    IFvuciv  poscit 
infirmitas  vasis;  Ti/»ji/  co-hcereditas  injungit. — BENGEL. 


PART  IF.]  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    HUSBANDS.  383 

knowledge,  with  the  wife,  that  is,  each  with  his  own  wife,  as  being 
the  weaker  vessel."  Let  the  husband  dwell  with  his  wife.  Let  him 
dwell  with  her  according  to  knowledge.  What  is  the  meaning  of 
these  expressions  ?  The  expression,  let  the  husband  dwell  with  his 
wife,  seems  naturally  to  suggest  the  idea  that,  in  the  apostle's  estima 
tion,  each  family  should  have  a  separate  habitation  ;  that  they  should 
not  only  dwell  in  the  same  house,  but  that  as  every  man  should  have 
his  own  wife,  and  every  woman  her  own  husband,  every  man  and 
wife  should  have  their  own  house.  The  son,  when  he  becomes  a 
husband}>  should  "leave  his  father  and  mother,  and  cleave  to  his 
wife."  1  '  This  is  the  arrangement  dictated  by  nature  and  reason,  an 
arrangement  seldom  disregarded  without  uncomfortable  consequences. 
Different  households  should  have  in  all  ordinary  circumstances  differ 
ent  houses.  Many  dishonorable  things  among  the  Gontiles,  originated 
in  the  neglect  of  this  arrangement. 

But  this,  though  apparently  included  in  the  injunction,  does  not 
exhaust  its  meaning.  It  plainly  implies,-  that  not  only  should  the 
husband  and  wife  have  the  same  and  a  separate  house,  but  that  the 
husband  as  well  as  the  wife  should  ordinarily,  habitually,  dwell  in 
that  house.  Wive  are,  no  doubt,  peculiarly  bound  to  be  "  keepers  at 
home."  That  is  their  principal  and  all  but  exclusive  scene  of  duty 
and  usefulness ;  but  husbands,  too,  are  bound,  in  all  ordinary  circum 
stances,  to  make  their  house  their  home.  "  It  is  absurd,"  as  has  been 
justly  said,  "for  those  who  have  no  prospect  of  dwelling  together,  to 
enter  into  the  marriage  state  ;  and  they  who  are  already  in  it,  should 
not  be  unnecessarily  abroad."  Circumstances  may  occur  which  may 
make  absence  from  home,  even  for  a  considerable  time,  a  duty  on  the 
part  of  the  husband,  but  these  are  exceptions  from  the  general  rule. 
There  is  much  force  in  the  inspired  apothegm,  "  As  a  bird  that  wan- 
dereth  from  her  nest,  so  is  a  man  that  wandereth  from  his  place."  8 
"  Those  persons,"  says  Baxter,  "  live  contrary  to  the  nature  of  this 
relation,  who  live  a  great  part  of  their  lives  asunder  as  many  do,  for 
worldly  respects  :  when  they  have  several  houses,  possessions,  or 
trades,  and  the  husband  must  live  at  one,  and  the  wife  at  the  other, 
for  their  commodity  sake,  and  only  come  together  once  in  a  week,  or 
in  many  weeks.  Where  this  is  done  without  great  necessity,  it  is  a 
constant  violation  of  their  duties.  And  so  it  is  for  men  to  go  to 
trade  or  live  beyond  sea,  or  in  another  land,  and  leave  their  wives 
behind  them ;  yea,  though  they  have  their  wives'  consent,  it  is  an 
unlawful  course,  except  in  a  case  of  mere  necessity  or  public  service, 
or  where  they  are  able  to  say  that  the  benefits  are  likely  to  be  greater 
to  the  soul  and  body  than  the  loss.  The  offices  which  husbands 
and  wives  are  bound  to  perform  for  one  another,  are  such  as  for  the. 
most  part  suppose  them  dwelling  under  the  same  roof,  like  the  offices 
of  the  members  of  the  body  for  each  other,  which  they  cannot  per- 
form  if  they  are  dismembered  and  divided."  How  can  a  man  from 
home  discharge  his  duties  to  his  household  ?  Family  devotion,  family 
instruction,  family  discipline,  must  all,  so  far  as  he  is  concerned,  be 
neglected. 

There  are  husbands  who  are  seldom  from  home  in  the  sense  now 

Gen.  ii.  24.  a  Prov.  xxvii.  8. 


384  CONJUGAL    DUTIES    OP    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XIV. 

explained,  who  yet  are  very  deficient  in  the  duty  here  enjoined, 
dwelling  with  their  wives.  Though  never  from  home  in  one  way, 
they  are  but  seldom  at  home  in  another  Their  leisure  hours  are 
spent  abroad.  They  seem  fonder  of  almost  any  society  than  the  so 
ciety  of  their  wives.  It  is  a  shrewd  remark,  which  observation  but 
too  fully  confirms,  "  when  a  married  man,  a  husband,  a  father,  is  fond 
of  spending  his  evenings  abroad  ;  it  implies  something  bad,  and  pre 
dicts  something  worse." l  To  dwell  with  the  wife  is  to  associate 
with  her  as  the  husband's  chosen  companion  and  confidential  friend. 
There  are  some  husbands  who  never  consult  their  wives,  and  even 
leave  them  to  learn  from  a  third  person  matters  in  which  'they  are 
deeply  concerned.  This  is  not  as  it  should  be.  He  who  enters  into 
the  spirit  of  the  apostle's  advice,  will,  amid  the  occupations  of  the 
day,  please  himself  with  the  thought  of  enjoying  his  wife's  society  in 
the  evening,  as  the  best  refreshment  after  his  toils.  Her  presence 
will  make  his  own  mansion,  however  humble,  far  more  agreeable  to 
him  than  any  other  which  he  may  occasionally  visit.  The  anxieties 
and  cares  attendant  on  her  maternal  and  domestic  character  he  will 
endeavor  to  soothe  and  relieve.  When  she  is  happy  he  will  be  hap 
py :  when  she  is  afflicted  he  will  be  afflicted.  He  will  rejoice  with 
her  when  she  rejoices,  and  weep  with  her  when  she  weeps.  His 
heart  will  safely  trust  in  her,  and,  by  a  constant  interchange  of  kind 
offices,  he  will  increase  both  in  her  and  in  himself  that  entire  confi 
dential  esteem  and  love,  which  makes  all  relative  duties  easy  and 
pleasant.2  This  is  for  the  husband  to  dwell  with  the  wife. 

But  what  are  we  to  understand  by  dwelling  with  her  "according 
to  knowledge  ?"  These  words  may  mean,  Let  the  Christian  husband, 
in  his  intimate  and  habitual  intercourse  with  his  wife,  conduct  him 
self  like  a  well-instructed  Christian  man,  who  knows  the  law  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  the  powerful  motives  by  which  it  is  enforced.  We 
rather  think,  however,  that  the  meaning  is,  Let  him  conduct  himself 
intelligently,  wisely,  prudently.  There  is  no  prescribing  particular 
rules  in  a  case  of  this  kind.  "  Wisdom  is  profitable  to  direct ;"  and 
as  it  is  profitable,  so  is  it  necessary.  In  every  department  of  relative 
duty,  wise  consideration,  prudent  tact,  is  necessary ;  in  none  more 
than  in  the  conjugal  department.  The  peace  of  the  family,  the  com 
fort,  and  even  the  spiritual  improvement  both  of  the  wife  and  of  the 
husband,  depend  on  this  holy  discretion.  This  knowledge,  or  wisdom, 
will  enable  him  to  form  a  just  estimate  of  his  wife's  character,  of  her 
talents,  her  acquirements,  her  temper,  her  foibles,  and  will  lead  him 
to  act  accordingly.  Christian  husbands  should  act  "  circumspectly, 
not  as  fools,  but  as  wise."  It  is  the  more  necessary  that  such  wisdom 
be  exercised,  from  the  difficulty  of  guarding  equally  against  a  foolish 
fondness,  which  suffers  sin  on  the  object  of  affection,  and  a  forbid 
ding  harshness  of  demeanor,  which  disheartens  and  discourages. 
The  wife  is  not  a  servant  who  can  be  dismissed ;  not  an  ordinary 
friend,  who,  if  found  unsuitable,  can  be  quietly  parted  with.  She  is 
joined  to  thee  by  a  bond  which,  in  ordinary  cases,  nothing  but  death 
can  dissolve.  She  is  the  mother  of  thy  children  ;  regard  to  her,  re 
gard  to  them,  regard  to  thyself,  all  require  thee  to  dwell  with  her  ac- 

1  Jay.  9  Stennett. 


PART  II.]  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    HUSBANDS.  385 

cording  to  knowledge.  Act  wisely,  and  the  results  will  be  unspeaka 
bly  advantageous.  Act  foolishly,  and  there  is  no  saying  what  the 
consequences  of  this,  even  in  one  instance,  may  be.  Beware  of  in 
any  way  injuring  her ;  beware  of  in  any  way  being  injured  by  her. 
Seek  to  bless  her,  and  to  make  her  a  blessing  to  you,  to  your  children, 
to  all  with  whom  she  is  connected. 

The  apostle  notices  particularly  one  reason  why  the  husband 
should  dwell  according  to  knowledge  with  the  wife.  She  is  "  the 
weaker  vessel."  The  word  translated  "  vessel"  seems  here  to  mean 
framework  or  fabric.  Both  man  and  woman  are  a  framework  or 
fabric  formed  by  God.  Both  are  weak  ;  but  the  woman  is  the  weak 
er.  Both  in  body  and  mind  some  women  are  stronger  than  some 
men ;  but,  in  ordinary  cases,  the  female,  in  the  human  as  in  other 
species  of  living  creatures,  is  weaker  than  the  male.  In  delicacy  of 
apprehension,  both  intellectual  and  moral,  and  in  capacity  of  passive 
endurance,  the  woman's  mind  is  often,  I  apprehend,  far  superior  to 
the  man's.  But,  generally  speaking,  the  woman  is  the  weaker  fabric. 
She  has  a  feebler  corporeal  frame ;  and  her  mental  constitution, 
especially  the  sensitive  part  of  it,  is  such  as  to  require  cautious,  kind, 
even  tender  treatment  from  those  about  her.  Therefore  it  is  meet 
that  her  husband  should  sustain  her  weakness,  and  bear  with  her  in 
firmities. 

It  is  foolish  and  productive  of  mischief,  to  treat  wives  as  if  they 
were  children.  It  degrades  them  in  their  own  estimation,  and  pre 
vents  their  improvement ;  but  it  is  wise,  and  productive  of  the  best 
consequences,  to  treat  them  as  what  they  are,  women,  beings  of 
keener  sensibilities  and  feebler  frames  than  ours ;  and  to  have  a  kind 
consideration  for  their  peculiar  privations  and  sufferings,  their  weari 
some  days  and  sleepless  nights,  their  anxieties  and  sorrows,  their 
watchings  over  our  sick  and  dying  children,  and  their  angel-like  min 
istrations  to  ourselves  in  the  season  of  affliction.  The  feebleness  of 
their  frame  should  keep  husbands  in  mind  of  the  insecure  tenure  by 
which  they  possess  them,  and  lead  them  to  dwell  with  them,  as  they 
will  wish  they  had  done,  when  they  must  dwell  with  them  no  longer. 

The  apostle  does  not  suppose  a  Christian  husband  can  be  intention 
ally  unkind  to  his  wife ;  but  he  supposes  that  from  want  of  considera 
tion,  he  may  do  injury  in  a  degree  he  little  thinks,  to  one  whom  he 
loves ;  and  therefore  he  puts  him  in  mind  that  his  wife  is  the  weaker 
vessel,  and  that  it  is  his  duty  to  dwell  with  her  "  according  to  knowl 
edge."  Very  worthy  men,  not  at  all  deficient  in  good  sense  or  in 
good  feeling  either,  but  not  distinguished  by  tact  or  sensibility,  need 
the  hint ;  and  a  great  deal  of  suffering,  not  the  less  severe  that  it  is 
not  designed,  and  cannot  be  complained  of,  might  be  saved  if  it  were 
but  attended  to. 

"  It  is  well  to  mark  ho\v  a  passing  word — 
Too  lightly  said,  and  too  deeply  heard — 
Or  a  harsh  reproof,  or  a  look  unkind, 
May  spoil  the  peace  of  sensitive  mind." l 


1  C.  Fry. 

25 


386  CONJUGAL    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XIV 

§  2 — «  To  honor  the  wife  as  a  fellow-heir  of  the  grace  of  life" 

The  second  injunction  to  Christian  husbands  is,  "  Give  honor  to  the 
wives  as  being  heirs  together/'  or  joint-heirs  "  of  the  grace  of  life." 
Here,  again,  we  have  first  the  precept,  and  then  the  motive.  The 
Christian  husband  is  to  honor  his  wife.  Some  interpreters  have  sup 
posed  that  the  honor  here  spoken  of  is  an  honorable  maintenance. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  word  "  honor"  is  repeatedly  used 
with  this  signification  in  the  New  Testament;1  and  there  is  as  little 
doubt  that  it  is  the  duty  of  a  husband  to  give  to  his  wife  all  the  com 
forts  which  his  circumstances  in  life  can  afford,  and  provide  for  her 
both  while  he  lives,  and,  in  all  practicable  cases,  after  his  death ;  but 
we  cannot  look  at  the  close  of  the  sentence  without  perceiving  that 
it  is  not  to  this  that  the  apostle  refers.  It  is  such  honor  as  properly 
belongs'to  the  wife  as  "  an  heir  of  the  grace  of  life."  It  is  quite  plain 
that  the  Christian  husband  is  supposed  to  have  a  Christian  wife;  and 
he  is  not  to  treat  her  as  the  heathen  treated  their  wives,  or  even  as 
the  Jews  treated  theirs.  He  is  to  view  her  as  spiritually  standing  on 
the  same  level  with  himself,  being  in  Christ  Jesus,  "  where  there  is 
neither  male  nor  female,"  any  more  than  Jew  or  Greek,  bond  or  free. 
He  is  to  esteem  her  as  "  a  child  of  God,"  "  a  daughter  of  the  Lord  God 
Almighty,"  "  an  heir  of  God,  a  joint-heir  with  Christ  Jesus."  He  is 
to  love  her,  because  Christ  loves  her,  and  because  she  loves  Christ. 
He  is  to  respect  her  as  a  living  image  of  the  Redeemer,  having  re 
ceived  out  of  his  fulness  grace  for  grace. 

The  apostle  particularly  notices,  that  the  wives  are  to  be  honored 
as,  equally  with  their  husbands,  heirs  of  the  grace  of  life.  "  The 
grace  of  life."  Grace  is  here  favor,  the  favor  of  God ;  not  in  the 
sense  of  the  principle  in  the  Divine  mind,  but  of  some  signal  effect 
and  manifestation  of  it.  The  grace  or  favor  of  life  is  that  Divine 
grace  or  favor  which  consists  in  life.  The  "life"  referred  to  is  that 
eternal  life  which  is  "  the  grace  to  be  brought  to  us  at  the  coming  of 
our  Lord  Jesus,"  "  the  gift  of  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord," 
"  the  salvation  that  is  in  him  with  eternal  glory."  "  Life  is,"  as 
Leighton  says,  "  a  sweet  word,  but  sweetest  of  all  in  this  sense  :  That 
life  above  is  indeed  only  worthy  the  name.  This  we  have  here,  in 
comparison,  let  it  not  be  called  life,  but  a  continual  dying :  an  inces 
sant  journey  towards  the  grave.  If  you  reckon  years,  it  is  but  a 
short  moment  to  him  who  attains  the  fullest  old  age  :  but  reckon  mis 
eries  and  sorrows,  it  is  long  to  him  who  dies  young."  This  life  is  the 
fruit  of  the  Divine  favor.  It  is  the  GRACE  of  life.  "If  we  consider 
but  a  little,"  to  quote  the  good  Archbishop  again,  "  what  it  is,  what 
we  are,  that  this  is  the  grace  of  life,  will  quickly  be  out  of  question 
with  us,  and  we  shall  be  most  gladly  content  to  hold  it  thus,  by  deed 
of  gift,  and  shall  admire  and  extol  that  grace  that  bestows  it." 

Christian  husbands  and  Christian  wives  are  equally  heirs  of  this 
grace  of  life ;  and  no  consideration  is  so  much  fitted  to  lead  a  Chris 
tian  husband  to  honor  his  wife  as  this.  It  has  been  finely  said  :  "  This 
is  that  which  most  strongly  binds  these  duties  on  the  hearts  of  hus 
bands  and  wives,  and  indeed  most  strongly  binds  their  hearts  together, 
1  Matt.  xv.  6.  1  Tim.  v.  17.  Acts  xxviii.  10.  TIIOIJ. 


fART  11.]  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRIST[AN    HUSBANDS.  387 

and  makes  them  one.  If  each  be  reconciled  to  God  in  Christ,  and  so 
heirs  of  the  grace  of  life,  and  one  with  God,  then  are  they  truly  one 
in  God,  each  with  the  other,  and  that  is  the  surest  and  sweetest  union 
that  can  be.  Natural  love  hath  risen  very  high  in  some  husbands 
and  wives,  but  the  highest  of  it  falls  very  far  short  of  that  which  holds 
in  God.  Hearts  concentrating  on  him  are  most  excellently  one. 
That  love  which  is  cemented  by  youth  and  beauty,  when  these  moul 
der  and  decay,  as  they  do  soon,  it  fades  too.  That  is  somewhat  purer, 
and  so  more  lasting,  that  holds  in  a  natural  or  moral  harmony  of 
minds;  yet  these  likewise  may  alter  and  change  by  some  great  acci 
dent.  But  the  most  refined,  most  spiritual,  and  most  indissoluble  is, 
that  which  is  knit  with  the  highest  and  purest  spirit.  And  the  igno 
rance  or  disregard  'of  this  is  the  true  cause  of  so  much  bitterness,  or 
so  little  true  sweetness,  in  the  life  of  most  married  persons,  because 
God  is  left  out ;  because  they  meet  not  as  one  in  Him.  Loath  will 
they  be  to  despise  one  another  that  are  both  bought  with  the  precious 
blood  of  one  Redeemer,  and  loath  to  grieve  one  another.  Being  in 
him  brought  into  peace  with  God,  they  will  entertain  true  peace  be 
tween  themselves,  and  not  suffer  anything  to  disturb  it.  They  have 
hopes  to  meet  one  day,  where  there  is  nothing  but  perfect  concord 
and  peace.  They  will  therefore  live  as  heirs  to  that  life  here,  and 
make  their  present  state  as  like  to  heaven  as  they  can,  and  so  a  pledge 
and  evidence  of  their  title  to  that  inheritance  of  peace  which  is  there 
laid  up  for  them.  And  they  will  not  fail  to  put  one  another  often  in 
mind  of  these  hopes  and  that  inheritance,  and  to  advance  and  further 
each  other  towards  it.  Where  this  is  not  minded,  it  is  to  little  pur 
pose  to  speak  of  other  rules.  Where  neither  party  aspires  to  this 
heirship,  live  they  otherwise  as  they  will,  there  is  one  common  inherit 
ance  abiding  them,  one  inheritance  of  everlasting  flames  ;  and,  as  they 
increase  the  sin  and  guiltiness  of  each  other  by  their  irreligious  con 
versation,  so  that  which  some  of  them  do  wickedly  here  on  no  great 
cause,  they  shall  have  full  cause  for  doing  there — curse  the  time  of 
their  coming  together;  and  that  shall  be  a  piece  of  their  exercise  for 
ever.  But  happy  those  persons,  in  any  society  of  marriage  or  friend 
ship,  who  converse  so  together  here  as  those  that  shall  live  so  eternally 
together  in  glory."  l 

The  Christian  husband,  when  he  realizes  these  truths,  cannot  but 
honor  his  Christian  partner ;  cannot  but  treat  her  with  cordial  re 
spect,  as  one,  equally  with  himself,  redeemed  by  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ ;  already  blessed  with  many  invaluable  heavenly  and  spiritual 
blessings  in  Christ,  standing  in  a  most  dignified  relation  to  the  great 
God  our  Saviour ;  animated  by  his  Spirit  and  adorned  by  his  image ; 
and  destined  to  be  one  day  perfectly  like  him,  their  common  life, 
when  he  appears  in  his  glory,  and  to  become  an  inheritor  of  that 
blessed  world  where  they  "do  not  marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage, 
out  are  as  the  angels  of  God."  2 

It  is  obvious  that  this  is  a  motive,  which  in  its  full  force  can  be  felt 
only  by  a  Christian  husband,  in  reference  to  his  duty  to  a  Christian 
wife.  But  it  suggests  strong  reason  to  the  Christian  husband  to  do 
his  duty,  even  in  reference  to  an  unconverted  wife.  She  belongs  to 

1  Leighton.  *  Matt.  xxii.  30. 


388  CONJUGAL    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS.  [DISC.  XIV. 

the  race  of  which  Christ  is  the  Saviour.  She  is  capable  of  becoming 
an  heir  of  the  grace  of  life  ;  and  her  husband's  discharge  of  conjugal 
duties,  under  the  influence  of  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  is  well  calculated 
to  remove  prejudice  against  vital  Christianity;  and  in  connection 
with  other  means  for  her  conversion,  which  Christian  principle  and 
conjugal  love  will  induce  him  to  employ,  may  very  probably  be  blessed, 
to  the  joining  them  together  in  a  union  more  intimate  and  sacred  than 
even  that  of  marriage ;  a  union  over  which  the  severing  stroke  of 
death  has  no  power.  "  How  knowest  thou,  O  man,  whether  thou 
shalt  save  thy  wife  ?"  l 

II.— MOTIVE  ADDRESSED  TO  CHRISTIAN  HUSBANDS  TO  THE  DIS 
CHARGE  OF  THESE  DUTIES  :  "  THAT  THEIR  PRAYERS  BE  NOT  HIN 
DERED." 

Having  thus  shortly  illustrated  the  two  injunctions,  with  the  appro 
priate  motives  by  which  they  are  respectively  enforced,  let  us,  ere  we 
close,  shortly  attend  to  the  general  consideration  which  bears  equally 
on  both  these  injunctions.  Christian  husbands  are  to  dwell  with  their 
wives  according  to  knowledge,  and  to  give  honor  to  them,  "  that  their 
prayers  be  not  hindered."  It  is  plainly  taken  for  granted  here,  that 
Christians  habitually  engage  in  prayer.  "  The  heirs  of  life,"  as 
Leighton  says,  "  cannot  live  without  prayer:  none  of  them  is  dumb; 
they  all  speak."  They  all  seek  intercourse  with  their  heavenly  Fa 
ther.  Having  the  spirit  of  adoption,  they  cry,  Abba,  Father.  They 
pray  in  secret ;  and  when  two  of  these  heirs  are  brought  together  in 
the  closest  of  human  relations,  they  pray  together,  and  a  great  deal 
of  their  improvement  and  happiness  depends  on  these  prayers  to 
gether  and  apart.  Anything  which  hinders  the  latter  materially  inter 
feres  with  the  former.  Now  it  is  quite  plain,  that  the  neglect  of  con 
jugal  duty  on  the  part  of  the  husband  to  the  wife,  is  fitted  to  hinder 
both  his  own  prayers  and  the  prayers  of  his  wife,  and  their  common 
prayers.  The  temper  that  leads  him  to  neglect  his  duty  to  his  wife, 
unfits  him  for  his  duty  to  his  God ;  and  though  human  unkindness, 
even  from  our  best  human  friend,  should  but  lead  us  to  go  with  greater 
alacrity  to  Him  who  is  a  friend  at  all  times,  yet  the  jars  and  con 
tentions  of  husband  and  wife,  are  in  their  own  nature  calculated  so 
to  embitter  the  spirit  of  both,  as  to  unfit  for  prayer,  which  should  al 
ways  be  presented  with  holy  hands,  and  must  be  offered  without 
wrath  if  it  is  to  be  offered  without  doubting. 

There  seems  in  these  words,  a  direct  reference  to  family  prayers.8 
How  can  they  be  attended  to  at  all,  if  the  husband  do  not  dwell  with 
his  wife  ?  how  can  they  be  usefully  attended  to,  if  they  dwell  not  to 
gether  in  unity  ?  How  are  they  likely  to  come  to  that  agreement  in 
reference  to  things  which  they  ask,  and  the  temper  and  disposition  in 
which  they  ask  them,  which  is  so,  necessary  to  prayer  serving  its  pur 
pose  either  on  their  own  minds,  or  as  an  appointed  means  of  having 
our  need  supplied  according  to  God's  glorious  riches  ?  If  family 
prayers  are  hindered,  what  hope  of  family  prosperity,  in  the  best 
sense  of  the  words  ?  and  if  conjugal  duty  is  neglected,  how  can  they 
but  be  hindered  ?  They  are  in  danger  of  being  neglected,  or  dis- 

'*!  Cor.  yiL  16.  a  See  note  A. 


PART  II.]  THE    DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    HUSBANDS.  389 

turbed,  or  discontinued.  Let,  then,  Christian  husbands,  and  wives  too, 
guard  against  everything  which  may  hinder  family  prayer.  Let  their 
whole  conduct  toward  each  other  look  back  and  forward  to  the  family 
altar.  Let  it  be  consistent  with  devotion,  preparatory  to  it,  indicative 
of  its  influence.  Avoid  whatever  makes  an  introduction  into  the 
Divine  presence  less  easy  or  less  delightful.  Keep  open  a  passage 
wide  enough  to  advance  together  to  the  throne  of  grace ;  go  hand 
in  hand.  Agree  touching  the  things  which  ye  shall  ask,  and  it  shall 
be  done  for  you  of  your  Father  in  heaven.1 

The  passage  before  us  is  merely  a  particular  application  of  a  great 
general  principle :  the  connection  between  holy  conduct  and  devo 
tional  exercises.  They  act  and  react  on  one  another.  The  more 
conscientiously  we  perform  our  various  duties,  the  more  shall  we  be 
disposed  for,  the  more  enjoyment  shall  we  find,  and  the  more  advan 
tages  shall  we  derive  from,  our  devotional  exercises ;  and  the  more 
we  engage  in  devotional  exercises  in  a  right  spirit,  the  more  shall  we 
be  inclined  and  enabled,  "  in  all  holy  conversation  and  godliness/'  to 
"  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour  in  all  things."  Calling  on 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  departing  from  iniquity,  are  closely  con 
joined.  To  secure  frequency,  constancy,  comfort  in  prayer,  we  must 
live  holily ;  and,  to  secure  our  living  holily,  we  must  be  "  constant  in 
prayer:"  "praying  always,  with  all  prayer  and  supplication,  in  the 
Spirit,  and  watching  thereunto  with  all  perseverance." 

Thus  have  I  finished  my  illustrations  of  the  apostle's  exposition  and 
enforcement  of  conjugal  duties.  I  conclude  in  the  words  of  an  hon 
ored  elder  brother  (Mr.  Jay),  whom  I  have  more  than  once  referred 
to  in  this  discourse,  and  whose  works  generally  I  most  cordially  rec 
ommend  as  a  family  book :  "  Let  all  who  stand  in  the  marriage  rela 
tion  be  willing  to  know  and  practise  the  duties  which  spring  from  it. 
Enter,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  the  temple  of  revelation,  and  bow  be 
fore  the  Divine  oracle.  Say,  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ? 
Speak,  Lord,  for  thy  servant  heareth.  Extract  from  the  Scripture 
the  mind  of  God  concerning  yourselves  individually.  Take  home 
the  words  I  have  been  explaining.  Do  not,  ye  husbands,  take  away 
the  duties  of  the  wife,  nor,  ye  wives,  the  duties  of  the  husband,  but 
both  of  you  respectively  your  own,  and  say, — '  0  that  my  feet  were 
directed  to  keep  thy  statutes :  I  have  chosen  the  way  of  truth ;  thy 
judgments  have  I  laid  before  me :  through  thy  precepts  I  get  under 
standing,  therefore  I  hate  every  false  way :  I  have  sworn,  and  I  will 
perform  it,  that  I  will  keep  thy  righteous  judgments/  "2 


NOTE  A.  p.  388. 

possible  that  the  apost] 
recommende 


It  is  quite  possible  that  the  apostle  may  have  a  reference  to  a  practice  exemplified  and 
(commended  by  the  good  PHILIP  HENRY.  "  Besides  this"  (secret  prayer)  "  he  and  his 
wife  constantly  prayed  together  morning  and  evening :  and  never,  if  they  -were  together 
at  home  or  abroad,  was  it  intermitted ;  and,  from  his  own  experience  of  the  benefit  of 
this  practice,  he  would  take  all  opportunities  to  recommend  it  to  those  in  that  relation, 
as  conducing  very  much  to  the  comfort  of  it,  and  to  their  furtherance  in  that,  which  he 

1  Jay.  2  See  note  B. 


390  NOTES.  [DISC.  xiv. 

would  often  say  is  the  great  duty  of  yoke-fellows ;  and  that  is  '  to  do  all  they  can  to  help 
one  another  to  heaven.'  He  would  say,  that  this  duty  of  husbands  and  wives  praying 
together  is  intimated  in  that  of  the  apostle,  1  Pet.  iii.  7,  where  they  are  exhorted  to  'live 
as  heirs  of  the  grace  of  life,  that  their  prayers'  (especially  their  prayers  together)  '  be  not 
hindered ;'  that  nothing  may  be  done  to  hinder  them  from  praying  together,  nor  to  hinder 
them  in  it,  nor  to  spoil  the  success  of  their  prayers.  This  sanctifies  the  relation,  and 
fetcheth  in  a  blessing  upon  it,  makes  the  comforts  of  it  the  more  sweet,  and  the  cares  and 
crosses  of  it  the  more  easy,  and  is  an  excellent  means  of  preserving  and  increasing  love 
in  the  relation.  Many  to  whom  he  had  recommended  the  practice  of  this  duty  have  blessed 
God  for  him,  and  for  his  advice  concerning  it." — An  Account  of  the  Life  and  Death  of 
Mr.  Philip  Henry,  by  his  Son,  p.  58.  Lond.  1712. 


NOTE  B.  p.  389. 

"  Let  such  married  persons  as  God  hath  blessed  in  this  kind"  (by  their  being  "  equally 
yoked,"  in  the  best  sen^e),  "  learn  what  cause  they  have  to  be  thankful  to  God,  either  for 
other.  Let  the  jars  and  discord  that  they  see  between  other  men  and  women  mismatched, 
and  the  cross  and  cursed  carriage  of  them  either  toward  other,  together  with  the  mani 
fold  annoyances  and  grievous  mischiefs  and  inconveniences  that  ensue  ordinarily  thereupon, 
be  a  means  to  put  them  in  mind  of  God's  great  mercy  and  goodness  toward  them,  and  to 
make  them  more  thankful  to  him  for  the  same.  And,  since  they  have  received  either 
other  from  God,  let  them  herein  show  their  thankfulness  unto  God,  by  endeavoring  to 
bring  either  other  nearer  unto  God,  by  helping  either  other  forward  in  the  good  ways  of 
God.  Do  either  with  other  as  Anna  did  with  her  son  Samuel — as  she  had  him  of  God, 
so  she  bestowed  him  on  God  again :  return  each  other  again  to  God,  and  labor  to  return 
them  better  than  they  received  them.  The  better  they  shall  make  either  other,  and  the 
nearer  they  shall  bring  either  other  to  God,  the  more  good  through  God's  goodness,  shall 
they  have  either  of  other.  The  more  man  and  wife  profit  in  the  fear  of  God,  the  more 
comfortably  and  contentedly  shall  they  live  together,  the  better  shall  it  be  for  them  both." 
— GATAKER.  '  A  wife  indeed' 

This  most  learned  man's  sermons,  entitled — "  Marriage  Prayer,"  "  A  Good  Wife,  God's 
Gift,"  "  A  Wife  Indeed,"  and  "  Marriage  Duties,"  are  full  of  important  practical  instruc 
tion,  quaintly  but  often  very  impressively  stated.  Take  a  specimen  or  two.  "  As  it  were 
a  thing  prodigious  and  monstrous  in  nature  for  a  rib  in  the  body  to  stand  either  equal 
with  or  above  the  head ;  so  we  may  well  say,  that  a  man-kind  woman,  or  a  masterly  wife 
is  even  a  monster  in  nature.  Ywfi  -J*  VIKU<?"  av6pa  KOKO^  irrn  /uyu."  "  A  masterly  wile  is  as 
much  despised  and  derided  for  taking  rule  over  her  husband,  as  he  for  yielding  to  it;  and 
that  not  only  among  those  that  be  godly  and  religious,  but  even  among  those  that  be  but 
natural  men  and  women."  "  A  Christian  married  man  is  bound  to  believe  and  persuade 
himself,  not  that  his  wife  is  the  wisest  or  the  fairest,  or  the  best  conditioned  woman  in  the 
world;  but  that  she  is  the  fittest  wife  for  him,  that  God  hath  allotted  her  to  him,  and 
therefore  [he  is  bound]  to  rest  himself  contented  in  her,  and  satisfied  with  her,  and  live 
with  her  with  as  much  alacrity  and  cheerfulness  as  may  be.  And  as  parents  delight  in 
their  children  not  because  they  are  fair,  or  wise,  or  witty,  but  because  they  are  their  chil 
dren  ;  and,  therefore,  however  seeing  better  parts  in  others,  they  could  be  content  to 
change  quality  for  quality,  yet  they  will  not  exchange  child  for  child ;  so  a  man  is  to  love 
and  delight  in  his  wife,  even  for  this  cause  that  she  is  his  wife,  and  howsoever  it  may  be, 
he  could  wish  some  of  her  parts  bettered,  yet  to  rejoice  in  her  as  they  are."  "  Faith,  and 
the  fear  of  God,  and  godliness  are  to  be  exercised,  as  well  in  the  special  duties  of  our 
several  callings,  as  in  the  general  duties  of  Christianity ;  and  so  run  through  our  whole 
life,  as  the  Avoof  through  the  web ;  and  so  among  other  through  all  the  offices  of  the 
married  state." 

JEREMY  TAYLOR'S  "  Marriage  Ring,"  in  his  ENIAYTOS,  is  also  well  worth  perusing. 
What  car.  be  more  beautiful  than  his  eulogy  on  marriage.  "  Marriage  was  ordained  by 
God,  instituted  in  paradise ;  the  relief  of  a  natural  necessity,  and  the  first  blessing  from 
the  Lord.  Marriage  is  a  school  and  exercise  of  virtue.  Here  is  the  proper  scene  of 
piety  and  patience,  of  the  duty  of  parents  and  the  charity  of  relatives  ;  here  kindness  is 
spread  abroad,  and  love  is  united  and  made  firm  as  a  centre.  Marriage  is  the  nursery  of 
heaven,  fills  up  the  numbers  of  the  elect,  and  hath  in  it  the  labors  of  love  and  the  deli 
cacies  of  friendship,  the  blessing  of  society,  and  the  union  of  hands  and  hearts.  Marriage 
is  the  mother  of  the  world,  and  preserves  kingdoms  and  fills  cities,  and  churches,  and 
heaven  itself.  Like  the  useful  bee,  marriage  builds  a  house  and  gathers  sweetness  from 
every  flower,  and  labors,  and  unites  into  societies  and  republics,  and  sends  out  colonies, 
and  feeds  the  world  with  delicacies,  and  obeys  their  king  and  keeps  order,  and  exercises 
many  virtues,  and  promotes  the  interest  of  mankind,  and  is  that  state  of  good  things 
to  which  God  hath  designed  the  present  constitution  of  the  world." 


DISCOURSE   XV, 

DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIANS,  IRRESPECTIVE   OF  THEIR  CIVIL  AND 
DOMESTIC  RELATIONS. 

1  PET.  iii.  8-17. — Finally,  be  ye  all  of  one  mind,  having  compassion  one  of  another  ;  love 
as  brethren,  be  pitiful,  be  courteous :  not  rendering  evil  for  evil,  or  railing  for  railing :  but 
contrariwise  blessing :  knowing  that  ye  are  thereunto  called,  that  ye  should  inherit  a 
blessing.  For  he  that  will  love  life,  and  see  good  days,  let  him  refrain  his  tongue  from 
evil,  and  his  lips  that  they  speak  no  guile  :  let  him  eschew  evil,  and  do  good ;  let  him  seek 
peace,  and  ensue  it.  For  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  over  the  righteous,  and  his  ears  are 
open  to  their  prayers :  but  the  face  of  the  Lord  is  against  them  that  do  evil.  And  who  is 
he  that  will  harm  you,  if  ye  be  followers  of  that  which  is  good  ?  But  and  if  ye  suffer 
for  righteousness'  sake,  happy  are  ye:  and  be  not  afraid  of  their  terror,  neither  be 
troubled ;  but  sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  your  hearts :  and  be  ready  always  to  give  an 
answer  to  every  man  that  asketh  you  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  you  with  meekness 
and  fear ;  having  a  good  conscience ;  that,  whereas  they  speak  evil  of  you,  as  of  evil 
doers,  they  may  be  ashamed  that  falsely  accuse  your  good  conversation  in  Christ.  For  it 
is  better,  if  the  will  of  God  be  so,  that  ye  suffer  for  well-doing,  than  for  evil-doing. 

"  LET  not  your  good  be  evil  spoken  of,"  says  the  Apostle  Paul  to  the 
Christians  of  Rome  ;  and  the  injunction  is  equally  applicable  to, 
equally  obligatory  on,  Christians  of  all  countries  and  ages. 

The  religion  of  Christians  is  emphatically  their  "good  thing,"  their 
most  precious  treasure,  their  most  valuable  possession.  Christianity, 
viewed  not  merely  as  exhibiting  a  perfect  system  of  religious  and 
moral  truth,  and  prescribing  a  complete  course  of  religious  and  moral 
discipline,  but  considered  also  as  "  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit,"  of 
truth,  and  purity,  and  happiness,  to  ignorant,  deluded,  depraved, 
miserable  men ;  the  appointed  and  the  only  medium  through  which 
God,  the  Author  of  all  good,  will  bestow  on  mankind  forgiveness, 
sanctification,  and  eternal  life  ,  "  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation" — 
is  plainly,  inexpressibly,  inestimably,  excellent  and  valuable.  "  It  can 
not  be  valued  with  the  gold  of  Opliir,  with  the  precious  onyx,  or  the 
sapphire.  The  gold  and  the  crystal  cannot  equal  it,  and  the  exchange 
of  it  shall  not  be  for  jewels  of  pure  gold.  No  mention  shall  be  made 
of  coral  or  of  pearls ;  for  its  price  is  above  rubies.  The  topaz  of 
Ethiopia  shall  not  equal  it,  neither  shall  it  be  valued  with  pure  gold." 

To  him  who  cordially  embraces  it,  it  is  an  abundant,  perennial 
fountain  of  the  most  precious  blessings.  It  is  in  him  "  a  well  of  liv 
ing  water,  springing  up  unto  everlasting  life ;"  it  gives  peace  to  his 
conscience,  and  purity  to  his  heart;  it  guides  him  in  perplexity,  sus 
tains  him  in  weakness,  defends  him  in  danger,  and  comforts  him  in 
sorrow  ;  it  quells  his  fears  and  animates  his  hopes ;  it  stimulates  his 
indolence  and  directs  his  activity ;  it  sweetens  the  cup  of  death  and 
brightens  the  prospect  of  eternity.  And  even  with  regard  to  those 


392  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

who  neglect  or  oppose  it,  when  brought  within  the  sphere  of  its  indi 
rect  influence,  though  by  increasing  their  responsibilities  it  increases 
their  hazards,  it  yet  materially  adds  both  to  the  number  and  security 
of  their  comforts.  How  much  happier  is  the  state  of  society  in 
Britain  than  in  any  heathen  country,  and  how  much  of  this  favorable 
difference  is  to  be  traced  to  Christianity !  How  much  do  those  who 
neglect,  those  who  would  destroy  Christianity,  owe  to  it! 

It  is  strange  that  so  good  a  thing  should  be  evil  spoken  of.  Of  it, 
as  of  its  Author,  it  may  well  be  asked,  *  Why,  what  evil  has  it  clone  ?" 
Yet  so  it  is ;  in  all  countries  and  ages  this  incomparably  good  thing 
has  been  evil  spoken  of.  Its  doctrines  have  been  misstated,  and  its 
tendencies  misrepresented.  Its  Divine  origin  has  been  called  in  ques 
tion  and  denied  ;  and  its  effects  both  on  the  character  and  happiness 
of  mankind,  both  in  their  individual  and  social  capacities,  have  been 
represented  as  in  a  high  degree  injurious.  In  no  case  have  names 
been  more  misapplied  and  things  confounded  than  here.  Sweet  has 
been  termed  bitter;  light,  darkness;  and  good,  evil. 

To  expect  to  render  unadulterated  Christianity,  all  excellent  as  it 
is,  admired  by,  or  even  palatable  to,  a  world  sunk  in  ignorance  and 
sin,  "  lying  under  the  wicked  one,"  without  a  radical  revolution  in 
their  sentiments  and  habits,  is  a  most  unreasonable  anticipation.  Men 
will  prefer  darkness  to  light  while  their  deeds  are  evil.  But  though 
it  be  impossible,  while  worldly  and  wicked  men  and  the  religion  of 
Christ  continue  what  they  are,  to  extinguish  malignant  feeling  and 
silence  reproachful  speeches  in  reference  to  the  gospel ;  yet  it  is  most 
true  that  the  sphere  of  these  calumnies  would  be  considerably  nar 
rowed,  the  plausibility  of  these  misrepresentations  greatly  lessened, 
and  of  consequence  their  probable  mischievous  effect  much  dimin 
ished,  were  it  not  for  the  improprieties  and  imprudences  of  the  pro 
fessed,  and  even  of  the  real  friends  of  Christianity.  The  behavior 
of  false  disciples  has  frequently  drawn,  not  only  much  deserved  re 
proach  on  themselves,  but  also  much  unmerited  odium  on  the  cause 
for  which  they  had  no  true  regard ;  and,  what  is  still  more  to  be  de 
plored,  the  temper  and  conduct  of  those  to  whom  that  cause  was 
really  dear,  have  been  too  often  such  as  to  make  their  good  evil 
spoken  of. 

Nor  will  this  fact,  however  much  to  be  lamented,  appear  difficult 
to  be  accounted  for  by  any  one  who  is  acquainted  with  the  very  im 
perfect  state  of  even  regenerated  human  nature  in  this  world. 
Through  inadvertency,  want  of  experience,  error  in  judgment,  unex 
pected  temptation,  and  other  evils  inseparable  from  our  present  con 
dition,  persons  whose  prevailing  chief  desire  is,  "  to  adorn  the  doc 
trine  of  God  our  Saviour  in  all  things,"  are  in  constant  hazard,  by 
something  in  their  sentiments  or  dispositions,  or  language  or  conduct, 
of  giving  strength  to  the  prejudices  of  worldly  men  against  Chris 
tianity,  and  plausibility  to  the  false  and  calumnious  misrepresentations 
to  which  those  prejudices  give  origin.  To  guard  against  this  evil 
seems  the  great  object  of  the  apostle  Peter,  in  that  section  of  his 
epistle,  part  of  which  forms  the  subject  of  the  present  discourse. 

That  section  commences  with  the  12th  verse  of  the  second  chap 
ter,  and  terminates  with  the  17th  verse  of  the  third.  Its  theme  is 


DISC.  XV.J  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES  393 

"Have  your  conversation  honest/'  that  is,  honorable  "among  the 
Gentiles  ;  that  whereas  they  speak  against  you  as  evil-doers,  they  may 
by  your  good  works  which  they  behold,  glorify  God  in  the  day  of 
visitation  ;"  in  other  words,  "  Provide  things  honest  in  the  sight  of  all 
men."  "  Let  not  your  good  be  evil  spoken  of."  In  the  peculiarities 
of  the  faith  and  experience  of  the  Christian,  in  the  peculiar  doctrines 
of  the  gospel,  and  in  the  inner  life  of  him  who  believes  it,  there  is 
much,  when  brought  strongly  out,  to  excite  the  astonishment  and 
even  the  disgust  of  an  ungodly  world ;  and  though,  to  prevent  this, 
the  Christian  must  neither  conceal  the  one,  nor  disavow  the  other, 
nor  be  ashamed  of  either,  yet,  if  he  would  avoid  the  evil  of  bringing 
reproach  on  his  religion,  and  gain  the  good  of  constraining  even  ene 
mies  to  feel  its  power  and  acknowledge  its  excellence,  he  must  endea 
vor  to  make  stand  out  in  strong  relief  those  parts  of  the  Christian  sys 
tem  and  character,  of  which  even  an  unregenerate  man  is,  to  a  con 
siderable  extent,  a  judge;  and  which,  approving  themselves  to  his 
understanding  and  conscience  and  affections,  are  fitted  to  allay  his 
prejudices  against  the  system  of  which  they  form  an  essential  part. 

In  accordance  with  this  principle,  the  apostle,  in  order  to  the  gain 
ing  of  the  end  in  view,  exhorts  Christians  to  a  scrupulously  exact 
discharge  of  the  duties  which  rise  out  of  the  relations  of  civil  and 
domestic  society,  especially  in  cases  where  the  persons  with  whom 
they  were  connected  in  these  relations  were  not  Christians.  He  calls 
upon  them,  as  members  of  civil  society,  to  yield  a  cheerful  obedience 
to  the  commands,  and  a  ready  submission  to  the  arrangements,  of  the 
constituted  authorities,  whether  supreme  or  subordinate,  so  far  as 
compliance  with  these  would  not  compromise  their  allegiance,  to  the 
absolutely  Supreme  Ruler  :  "  Submit  to  every  institution  of  man  for 
the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and  the  praise  of  them  who  do  well ;" 
and,  while  showing  a  peculiar  regard  to  the  Christian  society  of  which 
they  were  members,  to  manifest  a  proper  respect  for  every  human 
being,  whatever  might  be  his  religious  opinions  or  his  place  in 
civil  society,  thus,  "honoring  all  men."  He  calls  on  Christian 
servants,  who  were  generally  slaves,  to  be  subject  to  their  own 
masters,  who  were  generally  heathens ;  and  warns  them  against  al 
lowing  the  unreasonableness  and  severity  of  the  treatment  which 
they  might  receive  so  to  influence  their  minds,  as  to  induce  them  to 
neglect  their  duties,  or  to  be  negligent  in  performing  them.  He  calls 
on  Christian  wives  to  be  subject  to  their  own  husbands,  even  when 
unconverted  men ;  and  he  calls  on  Christian  husbands  to  be  equally 
conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties  to  their  wives.  He 
then  "  finally,"  in  the  passage  of  which  the  text  is  a  part,  thus  closing 
this  series  of  exhortations,  lays  before  them  a  variety  of  injunctions 
of  a  more  general  nature,  obligatory,  not  on  particular  classes, 'but 
on  the  whole  body  of  Christians. 

These  injunctions  naturally  range  themselves  under  three  heads, 
as  they  refer  to  the  temper  and  conduct  which  Christians  should 
cherish  and  exemplify  towards  each  other,  towards  mankind  at  large, 
and  towards  their  persecutors,  or  those  who  treated  them  injuriously 
on  account  of  their  religion.  Within  the  limits  of  the  Christian  society 
they  were  to  be  distinguished  by  a  community  of  views  and  feelings, 


394  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

the  characteristic  views  and  feelings  of  the  society,  and  by  cherishing 
and  displaying  brotherly  love.  "  Be  of  the  same  mind ;  have  com 
passion  one  of  another :"  or  rather,  have  the  same  feelings  ;  be  united 
in  heart  as  well  as  in  mind;  "love  as  brethren."  Within  and  with 
out  these  limits,  they  were  to  manifest  "  pitifulness,"  that  is  merciful 
ness,  kind-heartedness;  and  "courtesy"  that  is  affability  and  kindli 
ness  ;  or,  according  to  another  reading  very  generally  adopted,  modesty, 
humility..  "  be  pitiful,  be  courteous."  And,  with  regard  to  those  who 
persecuted  and  despitefully  used  them,  they  were  not  to  resent  such 
treatment,  but  to  meet  it  by  a  display  of  the  directly  opposite  senti 
ments  ;  they  were  to  guard  against  an  undue  fear  of  their  persecutors 
by  cultivating  the  supreme  fear  due  to  God ;  and  they  were  always  to 
be  ready  to  give  an  account  of  their  faith  and  hope,  and  of  the  grounds 
on  which  these  rested,  to  those  who  called  them  in  question  for  them, 
maintaining  at  once  "  a  good  conscience,"  and  "a  good  conversation/' 
Some  of  these  injunctions  are  given  without  any  motive  being  urged 
but  the  general  one,  that  this  was  necessary  in  order  to  have  their 
conversation  honest  among  the  Gentiles ;  while  others,  especially 
those  belonging  to  the  last  class,  are  enforced  by  a  variety  of  appropri 
ate  considerations. 

It  is  always  desirable  to  look  at  a  passage  of  scripture  not  only  in 
itself,  but  in  its  connection.  When  we  act  otherwise,  we  not  only 
are  all  but  sure  to  lose  much  of  its  beauty  and  force,  but  in  many 
cases  we  are  in  danger  of  entirely  misapprehending  its  reference  and 
mistaking  its  meaning.  When,  as  in  the  case  before  us,  we  can  dis 
tinctly  see  to  what  particular  class  of  persons  injunctions  are  addressed, 
and  what  is  the  object  in  addressing  such  injunctions  to  such  a  class, 
we  can  the  more  readily  discover  the  practical  improvement  we  ought 
to  make  of  them,  and  are  the  more  likely  to  find  that  particular  por 
tion  of  "scripture  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  profitable  to  us  for 
doctrine  and  reproof,  for  correction  and  instruction  in  righteousness," 
that  as  Christian  men  we  may  be  made  "  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished 
to  every  good  work." 

I.— DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIAN'S  TO  EACH  OTHER. 

Let  us  then,  in  the  first  place,  turn  our  attention  to  those  injunctions 
which  refer  to  the  temper  Christians  should  cherish,  and  the  conduct 
they  should  pursue,  in  reference  to  each  other.  These  injunctions 
are  three — "  Be  all  of  one  mind  ;  having  (or  have)  compassion  one  of 
another ;  love  as  brethren."  Strictly  speaking,  all  the  terms  here  em 
ployed  are  descriptive  of  internal  habits  and  dispositions ;  but  these 
terms  are  here,  like  similar  terms  both  in  the  scriptures  and  common 
language,  used  to  signify  not  only  the  inward  sentiment  but  the  out 
ward  expression  of  it.  When  we  say  "  be  kind,"  we  mean  not  merely 
'  cherish  benevolent  feelings,  be  kindly  affectioned/  but  '  manifest  this 
by  friendly  behavior,  by  using  the  language  and  performing  the  offices 
of  kindness/  So  when  the  apostle  says,  "  Be  of  one  mind  ;  be  united 
in  your  affections  ;  love  as  brethren,"  he  means,  '  Be  and  appear  to 
be  united  in  your  views  and  feelings ;  cherish  and  manifest  brotherly 
love  toward  each  other/ 


PART  I.]        DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIANS  TO  EACH  OTHER.  395 

The  external  manifestations  of  unity  and  love,  apart  from  the  in 
ternal  principle,  do  not  fulfil  the  apostle's  injunction.  They  are  worse 
than  valueless  ;  they  are  criminal.  They  are  a  beautiful  body  dead, 
or,  if  animated,  animated  by  the  demon  of  deceit.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  these  principles,  excellent  as  they  are,  unless  embodied  in  suit 
able  actions  and  habits,  would  not  at  all  serve  the  purpose  which  the 
apostle  has  in  view,  the  making  an  impression  favorable  to  Christianity 
and  to  Christians,  on  the  minds  even  of  unconverted  men. 

§  1.  —  To  cultivate  and  manifest  union  of  sentiment. 

Keeping  this  general  remark  in  view,  let  us  proceed  to  the  consid 
eration  of  the  first  of  these  injunctions,  "  Be  ye  all  of  one  mind."  l 
We  have  the  same,  or  a  very  similar,  injunction  repeatedly  given  by 
the  apostle  Paul  —  "  Be  of  one  mind,"  says  he  to  the  Roman  Churches, 
"  one  towards  another  ;"  "  Be  like-minded  towards  one  another,  ac 
cording  to  Christ  Jesus,  that  ye  may  with  one  mind  and  one  mouth 
glorify  God,  even  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ/'  To  the 
Corinthians  he  says,  "  Brethren,  I  beseech  you  that  ye  be  perfectly 
joined  in  the  same  mind  and  in  the  same  judgment  :"  "  Brethren,  be 
of  one  mind;"  and  to  the  Philippians,  "Be  like-minded,  having  the 
same  love,  being  of  one  accord,  of  one  mind  :  stand  fast  in  one  spirit, 
with  one  mind."  2  An  injunction  so  frequently  repeated,  so  warmly 
urged,  by  men  who  wrote  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
must  be  important.  Let  us  endeavor  distinctly  to  apprehend  its  mean 
ing  ;  for  if  we  do  not  distinctly  understand  it,  we  are  not  likely  ac 
curately  to  obey  it. 

The  term  "  mind"  is  frequently,  perhaps  usually,  employed  in  Scrip 
ture  to  signify  the  whole  inner  man,  including  both  the  intellect  and 
the  affections  ;  what  we  call  figuratively  both  the  head  and  the  heart. 
To  "have  the  mind  of  Christ  in  us,"  is  to  think  and  feel  as  Christ  did, 
to  have  the  same  views  of  truth  as  he  had,  and  to  be  similarly  affected 
by  these  views.  To  "  mind  the  things  of  the  flesh,"  is  to  make  present 
sensible  things,  "  things  seen  and  temporal,"  the  great  subjects  of  our 
thoughts,  and  the  great  objects  of  our  affections.  "  To  mind  the  things 
of  the  spirit,"  is  to  make  the  realities  of  the  invisible  and  future  world, 
"  the  things  unseen  and  eternal,"  for  our  knowledge  of  which  we  are 
entirely  indebted  to  the  Spirit,  the  great  subjects  of  our  thoughts,  and 
the  great  objects  of  our  affections.3 

When,  however,  the  term  is  used  along  with,  and,  as  it  were,  in 
contradistinction  to,  some  other  term  descriptive  of  affection  and  feel 
ing,  it  is  to  be  viewed  as  denoting  sentiment  or  opinion.  This  is  the 
case  here.  The  union  of  feeling,  the  common  affections,  by  which 
Christians  should  be  characterized,  are  enjoined  in  the  second  clause 
of  the  verse,  which  may  be  justly  rendered  "  have  the  same  feelings."  4 


2  Rom.  xii.  16  ;  xv.  5,  6.     1  Cor.  i.  10.     2  Cor.  xiii.  11.     Phil.  i.  27  ;  ii.  2. 

8  Phil.  ii.  3.     Rom.  viii.  5. 

4  Eupirafler?,  similiter  affecti.  This  is  one  of  the  u;ra|  \sy6pwa.  The  cognate  verb  occurs 
Heb.  iv.  15  ;  x.  34.  Raphelius  furnishes  a  fine  illustration  of  the  meaning  of  the  word,  in 
a  passage  from  Polybius  :  —  "  Certainly,  if  Scipio  was  peculiarly  fitted  by  nature  for  any 
thing,  it  was  for  this,  that  he  should  inspire  confidence  in  the  minds  of  men."  Kui  avpimBeTs 
iroiwai  rots  Tra(xiKa\ov^cifov?,  '  and  transfuse  his  own  feelings  into  those  whom  he  addressed. 
—  RAPH.  Obs.  Vol.  ii.  p.  760. 


396  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

We,  therefore,  consider  the  injunction  before  us  as  equivalent  to  '  have, 
and'show  that  you  have,  the  same  sentiments/ 

"Be  of  one  mind"  does  not  mean — 'Have  the  same  sentiments  on 
all  subjects/  or  even,  '  have  the  same  sentiments  on  all  subjects  con 
nected  with  religion/  Compliance  with  such  an  injunction  is  impos 
sible,  so  long  as  the  measure  of  mental  faculty  and  the  means  of  in 
formation  are  different  in  some  degree  or  other  in  every  individual. 
If  a  man  honestly  exercise  his  mind  on  the  subject  brought  before  it, 
that  is,  if  he  really  have  a  mind  of  his  own,  that  mind  will  be  in  some 
respects  different  from  every  other  man's  mind. 

But  it  does  mean — cBe  united,  be  entirely  united  in  those  views, 
both  doctrinal  and  practical,  the  possession  of  which  is  essential  to 
the  very  being  of  genuine  Christianity/  There  are  such  principles ; 
and,  notwithstanding  all  the  ingenious  and  perplexing  discussions 
which  have  taken  place  respecting  fundamental  and  non-fundamental 
principles  in  religion,  there  is  little  practical  difficulty  in  determining 
what  are  the  views  in  which  Christians  must  be  united  in  mind  and 
judgment. 

With  regard  to  doctrines,  they  are  such  as  the  following  :  "  As  to 
man's  natural  estate,  that  it  is  one  of  guilt,  and  depravity,  and  help 
lessness  :  As  to  God's  character  and  government,  that  He  is  most 
holy  and  benignant,  and  that  it  is  most  wise  and  righteous ;  that  "  He 
is  the  rock,  his  work  is  perfect,  all  his  ways  are  judgment,  a  God  of 
truth  and  without  iniquity,  just  and  right  is  he ;"  "  His  law  is  holy, 
just,  and  good  :"  l  As  to  Jesus  Christ,  that  he  is  the  divinely  appointed, 
the  divinely  qualified,  the  divinely  accredited,  the  Divine  Saviour  from 
guilt  and  depravity,  and  misery;  that  "his  blood  cleanseth  from  all 
sin  ;"  that  "  he  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  those  who  come  to  God 
by  him  ;"  that  he  never  casts  out  any  who  come  to  him  ;  that  he  was 
"  given  for  our  offences,  and  raised  again  for  our  justification  ;"  that 
"  he  is  Lord  and  Judge  of  all ;"  that  he  is  the  one  Master  of  all  his 
disciples,  the  only  Lord  of  their  consciences : 2  As  to  the  Holy  Spirit, 
that  he  is  the  Divine  Author  of  all  that  is  spiritually  right  and  good  in 
the  views  and  affections  and  conduct  of  mankind,  and  that  in  his  en 
livening,  and  enlightening,  and  sanctifying,  and  consoling  influence, 
he  is  shed  forth  abundantly  on  all  who  believe  on  Christ  Jesus,  as  the 
earnest  of  their  inheritance,  as  the  seal  of  God  on  them  till  the  day  of 
final  and  complete  redemption.  These  are  a  specimen  of  the  kind  of 
doctrinal  principles  referred  to  by  the  apostle.3 

As  to  practical  principles,  in  which  Christians  must  be  all  of  one 
mind,  they  are  such  as  the  following :  that  "  we  ought  to  obey  God 
rather  than  man;"  that  "things  unseen  and  eternal"  are  to  be  pre 
ferred  to '"  things  seen  and  temporal ;"  that  we  must  "  deny  ourselves, 
take  up  the  cross,  and  follow  Christ,"  wherever  he  leads  us ;  that  the 
greatest  suffering  is  to  be  chosen  before  the  least  sin ;  that  we  must 
become  as  little  children,  in  order  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God ; 
that  "  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive ;"  that  we  should 
"  live  not  to  ourselves,  but  to  him  who  died  for  us,  and  who  rose 

1  Deut.  xxxii.  4.     Rom.  vii.  12. 

2  1  John  i.  7.    Heb.  vii.  25.    John  vi.  37.    Roni.  iv.  25.    Acts  x.  36. 

3  Eph.  i.  13,  14. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS    TO    EACH    OTHER.  397 

again."  l  With  regard  to  these  principles,  and  such  principles  as 
these,  Christians  must  be  of  one  mind.  He  who  is  otherwise  minded, 
he  who  is  oppositely  minded,  is  not,  and  cannot  be,  a  Christian. 

The  unity  of  mind  which  the  apostle  requires  on  such  subjects,  can 
be  secured  only  in  one  way.  The  desired  and  desirable  oneness  of 
mind  is  neither  to  be  obtained  by  the  great  mass  of  Christian  men,  of 
moderate  intellectual  faculties  and  attainments,  implicitly  submitting 
to  the  decisions  of  a  few  master  minds ;  nor  by  individual  Christians 
making  mutual  compromises  of  sentiment ;  it  is  to  be  obtained  by  all 
Christians  seeking  to  have  in  them  the  mind  of  their  master,  Christ.2 
The  union  of  mind  they  are  to  seek  is  union  in  the  truth,  in  "  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus."  The  mind  of  Christ  is  in  his  word.  His 
Spirit  is  promised  to  enable  us  to  understand  his  word.  The  man 
who  studies  that  word  in  a  dependence  on  that  Spirit,  will  be  made  to 
know  and  believe  the  truth  which  it  contains,  so  far  as  this  is  neces 
sary  to  salvation,  and,  in  the  degree  in  which  he  does  so,  Christ's  mind 
will  become  his  mind.  All  who  follow  this  course  will,  in  proportion 
to  the  simplicity,  and  ardor,  and  perseverance  with  which  they  prose 
cute  it,  be  successful ;  and  in  being  conformed  to  the  mind  of  Christ, 
they  will  come  all  to  have  one  mind  in  reference  to  each  otner.  And 
so  indeed  it  is,  and  always  has  been,  and  ever  will  be.  All  true 
Christians,  amid  all  their  differences  of  opinion,  are  of  one  mind  in 
reference  to  the  great  doctrinal  and  practical  principles  of  their  holy 
faith,  the  principles  which  pacify  the  conscience,  and  purify  the  heart, 
and  guide  the  conduct ;  the  principles  by  which  they  live,  in  which 
they  find  the  life  of  their  souls,  the  spring  of  their  spiritual  activity, 
the  source  of  their  spiritual  comfort. 

As  to  the  points  on  which  they  differ,  so  far  as  they  act  in  charac 
ter,  it  will  be  found,  that  it  is  their  union  of  mind  on  the  one  great 
principle,  that  "  One  is  our  Master  even  Christ,"  3  which  leads  to  a 
difference  of  mind  respecting  those  points — uniformly  of  minor  im 
portance.  Those  Christians  who  differed  in  their  judgments  as  to  the 
propriety  of  observing  certain  days,  were  of  one  mind  as  to  the  duty  of 
Christians  to  yield  implicit  obedience  to  the  seen  will  of  their  common 
Lord.  "He  that  observed  the  day  observed  it  to  the  Lord,  and  he 
who  did  not  observe  the  day,  to  the  Lord  he  did  not  observe  it :"  4  and 
giving  each  other  credit  for  acting  with  a  good  conscience,  "  as  to  the 
Lord,"  they  felt  more  united  by  their  common  mind  that  the  Lord 
was  to  be  obeyed,  than  divided  by  the  diversity  of  their  opinions,  as 
to  what,  in  such  a  case,  was  obedience  to  him. 

With  regard  to  the  great  principles  above  referred  to,  the  apostolic 
rule  is,  "let  us  who  are  perfect,  be  thus  minded;"  "of  one  tuind," 
"perfectly  joined  in  the  same  judgment :"  having  attained  to  this,  "  let 
us  walk  by  the  same  rule,  let  us  mind  the  same  thing." 5  And  with 
regard  to  the  minor  points  referred  to,  the  rule  is,  "  let  every  man  be 
fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind,"  and  "let  no  man  judge  his  brother 
in  such  matters ;"  6  and  this  is  our  comfort,  that  if  we  walk  together, 

1  Acts  v.  29.     Matt.  xvi.  24;  xxviii.  3.    Acts  xx.  35.     2  Cor.  v.  15. 

*  The  apostle  Paul  exhorts  the  Pliilippians  (ii.  2)  TO  aiird  <ppov£iv — dvai  <ntyn//w;£oi,  TO  lv 
tpovovvm ;  and  (ver.  5)  he  shows  them  how  to  secure  this,  rovro  yap  <[>poveio9u  iv  fyiv  S  KOI 
i»  .XpKmJ)  'I/jtrou. 

'  Matt,  xxiii.  8.  *  Rom.  xir.  6.  •  Phil.  iii.  15.  •  Rom.  xir.  5,  10,  15. 


398  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

in  the  great  things  in  which  we  are  of  one  mind,  we  are  likely  ere 
long,  to  become  of  one  mind,  too,  with  regard  even  to  the  minor 
points  on  which  we  do  not  agree ;  "  for,"  says  the  apostle,  "  if  in  any 
thing,  we"  who  are  of  one  mind  in  Christ,  "  be  differently  minded  from 
each  other,  God  shall  reveal  even  that  to  us."  l 

It  should  be  the  constant  care  of  those  who  are  called  on  to  watch  over 
the  communion  of  the  Christian  church,  that  none  be  admitted  into  it 
but  those  who  appear  to  be  of  one  mind,  even  "  the  mind  of  Christ," 
on  the  essentials  of  Christian  doctrine  and  practice,  and  that  none  be 
continued  members  of  that  church,  who  give  evidence  that,  on  these 
points,  they  are  differently  minded  from  him.  Yet  great  care  must 
be  taken  not  to  insist  on  a  greater  extent  of  union  of  mind  than  the 
Master  has  insisted  on.  It  has  been  no  uncommon  thing  for  men, 
even  good  men,  in  insisting  that  all  applying  for  admission,  should  be 
entirely  of  one  mind  with  them,  on  points  on  which  the  will  of  the 
Lord  is  revealed  with  comparative  obscureness,  or  it  may  be,  not  re 
vealed  at  all,  to  exclude  men  who  were  obviously  of  the  same  mind 
with  their  Lord ;  and  to  admit  men  who,  though  they  professed,  and 
it  may  be  truly,  that  they  were  of  the  same  mind  with  them,  as  to 
their  sectarian  peculiarities,  made  it  very  evident  that  they  were  not 
of  the  same  mind  with  Him  with  regard  to  those  saving  principles 
which  transform  the  character.  Few  things  have  done  greater  harm 
to  the  Church  than  this  attempt  to  make  the  mind  of  a  man,  or  body 
of  men,  rather  than  the  mind  which  was  in  Christ,  the  test  of  that  one 
mind  which  is  the  true  term  of  Christian  communion. 

This  is  just  a  peculiar  form  of  the  pride  and  selfishness  which  are 
natural  to  all  men,  and  are  not  extinguished  even  in  good  men.  It  is 
the  wish  to  have  men  of  my  way  of  thinking,  or  of  the  way  of  think 
ing  of  my  denomination,  instead  of  the  wish  to  have  both  them  and 
myself  of  the  one.  mind  which  God  gives  us  when  he,  by  his  Spirit, 
puts  his  laws,  the  revelation  he  has  made  of  his  mind  and  will,  in  the 
heart,  and  writes  it  on  the  inward  parts.  It  has  been  beautifully  said, 
"  there  is  naturally,  in  every  man's  mind,  and,  most  in  the  shallowest, 
a  kind  of  fancied  infallibility  in  themselves,  which  makes  them  as 
earnest  about  agreement  in  the  smallest  punctilio,  as  in  the  highest 
article  of  faith.  Stronger  spirits  are  usually  more  patient  of  contra 
diction,  and  less  violent,  especially  in  doubtful  things ;  and  that  they 
that  see  farthest,  are  least  peremptory  in  their  determinations.  The 
apostle,  to  Timothy,  speaks  of  '  the  spirit  of  a  sound  mind.'  It  is  a 
good  sound  constitution  of  mind  not  to  feel  every  blast,  either  of 
seeming  reason,  to  be  taken  with  it ;  or  of  cross  opinion,  to  be  offended 
at  it."  2 

This  oneness  'of  mind  which  Christians  are  to  seek  in  a  common 
conformity  of  their  minds  to  the  mind  which  is  in  Christ,  should  be 
manifested  in  their  common  profession,  defence,  and  practice  of  the 
truth  which  they  all  know  and  believe.  They  are  together  to  "  hold 
fast,"  and  together  to  "  hold  forth,"  the  word  of  life ;  to  "  strive  to 
gether  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel ;"  to  walk  together,  "  in  all  the  ordi 
nances  and  commandments  of  the  Lord,  blameless."  When,  instead 
of  this,  professed  Christians  strive  and  dispute  among  themselves; 

1  Phil.  iii.  15.  *  Leighton. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS    TO    EACH    OTHER.  399 

when,  instead  of  appearing  to  be  "perfectly  joined  in  the  same  mind, 
and  in  the  same  judgment/'  they  are  "divisions  and  contentions;" 
when,  instead  of  "  with  one  mind  and  one  mouth  glorifying  God  even 
the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  they,  in  effect,  excommunicate 
one  another,  and  treat  each  other  as  heathen  men  and  publicans;  the 
conversation  of  Christians  is  not  "  honest  among  the  Gentiles/'  Great 
discredit  has  thus  been  cast  on  the  cause  of  Christ :  great  obstacles 
have  been  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  conversion  of  unbelievers,  and 
the  name  of  God  and  his  Son  have  been  blasphemed.  Woe,  woe,  has 
been  to  the  world  because  of  these  stumbling-blocks.  The  contro 
versies  among  Christians  have  far  more  effectually  impeded  the  pro 
gress  of  the  gospel  than  the  controversies  against  Christianity. 

When  Christians  shall  more  consistently  manifest  the  Christian 
mind,  which  already  exists  in  all  who  deserve  the  name,  in  the  united 
exhibition  of  the  truth  in  their  profession  and  conduct,  the  word  of 
the  Lord  will  have  free  course ;  "  it  will  run,  and  be"  more  illustri 
ously  "glorified."  It  will  "grow  and  be  multiplied."1  It  was  so  in 
the  beginning  of  the  gospel.  When  "  the  multitude  of  them  that  be 
lieved,  were  of  one  heart  and  of  one  soul,"  and  "  continued  with 
one  accord,  steadfastly  in  the  apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship,  and  in 
breaking  of  bread,  and  in  prayers,"  they  had  "favor  with  all  the 
people ;"  "  the  people  magnified  them  ;"  "  multitudes  were  added  to 
the  church,  both  of  men  and  women ;"  "  there  were  daily  added  to  the 
church  such  as  should  be  saved ;"  "  the  word  of  God  increased,  the 
number  of  disciples  multiplied  in  Jerusalem  greatly,  and  a  great  com 
pany  of  the  priests  were  obedient  to  the  faith."1  If  Christians  had 
taken  but  half  the  pains  to  show  the  world  how  completely  they  are 
united  in  mind  and  judgment  on  the  great  points,  that  they  have  taken 
to  make  it  acquainted  with  the  minute  and  sometimes  impalpable 
differences  which  exist  among  them  (the  former  is  fitted  to  do  them 
selves  and  their  Master  honor,  and  the  world  good ;  the  latter  casts 
discredit  not  only  on  themselves  but  on  the  cause  they  support ;  and 
throws  stumbling-blocks  in  the  world's  way)  ;  and  had  they  exhibited 
more  of  the  noble,  liberal  character,  which  the  contemplation  of  the 
great  points  of  union  is  fitted  to  form.,  than  of  the  contracted  selfish 
temper  which  those  controversies  about  minor  points  engender  and 
nourish,  how  much  higher  would  both  Christianity  and  Christians 
have  stood  in  the  estimation  of  mankind  at  large ;  and  how  much 
nearer  would  the  Christian  church  have  been  to  the  full  possession  of 
her  goodly  heritage,  the  peopled  earth !  Could  we  indulge,  to  borrow 
Robert  Hall's  language,  the  hope  "  that  such  a  state  of  things  was 
likely  soon  to  establish  itself,  we  should  hail  the  dawn  of  a  blighter 
day,  and  consider  it  as  a  nearer  approach  to  the  ultimate  triumph  of 
the  Church,  than  the  annals  of  time  have  yet  recorded.  In  the  ac 
complishment  of  our  Lord's  prayer,  that  all  his  people  may  be  one, 
men  would  behold  a  demonstration  of  the  divinity  of  his  mission, 
which  the  most  impious  could  not  resist ;  and  behold,  in  the  Church, 
a  peaceful  haven,  inviting  them  to  retire  from  the  tossings  and  perils 
of  this  unquiet  ocean,  to  a  sacred  enclosure,  a  sequestered  spot,  which 
the  storms  and  tempests  of  the  world  were  not  permitted  to  invade."  3 

1  2  Thess.  iii.  1.     Acts  xii.  24.  3  Acts  iv.  32,  33  ;  ii.  42,  4.1 ;  vi.  7. 

8  On  Terms  of  Communion. — Works,  ii.  168. 


400  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

§  2. — To  cultivate  and  manifest  union  of  feeling. 

The  second  injunction  of  the  apostle,  bearing  on  this  temper  and 
conduct  of  Christians  among  themselves,  as  given  by  our  translators 
is,  "  have  compassion  one  of  another."  This  version  is  justly  consid 
ered  by  interpreters,  generally,  as  very  unduly  limiting  the  meaning 
of  the  apostolic  injunction.  It  confines  it  to  sympathy  with  fellow- 
Christians,  under  suffering ;  whereas  the  word,  even  supposing  our 
translation  to  be  substantially  right  in  the  meaning  given  to  it,  refers 
to  fellow-feeling  generally,  and  includes  rejoicing  with  Christian 
brethren,  when  they  rejoice,  as  well  as  weeping  with  them  when  they 
weep.  It  is  plain,  however,  that  this  sympathizing  temper  is  one 
variety,  a  particular  aspect  of  the  disposition  enjoined  in  the  next 
clause,  "  love  as  brethren ;"  and  though  this  fact  would  not  be  a  good 
reason  for  giving  the  word  before  us  an  unauthorized,  or  even  a  very 
uncommon  signification,  yet,  if  the  proper  and  common  meaning  of 
the  word  brings  out  a  sense  different  from  that  of  the  succeeding 
clause,  a  sense,  true  and  important  in  itself,  and  peculiarly  suitable  to 
the  connection  in  which,  it  stands,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  that  that 
sense  ought  to  be  preferred. 

Now  this,  we  apprehend,  is  a  correct  statement  of  the  case.  The 
words  literally  signify,  "  have  common  feelings."  They  are  the  coun 
terpart  of  the  first  clause ;  that  says,  '  be  of  one  mind/  this  '  be  of  one 
heart ;'  that  says,  '  think  alike/  this  '  feel  alike  /  that  says,  '  hold  the 
same  truth/  this  '  cherish  the  same  dispositions/  Be  all  animated  by 
the  same  affections.  Tp  unfold  the  sentiment  a  little  :  '  Cherish  every 
one  of  you  the  same  reverence  and  trust  in  God  ;  the  same  sense  of 
insignificance  as  creatures,  of  demerit  as  sinners,  of  obligation  as 
saved  sinners ;  the  same  love  and  gratitude  to  the  Saviour ;  the  same 
dependence  on,  and  fear  of  grieving,  the  Holy  Spirit ;  the  same  hatred 
of  sin  and  love  of  holiness ;  the  same  holy  contempt  of  the  present 
evil  world  ;  the  same  moderation  in  prosperity,  and  patience  in  ad 
versity  ;  the  same  zeal  for  the  divine  glory  ;  the  same  brotherly-kind 
ness  ;  the  same  charity.  Let  not  merely  the  articles  of  your  faith  be 
the  same,  but  also  the  features  of  your  character.' 

This  injunction  is  very  closely  connected  with  that  which  precedes 
it.  This  can  be  complied  with  only  by  those  who  have  obeyed  that. 
We  must  have  the  one  mind,  in  order  to  our  having  the  one  heart ; 
and  if  we  really  have  the  one  mind,  we  certainly  shall  have  the  one 
heart.  We  are  "  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  the  mind."  The 
doctrine  delivered  to  us,  to  use  the  apostle's  figure,  is  the  mould  in 
which  the  new  creature  is  cast ; *  the  various  principles  of  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus,  being  as  it  were  the  various  parts  of  this  mould,  each 
intended  and  fitted  to  produce  some  portion  of  that  image  of  God  in 
the  soul  of  man,  of  which  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  wondrous  Author. 
His  influence,  and  the  Divine  word,  are  equally  necessary  in  their 
own  places,  to  the  production  of  the  desired  effect.  The  word  will 
not  do  it  alone,  for  without  his  influence  it  will  not  be  understood  and 
believed  ;  and  whatever  Divine  influence  might  do,  and  he  would  be 
equally  unwise  and  impious  who  should  set  limits  to  Omnipotence, 

1    Rom.  jdi.  2;    Vl.  17.      K'>  SK  fiOfioQnrs  rtnov  Ci^a-^f^. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS    TO    EACH    OTHER.  401 

we  have  no  reason  to  expect  that  that  influence  will  produce  its  effects 
in  any  other  way  than  that  which  equally  corresponds  with  the  con 
stitution  of  man,  the  work  of  God's  hand,  and  the  declarations  of 
Scripture,  the  word  of  his  mouth  ;  through  means  of  the  truth  under 
stood  and  believed. 

He,  then,  who  would  comply  with  the  apostle's  injunction,  to  have 
those  common  feelings,  which  ought  to  characterize  all  Christians, 
must  study  the  Bible,  in  its  meaning  and  evidence  ;  he  must  "  let  the 
word  of  Christ,"  which  contains  his  mind,  "  dwell  in  him  richly ;"  ! 
and  he  must  at  the  same  time  yield  up  his  mind  to  the  influence  of 
the  Good  Spirit,  beseeching  him  to  guide  him  into  the  truth,  to  open 
his  understanding  to  understand  the  Scriptures,  and  to  open  his  heart 
to  receive  the  love  of  the  truth,  that  he  may  be  saved,  by  being  sanc 
tified  by  it. 

This  common  mode  of  feeling  ought  to  be,  and,  indeed,  where  it 
exists,  must  be,  manifested  in  a  corresponding  conduct.  And  when  a 
Christian  does  habitually  exhibit  the  feelings,  disposition,  and  temper 
which  the  truth  believed  naturally  produces,  the  effect  is,  "  a  conver 
sation  honest,  honorable  among  the  Gentiles."  When  the  piety, 
and  humility,  and  self-denial,  and  brotherly-kindness,  and  patience, 
and  public  spirit  of  the  Gospel  are  displayed,  the  men  of  the  world 
have  not  only  no  evil  thing  to  say,  but  are  involuntarily  impressed 
with  a  reverence  both  for  the  man  and  for  his  principles.  The  Chris 
tian  who  acts  thus,  will  make  it  impossible  that  any  man  who  nar 
rowly  observes  him,  should  despise  either  him  or  his  religion  ;  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  want  of  a  manifestation  of  such  feelings  as  a 
Christian  profession  gives  the  world  a  right  to  expect  in  an  individual, 
and  still  more,  the  manifestation  of  an  opposite  kind  of  feeling,  excites 
suspicion  both  with  regard  to  the  man  and  his  principles,  leading  to 
the  conclusion,  either  that  he  is  a  hypocrite,  or,  if  he  be  not,  that  the 
system  that  he  professes,  must  either  be  a  bad  one,  as  making  him  a 
bad  man,  or  at  any  rate,  a  powerless  one,  as  not  having  been  able  to 
make  him  a  good  man. 

§  3. — To  cultivate  and  manifest  brotherly -kindness. 

The  third  injunction  of  the"  apostle,  referring  to  the  temper  which 
Christians  should  cherish,  and  the  conduct  they  should  pursue,  tow 
ards  each  other  is,  "  love  as  brethren."  This  injunction  may  be  and 
has  been  rendered,  '  be  lovers  of  the  brethren/ 2  that  is,  cherish  and 
display  the  peculiar  affection  which  Christians  ought  to  bear  to  Chris 
tians.  When  illustrating  the  concluding  paragraph  of  the  first  chap 
ter  of  this  epistle,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  explaining,  at  considerable 
length,  the  foundation,  the  nature,  and  the  appropriate  manifestations 
of  this  principle.3 

The  order  of  the  apostle's  injunctions  here,  deserves  well  to  be 
noted  :  "  Be  of  one  mind,  be  of  one  heart."  Hold  and  profess  the 
same  principles,  cherish  and  manifest  the  same  feelings  ;  in  other  words, 
be  brethren  in  Christ,  be  spiritual  brethren;  and,  then,  love  the  breth 
ren  ;  "love  as  brethren."  The  foundation  of  the  peculiar  love  which 

1  Col.  iii.  16.  *  $iAaJiA/>ot,  i.  e.  C<TTS.  3  Discourse  vi 

26 


402  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV 

Christians  should  cherish  to  Christians,  lies  in  their  common  faith  and 
experience  as  Christians.  They  love  one  another,  "  in  the  truth,  for 
the  truth's  sake,  which  is  in  them."  Just  in  the  degree  that  I  am  a 
true  Christian,  do  I  become  capable  of  loving  those  who  are  true 
Christians  ;  and  just  in  the  degree  in  which  they  are  true  Christians, 
are  they,  can  they  be,  the  objects  of  my  Christian  affection. 

The  idea  suggested  by  the  words,  as  rendered  by  our  translators,  is 
slightly  different,  yet  well  worthy  of  illustration  :  "  Love  as  brethren," 
that  is,  either  love  one  another,  seeing  ye  are  brethren,  or  let  your 
love  correspond  to  the  intimacy  and  permanency  of  the  relation  in 
which  ye  stand  to  one  another ;  love,  as  brothers  love  each  other. 
The  first  idea  I  illustrated  fully  in  the  discourse  already  referred  to. 
I  shall  now  attempt  briefly  to  unfold  the  second.  Let  your  love  to 
your  fellow-Christians  resemble  the  love  which  one  brother  bears,  or 
ought  to  bear,  to  another.  True  Christian  love  resembles  the  love  of 
brothers  in  various  respects,  to  a  few  of  which  I  shall  shortly  advert. 

They  may  both  be  considered  as  partaking  very  much  of  the  na 
ture  of  instincts.  It  is  a  part  of  my  constitution  as  a  man  to  love  my 
brother.  Not  to  love  a  brother  is  felt  to  be  something  unnatural  as 
well  as  improper,  monstrous  as  well  as  wrong.  It  is  a  part  of  my 
constitution  as  a  new  creature  to  love  all  my  spiritual  brethren.  If  1 
love  my  Father,  how  can  I  but  love  his  children  ?  He  who  makes 
me  a  member  of  the  family,  in  so  doing,  gives  me  the  feelings  of  a 
child  and  a  brother.  Christians  are  "  thus  taught  of  God,"  l  not  only 
in  the  word,  but  as  it  were  in  the  instincts  of  their  new  nature,  to  love 
one  another.  "  As  touching  brotherly  love/'says  the  Apostle  Paul, 
"  ye  need  not  that  I  write  unto  you  ;  for  even  ye  yourselves  are  taught 
of  God  to  love  one  another." 

The  affection  of  a  brother  to  a  brother  is  sincere  and  disinterested. 
When  first  developed,  the  habit  of  duplicity  is  unknown  ;  and  the 
child,  in  loving  his  brother,  thinks  of  nothing  less  than  mercenary  ad- 
vantage.  He  loves  him  just  because  he  is  his  brother.  The  love  of 
Christians  to  Christians  should  be  "  without  dissimulation  ;"  "  un 
feigned  ;"  "  love  out  of  a  pure  heart." 2 

The  affection  of  a  brother  to  a  brother  is  warm  and  tender.  When 
David  would  express  the  peculiar  ardor  of  his  attachment  to  Jona 
than,  he  calls  him  brother  :  "  I  am  distressed  for  thee,  my  brother  Jona 
than  ;"  3  and  it  is  proverbial  to  say  of  one  friend  strongly  attached  to 
another,  he  loves  him  as  if  he  were  his  brother.  The  affection  which 
Christians  should  bear  to  Christians  should  be  a  strong  affection,  ca 
pable  of  producing  much  forbearance,  much  exertion,  much  sacrifice, 
much  suffering;  a  love  which  many  waters  cannot  quench,  which 
the  floods  cannot  drown. 

The  love  of  brothers  is  forbearing  and  forgiving.  A  brother  will 
forbear  with  and  forgive  in  a  brother  what  he  would  consider  as  in 
sufferable  and  unpardonable  in  a  stranger  ;  and  a  dutiful,  affectionate 
brother,  when  differences  do  arise  in  the  family,  throws  a  veil  over 
them,  seeks  to  keep  them  within  the  sacred  domestic  circle  ;  and  even 
when  dissatisfied  with  a  brother,  does  not  think  of  proclaiming  his 
brother's  injustice,  and  faults,  and  his  own  injuries,  to  a  stranger. 
i,  1  Thess.  iv.  9.  3  1  Tim.  15.  8  2  Sam.  L  26, 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    CHRISTIANS    TO    EACH    OTHER.  403 

And  thus,  too,  Christians,  "  with  all  loveliness  and  meekness,"  are  to 
"forbear  one  another  in  love,'3  "putting  away  from  them  all  bitter 
ness,  and  wrath,  and  anger,  and  clamor,  and  evil-speaking,  with  all 
malice,  and  being  kind  one  to  another,  tender-hearted,  forbearing 
one  another  in  love,  and  forgiving  one  another,  if  any  have  a  quarrel 
against  any,  even  as  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  has  forgiven  them,"  for 
giving  "not  only  seven  times,  but  seventy  times  seven."  l 

The  love  of  a  brother  to  a  brother  is  active.  It  is  chiefly  manifested 
in  habitual  kindliness  of  behavior,  and  in  doing  its  object  good  as  oppor 
tunity  occurs.  It  is  love  "  not  in  word  and  in  tongue,  but  in  deed  and 
in  truth."  And  so  it  ought  to  be  with  the  Christian.  If  a  brother  or 
sister  is  naked,  and  destitute  of  daily  food,  the  Christian  brother  must 
not  content  himself  with  saying,  Depart  in  peace,  may  you  be  warmed 
and  filled;  he  must  give  him  the  things  which  are  necessary  for  the 
body.  If  he  have  this  world's  goods,  and  see  his  brother  in  need,  he 
must  not  shut  up  his  bowels  of  compassion  against  him.  If  he  do,  it  is 
a  proof  that  neither  the  love  of  God  nor  of  the  brethren  dwells  in  him.a 

Few  things  have  a  greater  tendency  to  recommend  Christianity  to 
worldly  unbelieving  men  than  the  habitual  exemplification  of  this  pre 
cept  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  few  things  have  done  more  to  injure 
that  religion,  and  to  prevent  its  progress," than  the  angry  debates,  the 
unseemly  animosities,  the  virulent  quarrels,  which  have  so  often  taken 
place  among  its  professors.  These  "  cause  the  way  of  truth  to  be  evil 
spoken  of,"  and  "  give  occasion  to  the  adversary  to  speak  reproach 
fully."  Proceedings  of  this  kind  should  lead  to  great  searchings  of 
heart  among  those  who  indulge  in  them  :  for  surely  there  is  reason  to 
fear  that  they  are  not  really,  but  only  nominally,  among  the  disciples 
of  HIM,  who  says,  "  By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disci 
ples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another ;"  and  were  their  ears  but  open 
to  discipline,  they  could  scarcely  help  hearing  Him  indignantly  say 
ing  to  them,  "  Why  call  ye  me,  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the  things  that 
I  say  to  you?"  "  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that  ye  love 
one  another  as  I  have  loved  you."  "  Ye  are  my  friends*  if  ye 
do  whatsoever  I  command  you."  "  But  if  ye  bite  and  devour  one 
another,"  if  ye  hate  and  revile  one  another,  who  are  ye  ?  "  He  that 
saith  he  is  in  the  light,  and  hateth  his  brother,  is  in  darkness  even  until 
now.  He  that  loveth  his  brother  abideth  in  the  light,  and  there  is 
none  occasion  of  stumbling  him ;  but  he  that  hateth  his  brother  is  in 
darkness,  and  walketh  in  darkness,  and  knoweth  not  whither  he 
goeth,  because  the  darkness  has  blinded  his  eyes.  In  this  the  chil 
dren  of  God  are  manifest,  and  the  children  of  the  devil.  Whosoever 
loveth  not  his  brother  is  not  of  God.  He  who  loveth  his  brother,  hath 
passed  from  death  to  life.  He  that  loveth  not  his  brother  abideth  in 
death.  If  a  man  say,  I  love  God,  and  hateth  his  brother,  he  is  a  liar ; 
for  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother  whom  he  hath  seen,  how  can  he 
love  God  whom  he  hath  not  seen  ?"  z 

Such  is  a  short  illustration  of  those  general  injunctions  contained 
in  the  text  that  refer  to  the  temper  which  Christians  should  cherish, 
and  the  conduct  they  should  exemplify,  in  reference  to  one  another. 

1  Eph.  iv.  31,  32.    Matt,  xviii.  22.  »  James  ii.  15,  16.     1  John  iii.  17. 

1  John  xiii.  34,  35.    Luke  vi.  46.    John  xv.  14.    1  John  ii.  9-11 ;  iii.  10,  14 ;  iv.  20. 


404  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

They  are  to  hold  and  profess  the  same  principles ;  they  are  to  cher 
ish  and  manifest  the  same  feelings ;  and  they  are  to  cultivate  and 
display  that  love  to  one  another  which  naturally  grows  out  of  this 
community  of  sentiment  and  feeling,  loving  the  brethren,  because 
they  are  brethren,  cherishing  and  manifesting  towards  them  an  affec 
tion  which,  in  its  spontaneousness,  and  warmth,  and  steadiness,  and 
active  influence,  resembles  the  affection  of  brother  to  brother;  and 
they  are  to  do  all  this,  that  their  conversation  may  be  "honest 
among  the  Gentiles,"  and  that  thus  they  may  adorn  the  doctrine  of 
God  their  Saviour.  I  conclude  this  part  of  the  discourse  with  the 
prayer,  that  the  Good  Spirit  would  write  these  golden  maxims  on  our 
hearts,  and  enable  us  to  exhibit  a  fair  copy  of  his  writing  on  these 
fleshly  tablets,  in  our  habitual  temper  and  behavior :  "  Be  of  one 
mind  :  be  of  one  heart :  love  as  brethren."  And  u  now  may  the  God 
of  patience  and  consolation  grant  us  to  be  like-minded  one  towards 
another,  according  to  Christ  Jesus,  that  we  may  with  one  mind  and 
one  mouth  glorify  God,  even  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
and  that  there  be  no  division  among  us,  but  that  we  be  perfectly  join 
ed  together  in  the  same  mind,  and  in  the  same  judgment ;"  l  so  that 
the  unbelieving  world,  beholding  the  effects  of  our  union  of  mind  and 
heart,  in  our  common  hearty  efforts  in  the  cause  of  our  common  Lord, 
and  in  bearing  one  another's  infirmities,  and  relieving  one  another's 
wants,  may  be  constrained  to  say,  as  of  old,  "  Behold  how  these 
Christians  love  one  another ;"  and  that  we  ourselves,  feeling  the  holy 
delights  of  such  union  and  communion,  may  sing  in  our  hearts,  mak 
ing  melody  to  the  Lord  :  "  Behold  how  good  and  how  pleasant  a  thing 
it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity.  It  is  as  the  dew  of  Her- 
mon,  the  dew  that  descended  on  the  mountains  of  Zion:  for  there  the 
Lord  commands  the  blessing,  even  life  for  evermore." 


II.— DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIANS  TO  MANKIND   GENERALLY. 

Let  us  now  consider  those  injunctions  respecting  disposition  and 
conduct,  which  refer,  not  only  to  the  Christian  brotherhood,  but  to  all 
mankind.  "  Be  pitiful,  be  courteous."  Let  us  attend  to  these  two 
injunctions  in  their  order. 

§  I.— To  "be pitiful"    . 

The  first  injunction  is,  "  Be  pitiful."  The  command  contained  in 
these  words  are  substantially  the  same  as  that  of  our  Lord  :  "  Be  ye 
merciful,  as  your  Father  in  Heaven  is  merciful ;  and  those  of  his  holy 
Apostle  Paul,  "  Be  kindly  aftectioned ;  be  kind,  tender-hearted ;  put 
on  bowels  of  mercies,  kindness,  meekness,  long-suffering."2 

Mercy,  properly  speaking,  is  kindness  to  the  miserable,  benignity 
as  manifested  towards  the  suffering.  To  be  merciful  or  pitiful  is  to 
cherish  and  manifest  kind  feeling  towards  those  who  are  in  distress. 
The  mercy  or  pitifulness,  which  is  the  subject  of  injunction,  is  some 
thing  very  different  from  a  naturally  kind  temper.  That  is  a  mere 

1  Rom.  xv.  6,  6.    1  Cor.  i.  10.  a  Luke  Ti  36.    Rom.  xii.  10.    Eph.  iv.  32. 


PART  II.]  DUTIES    TO    MANKIND   GENERALLY.  405 

instinctive  feeling,  and  though  amiable  and  useful,  is  no  proper  object 
of  moral  approbation.  Some  very  bad  men  have  a  large  portion  of 
it ;  while  some  very  good  men,  if  not  destitute  of  it  altogether,  are  by 
no  means  distinguished  for  it.  In  its  movements  there  is  no  refer 
ence  to  divine  authority ;  and  it  is  often,  as  we  have  just  remarked, 
found  in  conjunction  with  principle  and  habits  most  decidedly  con 
demned  by  the  divine  law. 

The  mercy  here  enjoined  has  no  doubt  its  basis,  as  all  emotions 
have,  in  that  part  of  our  physical-mental  constitution,  which  we  call 
the  affections.  Had  we  no  affections,  we  could  not  be  subjects  of 
Christian  mercy.  But  Christian  mercy  is  the  result  of  the  truth  as  it 
is  in  Jesus,  understood  and  believed,  acting  on  that  part  of  our  consti 
tution.  It  is  the  feeling,  which  in  man,  a  being  capable  of  affection,  is 
naturally  and  necessarily  developed  when  he  believes  that  truth,  and 
in  the  degree  in  which  he  believes  it.  It  is  the  feeling  which  a  man, 
who  knows  and  believes  that  in  the  exercise  of  sovereign  kindness  on 
the  part  of  God,  he  is,  through  the  mediation  of  Jesus  Christ,  who, 
under  the  influence  of  divine  pity,  took  and  bore  all  his  responsibilities 
to  divine  justice,  delivered  from  evils  infinite  in  their  number,  im 
mense  in  their  magnitude,  eternal  in  their  duration ;  evils  to  which 
he  had  rendered  himself  liable,  by  his  unprovoked  and  innumerable 
violations  of  a  law  most  holy,  just,  and  good  ;  it  is  the  feeling 
which  such  a  conscious  debtor  to  divine  mercy  naturally  cherishes 
towards  men  who  are  involved  in  suffering,  especially  in  that  worst 
species  of  suffering  from  which  he,  through  divine  goodness  and  pity, 
has  obtained  security.  This  is  a  feeling  which  can  be  awakened  in 
the  human  heart  only  by  the  Divine  Spirit,  leading  the  individual  to 
believe  the  great  love  wherewith  God  hath  loved  us,  and  which  he 
has  commended  to  us,  in  not  sparing  his  Son  for  our  sakes,  and  in 
sparing  and  blessing  us  for  his  sake.  Till  there  is  this  faith,  there 
cannot  be  this  feeling ;  and  where  this  feeling  is  not,  the  very  soul  of 
Christian  mercy  is  absent. 

The  essence  of  the  disposition  required,  is  kind  feeling  towards  the 
miserable,  and  its  natural  manifestation  is  the  use  of  the  means  in 
our  power  to  prevent  and  relieve  misery.  It  is  the  direct  opposite, 
not  merely  of  cruelty,  but  of  insensibility  ;  a  compassionate  tender 
ness  of  heart,  which  makes  us  weep  with  them  who  weep  ;  or  who, 
though  they  do  not  weep,  being  ignorant  of,  or  insensible  to,  their 
wretchedness,  have  on  that  ground  the  greater  cause  to  weep. 

This  Christian  pity  has  a  wide  range.  It  looks  at  man  in  both  the 
constituent  parts  of  his  nature.  It  regards  both  the  souls  and  the 
bodies  of  men.  It  is  drawn  out,  both  by  their  spiritual  and  their 
bodily  miseries :  by  evils  feared  as  well  as  felt :  by  evils  not  feared, 
but  sure  to  be  felt  if  not  feared  :  by  the  evils  of  eternity  as  well  as  of 
time.  It  ought  to  be  exercised  to  all  men  who  are  in  misery,  though 
connected  with  us  by  no  tie  but  that  of  a  common  nature;  and. the 
limits  of  its  practical  manifestation  are  to  be  prescribed  by  our  means 
of  preventing  and  relieving  misery,  and  a  wise  judgment  as  to  how 
those  means  can  be  most  effectually  employed  in  gaining  the  end  in 
view,  the  prevention,  the  relief,  the  extinction  of  suffering. 

The  regard  which  Christian  pity  shows  in  reference  to  the  miseries 


406  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

of  man,  as  being  connected  with  God  and  destined  to  immortality,  is 
one  of  the  features  by  which  it  is  chiefly  distinguished  from  that  in 
stinctive  kindness  to  which  I  have  been  adverting.  The  good- 
natured,  generous  raan  of  the  world,  pities  and  relieves  the  temporal 
wants  and  miseries  of  his  fellow-men  ;  but  he  thinks  not  of  their  spir 
itual  state,  their  everlasting  prospects.  He  has  a  tender  sympathy, 
he  exerts  a  generous  activity,  in  reference  to  disease  and  destitution, 
and  such  varieties  of  ignorance  and  vice,  as  produce  misery  and  dis 
order  to  the  individual  and  society  ;  but  he  has  no  pity  for  a  soul 
dead  in  sin,  far  from  God,  destitute  of  hope,  doomed  to  destruction. 
Indeed,  this  could  not  reasonably  be  expected.  How  should  he  feel 
for  others  in  reference  to  such  objects,  who  has,  in  that  respect,  no 
feeling  for  himself?  The  foundation  of  such  feelings  is  wanting  in 
him,  in  a  just,  abiding  conviction  of  the  realities  of  the  unseen  and 
eternal  world ;  though  professing,  as  many  such  persons  do,  to  hold 
the  views  Scripture  presents  on  these  subjects,  there  does  appear  a 
monstrous  absurdity  in  being  so  exceedingly  concerned  about  the 
alleviation  or  removal  of  the  sufferings  of  a  lew  short  years,  and  alto 
gether  careless  about  the  prevention  of  th.e  intolerable  miseries  of 
eternity.  Pitifulness  which  the  apostle  enjoins  is  not  thus  inconsist 
ent.  The  Christian  looks  on  mankind  chiefly  in  their  relation  to 
God  and  eternity.  In  his  estimation,  he  is  poor  who  is  not  rich  to 
wards  God ;  he  is  blind  who  is  ignorant  of  the  way  of  salvation  ;  he 
is  naked  who  is  destitute  of  the  robe  of  righteousness ;  he  is  diseased 
who  is  covered  with  the  leprosy  of  sin.  No  loss  appears  to  him  wor 
thy  of  being  compared  with  the  loss  of  the  soul ;  no  death  deserving 
the  name  but  the  second  death  ;  no  agonies  like  the  pangs  of  remorse 
and  the  torments  of  hell. 

In  this  respect,  Christian  pitifulness  resembles  the  divine  mercy,  in 
the  faith  of  which  it  originates.  The  God,  whose  nature  as  well  as 
name  is  love,  pities  all  the  miseries  of  man  ;  but  it  is  immortal  man, 
the  sinner,  who  is  emphatically  the  object  of  divine  mercy.  He 
thought  of  us  in  our  low  estate  of  guilt,  and  condemnation,  and  depravi 
ty,  for  "  his  mercy  endureth  forever."  It  stretches  onwards  to  eter 
nity,  and  manifests  its  greatness  in  delivering  from  "  the  lowest  hell." 
In  like  manner,  the  Christian  should  and  will  regard  with  peculiar 
pity  his  fellow-men,  viewed  as  immortal  beings;  labouring  under 
spiritual  disease;  in  danger  of  eternal  death. 

It  has  been  justly  said,  "  the  sins  of  men,  and  the  danger  of  their 
everlasting  ruin  by  them,  will  awaken  a  lively  concern  and  grief  in 
every  Christian  mind,"  in  every  heart  in  which  the  love  of  God  shed 
abroad  by  the  Holy  Ghost  has  produced  genuine  love  to  man.  "  He 
has  the  truest  and  justest  compassion  for  his  neighbor,  who  cannot, 
without  a  tender  sorrow,  see  him  provoking  the  great  God  to  jealousy, 
throwing  away  his  immortal  soul,  living  under  the  power  of  a  fell 
mortal  distemper,  and  laying  up  in  store  for  a  dreadful  account, 
'  heaping  up  wrath  for  the  day  of  wrath,  and  revelation  of  the 
righteous  judgment  of  God.'  Whoever  believes  that  religion  is  a  re 
ality  must  be  more  deeply,  if  not  more  sensibly,  affected  with  such 
a  melancholy  sight,  than  with  seeing  the  bodily  wants  or  consuming 
diseases  of  men,  or  with  hearing  their  most  dismal  groans  and  mourn- 


PART  II. J  DUTIES    TO    MANKIND    GENERALLY.  407 

ful  complaints,  occasioned  by  worldly  loss  or  corporeal  suffering ;  for 
he  knows  the  soul  is  more  valuable  than  the  body,  hell  is  worse  than 
death,  and  time  is  shorter  than  eternity/'  In  a  world  full  of  suffering, 
"  the  transgressor"  is  the  fittest  object  of  the  deepest  commiseration. 
"  I  beheld  the  transgressors,  and  was  grieved  ;"  "  Rivers  of  water/' 
the  tears  of  pity  for  self-destroying  man,  as  well  as  of  regret  for  inju 
ry  done  to  the  holy  character  and  law  of  God,  "  Rivers  of  water  run 
down  mine  eyes,  because  the  wicked  keep  not  thy  law."  1 

But  while  chiefly  affected  by  the  miseries  of  men,  as  sinners,  by 
their  ignorance,  and  error,  and  guilt,  and  obduracy,  and  depravity,  in 
their  endlessly  varied  forms,  and  by  the  fearful,  unavoidable,  remedi 
less  state  of  wretchedness,  which  awaits  impenitent  men  in  the  future 
world,  the  pitifulness  of  the  Christian  is  drawn  forth  by  misery  of 
every  kind,  by  suffering  in  every  form. 

The  Christian,  when  he  acts  like  himself,  is  far  from  being  insensi 
ble  to  those  calamities  and  wants  of  man,  which  are  limited  to  the 
present  state.  He  cherishes  a  tender  sympathy  with  "  all  the  evils 
to  which  men  are  exposed  in  their  bodies,  in  their  minds,  in  their 
connection  with  each  other,  in  their  external  circumstances,  from 
whatever  cause  they  may  originate,  whether  from  the  immediate 
visitation  of  God,  from  the  injustice  and  cruelty  of  their  fellow-men, 
or  from  their  own  folly  and  crime."  2  He  pities  suffering  in  every 
form.  Wherever  he  sees  misery,  he  feels  compassion.  Like  Job, 
he  "  weeps  for  all  who  are  in  trouble,  and  his  soul  is  grieved  for  the 
poor." 

But  the  apostolic  injunction  looks  to  appropriate  manifestation  of 
the  feeling,  as  well  as  to  its  existence.  When  he  says,  "  be  pitiful," 
he  means,  show  by  your  conduct  that  you  are  pitiful.  Christian  pity 
is  essentially  an  operative  principle.  It  is  not  "a  well  shut  up,  a 
fountain  sealed;"  it  is  a  copious  source  of  streams  of  blessing. 

Pity  for  the  spiritual  miseries  of  men  must  be  manifested  in  appro 
priate,  wise,  vigorous,  persevering  endeavors  for  relief.  We  must 
not  stand  by  the  self-erected  pile  on  which  the  sinner  is  about  to 
offer  himself  in  sacrifice  to  the  powers  of  evil,  bemoaning  his  folly. 
We  must  "  pull  him  out  of  the  fire."  It  were  well  if  Christians  would 
ponder  more  deeply  those  words  of  awful  import :  "  If  thou  forbear  to 
deliver  them  that  are  drawn  to  death,  and  those  that  are  ready  to  be 
slain,  if  thou  sayest,  behold,  we  knew  it  not :  doth  not  he  that  poii- 
dereth  the  heart  consider  it,  and  he  that  keepeth  thy  soul,  doth  he  not 
know  it  ?  and  shall  he  not  render  to  every  man  according  to  his 
works  :"  3  and  those  words,  too,  so  full  of  encouragement,  "  He  that 
converteth  a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  ways,  shall  save  a  soul  from 
death,  and  shall  hide  a  multitude  of  sins." 

Every  Christian  is  bound  personally  to  perform  such  acts  of  mercy 
within  his  own  sphere  of  activity,  and  by  his  influence  and  property 
to  give  support  to  all  scriptural  plans  for  alleviating  and  removing 
the  spiritual  miseries  of  men  both  at  home  and  abroad.  Our  pity 
should  take  the  form  of  constant  persevering  prayer,  for  the  work  is 
more  God's  than  man's  ;  but  it  should  take  the  form,  too,  of  cheerful, 
liberal,  regular  contribution,  and  personal  exertion,  for  the  work  is 

1  Psal.  cxix.  158,  136.  a  Wardlaw.  3  Prov  xxiv.  11,  12. 


4QS  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

man's  work  as  well  as  God's ;  and  God's  work  by  man,  God  being 
the  primary  agent,  man  the  active  instrument.  That  man  surely  has 
no  bowels  of  compassion  for  perishing  men,  no  Christian  pitifulness, 
who  can  see  thousands  of  them  falling  over  the  precipice  into  per 
dition,  without  shedding  a  tear  over  their  hopeless  misery,  and 
thousands  more  rushing  onwards  towards  that  precipice,  without  at 
tempting  to  arrest  their  course.  Were  Christians  as  pitiful  as  they 
should  be,  as  they  might  reasonably  be  expected  to  be,  there  would 
be  no  want  of  Christian  missionaries  either  for  home  or  foreign  ser 
vice,  and  no  want  of  funds  for  their  support. 

Pity  for  the  bodily  wants  and  miseries  of  men  must  also  be  mani 
fested  in  appropriate,  wise,  vigorous,  persevering  endeavors  for  their 
relief.  The  Christian's  sympathy  must  not  remain  hidden  in  his 
bosom,  a  source  merely  of  painful  or  pleasant  excitement  to  himself. 
It  must  not  expend  itself  in  words  of  commiseration.  It  must  take 
the  form  of  sacrifice  and  exertion.  He  must  not  content  himself 
with  saying  to  the  houseless,  ill-clad,  shivering  object  of  his  compas 
sion,  "  be  ye  clothed,  be  ye  warmed  ;"  he  must,  if  it  be  in  his  power, 
give  him  the  things  which  are  needful  for  the  body.  This  is  the  pity 
which  characterized  the  patriarch  Job :  "  When  the  ear  heard  me, 
then  it  blessed  me,  and  when  the  eye  saw  me,  it  gave  witness  to  me, 
because  I  delivered  the  poor  that  cried,  and  the  fatherless,  and  him 
that  had  none  to  help  him :  The  blessing  of  him  that  was  ready  to 
perish  came  on  me,  and  I  caused  the  widow's  heart  to  sing  for  joy : 
I  was  eyes  to  the  blind,  and  feet  was  I  to  the  lame :  I  was  a  father  to 
the  poor,  and  the  cause  which  I  knew  not,  I  searched  out."  l  This  is 
the  pity  of  which  the  divine  approbation  is  so  strikingly  declared  by 
the  prophet  Isaiah.  The  Lord  promises  to  "guide  continually,"  and 
to  bless  abundantly,  the  man  who  "deals  his  bread  to  the  hungry,  and 
brings  the  poor  who  are  cast  out  to  his  house ;  who,  when  he  sees 
the  naked,  covers  them,  and  hides  not  himself  from  his  own  flesh ; 
who  draws  out  his  soul  to  the  hungry,  and  satisfies  the  afflicted  soul."3 
And  this  is  the  pity  which  will  meet  with  the  solemn  approval  of  the 
Supreme  Judge,  when  from  his  great  white  throne  in  the  heavens  he 
pronounces  the  sentences  which  are  to  fix  the  eternal  state  of  men 
and  angels :  "  Then  shall  the  king  say  to  them  on  the  right  hand, 
Come  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world ;  for  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye 
gave  me  meat ;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink ;  I  was  a  stranger, 
and  ye  took  me  in ;  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me ;  I  was  sick,  and  ye 
visited  me ;  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me :  Inasmuch  as  ye 
have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done 
it  unto  me."  3 

It  is  thus  only  that  Christian  pitifulness  can  have  that  character 
which  our  Lord  requires  when  he  says,  "  Be  ye  merciful  as  your 
Father  in  heaven  is  merciful,"  for  His  pity  was  active  pity.  "  For 
the  great  love  wherewith  he  loved"  miserable  men,  he  spared  not  his 
Son,  devoted  him  for  us  as  a  victim,  gives  him  to  us  as  a  Saviour, 
and  gives  us  all  things  with  him,  "  blessing  us  in  him  with  all  heavenly 
and  spiritual  blessings."  It  is  thus  only  that  Christian  pity  can  form 

1  Job  xxix.  11-36.  a  Isa.  Iviii.  7,  10.  3  Matt  xxv.  34-36. 


PART  II.] 


DUTIES    TO    MANKIND    GENERALLY. 


409 


a  part  of  that  resemblance  to  our  Lord  in  which  true  Christian  holi 
ness  consists.  HE,  as  well  as  his  Divine  Father,  not  only  pitied,  but 
saved,  and  saved  at  what  an  expenditure  of  sacrifice,  and  toil,  and 
suffering !  "  Though  in  the  form  of  God,  he  humbled  himself,"  laid 
aside  the  glories  of  that  form,  took  on  him  the  nature  of  a  man,  the 
form  of  a  servant,  the  likeness  of  a  sinner,  becoming  "  obedient  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross."  With  what  indefatigable  ac 
tivity,  with  what  disinterested  self-denial,  with  what  patient  endur 
ance,  did  he  seek  to  relieve  the  wants,  to  remove  the  miseries  of  men  ! 
It  was  his  meat  to  do  the  benignant  will  of  his  Father  in  heaven,  in 
showing  mercy  to  the  miserable.  "He  went  about  doing  good." 
This  was  his  Father's  business,  about  which  he  was  always  to  be 
found  engaged.  He  embraced  every  opportunity  of  manifesting  his 
pity,  showing  mercy;  and,  not  contented  with  answering  applications 
made  to  him,  he  often  went  in  quest  of  objects  of  compassion,  to  com 
fort  and  relieve  them.  In  their  measure  Christians  must  thus  be  piti 
ful,  for  it  is  only  thus  that  they  can  have  evidence  that  the  mind 
which  was  in  Christ  is  in  them,  and  that  they  are  His,  having  his 
Spirit  dwelling  in  them. 

There  are  two  principles  on  this  subject  which  must  be  held  with 
equal  firmness.  The  one  is,  that  external  acts  of  beneficence  in  sup 
plying  want  and  relieving  distress,  though  in  themselves  good  and 
useful,  if  disjoined  from  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  and  the  pity  which  it 
uniformly  excites,  and  which  it  alone  can  excite,  are  no  evidences  of 
Christian  character,  and  cannot  be  accepted  of  God  as  part  of  the 
living  sacrifice,  with  which  alone,  for  Christ's  sake,  he  is  well  pleased. 
The  other  is,  that  wherever  the  principle  of  Christian  pity  exists,  it 
will  manifest  itself  by  producing  its  appropriate  effects.  Where  the 
ability  and  opportunity  to  do  good  exist,  and  yet  no  good  is  done,  pro 
fessions  of  sympathy  with  human  misery,  however  fervent,  must  be 
hypocritical ;  and  however  they  may  impose  on  man,  which  they  do 
to  a  far  less  extent  than  they  who  deal  in  them  seem  to  suppose,  must 
be  regarded  with  abhorrence  by  him  who  "  desireth  truth  in  the  in 
ward  part." 

It  scarcely  needs  to  be  remarked,  that  the  form  and  degree  of  the 
manifestation  of  that  Christian  temper  which  is  enjoined  in  the  text, 
must  depend  on  the  circumstances  in  which  the  individual  who 
cherishes  it  is  placed.  A  kind  look,  a  soothing  word,  a  compassionate 
tear,  a  cup  of  cold  water,  are  sometimes  both  more  genuine  expres 
sions  of  Christian  pity,  and  more  effectual  means  of  gaining  its  ob 
ject,  the  alleviation  of  suffering,  than  the  most  costly  pecuniary  offer 
ings. 

This  pitiful,  compassionate  disposition  is  not  to  be  limited  to  any 
particular  class  of  sufferers.  It  is  not  to  be  confined  to  relations  or 
friends,  to  fellow-Christians  or  fellow-citizens.  Wherever  there  ig 
misery  there  should  be  commiseration ;  and  wherever  there  is  the- 
power  to  relieve,  there  should  be  relief.  "  Christian  pity  is  a  prime 
lineament  of  the  image  of  God ;  and  the  more  absolute  and  disen 
gaged  it  is  in  regard  to  those  towards  whom  it  acts,  the  more  it  is  like 
unto  God;  looking  upon  misery  as  a  sufficient  incentive  of  pitv  and 
mercy,  without  the  ingredient  of  any  other  consideration.  *  It  is 


410  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.          ^  [DISC.  XV. 

merely  a  vulgar  piece  of  goodness  to  be  helpful  and  bountiful  to 
friends,  or  to  such  as  are  within  appearance  of  requital.  It  is  a  trad 
ing  commerce  that ;  but  pity  and  bounty  which  need  no  inducements 
but  the  meeting  a  fit  object  to  work  upon,  where  it  can  expect  nothing 
save  only  the  privilege  of  doing  good,  which  is  in  itself  so  sweet,  is 
god-like  indeed,  like  HIM  who  is  rich  in  bounty,  without  any  neces-: 
sity,  yea,  or  possibility  of  return  from  us ;  for  we  have  neither  any 
thing  to  confer  upon  him,  nor  hath  he  need  of  receiving  anything, 
who  is  the  spring  of  goodness  and  of  being."  l 

At  the  same  time,  it  must  not  be  forgotten,  that  while  Christian 
pity  leads  those  under  its  influence  to  compassionate  and  relieve  all 
the  indigent  and  wretched  as  they  have  opportunity,  it  impels  them 
with  peculiar  force  to  relieve  the  wants  of  those  with  whom  they  are 
most  intimately  connected.  The  man  who  speculates  and  talks  of 
universal  philanthropy,  and  even  makes  exertions  in  behalf  of  a  be 
nevolent  object,  if  it  be  but  on  a  sufficiently  magnificent  scale,  while, 
in  the  circle  of  his  family  or  neighborhood,  he  does  little  or  nothing 
to  relieve  suffering  and  supply  want,  may  without  breach  of  charity 
be  set  down  as  a  pretender  to  a  character  that  does  not  belong  to  him ; 
and  the  consistency  of  his  Christian  profession  may  well  be  question 
ed,  whatever  we  may  think  of  its  sincerity,  who,  while  manifesting 
zeal  for  diminishing  the  sufferings,  and  promoting  the  improvement 
of  the  inhabitants  of  distant  lands,  is  inattentive  to  the  distress  and 
destitution  with  which  he  is  surrounded ;  who,  while  he  professes  to 
feel  for  Negroes,  and  Tartars,  Turks,  and  Jews,  seems  to  have  no 
bowels  of  compassion  for  his  countrymen,  who  are  destitute  of  the 
necessaries  of  life,  or  are  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge. 

Such,  then,  is  the  Christian  pitifulness,  which  the  apostle  enjoins  as 
a  part  of  "a  conversation  honest  among  the  Gentiles,"  a  means  of 
constraining  those  who  "spoke  evil  of  them"  ignorantly  and  falsely, 
"  as  of  evil-doers,"  to  form  a  more  favorable  opinion  both  of  them 
and  of  their  religion,  a  means  of  "  putting  to  silence  the  ignorance 
of  such  foolish  men,"  of  winning  those  without  the  word,  who  will 
not  obey  the  word,  of  making  those  ashamed  who  falsely  accused 
their  good  conversation  in  Christ. 

It  requires  but  little  reflection  to  perceive,  that  the  cultivation  and 
display  of  this  amiable  temper  are  well  fitted  to  gain  these  ends.  The 
efforts  of  Christian  piety,  in  the  way  of  attempts  to  relieve  the 
spiritual  wants  of  mankind,  not  unfrequently  excite  the  resentment 
of  those  who  are  their  immediate  objects,  and  draw  forth  the  ridicule 
of  ungodly  observers.  Yet  even  these,  when  obviously  springing 
from  genuine,  though  in  the  estimation  of  unconverted  men,  mis 
guided  benevolence,  produce  on  the  whole  a  favorable  impression, 
both  of  their  authors  and  of  their  religion.  While  on  the  other  hand, 
apathy  and  inaction,  on  the  part  of  professed  Christians,  in  reference 
•  to  the  removal  of  evils,  which  if  there  be  any  truth  in  the  Bible,  are 
the  greatest  of  all  man's  miseries,  necessarily  awaken  in  the  mind  of 
reflecting  infidels  doubts  with  regard  to  their  sincerity,  and  give  plau 
sibility  to  the  suggestion,  that  Christianity  does  not  possess  the  power 

1  Leigliton. 


PART  II.]          DUTIES  TO  MANKIND  GENERALLY.  411 

which  it  lays  claim  to,  as  a  transformer  of  the  character,  and  director 
of  the  conduct. 

Few  things  are  more  fitted  to  soften  prejudices  against,  and  pro 
duce  a  disposition  fairly  and  favorably  to  consider  the  claims  of, 
Christianity,  than  Christian  individuals  and  societies,  cheerfully,  and 
and  liberally,  and  laboriously  supporting  every  probable  scheme  that 
is  brought  forward  for  lessening  the  mass  of  human  suffering,  in  the 
form  of  poverty  and  disease,  and  for  increasing  the  sum  of  human 
health  and  enjoyment.  These  are  subjects  in  which  men  of  the 
world  can  take  an  interest,  and  of  which  they  can  form  a  just  judg 
ment.  Of  the  excellence  of  peculiar  doctrines  of  Christianity,  of 
the  internal  holiness  which  the  faith  of  these  doctrines  is  intended  to 
produce,  and  actually  does  produce,  they  can  form  no  just  estimate, 
and  "  they  speak  evil  of  things  which  they  know  not."  But  to  feed 
the  hungry,  to  clothe  the  naked,  to  console  the  distressed,  to  provide 
means  of  recovery  for  the  bodily  or  mentally  diseased,  appear  to 
them  "  things  good  and  profitable  unto  men ;"  and  when  they  perceive 
Christians  discovering  a  readiness  to  make  sacrifices,  to  expend  time, 
and  property,  and  labor,  to  gain  such  objects,  in  a  degree  far  superior 
to  that  of  men  not  possessed  of  Christian  principles,  the  natural  effect 
is,  to  lead  them  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  the  difference ;  and  find 
ing,  what  Christians  should  never  be  backward  to  avow,  that  such 
exertions  are  the  result  of  their  peculiar  views  and  feelings  as  Chris 
tians,  their  prejudices  are  softened,  and  they  are  furnished  with  a 
motive  to  examine  into  what  these  principles  are,  and  are  placed  in 
more  favorable  circumstances  for  entering  on  such  an  examination, 
and  conducting  it  to  a  desirable  issue.  This  consideration,  of  itself, 
ought  to  be  felt  by  every  Christian  as  a  powerful  motive  to  comply 
with  the  injunction  in  the  text,  "Be  pitiful." 

I  conclude  this  division  of  the  discourse  by  two  quotations  ;  the  one 
the  words  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  the  other  the  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus  : 
the  first  placing  in  a  strong  light  the  peculiar  reasons  which  urge 
Christians  to  be  pitiful  and  kind  ;  the  second,  the  absolutely  monstrous 
character  of  the  opposite  disposition,  in  all  who  live  under  such  a  dis 
pensation  of  mercy  as  is  revealed  in  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the 
gospel ;  "  Be  gentle,  showing  all  meekness  unto  all  men :  for  we  our 
selves  also  were  sometimes  foolish,  disobedient,  deceived,  serving  divers 
lusts  and  pleasures,  living  in  malice  and  envy,  hateful  and  hating  one 
another.  But  after  that  the  kindness  and  love  of  God  our  Saviour 
towards  man  appeared  ;  not  by  works  of  righteousness  which  we  have 
done,  but  according  to  his  mercy,  he  saved  us  by  the  washing  of  re 
generation,  and  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  he  shed  on  us 
abundantly,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour ;  that  being  justified  by 
grace,  we  should  be  made  heirs  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal  life. 
This  is  a  faithful  saying :  and  these  things  I  will  that  thou  affirm  con 
stantly,  in  order  that  they  who  have  believed  in  God,  may  be  careful 
to  maintain  good  works :"  among  the  rest,  the  works  of  Christian 
mercy.  "  These  things  are  good  and  profitable  unto  men."  l 

So  much  for  the  words  of  the  holy  apostle.  Now  for  the  words  of 
his  and  our  Lord:  "Therefore  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  likened  unto 

!l  Tit.  ill  2-8. 


412  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [D[SC.  XV. 

a  certain  king,  which  would  take  account  of  his  servants.  And 
when  he  had  begun  to  reckon,  one  was  brought  unto  him  which  owed 
him  ten  thousand  talents :  But  forasmuch  as  he  had  not  to  pay,  his 
lord  commanded  him  to  be  sold,  and  his  wife  and  children,  and  all  that 
he  had,  and  payment  to  be  made.  The  servant  therefore  fell  down 
and  worshipped  him,  saying,  Lord,  have  patience  with  rne,  and  I  will 
pay  thee  all.  Then  the  lord  of  that  servant  was  moved  with  com 
passion,  and  loosed  him,  and  forgave  him  the  debt.  But  the  same 
servant  went  out,  and  found  one  of  his  fellow-servants,  which  owed 
him  an  hundred  pence;  and  he  laid  hands  on  him,  and  took  him  by 
the  throat,  saying,  Pay  me  that  thou  owest.  And  his  fellow-servant 
fell  down  at  his  feet,  and  besought  him,  saying,  Have  patience  with 
me,  and  I  will  pay  thee  all.  And  he  would  not ;  but  went  and  cast  him 
into  prison,  till  he  should  pay  the  debt.  So  when  his  fellow-servants 
saw  what  was  done,  they  were  very  sorry,  and  came  and  told  unto 
their  lord  all  that  was  done.  Then  his  lord,  after  that  he  had  called 
him,  said  unto  him,  O  thou  wicked  servant,  I  forgave  thee  all  that 
debt,  because  thou  desiredest  me :  shouldest  not  thou  also  have  had 
compassion  on  thy  fellow-servant,  even  as  I  had  pity  on  thee  ?  And 
his  lord  was  wroth,  and  delivered  him  to  the  tormentors,  till  he 
should  pay  all  that  was  due  unto  him."  l  Thus  he  that  shows  no 
mercy,  shall  have  judgment  without  mercy. 

How  powerful,  how  persuasive  are  these  motives !  Let  us  lay 
open  our  hearts  to  their  influence.  Let  us  be  pitiful ;  pitiful  to  our 
relations,  to  our  neighbors,  to  strangers,  to  enemies,  to  our  fellow- 
Christians,  our  fellow-citizens,  our  fellow-men :  pitiful  to  their  bodies, 
pitiful  to  their  minds,  pitiful  to  their  souls  ;  pitiful  in  reference  to  the 
interests  of  time ;  above  all,  pitiful  in  reference  to  the  interests  of 
eternity.  Let  us  "  be  merciful,  as  our  Father  who  is  in  heaven  is 
merciful." 

§  2.— To  be  "courteous." 

The  second  injunction,  in  reference  to  the  Christian's  behavior  to 
mankind  at  large,  "  be  courteous,"  comes  now  to  be  considered.  This 
injunction  is  certainly  not  "the  first  and  great  commandment"  of  the 
Christian  law.  It  is  not  even  one  of  "  the  weightier  matters  of  that 
law."  But  it  is  a  part  of  that  law ;  and  the  fact  thaj  it  is  so,  is  an 
illustration  of  the  divine  statement,  that  that  law  is  exceeding  broad. 
It  may  be  considered  as  included  in  the  second  commandment  of  that 
law  which  is  like  the  first ;  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 
It  is,  indeed,  an  injunction  of  one  of  the  minor  manifestations  of  that 
love  which  is  "  the  fulfilling  of  the  law."  It  belongs  to  that  class  of 
commandments  of  which  our  Lord  says,  that  he  who  breaks  them, 
and  teaches  men  so,  shall  be  called  the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven ; 
while  he  who  does,  and  teaches  them,  shall  be  called  great  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven. 

That  it  forms,  then,  a  proper  subject  of  occasional  illustration  and 
enforcement  by  the  Christian  minister,  cannot  be  doubted  by  any  one 
who  believes  that  it  is  the  Christian  pastor's  duty  to  teach  those  under 

1  Matt,  xviii.  23-34. 


PART  II.]          DUTIES  TO  MANKIND  GENERALLY.  413 

his  care,  "  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  the  Master  has  com 
manded  ;"  and  to  "  stir  up"  the  purest  minded  of  them,  "by  way  of 
remembrance,  that  they  may  be  mitfdful  of  the  commandments  of  the 
apostles  of  the  Lord  and  Saviour :"  I  say  a  proper  subject  of  occasional 
illustration  ;  for  he  would  ill  deserve  the  appellation  of  a  good  minister 
of  Jesus  Christ,  who  should  give  to  such  topics  as  this  the  principal, 
or  .even  a  very  prominent,  place  in  his  public  or  private  teaching. 
"  The  grace  of  God,"  and  "  the  godliness,  righteousness,  and  sobriety," 
which  it  alone  can  effectually  teach,  should  form  the  staple  matter  of 
our  ministry.  Pulpit  instruction  should  consist  habitually  of  the  ex 
position  of  the  doctrines,  and  the  inculcation  of  the  duties,  the  belief 
and  practice  of  which  are  essential  to  the  formation  of  the  Christian 
character,  and  the  realization  of  the  Christian  hope.  What  we  are 
chiefly  to  testify  is,  "the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  ;"  "repentance 
towards  God,  and  faith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  But  we 
must  never  forget  that  "every  word  of  God  is  pure ;"  "  all  scripture 
is  profitable ;"  and  he  who  would  be  "  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished 
to  every  good  work,"  must  consider  with  attention,  and  receive  with 
meekness,  "  every  word  which  has  proceeded  out  of  the  mouth  of 
God."  The  Christian  minister  is  not  to  "  shun  to  declare  to  his  people 
all  the  counsel  of  God:"  he  is  not  to  "keep  back  anything  which 
may  be  profitable  unto  them."  Whatever  has  appeared  to  God  worthy 
of  suggestion  by  his  Spirit,  and  inscription  by  an  apostle  in  that  book, 
which  is  intended  to  be  the  permanent  revelation  of  his  mind  and 
will,  and  the  permanent  guide  of  our  faith  and  conduct,  must  be  de 
serving  of  our  considerate  attention.1 

The  original  term2  which  appears  in  the  received  text  is  capable 
of,  and  has  received,  different  renderings.  By  our  translators  it  is 
rendered  courteous;  by  others  not  inferior  to  them  in  learning  and 
judgment,  it  has  been  translated  friendly-minded,  obliging.  This,  too, 
is  one  of  the  comparatively  few  places  where  there  is  some  uncer 
tainty  as  to  what  is  the  genuine  reading.  In  most  of  the  critical 
editions  of  the  New  Testament,  instead  of  the  word,  which  signifies 
courteous  or  friendly-minded,  we  have  a  word  which  signifies  humble 
or  modest.3  As  there  is  thus  some  uncertainty  as  to  the  precise  idea 
which  the  inspired  writer  expresses  here  ;  and  as  courtesy,  and  friend 
liness,  and  humility,  are  all  of  them  tempers  which,  according  to  the 
Christian  law,  Christians  should  cherish  and  exercise  in  reference  to 
all  mankind,  and  the  display  of  which  is  well  fitted  to  secure  the  ob 
ject  which  the  apostle  has  in  view,  the  protection  of  Christianity  from 
the  misapprehensions  and  misrepresentations  of  an  unbelieving  world, 
and  the  recommending  of  it  to  their  lespectful  notice  and  favorable 
consideration ;  instead  of  attempting  to  fix  which  of  these  three 
closely  connected  senses  is  the  meaning  of  the  apostle,  I  shall  shortly 
advert  to  them  all,  as  any  of  them  may  be,  as  one  of  them  must  be, 
his  meaning. 

I  remark,  then,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  apostle  may  be  considered 
as  here  enjoining  courtesy.  The  English  words,  courtesy  and  cour- 
teousness,  are  derived  from  the  term  court,  and  are  used  in  their 
primitive  sense  to  describe  that  polish  and  refinement  of  manners 

1  2  Tim.  iii.  16,  17.     Acts  xx.  20,  27.  *  ^lAfy/nm.  "  Taunts- fa,vts. 


414  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV, 

which  prevail  in  the  palaces  of  princes,  and  distinguish  the  inter 
course  of  the  great,  just  as  that  rudeness  of  manner  which  is  opposed 
to  these  is  termed  rusticity ;  a  'word  which  primarily  denotes  the 
characteristic  manner  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  rural  districts,  who, 
for  the  most  part,  belong  to  the  humbler  and  less  educated  part  of  the 
community,  and  whose  means  of  intercourse,  even  with  each  other, 
and  still  more  with  the  polished  portion  of  society,  are  necessarily 
circumscribed.  This  is  the  origin  of  the  term,  though  there  is  abun 
dant  foundation  for  the  remark  of  the  poet : — 

"  Courtesy  is  sooner  found  in  lowly  shades, 

With  smoky  rafters,  than  in  tapestried  halls 

And  courts  of  princes,  whence  at  first  'twas  nam'd."  l 

I  do  not  know  that  the  subject  of  the  apostle's  injunction,  in  this 
view  of  it,  can  be  better  described  than  as  a  disposition,  with  its 
appropriate  manifestations,  to  treat  with  becoming  respect  all  with 
whom  we  are  brought  in  connection,  either  occasionally  or  perma 
nently,  in  the  ordinary  intercourse  of  social  life  ;  and  to  avoid  every 
thing  in  manner,  language,  and  conduct,  which  may  unnecessarily 
wound  their  feelings,  or  interfere  with  their  enjoyment.  It  is,  indeed, 
nothing  else  than  enlightened  benevolence  manifesting  itself  in  refe 
rence  to  little  things.  It  supposes  a  capacity  of  entering  into  the 
feelings  of  others,  and  judging  rightly  as  to  what  would  gratify  and 
what  would  wound  their  feelings,  and  a  disposition  to  act  towards 
them  on  the  principle,  "  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to 
you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them."  2  As  no  man  would  be  unjust  or  cruel, 
so  few  would  be  discourteous,  if  they  habitually  acted  according  to 
this  golden  rule. 

Courtesy  in  general  is  opposed  both  to  unsociableness  and  morose- 
ness,  the  indisposition  to  mingle  with  our  fellow-men,  and  the  dis 
position,  when  we  mingle  with  them,  to  make  them  uncomfortable. 
The  courteous  man  finds  a  pleasure  in  the  society  of  his  fellow-men ; 
and  when  in  their  society,  discovers  his  satisfaction  by  endeavoring 
to  make  all  around  him  happy.  The  particular  form  which  courtesy 
assumes  depends  on  the  relation  the  courteous  person  stands  to  the 
object  of  his  courtesy.  If  he  is  his  superior,  he  regards  and  treats 
him  with  deference  and  respect ;  avoiding,  on  the  one  hand,  all  im 
pertinence  and  presumption,  and  uncalled  for  obtrusive  display  of 
independence,  and,  on  the  other,  all  man-worship,  all  cringing  obse 
quiousness.  If  he  is  his  inferior,  he  treats  him  with  condescension 
and  civility,  like  one  who,  in  by  far  the  most  important  points  of  view, 
stands  on  a  level  with  himself;  not  coldly  indifferent  to,  nor  cruelly 
negligent  of,  his  feelings,  but  disposed  to  respect  his  rights,  and  to 
promote  his  happiness.  If  he  is  his  equal,  he  treats  him  with  affa 
bility  ;  he  is  not  morose,  but  conciliatory  ;  not  sullen,  but  cheerful. 
He  is  attentive  ;  ready  to  give,  ready  to  receive,  the  tokens  of  mutual 
respect.  He  is  disposed  to  please,  and  to  be  pleased,  not  fretful  or 
quarrelsome,  or  contemptuous,  ever  ready  to  put  the  best  construction 
on  words  and  actions  ;  indisposed  to  take,  and  careful  not  to  give, 
offence. 

1  Shakspeare.  a  Matt.  vii.  12. 


PART  II.]          DUTIES  TO  MANKIND  GENERALLY.  415 

The  courtesy  which  the  apostle  enjoins  in  the  text  must  not  be  con 
founded  with  that  artificial  polish  of  manners  which  marks  the  higher 
classes  of  society.  Christian  courtesy  may  be  combined  with  this 
artificial  politeness  ;  and  the  combination  is  beautiful,  a  gem  richly 
set,  "  apples  of  gold  in  pictures  of  silver,"  a  fair  body  with  a  fairer 
soul ;  but  they  are  often  to  be  found  separate.  Many  who  are  distin 
guished  by  this  artificial  politeness  are  entire  strangers  to  Christian 
courtesy ;  and  many  are  habitually  and  thoroughly  courteous  who 
have  had  no  opportunity  of  acquiring  even  the  first  elements  of  this 
artificial  politeness.  In  very  many  cases  artificial  politeness  is  sys 
tematic  hypocrisy  :  it  is  a  mask  concealing  truth,  and  exhibiting 
falsehood ;  the  not  appearing  to  be  what  we  are,  or  the  appearing  to 
be  what  we  are  not.  Sentiments  and  feelings  are  often  strongly  ex 
pressed,  when  they  exist  only  in  a  very  inferior  degree,  or,  it  may  be, 
where  they  do  not  exist  at  all,  or  where  sentiments  and  feelings  of  a 
directly  opposite  kind  exist.  Under  a  pretence  of  studying  the  feel 
ings  of  others,  the  most  malignant  selfishness  often  seeks  gratification : 
under  the  guise  of  the  most  courteous  demeanor  and  language,  the 
most  unkind  and  contemptuous  feelings  are  frequently  cherished  and 
expressed  ;  and  he  who  is  studiously  courteous  to  certain  individuals 
and  classes,  according  to  the  laws  and  usages  of  a  conventional 
politeness,  may  be,  and  not  uncommonly  is,  characterised  by  an  utter 
disregard,  an  entire  want  of  respect,  for  the  feelings  of  other  indi 
viduals  and  classes. 

Christian  courtesy,  like  all  Christian  social  virtues,  originates  in  that 
love  of  man  which  flows  from  the  love  of  God,  and  grows  out  of  the 
knowledge  and  belief  of  the  truth.  The  Christian  regards  all  men  as 
the  children  of  God  ;  endowed  with  reason,  destined  to  immortality, 
capable  of  being,  through  the  atoning  blood  and  sanctifying  Spirit 
of  Jesus  Christ,  made  fit  for  the  most  intimate  fellowship  with  God  in 
knowledge,  and  holiness,  and  blessedness.  He  regards  the  arrange 
ments  of  society  as  the  result  of  Divine  appointment  and  agency  ; 
and  hence  learns  that  respect  for  all  men,  that  honor  for  all  in  au 
thority,  and  that  cordial  sympathy  with  all  in  the  humbler  stations  of 
society,  which  naturally  express  themselves  in  a  courteous  demeanor.  * 

While  there  may  be  conventional  politeness  where  there  is  no  true 
courtesy,  and  true  courtesy  where  there  is  little  conventional  polite 
ness,  yet  it  deserves  to  be  remarked,  that,  so  far  as  the  established 
forms  of  intercourse  in  society  are  innocent,  consistent  with  truth 
and  integrity,  Christian  courtesy  will  induce  its  possessor  to  conform 
to  them.  Wherever  these  forms  imply  falsehood,  a  higher  law  than 
that  of  custom  or  fashion,  the  law  of  God,  forbids  compliance.  He 
must  not  use  flattering  words  :  he  must  not  express  sentiments  which 
he  does  not  believe,  nor  simulate  affections  which  he  does  not  feel ; 
but  that  eccentricity  which  leads  a  man  to  disregard  innocent  social 
usages,  may  commonly  be  traced  to  pride  and  selfishness,  principles 
the  very  reverse  of  those  from  which  true  Christian  courtesy  springs. 

This  courtesy  should  be  commensurate  with  our  social  relations. 

1  "  Tliis  is  affability  of  the  heart,  as  well  as  of  the  demeanour :  this  is  Christian  civility  • 
as  many  degrees  above  modi?h  civility,  as  to  serve  another"  effectually  is  better  than  to  be 
his  most  obedient  servant" — JOSXIN. 


416  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN   DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV'. 

We  should  be  courteous  to  all.  It  should  regulate  the  intercourse  of 
kindred  :  no  intimacy  of  relation  can  be  sustained  as  a  reason  for 
dispensing  with  it.  Husbands  and  wives,  parents  and  children,  mas 
ters  and  servants,  ought  to  treat  one  another  courteously,  with  respect 
as  well  as  with  kindness.  This  greatly  adds  to  the  order  and  hap 
piness  of  a  family,  and  serves  in  some  measure  as  a  security  for  the 
performance  of  the  higher  duties.  The  manner  in  which  the  apostle 
enjoins  the  duty  on  servants  is  very  striking :  "  Let  as  many  servants 
as  be  under  the  yoke,  count  their  own  masters  worthy  of  all  honor : 
and  they  that  have  believing  masters,  let  them  not  despise  them,  be 
cause  they  are  Christian  brethren."  l  It  should  be  manifested  in  the 
church  of  God.  The  pastors  and  elders  should  conduct  themselves 
courteously  to  the  humbler  members  of  the  flock ;  and  the  members 
of  the  congregation  should,  in  their  turn,  cherish  respectful  sentiments, 
and  express  them  in  their  language  and  conduct  towards  those  that 
are  over  them  in  the  Lord.  This  courtesy  should  also  mark  the  con 
duct  of  the  Christian  in  all  his  intercourse  with  the  world.  He  is  to 
show  all  courtesy,  as  well  as  "  all  meekness,  to  all  men."  But  there 
is  the  less  necessity  for  my  dwelling  on  this  part  of  the  subject,  that 
I  have  already  had  an  opportunity  of  going  somewhat  into  detail  in 
the  illustration  of  it,  when  explaining  the  injunction,  "Honor  all 
men." 

It  may  be  proper  to  notice  here,  that  Christian  courtesy,  as  it  does 
not  require,  nor  indeed  permit,  the  use  of  language,  or  the  per 
formance  of  acts,  inconsistent  with  truth  and  integrity ;  so  neither 
does  it  forbid  the  statement  of  sentiments,  and  the  performance  of 
actions  which  duty  requires,  however  unpleasant  they  may  be  to  the 
persons  more  immediately  concerned,  though  it  secures  that  such  sen 
timents  shall  be  stated,  and  such  actions  performed,  in  such  a  way  as 
shall  give  no  needless  offence.  "  Neither  is  it  to  be  supposed,"  to  use 
the  words  of  a  living  author,  "  that  courtesy  to  others  implies  a 
forgetfulness  of  what  we  owe  to  ourselves,  or  a  just  sense  of  what 
others  owe  to  us.  Our  Lord,  who  was  the  perfect  example  of  cour 
tesy,  as  of  every  other  excellence,  more  than  once  evaded  inter 
rogatories  which  were  intended  to  entrap  him ;  and  Paul;  at  Philippi, 
asserted  his  political  rights  as  a  Roman  citizen,  by  refusing  liberty 
when  offered,  unless  granted  in  the  manner  in  which  it  became  him 
to  receive  it." 

The  illustration  of  Christian  courteousness  by  Archbishop  Leighton, 
well  deserves  quotation :  "  This  courteousness  which  the  apostle  re 
commends  is  not  satisfied  with  what  goes  no  deeper  than  words  and 
gestures.  That  is  sometimes  the  upper  garment  of  malice,  saluting 
him  aloud  in  the  morning  whom  they  are  undermining  all  the  day, 
and  sometimes  though  more  innocent,  it  may  be  troublesome,  merely 
by  the  vain  affectation  and  excess  of  it ;  and  even  this  becomes  not 
a  wise  man,  much  less  a  Christian  :  an  over  studying  or  acting  of  this 
is  a  token  of  emptiness,  and  is  below  a  solid  mind.  Nor  is  it  that 
graver  and  wiser  way  of  external  plausible  deportment,  which  fully 
answers  this  word.  That  is  the  outer  half  indeed  ;  but  the  thing 
'tself  is  a  radical  sweetness  in  the  temper  of  the  rnind  that  spreads 

1   1  Tim.  vi.  1,  2. 


PART  II.]          DUTIES  TO  MANKIND  GENERALLY.  417 

itself  into  a  man's  words  and  actions,  and  this  not  merely  natural  (a 
gentle,  kind  disposition,  which  is,  indeed,  a  natural  advantage  which 
some  have),  but  spiritual,  from  a  new  nature  descended  from  heaven, 
and  so  in  its  original  nature  it  far  excels  the  other,  supplies  it  where 
it  is  not,  and  doth  not  only  increase  it  where  it  is,  but  elevates  it 
above  itself,  renews  it,  and  sets  a  more  excellent  stamp  upon  it." 

To  the  cultivation  of  this  courtesy  Christians  are  urged  by  most 
powerful  motives.  It  is  explicitly  enjoined  by  the  highest  authority. 
He  who  commands  us  to  be  holy,  commands  us  to  be  courteous.  It 
is  one  way  of  fulfilling  the  great  law  of  love,  and  it  is  among  "  the 
things  which  are  honest,  honorable,  lovely,  and  of  good  report,"  which 
Christians  are  called  to  "think  on,"  in  order  to  their  practising  them. 
It  deserves  notice,  that  wre  find  the  law  of  God  under  the  former  dis 
pensation  breathing  the  same  spirit.  What  are  the  commands,  "  When 
thou  shalt  lend  thy  brother  anything,  thou  shalt  not  go  into  his  house 
to  fetch  his  pledge  ;"  "  Thou  shalt  rise  up  before  the  hoary  head,  and* 
honor  the  face  of  the  old  man.  I  am  the  Lord  ;  Thou  shalt  not  curse 
the  deaf;  Thou  shalt  not  put  a  stumbling  block  before  the  blind;" 
what  are  all  these  precepts  inculcating,  as  they  do,  regard  to  the  feel 
ings  and  respect  for  the  persons  and  situations  of  others,  but  instances 
of  the  endless  variety  of  particular  injunctions  that  are  all  bound  up 
in  the  one  brief  law,  "  be  courteous  ?" 

Besides,  courteousaess  is  taught  and  enforced,  not  only  by  precept, 
but  by  example.  He  who  is  our  great  Exemplar,  has  set  us  an  ex 
ample  of  courtesy.  There  was  nothing  stern  or  boisterous  in  his 
language  and  demeanor.  He  did  not  "  strive  or  cry."  Little  inci 
dents  mark  character.  "  He,"  we  are  told,  "  prayed,"  that  is  courte 
ously  requested  the  crew  of  a  boat  in  which  he  sat,  "  to  put  a  little 
away  from  the  land  ;"  and  there  is  a  dignified  courteousness  as  well 
as  an  unparalleled  meekness  in  his  behavior  to  his  enemies  :  "  Friend," 
said  he  to  Judas,  "  wherefore  art  thou  come  ?"  and  to  those  who  smote 
him  on  the  cheek,  he  said  "  If  I.  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness  of  the 
evil ;  but  if  well,  why  smitest  thou  me  ?"  It  deserves  notice,  too,  that 
he  mildly  reproved,  for  want  of  courtesy,  Simon,  the  Pharisee,  who 
entertained  him  at  dinner:  "Thou  gavest  me  no  water  to  wash  my 
feet,  thou  gavest  me  no  kiss,  mine  head  with  oil  thou  didst  not  anoint." 

Some  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  saints,  whose  lives  are  re 
corded  in  Scripture,  were  distinguished  for  their  courtesy.  We  shall 
select  an  example  from  each  of  the  volumes  of  inspired  truth.  First, 
in  this  class,  stands  Abraham,  the  father  of  the  faithful,  and  the  friend 
of  God.  What  beautiful  pictures  of  true  politeness  are  presented  to 
us  in  the  following  incidents  of  his  history !  "  And  the  Lord  appeared 
unto  him  in  the  plains  of  Mamre  :  and  he  sat  in  the  tent-door  in  the 
heat  of  the  day ;  and  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  looked,  and  lo,  three 
men  stood  by  him  :  and,  when  he  saw  them,  he  ran  to  meet  them  from 
the  tent-door,  and  bowed  himself  toward  the  ground,  and  said,  My 
lord,  if  now  I  have  found  favor  in  thy  sight,  pass  not  away,  I  pray 
thee,  from  thy  servant.  Let  a  little  water,  I  pray  you,  be  fetched,  and 
wash  your  feet,  and  rest  yourselves  under  the  tree  :  and  I  will  fetch 
a  morsel  of  bread,  and  comfort  ye  your  hearts  ;  after  that  ye  shall 
pass  on  :  for  therefore  are  ye  come  to  your  servant.  And  they  said, 

27 


41S  GEN-ERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV 

So  do  as  thou  hast  said.  And  Abraham  hastened  into  the  tent  unto 
Sarah,  and  said,  Make  ready  quickly  three  measures  of  fine  meal, 
knead  it,  and  make  cakes  upon  the  hearth.  And  Abraham  ran  unto 
the  herd,  and  fetched  a  calf  tender  and  good,  and  gave  it  unto  a  young 
man :  and  he  hastened  to  dress  it.  And  he  took  butter  and  milk,  and 
the  calf  which  he  had  dressed,  and  set  it  before  them ;  and  he  stood 
by  them  under  the  tree,  and  they  did  eat."  l 

The  next  incident  is  still  more  striking  and  affecting.  "  And  Sarah 
was  an  hundred  and  seven  and  twenty  years  old  :  these  were  the 
years  of  the  life  of  Sarah.  And  Sarah  died  in  Kirjatharba;  the  same 
is  Hebron  in  the  land  of  Canaan ;  and  Abraham  came  to  mourn  for 
Sarah,  and  to  weep  for  her.  And  Abraham  stood  up  from  before  his 
dead,  and  spake  unto  the  sons  of  Heth,  saying,  I  am  a  stranger  and 
a  sojourner  with  you :  give  me  a  possession  of  a  burying-place  with 
you,  that  I  may  bury  my  dead  out  of  my  sight.  And  the  children  of 
Heth  answered  Abraham,  saying  unto  him,  Hear  us,  my  lord :  Thou 
art  a  mighty  prince  among  us ;  in  the  choice  of  our  sepulchres  bury 
thy  dead  :  none  of  us  shall  withhold  from  thee  his  sepulchre,  but  that 
thou  mayest  bury  thy  dead.  And  Abraham  stood  up,  and  bowed 
himself  to  the  people  of  the  land,  even  to  the  children  of  Heth.  And 
he  communed  with  them,  saying,  If  it  be  your  mind  that  I  should  bury 
my  dead  out  of  my  sight,  hear  me,  and  entreat  for  me  to  Ephron  the 
son  of  Zohar,  that  he  may  give  me  the  cave  of  Machpelah,  which  he 
hath,  which  is  in  the  end  of  his  field :  for  as  much  money  as  it  is 
worth  he  shall  give  it  me,  for  a  possession  of  a  burying-place  amongst 
you.  And  Ephron  dwelt  among  the  children  of  Heth.  And  Ephron 
the  Hittite  answered  Abraham  in  the  audience  of  the  children  of  Heth, 
even  of  all  that  went  in  at  the  gate  of  his  city,  saying,  Nay,  my  lord, 
hear  me :  The  field  give  I  thee,  and  the  cave  that  is  therein,  1  give  it 
thse ;  in  the  presence  of  the  sons  of  my  people  give  I  it  thee :  bury 
thy  dead.  And  Abraham  bowed  down  himself  before  all  the  people 
of  the  land.  And  he  spake  unto  Ephron,  in  the  audience  of  the  peo 
ple  of  the  land,  saying,  but  if  thou  wilt  give  it,  I  pray  thee,  hear  me : 
I  will  give  thee  money  for  the  field ;  take  it  of  me,  and  I  will  bury  my 
dead  there.  And  Ephron  answered  Abraham,  saying  unto  him,  My 
lord,  hearken  unto  me  :  The  land  is  worth  four  hundred  shekels  of 
silver ;  what  is  that  betwixt  me  and  thee  ?  bury  therefore  thy  dead. 
And  Abraham  hearkened  unto  Ephron;  and  Abraham  weighed  to 
Ephron  the  silver,  which  he  had  named  in  the  audience  of  the  sons  of 
Heth,  four  hundred  shekels  of  silver,  current  money  with  the  mer 
chant.  And  the  field  of  Ephron,  which  was  in  Machpelah,  which 
was  before  Mamre,  the  field,  and  the  cave  which  was  therein,  and  all 
the  trees  that  were  in  the  field,  that  were  in  all  the  borders  round 
about,  were  made  sure  unto  Abraham  for  a  possession,  in  the  presence 
of  the  children  of  Heth,  before  all  that  went  in  at  the  gate  of  the  city."  2 

Our  other  example  is  the  Apostle  Paul ;  the  most  extraordinary 
merely  human  personage  the  New  Testament  makes  us  acquainted 
with.  "  Paul,"  it  has  been  well  said,  "  was  the  most  distinguished  for 
zeal  as  an  apostle,  the  most  remarkable  for  courtesy  as  a  man.  His 
language  in  some  of  his  letters,  and  his  conduct  on  certain  occasions, 

1  Gen.  xviii.  1-8.  9  Gen.  xxiii.  1-18. 


PART  II.]          DUTIES  TO  MANKIND  GENERALLY.  419 

are  a  perfect  model  of  polite  and  courteous  phaseology,  of  bland  and 
beautiful  address."  Take,  as  a  specimen,  his  address  to  Felix,  and 
view,  in  contrast  with  it,  the  fulsome  flattery  of  Tertullus  the  orator: 
"  And  after  five  days,  Ananias  the  high-priest  descended  with  the 
elders,  and  with  a  certain  orator  named  Tertullus,  who  informed  the 
governor  against  Paul.  And  when  he  was  called  forth,  Tertullus 
began  to  accuse  him,  saying,  Seeing  that  by  thee  we  enjoy  great  quiet 
ness,  and  that  very  worthy  deeds  are  done  unto  this  nation  by  thy 
providence,  we  accept  it  always,  and  in  all  places,  most  noble  Felix, 
with  all  thankfulness.  Notwithstanding,  that  I  be  not  further  tedious 
unto  thee,  I  pray  thee  that  thou  wouldest  hear  us  of  thy  clemency  a 
few  words.  For  we  have  found  this  man  a  pestilent  fellow,  and  a 
mover  of  sedition  among  all  the  Jews  throughout  the  world,  and  a 
ringleader  of  the  sect  of  the  Nazarenes :  who  also  hath  gone  about  to 
profane  the  temple  ;  whom  we  took  and  would  have  judged  accord 
ing  to  our  law :  but  the  chief  captain  Lysias  came  upon  us,  and  with 
great  violence  took  him  away  out  of  our  hands,  commanding  his  ac 
cusers  to  come  unto  thee  ;  by  examining  of  whom  thyself  mayest  take 
knowledge  of  all  these  things  whereof  we  accuse  him.  And  the  Jews 
also  assented,  saying  that  these  things  were  so.  Then  Paul,  after  that 
the  governor  had  beckoned  unto  him  to  speak,  answered,  Forasmuch 
as  I  know  that  thou  hast  been  of  many  years  a  judge  unto  this  nation, 
I  do  the  more  cheerfully  answer  for  myself:  because  that  thou  mayest 
understand,  that  there  are  yet  but  twelve  days  since  I  went  up  to 
Jerusalem  for  to  worship.  And  they  neither  found  me  in  the  temple 
disputing  with  any  man,  neither  raising  up  the  people,  neither  in  the 
synagogues,  nor  in  the  city  :  neither  can  they  prove  the  things  whereof 
they  now  accuse  me.  But  this  I  confess  unto  thee,  that  after  the  way 
which'they  call  heresy,  so  worship  I  the  God  of  my  fathers,  believing 
all  things  which  are  written  in  the  law  and  in  the  prophets  :  and  have 
hope  toward  God,  which  they  themselves  also  allow,  that  there  shall 
be  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  of  the  just  and  unjust.  And  herein 
do  I  exercise  myself,  to  have  always  a  conscience  void  of  offence 
toward  God,  and  toward  men.33 1 

Even  still  more  striking  is  the  conversation  between  Paul  and  the 
Roman  judge  and  king  Agrippa.  How  far  does  the  prisoner  exceed 
the  judge  in  dignified  courtesy  :  "  And  as  he  thus  spake  for  himself, 
Festus  said  with  a  loud  voice,  Paul  thou  art  beside  thyself;  much 
learning  doth  make  thee  mad.  But  he  said,  I  am  not  mad,  most  noble 
Festus  ;  but  speak  forth  the  words  of  truth  and  soberness.  For  the 
king  knoweth  of  these  things,  before  whom  also  I  speak  freely  :  for  I 
am  persuaded  that  none  of  these  things  are  hidden  from  him  ;  for  this 
thing  was  not  done  in  a  corner.  King  Agrippa,  believest  thou  the 
prophets  ?  I  know  that  thou  believest.  Then  Agrippa  said  unto 
Paul,  Almost  thou  persuadest  me  to  be  a  Christian.  And  Paul  said, 
I  would  to  God.  that  not  only  thou,  but  also  all  that  hear  me  this  day, 
were  both  almost,  and  altogether  such  as  I  am,  except  these  bonds."  a 

What  a  beautiful  instance  of  courteousness  have  we  in  the  first 
chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  where,  after  having  expressed 
a  wish  to  go  to  Rome,  that  he  might  impart  to  the  Christians  there 

1  Acts  xxiv.  1-16.  a  Acts  xxvi.  24-29. 


420  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV 

some  spiritual  gift ;  lest  their  feelings  should  be  hurt,  as  if  he  th'ought 
all  the  advantage  was  to  be  on  their  side,  he  adds,  "  that  I  may  be 
comforted  together  with  you,  by  the  mutual  faith  both  of  you  and 
me !"  And  what  a  delicate  touch  of  Christian  courtesy,  as  well  as 
kindness,  is  to  be  found  in  the  way  in  which  he  sends  his  affectionate 
remembrance  to  the  mother  of  Rufus,  at  the  thirteenth  verse  of  the 
xvi.  chapter  of  that  epistle  :  "  His  mother,  and  mine !" 

The  Epistle  to  Philemon  stands  in  relation  to  this  subject  as  a  com 
position,  unrivalled  and  alone,  both  for  its  sentiments  and  language. 
Read  it  carefully,  and  say  if  the  apostle  does  not  appear  a  perfect  mas 
ter  of  the  trains  of  thought,  and  forms  of  expression,  most  indicative 
of  eminence  in  this  Christian  grace  of  courtesy. 

Few  things  tend  more  to  make  a  Christian  conversation  "  honest," 
that  is,  honorable  "  among  unbelievers,"  than  the  culture  and  display 
of  courtesy ;  while  its  absence,  and  still  more,  the  presence  of  opposite 
tempers  and  habits,  gives  occasion  to  those  who  are  seeking  occasion, 
both  to  think  and  speak  unfavorably  of  Christianity  and  of  Christians. 
The  want  of  courtesy  has,  often,  more  than  neutralized  the  influence 
of  great  talents  and  great  excellence ;  and  the  possession  of  it  has 
rendered  men  of  but  moderate  talents  or  endowments  greatly  useful 
in  promoting  the  Christian  cause.  It  is  very  justly  remarked,  by  a 
Christian  moralist :  "  If  religious,  but  coarsely-mannered  persons,  how 
ever  safe  they  may  be  as  to  their  own  state,  could  be  made  aware 
how  much  injury  their  want  of  prudence  and  delicacy  is  doing  to  the 
minds  of  the  polished  and  discriminating,  who,  though  they  may  ad 
mire  Christianity  in  the  abstract,  do  not  love  it  so  cordially,  as  to  bear 
with  the  grossness  of  some  of  its  professors,  nor  understand  it  so  in 
timately  as  to  distinguish  between  what  is  essential  and  what  is  ex 
trinsic,  if  they  could  conceive  what  mischief  they  do  to  religion  by 
the  associations  which  they  lead  the  refined  to  combine  with  it,  so  as 
to  lead  them  inseparably  to  connect  piety  with  vulgarity,  they  would 
endeavor  to  correct  their  own  taste,  from  the  virtuous  fear  of  shock 
ing  that  of  others."  l  It  is  greatly  to  be  deprecated,  thus  to  throw  ad 
ditional  obstacles  in  the  way  of  Christianity  getting  justice  done  to 
it ;  and  of  unbelievers  becoming  Christians.  It  is  treating  it  unjustly, 
and  them  unkindly.  Let  no  one  then  say  of  courtesy,  it  is  a  small 
matter  thus  to  make  so  much  of.  It  is  a  small  matter  compared  with 
righteousness,  mercy,  temperance,  and  fidelity ;  but  it  is  one  of  the 
matters  of  the  Christian  law ;  and  let  us  remember  who  it  is  who  says, 
"  These  things  ye  ought  to  do,  and  not  to  leave  the  others  undone."  8 

1  Hannah  More. 

9  What  a  beautiful  picture  of  courtesy  is  given  in  "  Matthew  Henry's  Life  of  his  Father." 
It  may  not  be  improper  to  observe,  what  was  obvious  as  well  as  amiable  to  all  who  con 
versed  with  him, — that  he  had  the  most  sweet  and  obliging  air  of  courtesy  and  civility 
that  could  be  ;  which  some  attributed  in  part  to  his  early  education  at  court.  His  mien 
and  carriage  were  always  so  very  decent  and  respectful  that  they  could  not  but  win  the 
hearts  of  all  he  had  to  do  with.  Never  was  any  man  farther  from  that  rudeness  and 
moroseness  which  some  scholars,  and  too  many  that  profess  religion,  either  wilfully  affect, 
or  carelessly  allow,  themselves  in,  sometimes  to  the  reproach  of  their  profession.  It  is 
one  of  the  laws  of  our  holy  religion,  exemplified  in  the  conversation  of  this  good  man,  to 
"  honor  all  men."  Sanctified  civility  is  a  great  ornament  to  Christianity.  It  was  a  saying 
he  often  used,  '  Religion  doth  not  destroy  good  manners  ;'  and  yet  he  was  very  far  from 
anything  like  vanity  in  apparel  or  formality  of  compliment  in  address :  but  his  conversa 
tion  was  all  natural  and  easy  to  himself  and  others,  and  nothing  appeared  in  him,  which 


PART  II.]          DUTIES  TO  MANKIND  GENERALLY.  421 

Having  gone  so  fully  into  the  illustration  and  enforcement  of  Chris 
tian  courtesy,  I  must  confine  myself  to  a  very  few  observations  on  the 
two  other  views  which  may  be  taken  of  the  inspired  injunction  now 
before  us. 

I  observed  in  the  second  place,  that  it  may  be  considered  as  requir 
ing  a  friendly  or  obliging  temper  or  behavior.  This,  rather  than 
"  courtesy,"  strictly  so  called,  is  considered  by  many  as  the  import 
of  the  original  term.  Christians  should  cherish  and  manifest  a  kind 
and  obliging  disposition  to  all.  They  are  not  only  to  be  pitiful  to  suf 
ferers,  but  kind  and  obliging  to  all ;  disposed  to  do  good  to  all,  as  they 
have  opportunity.  This  Christian  temper  and  habit  is  opposed  to  that 
disposition  which  Nabal l  is  the  type,  which  prevents  a  man  almost 
from  speaking  peaceably  to  his  neighbor.  There  are  men  who  can 
scarcely  speak  without  saying,  who  can  scarcely  act  without  doing, 
something  disobliging  and  displeasing  to  their  fellow-men,  "  so  churl 
ish  is  their  nature." 

But  it  is  opposed,  not  only  to  this  most  unlovely  temper,  but  also 
to  that  retiredness  of  mind  and  temper  which  leads  a  man  to  shut 
himself  up  in  himself,  and  his  own  immediate  interests.  Such  a  man 
may  be  peaceable  and  harmless,  but  he  is  not  obliging  and  useful. 
He  will  neither  say  nor  do  an  unkind  or  injurious  thing,  but  the  law  of 
kindness  is  not  on  his  lips  ;  and  his  hand,  though  not  wielding  the 
weapons  of  warfare  against  his  neighbor,  is  not  employed  in  promoting 
his  happiness.  The  Christian,  in  reference  to  all  with  whom  he  comes 
in  contact,  should  discover  a  disposition  to  oblige  and  serve  them. 

This  greatly  tends  to  soften  men's  prejudices  against  religion,  while 
an  opposite  temper  and  behavior  on  the  part  of  professors  are  as  power 
fully  calculated  to  harden  their  prejudices,  and  to  give  occasion  to 
the  adversaries  to  reproach  Christians,  and  blaspheme  Christianity 
and  its  Author. 

I  observed,  in  the  third  place,  that  the  apostle  may  be  considered 
as  enjoining  here  humility  or  modesty.  In  many  of  the  most  ancient 
manuscripts,  the  reading  is,  "  Be  humble."  Christians  are  not  to 
think  of  themselves  "  highly,"  but  "soberly."  If  they  are  Christians, 
they  must  believe  their  insignificance  as  creatures,  and  their  demerit 
as  sinners.  They  must  believe  that  they  are  in  their  natural  state 
thoroughly  depraved ;  deeply,  inexcusably  guilty ;  righteously  con 
demned  ;  hopelessly  wretched  ;  and  that  if  their  state  is  altered,  if 
their  characters  are  transformed,  if  their  prospects  are  improved,  it  is 
all  owing  to  sovereign  Divine  kindness  operating  through  the  media 
tion  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The 
native  tendency  of  such  views  is  to  make  a  man  humble  and  lowly  in 
spirit ;  to  make  him  feel  that  pride  was  not  made  for  him.  This 
should  be  the  habitual  temper  of  the  Christian,  and  should  give  a  de 
cided  character  to  his  habitual  demeanor  and  behavior.  He  should 

even  a  severe  critic  could  justly  call  affected.  This  temper  of  his  tended  very  much  to 
the  adorning  of  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour,  and  the  general  transcript  of  so  excellent 
a  copy  would  do  much  toward  the  healing  of  those  wounds  which  religion  hath  received 
in  the  house  of  her  friends. — Account  of  the  Life  and  Death  of  Mr.  Philip  Henry,  p.  4. 
London,  1712. 
1  1  Sam.  xxv.  17. 


422  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [JDI3C.  XV. 

be  "  clothed  with  humility  :"  "  In  lowliness  of  mind  esteeming  others 
better  than  himself'."  l 

He  should  carefully  avoid  all  kinds  of  pride  as  absurd  and  crimi 
nal,  but  especially  spiritual  pride.  His  conduct  should  never  be  such 
as  to  say  to  those  about  him,  "Stand  by  thyself;  come  not  near  to 
me,  I  am  holier  than  thou."  He  must  not  "mind  high  things;"  he 
must  "condescend  to  men  of  low  estate;"  he  must  not  "  be  wise  in 
his  own  conceit."  2 

The  cultivation  and  display  of  humility  are  recommended  by  very 
numerous  and  powerful  motives.  It  is  the  most  reasonable  of  all 
things.  Pride  in  a  creature,  in  a  sinner,  is  absolutely  monstrous. 
Humility  is  very  often  enjoined  in  Scripture  :  "  Walk  worthy  of  the 
vocation  wherewith  ye  are  called  with  all  lowliness.  Let  nothing  be 
done  through  vain  glory.  Put  on.  as  the  elect  of  God,  humbleness 
of  mind."3  No  temper  is  more  highly  eulogized  in  Scripture;  and  to 
the  possession  of  none  are  made  promises  more  exceeding  great  and 
precious.  "  He  hath  showed  thee,  O  man,  what  is  good ;  to  walk 
humbly  with  thy  God.  Though  the  Lord  be  high,  he  hath  respect  to 
the  lowly.  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit.  Whosoever  shall  humble 
himself  like  this  little  child,  the  same  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  God  forgetteth  not  the  cry  of  the  humble.  He  resisteth  the 
proud,  but  giveth  grace  to  the  humble.  He  that  humbleth  himself 
shall  be  exalted.  Thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth 
eternity,  whose  name  is  holy  :  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place, 
with  him  also  who  is  humble  and  of  a  contrite  spirit :  to  revive  the 
spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones."  4 

Humility  formed  one  of  the  distinguishing  ornaments  of  the  char 
acter  of  our  Lord.  It  was  emphatically  "  the  mind  which  was  in 
Him,"  5  who  was  meek  and  lowly  ;  who  humbled  himself,  and  came 
not  to  be  ministered  to,  but  to  minister.  And,  finally,  it  is  greatly 
fitted  to  lessen  the  prejudices  of  the  world  against  Christianity,  and 
to  shut  the  mouths  of  those  who  calumniate  it,  as  calculated  to  make 
men  self-conceited,  and  despisers  of  all  who  do  not  embrace  their 
opinions. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  last  two  Christian  tempers  we 
have  been  illustrating,  are,  as  it  were,  the  elements  of  the  first. 
Kindliness  and  humility  naturally,  necessarily,  produce  courtesy. 
Everything  by  which  courtesy  is  violated,  may  be  traced  either  to 
selfishness,  the  reverse  of  kindness ;  or  to  pride,  the  reverse  of  hu 
mility. 

Thus  have  I  shortly  considered  the  tempers  and  conduct  in  ref 
erence  to  mankind  at  large,  which  the  apostle  enjoins  on  believers, 
in  order  that  their  conduct  might  be  "  honest  among  the  Gentiles." 
I  cannot  conclude  this  department  of  the  subject  without  remarking, 
what  a  wonderful  book  is  the  Bible!  and  what  a  universal  remedy  is 
Christianity  for  all  the  evils  of  man !  There  is  nothing  too  great, 
nothing  too  little,  for  the  Bible.  It  unfolds  the  principles  which 

1  1  Pet.  v.  5.     Phil.  ii.  3.  a  Rom.  xii.  16. 

3  Eph.  iv.  1,  2.     Phil.  ii.  3.     Col.  iii.  12. 

*  Mic.  vi.  8.     Psal.  cxxxvii.  6.    Matt.  v.  3  ;  xviii.  4.    Psai  ix.  12.     James  iv.  6.     Luke 
ativ.  11.     Isa.  Ivii.  15. 
6  PhiL  ii.  3-11. 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  423 

guide  the  government  of  the  universe,  and  it  gives  directions  for  the 
regulation  of  man's  every-day  tempers  and  manners.  It  provides  for 
the  highest  interests  of  the  soul  through  eternity,  and  yet  descends  to 
point  out  the  way,  with  wondrous  minuteness  of  detail,  in  which 
most  happiness  may  be  attained  by  man  during  his  short  sojourn  in 
the  present  state.1  Christianity  not  only  transforms  the  character, 
but  improves  the  manners.  It  is  the  greatest  tamer  of  savage  man, 
as  well  as  the  only  purifier  of  depraved  man.  There  are,  indeed, 
men,  we  confess  it  with  regret,  rude  with  it,  but  they  would  have 
been  brutal  without  it. 

Let  us  show  our  regard  for  the  Bible  by  making  the  intended  use 
of  all  its  revelations.  Let  us  show  our  regard  to  Christianity  as  a 
universal  remedy,  by  submitting  the  whole  frame  of  our  natures,  in 
tellectual  and  active,  to  its  healing  influence.  Let  us  see  to  it,  that 
this  portion  of  Scripture  given  by  inspiration,  be  indeed  profitable  to 
us.  It  will  be  so  only  in  the  degree  in  which  we  are  what  it  com 
mands  us  to  be ;  courteous,  kindly,  and  humble.  "  Wherefore,  lay 
apart  all  filthiness  and  superfluity  of  naughtiness,  and  receive  with 
meekness  the  ingrafted  word,  which  is  able  to  save  your  souls.  But 
be  ye  doers  of  the  word  and  not  hearers  only,  deceiving  your  own 
selves  ;  for  if  any  man  be  a  hearer  of  the  word  and  not  a  doer,  he  is 
like  unto  a  man  beholding  his  natural  face  in  a  glass :  for  he  behold- 
eth  himself  and  goeth  his  way,  and  straightway  forgetteth  what  man 
ner  of  man  he  was.  But  whoso  lookethinto  the  perfect  law  of  liber 
ty,"  one  of  whose  precepts  we  have  been  expounding,  and  "  continu- 
eth  therein,  he  being  not  a  forgetful  hearer,  but  a  doer  of  the  word, 
that  man  shall  be  blessed  in  his  deed." 


Ill— DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIANS  UNDER  PERSECUTION. 

It  is  now  time  for  us  to  turn  our  attention  to  the  third  class  of  du 
ties  enjoined  by  the  apostle ;  the  duties  of  Christians  in  reference  to 
their  persecutors,  viewed  with  a  particular  reference  to  the  influence, 
which  the  performance  of  these  duties  is  calculated  to  have  on  the 
character  both  of  Christianity  and  of  Christians  among  unbelieving 
men. 

§  1. — Abstinence  from  all  resentful  retaliation,  and  meeting  injury 
and  reproach  by  kindness  both  in  conduct  and  language. 

The  first  duty,  then,  which  the  apostle  enjoins  on  Christians,  in  ref 
erence  to  their  persecutors,  is  abstinence  from  all  resentful  retalia 
tion,  and  the  meeting  of  injury  and  reproach  by  kindness  both  in  con 
duct  and  language.  The  injunction  and  enforcement  of  this  duty 
occupy  the  greater  part  of  the  paragraph  from  verse  9,  down  to  the 
middle  of  verse  14.  The  duty,  and  the  motives  by  which  it  is  en 
forced,  are  then  successively  to  be  considered.  The  duty  is  thus  de 
scribed  :  "Not  rendering  evil  for  evil,  or  railing  for  railing,  but  con 
trariwise  blessing."  The  motives  are  four — 1.  Christians  are  "  called' 

1  Binney. 


424.  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

to  the  discharge  of  this  duty ;  verse  9.  2.  They  are  called  to 
this,  "  that  they  may  inherit  a  blessing ;"  verse  9.  These  two  mo 
tives  are  illustrated  by  a  quotation  from  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
ture ;  verses  10-12.  3.  This  is  really  the  way  to  escape  with  the 
least  possible  suffering ;  verse  13.  And  4.  If  their  peaceable,  kind 
conduct,  does  not  produce  its  proper  result  in  others,  still  in  thus  suf 
fering,  Christians  are  blessed  or  happy ;  verse  14.  Let  us  attend  to 
these  topics  in  their  order. 

(1.)   The  duty  explained. 

The  duty  enjoined  is  abstinence  from  all  resentful  retaliation,  and 
the  meeting  of  injury  and  reproach  by  kindness  both  in  action  and  in 
words  :  "  Render  not  evil  for  evil,  nor  railing  for  railing,  but  contra 
riwise  blessing."  This  injunction  plainly  goes  on  the  assumption 
that  they  to  whom  it  was  addressed  were  exposed  to  injurious  treat 
ment,  and  contumelious  reproach.  Their  Lord  and  Master,  when  he 
was  on  earth,  was  most  injuriously  and  unkindly  treated,  and  his  char 
acter  and  conduct  were  the  objects  of  the  most  malignant  misrepre 
sentation  and  cruel  obloquy.  He  was  denied  not  only  what,  as  an 
immaculately  innocent,  and  absolutely  perfect  man,  the  greatest,  the 
most  disinterested,  the  most  unwearied,  the  most  successful,  of  all 
philanthropists  and  public  benefactors,  a  fully  accredited  divine'  mes 
senger,  an  Incarnation  of  the  Divinity,  he  had  the  strongest  claims 
to;  he  was  denied  the  common  rights  of  humanity,  and  was  repre 
sented  as  a  demoniac  and  blasphemer,  a  teacher  of  error,  and  a  stirrer 
up  of  sedition  ;  "a  glutton  and  wine-bibber,  a  friend  of  publicans  and 
sinners."  And  he  distinctly  warned  his  followers  that  they  should 
meet  with  similar  usage  :  "  The  servant/'  said  he,  "  is  not  greater  than 
his  Lord.  They  have  persecuted  me ;  they  will  also  persecute  you. 
In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation.  They  have  called  the  master 
of  the  house  Beelzebub;  how  much  more  them  of  his  household? 
Ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's  sake.  Men  shall  hate 
you,  and  shall  separate  you  from  their  company,  and  shall  reproach 
you,  and  shall  cast  out  your  name  as  evil  for  the  Son  of  Man's 
sake."  J 

These  predictions  were  fulfilled  to  the  letter  in  the  case  of  the 
apostles  and  many  of  the  primitive  Christians.  They  were  "de 
spised  and  buffeted,  reviled  and  defamed,  made  as  the  filth  of  the 
world,  and  the  offscouring  of  all  things."  "They  were  troubled,  per 
plexed,  and  persecuted.  They  endured  a  great  fight  of  affliction, 
they  were  made  a  gazing  stock  both  by  reproaches  and  afflictions." 
Some  were  "tortured,  others  had  trials  of  cruel  scourgings;  yea, 
moreover,  of  bonds  and  imprisonment.  They  were  stoned,  they  were 
sawn  asunder,  were  tempted,  were  slain  with  the  sword,  they  wan 
dered  about  in  sheep  skins  and  goat  skins,  being  destitute,  afflicted, 
tormented  ;  they  wandered  in  deserts  and  in  mountains,  and  in  dens, 
and  in  caves  of  the  earth."  2  They  were  everywhere  spoken  against 
as  despisers  of  the  gods,  haters  of  the  human  race,  and  perpetrators 
of  the  most  shocking  impurities  and  barbarities. 

1  John  xv.  20  ;  xvi.  33.     Matt.  x.  25 ;  xxiv.  9. 

a  1  Cor.  iv.  9-13.    2  Cor.  iv.  8,  9.     Heb.  xl  36,  37. 


PART  III.J  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  425 

In  succeeding  ages  comparatively  few  Christians  have  been  exposed 
to  such  extremity  of  ill  usage ;  yet  in  every  age  the  apostle's  declar 
ation  has  been  verified.  "  They  that  will  live  godly,"  are  determined 
to  act  out  the  principles  and  precepts  of  Christianity,  "  must  suffer 
persecution."  *  No  consistent  Christian  passes  through  this  world 
without  personal,  experimental  evidence  that  "this  world  is  not  his 
friend,  nor  this  world's  law;"  and  he  who  has  never  suffered  in  any 
way  for  his  religion,  who  is  an  entire  stranger  to  "  the  reproach  of 
Christ/'  has  some  reason  to  read  with  alarm  the  words  of  our  Lord : 
"  If  ye  were  of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  its  own ;  but  because 
ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world,  there 
fore  the  world  hateth  you." 2 

Whatever  be  the  degree  of  ill  usage,  whatever  the  measure  of  op 
probrious  language  to  which  the  Christian  may  be  exposed,  his  duty 
is  not  "to  render  evil  for  evil,  or  railing  for  railing."  There  is 
nothing  inconsistent  with  Christian  principle  and  feeling  in  endeav 
oring,  by  using  such  means  as  law  warrants,  to  disarm  the  man  who 
has  already  wounded  me,  and  who  shows  a  disposition  to  repeat 
the  injury  :  to  shut  the  mouth  which  has  already  calumniated  me, 
and  seems  ready  to  pour  forth  additional  torrents  of  abuse.  Regard 
to  society,  and  indeed  to  the  poor  infatuated  individual  himself,  even 
more  than  a  due  respect  to  my  own  interests  and  feelings,  may  make 
this  even  my  duty.  But  I  must  not  seek  to  injure  him.  I  must  not 
inflict  undeserved,  nor  even  unnecessary  suffering.  Restraint,  even 
punishment,  may  not  be  evil :  it  may  be  benefit  to  the  individual  as 
well  as  to  society ;  but  even  in  securing  this  I  must  avoid  resentful 
feeling.  I  must  not  seek  to  avenge  myself.  And  as  to  railing,  re 
proachful,  contumelious  language,  I  may,  in  many  cases  I  ought  to, 
rebut  false  charges,  which,  if  credited,  might  injure  my  reputation 
and  lessen  my  usefulness ;  and  in  doing  this,  it  may  be  absolutely  ne 
cessary  to  state  and  substantiate  what  will  necessarily  lower  the  char 
acter  of  the  railer ;  but  I  must  make  no  statement,  however  true,  of 
a  disadvantageous  kind,  which  self-defence  or  public  duty  does  not 
require ;  and  in  making  such  statements,  I  must  keep  at  the  greatest 
distance  from  everything  like  abuse.  I  must  not  speak  angrily,  con 
temptuously,  reproachfully,  spitefully,  provokingly. 

There  are  some  men  who  seem  to  think  that  they  have  done  their 
duty  in  this  respect,  when  they  have  refrained  from  injuring  those 
who  have  never  injured  them  ;  from  speaking  evil  of  those  who  have 
never  spoken  evil  of  them  ;  but  that  injury  warrants  injury,  and  evil- 
speaking  sanctions  evil-speaking  in  return.  But  as  the  good  arch 
bishop  says,  "  One  man's  sin  cannot  procure  privilege  to  another  to 
sin  in  that  or  the  like  kind.  If  another  has  broken  the  bonds  of  alle 
giance  to  God,  and  charity  to  thee,  yet  thou  art  not  the  less  tied  by  the 
same  bonds  still."  3  Besides,  tocict  thus  is  a  trenching  on  the  divine 
prerogative,  as  well  as  a  violation  of  the  divine  commands.  "  Dearly 
beloved,  avenge  not  yourselves,  but  rather  give  place  to  wrath;  for 
it  is  written,  Vengeance  is  mine ;  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord."  4 

But  this  is  only  the  one  part,  and  the  least  part,  of  the  Christian's  duty 
to  him  who,  unprovoked,  injures  and  maligns  him :  "  Contrariwise 

1  2  Tim.  iii.  12.  a  John  xv.  19.  3  Leighton.  4  Rom.  xii.  19. 


426  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

render  blessing."  To  "  bless"  is  frequently  significant  of  kindness 
generally — kindness  embodied  in  deeds  as  well  as  in  words.  It  is  the 
duty  of  the  Christian  to  render  benefit  for  injury,  blessing  for  railing. 
He  is  to  "do  good  to  those  who  hate  him,"  to  do  whatever  lies  in  his 
power  to  promote  their  real  welfare,  to  go  out  of  his  way  to  do  them  a 
service,  and,  not  satisfied  with  his  own  efforts  to  advance  their  happi 
ness,  he  is  to  call  in  the  aid  of  infinite  power,  and  wisdom,  and  kind 
ness,  by  the  prayer  which  has  power  with  God.  He  is  to  "  pray  for 
them  who  despitefully  use  him  and  persecute  him."  x  To  "  bless" 
here,  however,  does  not  seem  to  mean  either  generally  to  do  good  or 
to  invoke  the  divine  blessing,  though  to  do  both,  as  we  have  seen,  is 
the  Christian's  duty  to  his  enemy.  It  is  the  opposite  of  railing;  it 
denotes  the  Christian's  duty  to  speak  courteously  and  kindly  to,  and, 
as  far  as  truth  will  admit,  well  of,  the  railers. 

The  duties  here  enjoined  are  just  various  modes  of  expressing  of 
that  love  to  enemies  which  our  Lord  requires  from  all  his  disciples. 
Without  this  love  they  cannot  be  performed.  With  this  love  this  com 
mand  will  not  be  found  a  grievous  one  ;  for  love  can  intentionally  do 
no  harm  to  its  object ;  love  naturally  prompts  to  do  all  practicable 
good  to  its  object.  I  may  pity,  I  may  blame,  I  may  even  punish,  the 
object  of  my  love ;  but  I  cannot  do  what  is  intended,  what,  in  my  view, 
is  calculated,  to  injure  hftm. 

.  There  is  nothing  unreasonable,  nothing  impracticable,  in  the  re 
quisitions  before  us.  We  are  not  required  to  regard  the  wicked  with 
the  sentiments  of  complacent  esteem,  with  which  we  regard  the  good. 
We  are  not  required  to  regard  the  man  who  has  injured  us  with  the 
same  feelings  of  grateful  affection  with  which  we  regard  our  friends 
and  benefactors  ;  but  we  are  required  to  cherish  towards  our  enemies, 
however  wicked  and  depraved  and  malicious,  a  sentiment  of  genuine 
good- will ;  to  be  sincerely  desirous  of  their  real  welfare  and  happiness; 
never  to  lift  up  the  hand  against  them,  except  self-defence  or  the  pub 
lic  good  require  it;  to  forbid  so  much  as  a  finger  to  move,  a  wish  to 
stir,  against  them  at  the  instigation  of  malice ;  to  have  no  pleasure  in 
any  of  their  sufferings ;  to  feel  no  joy  when  they  stumble  ;  to  be  ever 
ready  to  relieve  them  when  in  a  situation  which  makes  them  the  fit 
objects  of  rational  benevolence  ;  and  not  to  be  more  backward  to  show 
towards  them  the  offices  of  kindness,  which  man  owes  to  man,  than  to 
those  who  have  never  done  us  an  injury. 

If  such  is  the  conduct  and  the  language  by  which  a  Christian  should 
be  characterized,  in  reference  to  his  worst  enemies,  those  who  hate 
and  persecute  him  because  of  his  religion,  what  are  we  to  say  of  those 
professors  of  Christianity,  who  treat  those  whom  they  call  brethren 
with  injustice  and  unkindness,  and  scourge  them,  unoffending  and  un- 
condemned,  with  malignant  insinuation,  railing  accusations,  and  con 
temptuous  abuse.  The  least  we  can  gay,  is,  with  Archbishop  Leighton, 
to  remark,  that  they  are  "  an  unchristian  kind  of  Christians  ;"  to  warn 
them  to  beware  what  spirit  they  are  of;  to  bid  them  remember  this  is 
not  the  spirit  of  Him  who,  even  "when  reviled,  reviled  not  again;" 
and  ponder  the  weighty  truths,  that  "  he  who  has  not  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  is  none  of  his;"  and  that  for  brethren  to  bite  and  devour  one 

1  Matt.  v.  44. 


PART  III.] 


DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION. 


427 


another,  for  one  servant  to  beat  his  fellow-servants,  is  neither  becom 
ing  nor  safe.  The  Great  Judge  obviously  accounts  such  conduct  im 
moral  in  no  ordinary  degree.  When  he  is  setting  in  order  the  sins 
of  the  forgetters  of  God,  next  after  companionship  with  thieves  and 
adulterers,  he  charges  them  with  this,  "  Thou  sittest  and  speakest 
against  thy  brother,  thou  slanderest  thine  own  mother's  son."  1 

(2.)     The  duty  enforced. 

This  injunction  is  enforced  by  powerful  motives.  To  this  mode  of 
conduct  Christians  are  "  called :"  To  this  mode  of  conduct  they  are 
called,  in  order  "  that  they  may  inherit  a  blessing :"  This  mode  of 
conduct  is  of  all  others  the  best  fitted  to  secure  from  suffering :  And 
finally,  in  cases  in  which,  after  all,  Christians  are  exposed  to  suffering, 
they  are  blessed  in  thus  suffering.  Let  us  shortly  explain  these  state 
ments,  and  show  their  force  as  motives. 

(1.)  Christians  are  called  to  the  course  of  conduct  which  the  apostle 
has  been  recommending.  "Hereunto  ye  are  called."  To  no  duty 
are  Christians  more  explicitly  called.  Hear  the  words  of  our  one 
Master  in  heaven :  "  Ye  have  heard  that  it  has  been  said,  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  and  hate  thine  enemy."  This  was  the  doctrine  of 
the  scribes,  and  it  was  but  too  fully  acted  out  in  the  conduct  of  their 
disciples,  the  Pharisees.  But  hear  the  law  of  the  kingdom :  "  I  say 
unto  you,  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  who  curse  you,  do  good  to 
them  who  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  who  despitefully  use  you,  and 
persecute  you;  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  your  Father  which  is 
in  heaven:  for  he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good, 
and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.  For  if  ye  love  them 
that  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye  ?  do  not  even  the  publicans  the 
same  ?  Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  as  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven  is 
perfect."  2 

The  call  of  his  word  is  seconded  by  the  call  of  his  example.  He 
has  left  us  a  pattern  that  we  should  follow  his  steps.  He  has  fully 
exemplified  his  own  precept;  and  his  call,  in  reference  to  this  height 
of  moral  excellence,  is  not,  'Go  up  yonder,  but  come  up  hither/ 
When  reviled,  he  did  not  revile  again ;  when  injured,  with  power  to 
punish,  he  went  on  to  bless.  "  Father,"  said  he  with  his  dying  lips,  in 
reference  to  his  murderers,  "  Father,  forgive  them  ;  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do."  "  When  we  were  ungodly,  sinners,  enemies,  in  due 
time  He  died  for  us."  3 

The  call  is  repeated  by  one  of  his  apostles,  who  had  drunk  deep 
into  his  spirit :  "  Recompense  to  no  man  evil  for  evil :  bless  them  that 
curse  you ;  bless,  and  curse  not.  Dearly  beloved,  avenge  not  your 
selves,  but  rather  give  place  unto  wrath :  for  it  is  written,  Vengeance 
is  mine  ;  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord.  Therefore  if  thine  enemy 
hunger,  feed  him  :  if  he  thirs*t,  give  him  drink  :  for  in  so-  doing  thou 
shalt  heap  coals  of  fire  on  his  head,"  which  may  melt  his  cold  heart 
into  ingenuous  shame  and  grateful  affection.  "  Be  not  overcome  of 
evil,  but  overcome  evil  with  good."  4 


1  1  Pet.  ii.  23.     Rom.  via.  9.     Psal.  L  19. 
*  Luke  xxiii.  34.    Rom.  v.  6,  8,  10. 


2  Matt,  v.  43-48. 

4  Rom.  xii.  14,  17,  19-21. 


428  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

Paul's  conduct,  like  that  of  his  Master,  corresponded  with  his  words'. 
How  did  he  labor  and  pray  for  the  salvation  of  his  worst  enemies! 
It  is  in  reference  to  those  who  sought  his  life,  and  would  have  rejoiced 
in  his  ruin,  that  he  says :  "  My  heart's  desire  and  prayer  for  them  is, 
that  they  may  be  saved.  I  have  great  heaviness  and  continual  sorrow 
of  heart.  I  could  wish  myself  accursed  from  Christ  for  my  brethren, 
my  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh."  It  was  in  reference  to  those  who 
reviled  him  that  he  says  :  "  I  bear  them  record  that  they  have  a  zeal 
of  God,  but  not  according  to  knowledge."  l 

But  the  call  not  to  render  evil  for  evil,  railing  for  railing,  but  con 
trariwise,  blessing,  is  to  be  found  in  the  Old  Testament  as  well  as  in 
the  New.  It  comes  from  David  as  well  as  from  his  Son  and  Lord  ; 
from  Solomon  as  well  as  from  Paul.  Acting  on  the  principles  laid 
down  by  his  beloved  brother  Paul,  that  "  all  Scripture  is  given  by  in 
spiration  of  God,"  and  that  "  whatsoever  things  were  written  before- 
time,  were  written  for  our  instruction,"  Peter  here  quotes  a  passage 
from  the  book  of  Psalms,  in  illustration  of  both  parts  of  the  complex 
motive,  "  Hereunto  were  ye  called,  that  ye  might  inherit  a  blessing." 
The  passage  is  to  be  found  in  the  thirty-fourth  Psalm  ;  and  as  the 
words  before  us  do  not  exactly  correspond  in  words,  either  to  the 
Hebrew  text  or  the  Greek  translation,  though  in  meaning  it  exactly 
agrees  with  both,  it  is  probable  that  the  apostle  quoted  from  memory, 
under  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  words  are  :  "  For  he 
that  will  love  life  and  see  good  days,  let  him  refrain  his  tongue  from 
evil,  and  his  lips  that  they  speak  no  guile  ;  let  him  eschew  evil  and  do 
good  ;  let  him  seek  peace  and  pursue  it ;  for  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  are 
on  the  righteous,  and  his  ears  are  open  to  their  prayers  ;  but  the  face 
of  the  Lord  is  against  them  that  do  evil."  In  these  words,  we  have 
evidence  that  Christians  are  called  not  to  render  evil  for  evil,  nor  rail 
ing  for  railing.  They  are  required  to  "  refrain  their  tongue  from  evil, 
and  their  lips  that  they  speak  no  guile;  to  eschew  evil  and  do  good; 
to  seek  peace,  and  pursue  it."  And  we  have  also  evidence  that,  they 
are  called  to  this  in  order  that  they  may  inherit  a  blessing.  It  is  thus 
that  they  are  to  escape  a  curse;  "for  the  face  of  the  Lord  is  against 
them  who  do  evil :"  and  it  is  thus  that  they  are  to  obtain  the  life  they 
love,  and  the  good  days  they  desire.  It  is  thus  that  they  are  to  secure 
the  complacent  eye  and  the  propitious  ear  of  God.  It  is  to  the  illus 
tration  of  the  first  motive,  "  Hereunto  are  ye  called,"  that  I  am  now 
inviting  your  attention. 

"  Hereunto  are  ye  called  ;"  for  what  says  the  Scripture  ?  "  Refrain 
thy  tongue  from  evil,  and  thy  lips  that  they  speak  no  guile."  "  Evil" 
is  here  injury,  wrong ;  and  the  whole  injunction  is  equivalent  to, 
'  Neither  by  open  calumny,  abuse,  or  railing,  nor  by  secret,  guileful, 
deceitful  surmisings,  injure  any  man/  The  command  is  universal  in 
its  reference,  and  therefore  includes  enemies  as  well  as  others.  It  is 
no  reason  why  I  should  injuriously  speak  evil,  whether  openly  or 
secretly  of  a  man,  that  he  is  my  enemy.  If  I  am  called  to  refrain  my 
tongue  from  evil,  then  I  am  called,  too,  not  to  render  railing  for 
railing. 

"  Eschew  evil  and  do  good."     When  we  look  at  the  connection,  we 

1  Rom.  ix.  1-3  ;  x  1,  2. 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  429 

cannot  doubt  that  evil  here,  as  in  the  former  clause,  is  wrong  or 
injury.  Carefully  abstain  from  doing  any  injury  to  any  human  being. 
As  the  Apostle  Paul  explains  this  very  expression,  "  Abhor  that  which 
is  evil."  l  Regard  every  act  of  injury  with  abhorrence.  But  the 
psalmist  calls  on  us  not  only  to  do  no  harm  to  any,  but  to  do  good  to 
all.  Do  good.  Good  is  here  benefit ;  as  in  the  precept,  "  do  good  to 
all  men,  as  ye  have  opportunity."  2  Make  it  your  business  to  make 
men  happy. 

"Seek  peace,  and  pursue  it."  Never  quarrel  with  those  with 
whom  you  are  connected ;  and,  if  they  discover  a  disposition  to  quar 
rel  with  you,  leave  off  such  contention  before  it  be  meddled  with. 
If  they  strike  one  blow,  do  not  you  by  returning  it  give  them  an  ex 
cuse  tor  striking  a  second.  "  Pursue  peace,"  even  when  it  seems 
about  to  fly  away  ;  "  follow  peace  with  all  men."  "  As  much  as  lieth 
in  you,  live  peaceably  with  all  men."  3 

There  may  be  something  fanciful  in  Leighton's  remark,  but  it  is 
beautiful  and  just :  "  We  may  pursue  peace  among  men  and  not  over 
take  it ;  we  may  use  all  good  means  and  fall  short :  but  pursue  it  up 
as  far  as  the  throne  of  grace  ;  seek  it  by  prayer,  and  that  will  over 
take  it;  that  will  be  sure  to  find  it  in  God's  hand,  'who  stilleth  the 
waves  of  the  sea  and  the  tumults  of  the  people.'  '  If  he  give  quiet 
ness,  who  can  give  trouble  ?'  "  So  much  for  the  first  motive,  Ye  are 
"  called"  to  this  mode  of  conduct.  No  part  of  the  Christian's  call  is 
more  explicit ;  few  parts  of  it  more  frequently  repeated. 

(2.)  The  second  motive  is :  Ye  are  called  to  this  mode  of  conduct, 
in  order  that  in  following  it  "ye  may  inherit  a  blessing."4  God  does 
not  mean,  by  requiring  you  to  deny  and  mortify  your  resentful  feel 
ings,  and  submit  to  unavenged  wrong,  that  you  are  to  be  ultimate 
losers.  If  you  "  refrain  your  lips  from  evil ;"  if  you  "  eschew  evil 
and  do  good ;"  if  you  "  seek  peace,  and  pursue  it,"  you  will  obtain 
the  life  you  love,  you  will  "  see  good  days."  "  God's  eye  will  be  on 
you;  God's  ear  will  be  open  to  your  prayers."  While,  on  the  other 
hand,  "  the  face  of  the  Lord  will  be  against  the  ill-doer,"  the  injurious 
man.8  He  can  have  no  token  of  his  complacency  and  approbation, 
for  he  does  not  possess  it.  Life  is  happiness ;  good  days  are  happy 
days.  Happiness  consists  in  enjoying  God's  favor.  His  favor  is  life, 
his  loving-kindness  better  than  life.  To  have  his  eye  resting  compla 
cently  on  us,  to  be  objects  of  his  love  and  care,  to  have  his  ear  open 
to  our  prayers,  to  have  him,  infinitely  powerful,  wise,  and  good,  always 
ready  to  listen  to  our  petitions  and  supply  our  need, — this  is  life,  this 
is  happiness.  While,  on  the  other  hand,  to  have  his  face  set  against 
us,  to  have  his  countenance  covered  with  frowns,  to  have  him  looking 
at  us  as  he  did  out  of  the  pillar  of  cloud  on  the  Egyptians  struggling 
with  the  billows  of  the  Arabian  gulf, — this  is  misery. 

Our  obedience  cannot  indeed  deserve  this  inheritance  of  blessing, 
though  our  disobedience  well  deserves  the  corresponding  curse ;  but 
by  God's  appointment,  and  in  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  while  the 
benefits  bestowed  on  men  are  "the  gift  of  God  through  Jesus  Christ," 
the  result  of  sovereign  kindness,  manifesting  itself  in  consistency  with 

1  Rom.  xii.  9.  2  Gal.  vi.  10.  a  Heb.  xii.  14.     Rom.  xii.  18.          4  Gal.  iii.  13. 

*  Ira  totam  faciem — Trpoaujrov  commovet :  amor  oculos  o^flafyiovf  tingit. — BENGEL. 


430  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

justice,  through  the  mediation  of  our  Lord,  they  can  be  enjoyed  only 
in  a  state  of  conformity  of  mind  and  heart  to  the  will  of  God,  dis 
covering  itself  in  a  cheerful  obedience  to  his  commandments.  "  In 
the  keeping  of  his  commandments  there  is  great  reward ;"  and  ft 
is  through  "a  constant  continuance  in  well-doing,"  that  the  full  en 
joyment  of  the  inheritance  of  blessing  is  to  be  reached.  It  is  in 
"adding  to  faith  virtue,  and  knowledge,  and  temperance,  and  patience, 
and  godliness,  and  brotherly-kindness,  and  charity,"  that  we  are  to 
enjoy  the  earnest  of  the  inheritance;  and  it  is  in  persevering  in  this 
course,  that  we  are  to  look  at  last  for  "  an  abundant  entrance  into  the 
everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  the  in 
heritance  itself,  "  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away ; 
laid  up  in  heaven"  for  all  who,  through  faith  and  patience,  are  follow 
ers  of  those  who  have  already  entered  on  its  possession. 

(3.)  The  course  recommended  is  of  all  others  the  best  fitted  to 
secure  from  suffering  :  "  Who  will  harm  you  if  ye  be  followers  of 
that  which  is  good  ?"  The  phraseology  here  requires  some  explana 
tion.  The  phrase  rendered  "that  which  is  good,"  may,  viewed  by 
itself,  with  at  least  equal  propriety,  be  rendered  'Him  who  is  good.'  * 
The  word  "followers"  signifies  imitators;  and  in  every  case  in  which 
it  is  used  in  the  New  Testament,  has  a  reference  to  persons.  Good 
is  here,  as  throughout  the  passage,  equivalent  to  kind.  If  the  render 
ing  adopted  by  our  translators  be  the  true  one,  then  a  follower  of  that 
which  is  good  is  one  who  imitates  what  is  kind  in  the  character  and 
conduct  of  others.  If  the  rendering,  '  Him  who  is  good/  be  preferred, 
then  it  refers  either  to  God,  who  is,  by  way  of  eminence,  the  good  or 
benignant  One ;  and  in  this  case  it  puts  us  in  mind  of  what  our  Lord 
says,  "  Do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of 
your  Father  in  heaven ;"  and  of  what  the  apostle  says,  "  Be  followers 
of  God  as  dear  children ;"  or  it  may  refer  to  our  Lord,  who,  in  not 
reviling  when  reviled,  in  not  threatening  when  he  suffered,  set  his 
people  an  example  that  they  should  follow  his  steps ;  and  who,  both  in 
the  preceding  and  succeeding  context,  is  represented  by  the  apostle 
as  our  great  exemplar.2 

The  meaning,  in  all  these  various  modes  of  exposition,  is  substanti 
ally  the  same:  If  you  in  your  character  manifest  that  benignity,  even 
towards  enemies,  which  characterizes  the  divine  administration,  and 
which  so  remarkably  distinguished  the  words  and  actions  of  him  who 
was  "  God  manifest  in  flesh,"  if  ye  are  thus  characterized  by  harm- 
lessness,  and  quiet  unresisting  suffering,  "  who,"  says  the  apostle,  "  will 
harm  you  ?" 

The  meaning  of  this  interrogation  is  not,  *  No  one  will  harm  you  ;* 
for  the  greatest  harmlessness,  and  forbearance,  and  patience  will  not 
in  every  case  protect  from  even  very  severe  suffering ;  but  the  mean 
ing  is,  '  If  anything  can  protect  you,  this  will/  If,  discovering  these 
tempers,  you  yet  suffer;  were  you  discovering  opposite  ones,  you 
would  suffer  still  more.  It  is  justly  remarked,  "  that  there  are  virtues 
which  are  apt,  in  their  own  nature,  to  prevent  injuries  and  affronts 
from  others.  Humility  takes  away  all  occasion  of  insolence  from  the 
proud  and  haughty ;  it  baffles  pride,  and  puts  it  out  of  countenance. 

1   :Eu»>  TOO  dyaBov  /H/iijral  y«wj<r0e.  a   Matt.  V.  48.      Eph.  V.  1.      1  Pet.  ii.  21-23. 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  431 

Meekness  pacifies  wrath,  and  blunts  the  edge  of  injury  and  violence. 
Patient  suffering,  and  the  returning  of  good  for  evil,  is  apt  to  allay 
and  extinguish  enmity,  to  subdue  the  roughest  disposition,  and  to  con 
quer  even  malice  itself.  Besides,  the  providence  of  God  usually 
watches  over  the  interests  of  those  who,  instead  of  seeking  to  avenge 
themselves,  commit  themselves  in  patience  and  well-doing  to  Him 
who  judgeth  righteously.  'When  a  man's  ways  please  the  Lord,  he' 
often,  in  a  very  remarkable  manner,  'maketh  his  enemies  to  be  at 
peace  with  him/  It  is  true  of  more  than  the  patriarchs  during  their 
wanderings,  that  God  '  suffers  no  man  to  do  them  wrong.'  "  l 

The  words  may  with  equal  propriety  be  rendered,  Who  shall  harm 
you  ?  as  Who  will  harm  you  ?  God  is  with  them,  who  can  be  effectu 
ally  against  them  ?  who  can  really  harm  them  ?  "  He  that  dwelleth 
in  the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High,  shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of 
the  Almighty.  Surely  he  shall  deliver  thee  from  the  snare  of  the 
fowler,  and  from  the  noisome  pestilence.  He  shall  cover  thee  with 
his  feathers,  and  under  his  wings  shall  thou  trust ;  his  truth  shall  be 
thy  shield  and  buckler."  "He  shall  deliver  thee  from  six  troubles; 
yea,  in  seven,  there  shall  no  evil  touch  thee.  In  famine  he  shall  redeem 
thee  from  death,  and  in  war  from  the  power  of  the  sword.  Thou 
shalt  be  hid  from  the  scourge  of  the  tongue,  neither  shalt  thou  be 
afraid  of  destruction  when  it  cometh."  "  Fear  not,  then,  the  reproach 
of  men,  neither  be  afraid  of  their  revilings ;  for  the  moth  shall  eat 
them  up  like  a  garment  and  the  worm  shall  eat  them  like  wool ;  but 
my  righteousness  shall  be  forever,  and  my  salvation  from  generation 
to  generation."  2 

(4.)  The  last  motive  to  the  course  of  conduct  recommended  is,  that 
should  they,  as  was  not  unlikely,  notwithstanding  their  harmlessness 
and  patience,  be  exposed  to  suffering  for  righteousness*  sake,  for  the 
sake  of  the  righteous  cause  of  their  Lord,  still  they  should  be  blessed. 
"  But,  and  if  ye  suffer  for  righteousness'  sake,  happy  are  ye."  It  is 
great  honor  to  suffer  shame  and  injury  in  such  a  cause.  The  peculiar 
aids  of  the  Good  Spirit  are  secured  to  such  sufferers.  "  If  ye  be  re 
proached  for  the  name  of  Christ,  happy  are  ye  ;  for  the  Spirit  of  God 
and  of  glory  resteth  on  you."  3  Such  sufferings  identify  those  who 
are  exposed  to  them,  as  to  character  and  prospects,  with  the  holy  men 
who,  in  former  ages,  through  much  tribulation,  have  entered  into  the 
kingdom  ;  and  to  them  are  given  peculiar,  exceeding  great,  and  pre 
cious  promises,  well  calculated  to  make  them  "  count  it  all  joy  when 
brought  into  such  trials."  "  It  is  a  faithful  saying,  If  we  suffer  with 
him,  we  shall  also  reign  with  him."  Blessed  are  they  who  are  per 
secuted  for  righteousness'  sake  ;  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  revile  you,  and  persecute  you,  and 
shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely  for  my  sake.  Rejoice, 
and  be  exceeding  glad  ;  for  great  is  your  reward  in  heaven  :  for  so 
persecuted  they  the  prophets  which  were  before  you."  "  Verily,  Tsay 
unto  you,  there  is  no  man  that  hath  left  houses,  or  brethren,  or  sisters, 
or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  my  sake  and 
the  gospel's,  but  he  shall  receive  an  hundred-fold  now  in  this  time, 

1  Scott.  8  Psal.  xci.    Job  v.  19-21.    Isa.  li.  7,  8.  8  1  Pet.  iv.  14. 


432  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

houses,  and  brethren,  and  sisters,  and  mother,  and  children,  and  lands, 
with  persecutions,  and  in  the  world  to  come  life  everlasting."  l 

And  we  find  that,  in  fact,  it  has  been  so.  Most  wonderfully  has 
God  enabled  his  people  to  magnify  his  faithfulness,  by  showing  how 
happy  they  were  in  the  midst  of  their  sufferings.  Oh!  how  happy 
were  the  apostles  Peter  and  John,  after  being  threatened  by  the  San 
hedrim,  when,  being  "  let  go,  they  went  to  their  own  company,"  and 
"  lifted  up  their  voice  to  God  with  one  accord,  and  said,  Lord,  thou 
art  God,  who  hast  made  heaven,  and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  all  that 
in  them  is  ;  who  by  the  mouth  of  thy  servant  David  hast  said,  Why 
did  the  heathen  rage,  and  the  people  imagine  vain  things?  The 
kings  of  the  earth  stood  up,  and  the  rulers  were  gathered  together 
against  the  Lord,  and  against  his  Christ.  For  of  a  truth,  against  thy 
holy  child  Jesus,  whom  thou  hast  anointed,  both  Herod  and  Pontius 
Pilate,  with  the  Gentiles  and  people  of  Israel,  were  gathered  together, 
to  do  whatsoever  thy  hand  and  counsel  determined  before  to  be  done. 
And  now,  Lord,  behold  thei-r  threatenings ;  and  grant  unto  thy  ser 
vants,  that  with  all  boldness  they  may  speak  thy  word,  by  stretching 
forth  thy  hand  to  heal ;  and  that  signs  and  wonders  may  be  done  by 
the  name  of  thy  holy  child  Jesus."  2  Yes,  they  were  happy.  "  The 
Spirit  of  God  and  glory  rested  on  them."  How  happy  were  Paul 
and  Silas,  though  they  had  many  stripes  laid  on  them,  and  been  thrust 
into  the  inner  prison,  and  had  their  feet  made  fast  in  the  stocks,  when, 
through  the  overpowering  force  of  divine  joy,  they  "at  midnight 
prayed  and  sang  praises  to  God,  so  that  the  prisoners  heard  them  !"  s 
Many  such  sufferers  have  gloried  in  their  tribulation,  "knowing  that 
tribulation  worketh  patience ;  and  patience,  experience ;  and  ex 
perience,  hope  ;  and  hope  maketh  not  ashamed  ;  for  the  love  of  God 
was  shed  abroad  in  their  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost  given  to  them."  4 

In  addition  to  these  particular  motives  to  the  conduct  recommended, 
there  is  the  general  one,  which  equally  applies  to  all  the  duties  here 
enjoined  in  the  paragraph :  its  tendency  to  reflect  credit  on  their 
religion  and  Lord.  But  I  shall  have  an  opportunity  of  considering 
this,  after  I  have  illustrated  the  other  injunctions  which  the  apostle 
gives,  respecting  the  conduct  of  Christians  in  reference  to  their  per 
secutors. 

The  temper  which  we  have  been  illustrating  and  recommending — 
a  forbearing,  forgiving  disposition,  is,  by  worldly  men,  very  generally 
underrated,  and  even  despised,  as  indicating  meanness  of  spirit,  and 
a  want  of  force  of  character.  But  such  an  estimate  is  owing  to  ig 
norance  of  this  temper,  arising,  in  many  cases,  out  of  a  moral  inca 
pacity  to  form  a  just  idea  of  it.  This  temper  springs  from  enlightened 
moral  principles;  it  is  consistent  with,  and  indeed  expressive  of,  true 
magnanimity.  A  Christian  forbears  to  retaliate  on  his  enemy,  not 
because  he  fears  him,  but  because  he  does  not  fear  him.  The  calm 
ness  with  which  he  receives  injuries  and  insults  has  no  more  connec 
tion  with  fear  than  the  tranquillity  and  silence  of  heaven  when 
insulted  by  the  voice  of  human  blasphemy. 

"  Let  the  world  account  it  a  despicable  simplicity,  seek  you  still 

1  James  i.  2.     2  Tim.  ii.  11,  12,     Matt.  v.  10,  12;  Mark  x.  30. 
3  Acts  iv.  23-30.  *   Actc  xvi.  25.  4  Rom.  v.  3-5. 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  433 

more  of  this  dovelike  spirit,  the  spirit  of  meekness  and  of  blessing. 
It  is  a  poor  glory  to  vie  in  railings,  to  contest  in  the  power  of  re 
senting  wrong  :  the  most  abject  persons  have  abundance  of  that  great 
spirit,  as  foolish,  low-minded  persons  account  it.  The  true  glory  of 
man  is  to  pass  by  a  transgression.  This  is  the  noblest  victory.  And 
to  excite  us  to  aspire  after  it,  we  have  the  highest  example.  God  is 
our  pattern  here.  Men  esteem  much  more  some  other  virtues  which 
make  more  show,  and  trample  on  love,  compassion  and  meekness. 
But  though  these  violets  grow  low,  and  are  of  a  dark  color,  yet  they 
are  of  a  very  sweet  and  diffusive  smell.  They  are-odoriferous  graces. 
And  the  Lord  propounds  himself  as  our  example  in  them.  To  love 
them  that  hate  you,  and  bless  them  that  curse  you,  is  to  be  truly  "  the 
children  of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven  ;  who  maketh  his  sun  to  rise 
on  the  evil  and  the  good."  Be  you  like  that  sun :  however  men  be 
have  themselves,  keep  on  your  course,  and  let  your  benignant  influence 
rest  on  all  witfiin  your  sphere.  Jesus  Christ,  too,  sets  in  himself  these 
things  before  us.  "  Learn  of  me,"  says  he,  not  to  heal  the  sick,  or  to 
raise  the  dead,  but  "  to  be  meek  and  'lowly  in  heart ;"  to  forbear  and 
forgive ;  to  repay  injury  with  benefit,  execration  with  benediction. 
If  you  are  his  followers,  this  must  be  your  way,  for  "  hereunto  are  ye 
called/'  and  you  have  much  to  encourage  you  to  walk  in  it ;  for  this 
is  the  end  of  it,  "  the  inheritance  of  a  blessing."  1  Of  this  inheritance 
of  blessings  you  have  already  the  rich  earnests,  the  sweet  foretastes ; 
and  yet  a  little  while,  when  a  few  more  years  are  come,  the  possession, 
in  all  its  inestimable  preciousness,  in  all  its  immeasurable  dimensions, 
shall  be  yours  forever.  And  then  will  it  be  made  to  appear,  that 
•'faithful  is  He  who  hath  called  you,"  that  the  inheritance  was  safely 
laid  up  for  you,  and  you  safely  kept  for  it ;  and  that  the  afflictions  of 
the  present  state  were  light  in  comparison  to  the  weight  of  its  glory, 
and  but  for  a  moment  in  comparison  of  the  eternity  of  its  endurance. 

§  2. — Guarding  against  the  fear  of  man  by  cultivating  the  due  fear 

of  (jrod. 

I  proceed  now  to  the  consideration  of  the  second  injunction  laid  on 
Christians  exposed  to  persecution ;  and  that  is,  to  guard  against  the 
undue  fear  of  man,  by  cultivating  the  due  fear  of  God.  While  they 
were  not  to  provoke  their  persecutors,  they  were  not  to  quail  before 
them.  They  were  not  to  seek  to  obtain  their  favor,  or  escape  their 
displeasure,  by  denying  the  truth  or  neglecting  their  duty.  The  in 
junction  is  contained  in  these  words,  "  Be  not  afraid  of  their  terror, 
neither  be  ye  troubled ;  but  sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  your  hearts."  a 

In  these  words  the  apostle  obviously  refers  to  a  passage  in  the  pro 
phecies  of  Isaiah :  "  For  the  Lord  spake  thus  to  me  with  a  strong 
hand,  and  instructed  me,  that  I  should  not  walk  in  the  way  of  this 
people,  saying,  say  ye  not,  A  confederacy,  to  all  them  to  whom  this 
people  say,  A  confederacy ;  neither  fear  ye  their  fear,  nor  be  afraid. 
Sanctify  the  Lord  of  hosts  himself,  and  let  him  be  your  fear,  and  let 
him  be  your  dread  ;  and  he  shall  be  for  a  sanctuary."  3  In  this  pas 
sage,  as  it  stands  in  the  prophet's  oracle,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 

1  Leighton.  2  gee  note  A.  •  Isa.  viii.  11,  13. 

28 


434  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

the  fear  of  the  unbelieving  king  and  people  of  Judah.  against  which 
Jehovah  warns  the  prophet  and  the  pious  Jews,  is  the  fear  which  they 
entertained,  a  fear  of  the  Assyrian  monarch,  leading  them  to  distrust 
Jehovah,  and  seek  after  forbidden  alliances  with  ,the  idolatrous  king 
dom  of  Syria,  and  the  apostate  kingdom  of  Israel.  Instead  of  fearing 
Sennacherib,  and  trusting  in  Rezin  and  in  Pekah,  he  calls  on  them  to 
fear  and  trust  in  Him  as  the  Lord  of  Hosts  ;  and  to  manifest  this  fear 
and  trust  by  avoiding  whatever  he  forbade,  and  doing  whatever  he 
commanded,  notwithstanding  all  the  hazards  to  which  their  obedience 
might  seem  to  expose  them. 

In  the  passage,  as  quoted  and  applied  by  the  apostle  to  the  state  of 
the  Christians  to  whom  he  was  writing,  the  expression  "  their  terror," 
that  is,  plainly,  the  terror  of  those  who  persecuted  them  for  righteous 
ness'  sake,  does  not  seem  so  much  to  refer  to  the  terror  which  these 
persons  felt,  or  to  the  objects  exciting  that  terror,  as  to  the  terror 
which  they  endeavored  to  strike  into  the  victims  of  their  malignity, 
and  the  objects  which  they  held  out  to  them  to  excite  that  terror.  It 
seems  just  equivalent  to  the  expression  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  in  his 
epistle  to  the  Philippians,  «  And"  be  "  in  nothing  terrified  by  your  ad 
versaries."  Let  not  "the  fear  of  any  evil  they  can  inflict  on  you 
induce  you  to  deny  your  Lord,  and  make  shipwreck  of  your  faith. 

The  slight  diversity  of  meaning  in  the  words  as  originally  employed 
by  Isaiah,  and  as  here  employed  by  Peter,  n^eds  neither  excite  sur 
prise,  nor  give  offence.  Wherever  a  passage  of  Old  Testament 
scripture  is  quoted  in  the  New,  to  give  evidence  to  a  fact  or  princi 
ple,  or  to  give  authority  to  a  precept,  it  must  bear  the  same  sense  in 
the  place  where  it  is  quoted  as  in  the  place  where  it  originally  occurs. 
Were  it  otherwise,  just  reason  would  be  afforded  for  suspecting  the 
inspiration,  if  not  the  honesty,  of  the  writer  employing  the  quotation. 
But  when  the  wrords  of  the  Old  Testament  are  merely  alluded  to,  em 
ployed  by  the  NewT  Testament  writer  to  express  his  own  ideas,  the 
precise  force  of  the  words  is  to  be  gathered  from  the  connection  in 
which  they  are  introduced;  and  there  is  nothing  either  to  wonder  at 
or  to  be  offended  by,  though  the  thought  clothed  in  them  be  some 
what  different  from  that  which  they  were  originally  employed  to  ex 
press.  The  judicious  application  of  this  principle,  will  free  from  all 
difficulty  a  variety  of  passages  which  have  afforded  plausible  ground 
for  cavil  to  infidels,  and  occasioned  perplexity  to  inquirers  and  be 
lievers.1 

Indeed,  in  the  case  before  us,  the  object  of  fear  to  the  Christian's 
persecutors  was  substantially  the  same  thing  as  the  object  of  fear 
which  they  held  up  to  the  minds  of  the  Christians,  in  order  to  terrify 
them  into  apostasy.  They  themselves  considered  the  loss  of  worldly 
good,  the  infliction  of  worldly  evil,  as  the  things  above  all  other 
things  to  be  feared  ;  and  therefore,  judging  of  others  by  themselves, 
it  was  by  presenting  these  to  the  minds  of  Christians,  as  the  necessary 
consequence  of  their  maintaining  their  faith  and  profession,  thai 
they  sought  to  trouble  them,  and  make  them  "fall  from  their  stead 
fastness."  The  loss  of  property,  the  loss  of  reputation,  the  loss  of 
friends,  the  loss  of  ease,  the  loss  of  life, — poverty,  reproach,  imprison 

1  See  note  R 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  435 

ment,  torture,  death  in  its  most  frightful  forms, — were  presented  be 
fore  the  mind  of  the  Christian  for  the  purpose  of  terrifying  him  into 
an  abandonment  of  his  Lord,  and  a  compliance  with  the  will  of  his 
enemies. 

These,  no  doubt,  were  altogether  very  frightful  objects.  But,  says 
the  apostle,  "Be  not  afraid  of  their  fear."  Show  them  that  what 
would  dismay  them  does  not  dismay  you.  Show  them  that  no  evil, 
however  alarming,  which  they  can  threaten  or  inflict,  can  so  trouble 
you  as  to  induce  you  to  deny  the  truth,  or  dishonor  the  Saviour. 

This  seems  a  hard  saying,  a  difficult  command ;  but  it  is  not  an 
unreasonable  one.  The  persons  addressed  are  supposed  to  be  parta 
kers  of  "  like  precious  faith"  with  the  apostles  ;  to  have  laid  hold  of 
the  hope  set  before  them  in  the  gospel,  the  hope  of  an  inheritance  in 
corruptible,  undented,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  laid  up  in  heaven 
for  them,  to  which  they  are  kept  by  the  mighty  power  of  God  unto 
salvation.  It  is  to  very  little  purpose  to  call  on  mere  professors  of 
Christianity,  men  who  "have  a  name  that  they  live,  but  are  dead," 
men  who,  being  strangers  to  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  must  be  strangers 
to  the  hope  of  the  gospel,  to  make  sacrifices  for  the  cause  of  Christ, 
to  remain  unterrified  amid  such  alarms,  steadfast  and  immovable  in 
the  face  of  such  danger.  But  to  a  genuine  Christian  it  may  well  be 
said,  "  Who  art  thou,  that  thou  shouldest  be  afraid  of  a  man  that 
shall  die,  or  the  son  of  man  who  shall  be  made  as  grass  ?"  Thou 
needest  not  fear  what  man  can  do  to  thee.  "  Should  such  a  one  as 
thou  flee  ?"  l 

Of  how  little  good  comparatively  can  man  deprive  him  ?  How 
little  evil  comparatively  can  he  inflict  on  him  ?  How  short  is  the 
season  during  which  he  can  deprive  him  of  blessings,  or  inflict  on 
him  sufferings.  He  may  deprive  him  of  his  worldly  substance  ;  but 
he  "  knows  in  himself  that  he  has  in  heaven  a  more  enduring  sub 
stance."  He  may  make  him  "  poor  in  this  world ;"  but  he  remains 
"  rich  in  faith,"  "  rich  towards  God,"  an  inheritor  of  "  the  true  riches/' 
He  may  deprive  him  of  civil  liberty  ;  but  he  cannot  take  from  him 
the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  has  made  him  free.  He  may  enslave 
his  body ;  but  he  cannot  enthral  his  spirit.  The  oppressor  may  hold 

"  His  body  bound  ;  but  knows  not  what  a  range 
His  spirit  takes,  unconscious  of  a  chain ; 
And  that  to  bind  him  is  a  vain  attempt, 
Whom  God  delights  in,  and  in  whom  he  dwells."  a 

He  may  shut  him  out  from  intercourse  with  his  friends  ;  but  he  can 
not  deprive  him  of  the  guardianship  of  angels,  of  the  fellowship  of 
God,  The  Christian  needs  not  fear  banishment  from  one  part  of 
the  earth  to  another ;  for  wherever  he  is,  he  is  a  pilgrim  and  a 
stranger  while  here  :  "  his  citizenship  is  in  heaven."  He  needs  not  fear 
death,  but  should  rather  welcome  it,  for  that  will  convey  him  home 
to  that  better  country,  his  true  fatherland.  Why  should  he  fear  man, 
"  who,  after  he  hath  killed  the  body,  has  no  more  that  he  can  do  ?" 
Besides,  "  all  things  shall  work  together  for  his  good ;"  and  "  his  light 
afflictions,  which  are  but  for  a  moment,  will  assuredly  work  out  for 
1  Isa.  li.  12.  Neh.  vi.  11.  a  Cowper,  Task  5. 


436  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [l)I3C.  XV. 

him  a  far  more  exceeding  and  an  eternal  weight  of  glory."  Well, 
then,  may  the  address  be  made  to  persecuted  Christians,  "  Hearken 
unto  me,  ye  that  know  righteousness,  the  people  in  whose  heart  is 
my  law ;  fear  ye  not  the  reproach  of  men,  neither  be  ye  afraid  of 
their  revilings ;  for  the  moth  shall  eat  them  up  like  a  garment,  and 
the  worm  shall  eat  them  like  wool ;  but  my  righteousness  shall  be  for 
ever,  and  my  righteousness  shall  not  be  abolished."  l  And  well  may 
they  reply,  "  We  will  not  fear  though  the  earth  be  removed,  though  the 
mountains  be  cast  into  the  midst  of  the  sea;  though  the  waters 
thereof  roar  and  be  troubled,  though  the  mountains  shake  with  the 
swelling  thereof.  The  Lord  of  HOSTS  is  with  us  :  the  God  of  Jacob 
is  OUR  refuge."  * 

Such,  we  apprehend,  is  the  meaning  of  the  apostle's  first  exhorta 
tion,  though  it  may  be  right  to  state,  before  going  farther,  that  some 
interpreters  have  considered  this  terror  of  the  Christians'  persecutors 
as  a  phrase  to  be  interpreted  in  the  same  way  as  the  expression,  "  the 
fear  of  Isaac ;"  an  appellation  used  by  Jacob  for  Jehovah  as  the  ob 
ject  of  his  worship;  the  God  of  his  fathers;  "the  God  of  Abraham, 
and  the  fear  of  Isaac ;" 3  in  which  case  Christians  are  cautioned 
against  fearing  the  false  deities  of  their  heathen  persecutors,  and  are 
called  to  fear,  not  them,  but  the  only  living  and  true  God,  Jehovah. 
This  use  of  the  expression  is,  however,  very  rare,  and  the  context 
seems  plainly  to  lead  to  the  interpretation  we  have  adopted. 

The  only  way  in  which  a  Christian  can  rise  to  this  noble  superior 
ity  to  the  fear  of  man,  is  by  Having  his  mind  habitually  occupied  with 
God.4  We  are  delivered  from  the  undue  power  of  what  is  seen  and 
temporal,  when  the  eye  of  the  mind  is  opened  to  see  Him  who  is  in 
visible,  and  that  which  is  eternal.  That  Christians,  exposed  to  perse 
cution,  may  be  enabled  to  comply  with  the  injunction,  "  Be  not  afraid 
of  their  terror,  neither  be  ye  troubled,"  the  apostle  calls  on  them  to 
"  sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  their  hearts." 

The  primary  idea  expressed  by  the  word  generally  rendered  SANC 
TIFY,  both  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  seems  to  be  separation, 
especially  separation  or  setting  apart  for  a  religious  purpose.5  Ob 
jects  of  worship,  places  of  worship,  instruments  of  worship,  and  wor 
shippers,  are  represented  as  sanctified  and  holy ;  and  as,  under  the 
Old  Testament,  things  and  persons  set  apart  or  consecrated  were  cer 
emonially  pure,  and  as,  under  the  New  Testament  dispensation,  per 
sons  set  apart  by  the  Lord  for  himself,  by  the  "  sanctification  of  the 
Spirit,  and  the  belief  of  the  truth,"  are  set  apart  that  they  may  be 
spiritually  pure,  "  holy  and  without  blame  before  God,"  holy  comes 
often  to  be  used  as  equivalent  to  free  from  moral  impurity,  possessed  of 
spiritual  moral  excellence ;  and  sanctify  is  used  as  equivalent  to  make 
thus  holy,  when  used  to  denote  what  God  does  to  man  ;  or  to  declare  to 
be  holy,  or  to  treat  as  holy,  when  used  to  denote  what  man  does  to  God. 
It  is  not  very  easy  to  say,  with  certainty,  whether  the  word  is  here 
to  be  considered  as  used  in  its  primary  or  in  its  secondary  significa- 

1  Isa.  li.  7,  8. 

•  Luke  -x.il  4.     Rom.  viii.  28.     2  Cor.  iv.  17.     Psal.  xlvi.  2,  3,  11.        *  Gen.  xxxi.  42. 
4  Je  crains  Dieu,  cher  Abner,  et  je  n'ai  point  d'autre  crainte. — RACINJE. 
' 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  437 

tion.  In  either  case  the  injunction  is  full  of  important  meaning ; 
and,  indeed,  the  meaning  in  both  cases  is  substantially  the  same. 

God  is,  by  way  of  eminence,  the  "Holy,  holy,  holy"  One,  the  sepa 
rate  One,1  "dwelling  in  the  light  which  is  inaccessible  and  full  of  glo 
ry  ;"  completely  removed  from  all  defect  and  fault,  from  all  that,  is 
weak  and  all  that  is  wicked ;  free  from  that  defectibility  which  be 
longs  to  created  being;  possessed  of  an  infinity  of  all  the  excellences 
of  which  \ve  see  traces  among  his  creatures  ;  full  of  being,  of  intelli 
gence,  of  power,  of  righteousness,  of  benignity  ;  distinguished  by  eter 
nal,  immutable,  absolute  perfection,  by  a  grandeur  and  an  excellence, 
of  which  the  highest  conception  we  can  form  of  grandeur  and  excel 
lence  comes  infinitely  short.  His  is  being  underived ;  liberty  abso 
lute  ;  power  unlimited  and  illimitable ;  knowledge  intimate  and  infi 
nite  ;  wisdom  unsearchable  and  unerring.  And  all  this  "  excellent 
greatness/'  this  "glorious  majesty,"  is  beautified  by  absolute  moral 
perfection.  His  is  a  purity  before  which  the  holiness  of  angels  waxes 
dim,  and  his  a  benignant  tenderness,  of  which  the  yearning  of  a  moth 
er's  heart  is  but  a  feeble  figure.  He  is  one  who  neither  can  be,  pur 
pose,  say,  nor  do,  anything  that  is  not  infinitely  wise,  just,  and  good. 
This  is  the  holy,  separated  One. 

This  is  what  he  is  in  himself.  Let  this  be  what  he  is  to  thee. 
Sanctify  him  in  thy  heart.  Think  of  him  as  the  Holy  One.  Sepa 
rate  from  him  in  thy  conceptions  all  that  is  imperfect,  human,  evil, 
capricious,  changeable,  malignant.  Feel  towards  him  as  the  Holy 
One.  Let  thy  heart  be,  as  it  were,  his  temple ;  and  there  let  him 
dwell  alone  in  its  inmost  shrine,  esteemed  and  loved,  feared  and 
trusted,  in  a  manner  altogether  different  from  that  in  which  any 
created  being,  however  excellent,  is  esteemed  and  loved,  feared  and 
trusted.  To  give  to  any  created  being  the  kind,  or  degree  of  esteem, 
or  affection,  due  to  him,  is  to  profane  his  name,  to  desecrate  his  tem 
ple,  by  introducing  idols  there.  Treat  him  as  what  he  is,  and  do  this 
in  thine  heart,  not  only  with  thy  lips  by  praise  and  prayer,  not  only 
in  external  acts  of  homage  and  obedience,  but  in  thine  heart,  with  thy 
whole  intelligent,  affectionate  nature  ;  really,  not  in  profession  merely, 
but  worshipping  Him  who  is  a  spirit,  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

"  Beware  of  an  external,  superficial,  sanctifying  of  God,  for  he  takes 
it  not  so;  he  will  interpret  that  a  profaning  of  him  and  of  his  name. 
Be  not  deceived,  he  is  not  mocked  :  he  looks  through  all  visages  and 
appearances,  in  upon  the  heart ;  sees  how  it  entertains  him,  and 
stands  affected  to  him,  if  it  be  possessed  with  reverence  and  love  more 
than  either  thy  tongue  or  carriage  can  express  ;  and,  if  it  be  not  so, 
all  thy  seeming  worship  is  but  injury,  and  thy  speaking  of  him  is  but 
babbling,  be  thy  discourse  never  so  excellent ;  and  the  more  thou  hast 
seemed  to  sanctify  God,  while  thy  heart  has  not  been  chief  in  the 
business,  thou  shalt  not  by  such  service  have  the  less,  but  the  more 
fear  and  trouble  in  the  day  of  trouble,  when  it  comes  upon  thee.  No 

1  "  Holiness  in  the  Scriptures  comprehends  majesty,  as  well  as  holiness  in  the  limited 
sense.  God  is  holy,  inasmuch  as  he  is  separated  from  every  created  and  finite  being,  and 
lifted  above  them,  particularly  above  sin,  which  can  establish  its  seat  only  within  the 
domain  of  finite  beings.  Isa.  Ivii.  15  ;  xl.  25,  26.  Hab.  iii.  3.  Psal.  xcix.  3  ;  cxi.  9.  The 
signification  of  purity,  so  far  from  being  the  only  one  of  srnj?  cannot  be  considered  even 
as  the  fundamental  one." — HEXGSTENBERG  on  Psal.  xxii.  3. 


438  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

estate  is  so  far  off  from  true  consolation,  and  so  full  of  horrors,  as  that 
of  the  rotten-hearted  hypocrite.  His  rotten  heart  is  sooner  shaken 
to  pieces  than  any  other.  If  you  would  have  heart's  peace  in  God, 
you  must  have  this  heart-sanctifying  of  him.  It  is  the  heart  that  is 
vexed  and  troubled  with  fears.  The  disease  is  there  ;  and  if  the  pre 
scribed  remedy  reach  not  there,  it  will  do  no  good ;  but  let  your 
hearts  sanctify  him,  and  then  he  will  fortify  and  establish  your 
hearts."  l 

There  are  two  illustrations  given  of  this  sanctification  of  Jehovah, 
in  the  passage  in  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  to  which  the  apostle  refers. 
He  who  thus  sanctifies  the  Loid  of  Hosts,  Jehovah  himself,  or,  as  the 
apostle  has  it,  the  Lord  God  in  his  heart,  makes  him  "  his  fear  and 
his  dread,"  and  he  finds  him  "a  sanctuary;"  and  he  is  thus  enabled 
not  to  be  afraid  of  the  fear  of  his  persecutors,  neither  to  be  troubled. 
He  who  sanctifies  the  Lord  in  his  heart,  "  makes  him  his  fear  and  his 
dread ;"  that  is,  he  fears  him,  and  he  supremely  fears  him.  When  the 
truth  about  the  Divine  character  really  dwells  in  the  mind,  the  indi 
vidual  cannot  but  fear  him.  A  holy  awe  fills  the  heart ;  not  the  fear 
that  has  torment,  not  the  terrible  apprehension  of  God  as  an  om 
nipotent,  omniscient,  all-wise  enemy,  determined  to  destroy  us  ;  but 
such  a  veneration  of  his  infinite  greatness,  and  such  an  esteem  of  his 
infinite  excellence,  as  are  necessarily  accompanied  with  a  deep-seated 
conviction  that  his  favor  is  happiness,  his  displeasure  misery,  and  that 
it  is  madness  to  forfeit  his  approbation  for  any  conceivable  earthly 
good ;  madness  to  incur  his  displeasure,  in  order  to  avoid  any  con 
ceivable  earthly  evil.  And  this  fear  is  supreme.  He  makes  HIM  his 
fear  and  dread.  HE  seems  to  him  the  only  being  in  the  universe  that 
is  "  worthy"  thus  "  to  be  feared."  Nothing  in  the  wide  compass  of 
real  or  possible  being  is,  in  his  estimation,  so  terrible  as  His  frown, 
the  loss  of  his  favor,  the  incurring  of  his  disapprobation. 

But  he  who  sanctifies  the  Lord  God  in  his  heart,  not  only  makes 
him  his  fear  and  dread,  cherishes  a  supreme  reverence  for  him,  but 
he  finds  him  "a  sanctuary,"  cherishes  a  supreme  confidence  in  him. 
He  in  whose  mind  God  is  the  object  only  of  fear,  has  not  sanctified 
God  in  his  heart.  He  has  not  "seen  God,  neither  known  him;"  for 
it  is  just  as  certain  that  none  can  know  him  without  trusting  in  him, 
as  it  is  that  none  can  know  him  without  fearing  him.  "  They  that 
know  his  name,  put  their  trust  in  him."2  They  who  really  sanctify 
him  in  their  heart,  find  in  him  a  sanctuary,  a  place  of  refuge  and  se 
curity.  They  see  that  He,  He  alone,  is  a  suitable  upmaking  portion 
to  their  soul ;  that  from  his  infinite  perfection,  as  manifested  in  the 
person  and  work  of  his  incarnate  Son,  he  is  at  once  able  and  disposed 
to  make  them  happy,  in  all  the  extent  of  their  nature,  up  to  their  lar 
gest  capacity  of  enjoyment,  during  the  entire  eternity  of  their  being. 
What  more  is  necessary  to  make  one  happy,  happy  forever,  than  in 
finite  power,  regulated  by  infinite  wisdom,  and  influenced  by  infinite 
benignity  ? 

The  manner  in  which  the  sanctification  of  God  in  the  heart,  lead 
ing  thus  to  supreme  veneration  for,  supreme  confidence  in,  Him, 
operates  in  raising  the  persecuted  Christian  above  all  the  power  of 

1  Leighton.  a  Psal.  ix  1(X 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  439 

worldly  fears  to  dishearten  him  in,  or  terrify  him  out  of,  the  onward 
path  of  faith,  and  profession,  and  obedience,  is  obvious.  Fearing 
God,  the  Christian  knows  no  other  fear.  "  That  fear,  as  greatest, 
overtops  and  nullifies  all  lesser  fears.  The  heart  possessed  by  this 
fear  has  no  room  for  the  others.  It  resolves  the  man,  in  point  of 
duty,  what  he  should  and  must  do  :  that  he  must  not  offend  God  by 
any  means.  It  lays  down  that  as  indisputable,  and  so  eases  the  mind 
of  doublings  and  debates  of  that  kind,  whether  I  shall  comply  with 
the  world  arid  deny  truth,  or  neglect  duty,  or  commit  sin,  to  escape 
reproach  or  persecution."  He  who,  sanctifying  God  in  his  heart, 
has  made  him  his  fear  and  his  dread,  sees  very  clearly,  feels  very 
strongly,  that  he  "  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  man  ;"  and  that  the 
question  is  an  equally  clear  one,  whether  viewed  as  a  question  of 
duty  or  a  question  of  interest.  "  It  seems  to  him  immeasurably  best 
to  retain  His  favor,  though,  by  taking  the  course  that  is  necessary  to 
secure  this,  he  should  displease  the  most  respected  and  considerable 
person  he  knows.  He  holds  it  as  absolntely  certain  that  it  is  better, 
in  every  view  of  the  case,  to  choose  the  universal  and  highest  dis 
pleasure  of  the  world  forever,  than  his  smallest  disapprobation,  even 
for  a  moment.  One  thing  appears  to  him  as  self-evident,  that  the 
only  indispensable  necessity  to  him  is  to  cleave  to  God,  and  obey 
him."  l 

We  have  some  striking  instances  of  the  power  of  the  fear  of  God 
to  subdue,  to  annihilate,  the  fear  of  man,  recorded  in  Scripture. 
When  Moses'  parents  by  faith  sanctified  Jehovah  in  their  heart, 
making  him  their  fear  and  dread,  they  at  all  hazards  disobeyed  the 
wicked  edict  requiring  them  to  murder  their  son,  and  "were  not 
afraid  of  the  king's  commandment ;"  and  their  illustrious  son,  under 
the  influence  of  the  same  principle,  "forsook  Egypt,  not  fearing  the 
wrath  of  the  king."2  The  fear  of  God  annihilated  in  the  minds  of 
the  three  Hebrew  youths  the  fear  of  the  fury  of  the  Babylonian 
tyrant,  and  the  flames  of  his  fiery  furnace  ;  and  in  the  mind  of 
Daniel,  the  fear  of  the  loss  of  high  station,  and  all  the  horrors  of  the 
den  of  lions.3  It  enabled  the  Christian  apostles  to  set  at  naught  all 
the  threats  of  their  persecutors.  It  enabled  their  and  our  Lord,  with 
all  the  shame  and  agony  of  the  cross  full  in  his  view,  to  confess  the 
truth,  and  finish  the  work  which  the  Father  had  given  him  to  do. 
This  holy  fear,  with  its  kindred  holy  confidence,  led  him  to  "  give  his 
back  to  the  smiters,  and  his  cheeks  to  them  that  plucked  off  the  hair; 
to  hide  not  his  face  from  shame  and  spitting.  For  the  Lord  God," 
says  he  "will  help  me;  therefore  shall  I  not  be  confounded:  there 
fore  have  I  set  iny  face  like  a  flint,  and  I  know  that  I  shall  not  be 
ashamed.  He  is  near  that  justifieth  me  ;  who  will  contend  with  me  ? 
let  us  stand  together:  who  is  mine  adversary?  let  him  come  near  to 
me.  Behold,  the  Lord  God  will  help  me;  who  is  he  that  shall  con 
demn  me?  lo,  they  shall  wax  old  as  doth  a  garment ;  the  moth  shall  eat 
them  up."  4  And  he  calls  on  all  his  followers  to  follow  in  his  steps  ; 
when  exposed  to  suffering,  to  fear  the  Lord,  to  trust  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  and  stay  upon  his  God.  This  fear  leads  directly  to  this 
conclusion,  and  enables  the  Christian  to  hold  it  fast  at  all  hazards, — 

1  Leighton.  2  Heb.  xi.  23,  27.  '  Dan.  iii.  6.  *  Isa.  1.  7-9. 


440  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

'  It  is  not  necessary  to  have  the  favor  of  the  world,  but  it  is  ne 
cessary  to  have  the  favor  of  God  ;  it  is  not  necessary  that  I  should 
live  in  comfort,  nor  indeed  that  I  should  live  at  all ;  but  it  is  necessa 
ry  that  I  hold  fast  the  truth,  that  I  should  obey  God,  that  I  should 
honor  HIM  in  life  and  in  death.' 

That  confidence  in  God,  which,  equally  with  fear  of  him,  is  the  re 
sult  of  sanctifying  him  in  the  heart,  naturally  also  raises  the  perse 
cuted  Christian  above  the  fear  of  man.  He  who  knows  God,  and 
who  believes  that  he  has  said,  "  I  will  never  leave  thee,  I  will  never 
forsake  thee,"  may  boldly  say,  will  boldly  say,  "The  Lord  is  my 
helper,  I  will  not  fear  what  man  can  do  to  me ;"  "  God  is  my  refuge 
and  my  strength,  a  very  present  help  in  trouble,  therefore  I  will  not 
fear ;"  "  God  is  my  rock  and  my  salvation ;  he  is  my  defence  ;  I  shall 
not  be  moved.  In  him  is  my  salvation  and  my  glory :  the  rock  of 
my  strength,  and  my  refuge,  is  in  God.  Trust  in  him  at  all  times ; 
ye  people,  pour  out  your  hearts  before  him :  God  is  a  refuge  for  us. 
Surely  men  of  low  degree  are  vanity,  and  men  of  high  degree  a  lie  : 
to  be  laid  in  the  balance,  they  are  altogether  lighter  than  vanity.  God 
hath  spoken  once ;  twice  have  I  heard  this,  that  power  belongeth  to 
God.  Also  to  thee,  O  Lord,  belongeth  mercy."  l  How  reasonable 
then  is  it  to  trust  in  him  ?  How  unreasonable  to  fear  them  ;  and 
how  powerfully  is  trust  in  him  calculated  to  put  down  fear  of  them.2 

Thus  have  I  endeavored  shortly  to  illustrate  the  second  injunction 
given  by  the  apostle  to  Christians  as  to  their  so  conducting  themselves 
under  persecution,  as  that  even  their  enemies  might  be  compelled  to 
honor  both  them  and  their  religion :  "  Be  not  afraid  of  their  terror,  but 
sanctify  the  Lord  in  your  hearts." 

Sanctifying  the  Lord  in  the  heart,  and  making  him  our  fear  and 
our  confidence,  is  the  duty  of  the  Christian,  not  only  when  exposed 
to  persecution  for  righteousness'  sake,  but  at  all  times  and  in  all  cir 
cumstances  ;  and  it  is  the  true  and  effectual  antidote  to  all  the  fears 
and  troubles  of  whatever  kind  that  he  is  exposed  to  in  the  present 
state.  The  Christian  is  often  harassed  with  fears  in  reference  to  his 
external  circumstances.  Let  him  sanctify  the  Lord  in  his  heart ;  real 
ize  the  truth  respecting  Him  ;  fear  Him  ;  trust  in  Him ;  and  he  will 
thus  learn  to  "  be  careful,"  that  is,  anxious,  "  about  nothing." 3  When 
David  sanctified  God  in  his  heart,  he  was  delivered  from  all  his  fears ; 
and  this  is  his  advice  and  encouragement  to  all  who,  like  him,  are  in 
volved  in  such  perplexities,  to  fear  and  trust  in  the  Lord :  "  O  fear  the 
Lord,  all  ye  his  saints :  for  there  is  no  want  to  them  who  fear  him. 
The  young  lions  may  lack,  and  suffer  hunger ;  but  they  that  seek  the 
Lord  shall  not  want  any  good  thing.  The  righteous  cry,  and  the 
Lord  heareth,  and  delivers  them  out  of  all  their  troubles.  The  Lord 
redeemeth  the  soul  of  his  servants ;  and  none  that  trust  in  him  shall 
be  desolate."  4 

But  the  Christian  is  liable  to  fears  and  perplexities  of  a  more  pain 
ful  kind  still.  The  troubles  of  remorse,  the  fears  of  hell,  sometimes 
agitate  him.  "  The  sorrows  of  death  compass  him  ;  the  pains  of  hell 
get  hold  of  him.  He  has  trouble  and  sorrow."  He  feels  as  if  his 

1  Psal.  Ixii.  1,  2,  5-12.  a  See  note  C. 

*  Phil.  iv.  6.  .  *  Psal.  xxxiv.  9-10,  1Y,  22. 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  441 

unseen  foes  were  about  to  triumph  over  him,  and  that  continued  re 
sistance  is  hopeless.  But  let  him  sanctify  the  Lord  in  his  heart.  Let 
him  so  realize  the  truth  about  HIM,  as,  while  trembling  at  his  word 
and  standing  in  awe  of  his  judgments,  he  at  the  same  time  trusts  in 
his  mercy  and  hopes  in  his  promise ;  and  he  will  be  reassured  and 
comforted.  Let  him  contemplate  at  once  the  awful  and  amiable 
glories  of  his  character  as  the  God  who  cannot  clear  the  guilty,  and 
yet,  through  the  propitiation  he  has  set  forth  in  the  blood  of  his  Son, 
pardons  iniquity,  transgression  and  sin,  blotting  them  out  for  his  own 
sake  as  "  a  just  God  and  a  Saviour,"  "  just,  and  the  justifier  of  him 
who  believeth  in  Jesus ;"  l  and  he  will  find  security  and  peace  amid  all 
the  fightings  without,  and  the  fears  within. 

The  way  to  have  true  rest  in  the  heart  is  to  have  God  there, 
through  the  knowledge  and  faith  of  the  truth  respecting  him  ;  and  to 
sanctify  him  there,  to  cherish  towards  him  those  affections  of  supreme 
reverence  and  confidence  to  which  he  is  entitled : — 

"  He  is  the  source  and  centre  of  all  minds — 
Their  only  point  of  rest. 
Prom  him  departing,  they  are  lost,  and  rove 
At  random,  without  honor,  hope,  or  peace." a 

You,  then,  who  would  "  dwell  at  ease,  and  be  quiet  from  the  fear  of 
evil,"  seek  to  have  the  Lord  God  in  your  heart ;  seek  to  sanctify  him 
there,  by  making  him  at  once  your  fear  and  confidence. 

It  is  thus  that  the  sinner,  as  well  as  the  saint,  is  to  get  rid  of  his 
fears.  We  say  to  the  sinner,  as  well  as  to  the  saint,  "  Acquaint  thy 
self  with  God,  and  be  at  peace  :  so  good  shall  come  to  thee."  3  Know 
that  his  nature  as  well  as  his  name  is  holy  love.  Let  both  these  let 
ters  of  his  name  be  impressed  on  your  heart,  holiness  and  grace  ; 
and  learn  so  to  fear  his  holiness,  and  justice,  and  power,  as  to  .cease 
to  oppose  him,  under  a  deep  conviction  that  it  is  equally  wicked  and 
unwise,  criminal  and  ruinous  ;  O  learn  so  to  trust  his  grace  and  faith 
fulness,  as  gladly  and  gratefully  to  receive  what,  in  the  word  of  the 
truth  of  the  gospel,  he  sincerely  and  urgently  offers  thee,  sinner  as 
thou  art,  a  free  forgiveness,  a  full  salvation. 

To  all,  then,  whether  saint  or  sinner,  we  proclaim  as  the  only 
means  of  obtaining  true  composure  of  spirit,  and  permanent  peace  in 
this  region  where  there  is  so  much  to  terrify  and  trouble,  "  Sanctify 
the  Lord  in  your  heart;  let  him  be  your  fear  and  dread,  and  he  will 
be  to  you  a  sanctuary."  Happy  those  who,  by  complying  with  the 
command,  enter  into  peace.  But  oh  !  what  will  become  of  those  who 
refuse  this  Divine  call,  who  set  at  naught  this  Divine  counsel  ?  What 
will  become  of  them  "  when  their  fear  cometh  as  desolation,  and  their 
destruction  as  a  fire  that  burneth  :  when  distress  and  anguish  come 
upon  them  ?"  Now  is  the  accepted  time  ;  now  is  the  day  of  salvation. 
Then  will  be  the  time  of  reckoning ;  then  will  be  the  day  of  vengeance. 
Then  there  can  be  no  peace  to  these  wicked  ones.  Then  will  be 
at  once  the  realization  of  their  worst  fears  ;  and  fears  of  greater  evils 
still,  the  prospect  of  eternally  accumulating  misery.  Sinner,  "if  thou 

1  Psal.  cxvi.  3.    Isa.  xlv.  21.    Rom.  iii.  26.  2  Cowper.  3  Job  xxii.  21. 


442  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

be  wise,  thou  shalt  be  wise  for  thyself;  but  if  thou  scornest,  thou 
alone  shalt  bear  it."  l 


§  3.  —  Readiness  at  all  times  to  give  an  answer  to  every  one  that 
asketh  them  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  them. 

The  third  injunction  given  to  Christians,  as  exposed  to  persecution, 
is,  to  '•  be  always  ready  to  give  an  answer,  to  every  one  who  should 
ask  them  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  was  in  them,  with  meekness  and 
fear." 

The  inspired  injunction  obviously  takes  for  granted  that  Christians 
are  distinguished  by  the  possession  of  a  peculiar  hope  —  they  have  "  a 
hope  in  them  ;"  that  this  hope  is  not  a  groundless  one  —  a  reason  can 
be  given  for  it,  it  can  be  defended  ;  that  this  hope  ought  not,  and  can 
not  be  concealed  ;  and  that  for  this  hope  Christians  may  be,  are  likely 
to  be,  called  on  to  give  an  account  ;  and  it  calls  on  Christians,  in 
these  circumstances,  to  give  an  answer  to  every  one  that  asks  them  a 
reason  of  their  hope  ;  in  other  words,  to  state  and  defend  the  grounds 
of  their  hope  ;  to  be  always  prepared  to  do  this;  and  finally,  to  do 
this,  whenever  it  is  done,  with  meekness  and  fear.  These  are,  as  it 
were,  the  elementary  parts  into  which  the  injunction  naturally  re 
solves  itself,  and  I  shall  briefly  direct  your  attention  to  them  in  their 
order. 

Christians  are  distinguished  by  the  possession  of  a  peculiar  hope. 
They  have  a  hope  in  them.  It  is  not  the  possession  of  hope  general 
ly,  that  distinguishes  Christians  from  the  rest  of  mankind  ;  for  it  would 
not  be  easy  to  fix  on  any  characteristic  that  more  certainly  belongs 
to  the  whole  race,  than  the  capacity  and  disposition  to  anticipate  with 
desire  and  delight  future  good.  Unbelieving  men  are  indeed  said  to 
"have  no  hope,"  but  it  is  the  same  way  in  which  they  are  said  to  be 
"  without  God."  2  They  have  hopes  many,  as  they  have  gods  many  ; 
though  strangers  to  the  true  God,  and  to  the  hope  which  maketh  not 
ashamed.  Human  suffering  would  be  often  intolerable,  were  it  not 
for  the  hope  of  deliverance.  There  is  truth  as  well  as  beauty  in  the 
adage,  "  If  it  were  not  for  hope,  the  heart  would  break  ;"  and,  even 
when  happiest,  it  will  be  found  that  a  very  considerable  portion  of 
man's  enjoyment  arises,  not  from  what  he  has,  but  from  what  he 
hopes  for. 

"Hope  springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast,  — 
Man  never  is,  but  always  to  be,  blest."  3 

But  as,  while  all  men  believe  as  well  as  the  Christian,  he  has  his 
peculiar  belief,  which  distinguishes  him  from  all  other  men  ;  so,  while 
all  men  hope,  the  Christian  has  his  peculiar  hope,  which  equally  dis 
tinguishes  him  from  all  other  men,  —  a  hope  of  which  he  was  once 
destitute,  and  of  which  he  obtained  possession,  when,  by  the  faith 
of  the  truth,  he  became  a  Christian  in  the  only  true  and  proper  sense 
of  that  word."  4 

1  Prov.  ix.  12.  »  Eph.  ii.  12. 

«  Eph.  i.  12,  13.    Trusted;  margin,  hoped 


PART  Iir.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  443 

That  hope,  thus  obtained,  is  variously  described  in  the  New  Testa 
ment.  It  is  termed,  "the  hope  of  salvation;"  "the  hope  of  eternal 
life ;"  "  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God  ;"  "  the  hope  of  the  righteous 
ness,"  or  justification,  "by  faith."  l  Each  of  these  terms  is  full  of 
meaning. 

It  is  "  the  hope  of  salvation ;"  that  is,  deliverance  from  evil,  both 
physical  and  moral,  in  all  its  forms  and  degrees,  forever.  It  is  "the 
hope  of  eternal  life ;"  that  is,  not  merely  of  immortal  existence,  but 
of  an  eternity  of  what  constitutes  the  life  of  life,  true  happiness, — a 
happiness  suited  to  all  our  various  capacities  of  enjoyment,  filling 
these  capacities  to  an  overflow  ;  a  happiness  pervading  the  whole 
nature  throughout  unending  duration. 

It  is  "  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God."  The  glory  of  God  in  this  ex 
pression  seems  equivalent  to  the  approbation  of  God.  Men  have 
sinned  and  lost  God's  approbation.  They  are  not,  they  cannot  be, 
the  objects  of  his  approbation.  They  are  the  objects  of  his  judicial 
displeasure,  of  his  deep  moral  disapprobation.  Little  as  sinful  men 
think  of  it,  this  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  their  misery;  and  the  re 
moval  of  this,  and  restoration  to  his  favor,  are  at  once  absolutely 
necessary,  and  completely  sufficient,  to  make  them  happy.  The  Chris 
tian's  hope  is  a  hope  that  he  shall  ultimately  be  just  what  God  would 
have  him  to  be,  perfectly  holy,  perfectly  happy,  in  intimate  relation,  in 
complete  conformity,  to  God ;  that  the  eye  of  his  Father  in  heaven 
shall  yet  rest  on  him  with  entire  moral  complacency,  and  his  word 
pronounce  him,  as  a  part  of  his  completed  new  creation,  very  good. 

It  is  "the  hope  of  the  righteousness,"  or  justification  "by  faith;" 
that  is,  not  the  hope  of  obtaining  justification  by  faith,  for  justification 
by  faith  is,  as  it  were,  the  fundamental  blessing  of  Christianity,  not  a 
benefit  to  be  conferred  at  some  future  period.  It  is  something  that 
the  Christian  possesses  already.  It  is  not  one  of  the  blessings  of  sal 
vation  of  which  the  apostle  speaks,  when  he  says,  "  We  are  saved  by 
hope ;"  that  is,  our  salvation  is  yet  future — ours,  not  in  possession, 
though  in  sure  prospect.  The  hope  of  the  justification  by  faith,  is  the 
hope  that  grows  out  of  justification  by  faith  ;  the  hope  which  only  the 
justified  by  faith  can  cherish.  "  Being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace 
with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  by  whom  also  we  have 
access  to  that  grace  wherein  we  stand,  and  rejoice  in  hope  of  the  glory 
of  God."  ^ 

Such  are  some  of  the  scriptural  designations  of  this  hope.  Let  us 
now  inquire,  a  little  more  particularly,  what  are  its  objects  ? 

The  Christian  is  "confident  that  he  who  has  begun  the  good  work," 
in  him,  "  will  perform  it  until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ ;"  that  he  will 
"  preserve  him  from  every  evil  work,  unto  his  heavenly  kingdom  ;"  that 
he  will  "  make  his  grace  sufficient  for  him ;"  that  he  will  "  strengthen 
him  with  all  might,  unto  all  patience  and  long-suffering,  with  joyful- 
ness  ;"  that  he  will  "  supply  all  his  need  according  to  his  glorious 
riches  ;"  that  he  will  "  never  leave  him,  never  forsake  him ;"  that  he 
will  make  "  all  things  work  together  for  his  good,"  and  even  his  afflic 
tions,  hovvever  severe  and  long-continued,  to  "work  out  for  him  a  far 
more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory."  He  hopes  that  "Christ 
>  1  Thess.  v.  8.  Tit.  iii.  7.  Rom.  v.  2.  Gal.  v.  5.  a  Rom.  r.  1,  2. 


444  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

will  be  magnified  in  his  body,  whether  by  life  or  by  death."  l  And  he 
has  hope  in  death,  hope  after  death.  He  hopes  that,  when  his  spirit 
becomes  "absent  from  the  body,"  it  will  become  " present  with  the 
Lord  ;"  being  with  him  where  he  is,  and,  beholding  and  sharing  his 
glory,  mingling  with  "the  innumerable  company  of  angels,  and  with 
the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect ;"  being  "  before  the  throne  of  God, 
and  serving  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple ;  while  he  who  sits  on 
the  throne  dwells  among  them,  and  they  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst 
any  more,  neither  does  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat ;  for  the 
Lamb,  who  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  shall  feed  them,  and  lead  them 
to  the  fountains  of  living  waters  ;  and  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears 
from  their  eyes." 2  His  "  flesh  also  rests  in  hope."  His  hope  is  the 
hope  of  the  resurrection  to  life  ;  "  the  blessed  hope  of  the  glorious  ap 
pearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  He  looks  for  Him  from  heaven, 
"  to  change  his  vile  body,  and  fashion  it  like  unto  His  own  glorious 
body."  He  hopes  that  "  this  corruptible  shall  put  on  incorruption, 
this  mortal  shall  put  on  immortality ;  that  what  is  sown  in  corruption, 
shall  be  raised  in  incorruption ;  what  is  sown  in  dishonor,  shall  be 
raised  in  glory ;  what  is  sown  in  weakness,  shall  be  raised  in  power ; 
what  is  sown  a  natural  body,  shall  be  raised  a  spiritual  body."  He  is 
looking  for  Him  to  come  "  the  second  time  without  sin  for  his  salva 
tion ;"  and  his  hope  is,  that  '-'when  He  shall  appear,  he  shall  appear 
with  Him  in  glory  ;"  being  "  like  Him,  seeing  Him  as  He  is."  He  is 
hoping  for  this  "manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God;"  this  "adoption, 
the  redemption  of  the  body ;"  and  his  final  hope  is  that,  body  and 
soul,  "  he  shall  forever  be  with  the  Lord/'  * 

Such  is  the  hope  of  the  Christian  with  regard  to  himself;  and  he 
cherishes  the  same  hope  in  reference  to  all  his  brethren  in  Christ. 
He  hopes  that  Christ,  who  loved  the  church,  will,  after  having  purified 
her  by  the  washing  of  water  through  the  word,  "  present  her  to  him 
self,  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband,  a  glorious  church,  without 
spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing."  He  hopes  for  a  "  gathering 
together"  of  all  the  faithful  at  the  coming  of  the  Lord ;  he  hopes,  that 
when  the  Lord  descends  from  heaven,  all  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise, 
all  the  living  in  Christ  shall  be  changed,  and  that  they  shall  "  together 
be  caught  up  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air,"  and  shall 
"  together  be  made  perfect." 4 

The  Christian,  too,  has  characteristic  hopes  concerning  the  cause 
and  kingdom  of  his  Lord.  He  hopes  for  its  ultimate  triumph  over  all 
its  opposers,  all  the  powers  of  darkness,  all  the  forms  of  evil,  ignorance, 
error,  superstition,  fanaticism,  idolatry,  in  all  their  endless  diversities 
of  false  principles  and  depraved  dispositions,  which  counter-work  its 
benignant  tendencies,  and  have  hitherto  rendered  its  progress  so  slow, 
and  its  influence  so  limited.  He  hopes  for  a  period  when  the  idols 
shall  be  utterly  abolished,  when  "  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord,"  when  "  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  be- 

1  Phil.  i.  6 ;  iii.  19.     Col.  i.  11.    Heb.  xiii.  5.     Rom.  viii.  28.     2  Cor.  iv.  17. 

2  2  Cor.  v.  6-8.     John  xvii.  24.     Heb.  xii.  22,  23.     Rev.  vii.  15-17. 

3  Psal.  xvi.  9.     Tit.  ii.  13.      Phil.  iii.  21.     1  Cor.  xv.  42-44,  53.      Heb.  ix.  28.      1  John 
iii.  2.     Rom.  viii.  19,  23.     1  Thess.  iv.  17. 

4  Eph.  v.  25-27.    2  Thess.  ii.  1.     1  Thess.  iv.  16,  17.    Heb.  xi.  40.     Otrot 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  445 


corne  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ,"  when  "  men  shall 
be  blessed  in  him,  and  all  nations  call  him  blessed."  *  Such  is  the 
Christian's  hope. 

And  this  hope  is  not  groundless,  no  airy  dream,  no  uncertain  prob 
ability.  It  rests  on  the  power,  and  wisdom,  and  faithfulness,  and  be 
nignity  of  God,  pledged  in  a  plain,  well-accredited  revelation  of  his 
will.  It  has  come  to  him  by  "  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel,"  * 
to  understand,  and  believe,  and  love  which,  his  mind  and  heart  have 
been  opened  by  the  effectual  working  of  the  Good  Spirit.  He  has 
formed  these  expectations  not  in  consequence  of  following  cunningly 
devised  fables,  but  in  consequence  of  believing  that  word,  which 
brought  along  with  it  powerful  demonstration,  that  it  was  "  not  the 
word  of  man,  but.  as  it  is  in  truth  the  word  of  God,  which  worketh 
effectually  in  them  believing  it;"3  tranquillizing  the  mind,  pacifying 
the  conscience,  purifying  the  heart,  transforming  the  character.4 
Thus  he  knows  on  whom  he  has  believed,  and  in  whom  he  hopes. 
His  hope  is  in  God.  Jehovah  is  the  hope  of  his  people.  They  hope 
in  his  mercy  :  they  hope  in  his  word.  "  Our  Lord  Jesus  himself,  and 
God,  even  our  Father,  who  hath  loved  us,  hath  given  us  everlasting 
consolation,  and  good  hope  through  grace."  5 

These  hopes  dwell  in  the  heart  of  the  Christian.  There  seems 
emphasis  in  the  expression,  "  The  hope  that  is  in  you."  It  has  not 
merely  been  "  set  before"  you,  it  has  been  embraced  by  you.  It  is 
not  a  mere  professed  hope  ;  it  is  a  real  hope,  a  living,  riot  a  dead  hope. 

But  though  it  dwells  in  the  heart,  it  does  not,  it  should  not,  it  can 
not,  remain  concealed.  From  its  very  nature  it  must  manifest  itself 
both  in  words  and  in  actions  :  "  Out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the 
mouth  speaketh."  "  Knowing,"  says  the  apostle,  referring  to  one 
leading  object  of  the  Christian  hope,  "  that  he  who  raised  up  the  Lord 
Jesus,  shall  raise  up  us  also  by  Jesus,  and  shall  present  us  with  you; 
we  believe,  and  therefore  speak."  Christians  cannot  but  speak  of  the 
things  which  they  hope  for ;  and  "  every  one  who  hath  this  hope  in 
Him  purifieth  himself,  even  as  He  is  pure,"' whom  they  are  hoping  to 
see,  and  to  whom  they  are  hoping  to  be  conformed  when  he  appears.6 
No.  Christian  hope  cannot  be  concealed.  What  fills  the  mind  to  an 
overflow,  must  become  manifest.  Even  the  Old  Testament  believers 
"declared  plainly,  that  they  were  seeking  a  country,  and  confessed 
that  they  were  strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth."  ; 

The  profession  of  hope  on  the  part  of  the  Christian  is,  moreover, 
matter  of  positive  obligation.  It  is  expressly  commanded.  It  is 
necessarily  implied  in  the  duty  of  confessing  Christ,  and  is  requisite 
to  our  performance  of  our  highest  duties  to  our  fellow-men.  "  Let 
us  hold  fast  the  profession  of  our  hope"  (hope,  not  faith,  is  the  genu 
ine  reading),  says  the  apostle,  "  without  wavering,  for  he  is  faithful 
that  hath  promised ;" 8  and  he  assures  us  that  this  is  the  proof  of  our 
belonging  to  "  the  house,"  the  family  of  Christ,  that  "  we  hold  fast  the 

1  Isa.  xi.  9.    Rev.  xi.  15.    Psal.  Ixxii.  17.  *  Col.  i.  5.  3  1  Thess.  ii.  13. 

4  "  It  is  certain  there  is  no  hope,  without  some  antecedent  belief,  that  the  thing  hoped 
for  may  come  to  pass ;  and  the  strength  and  steadfastness  of  our  hope  is  ever  propor 
tioned  to  the  measure  of  our  faith." — BENTLEY. 

•  2  Thess.  ii.  16.  •  2  Cor.  iv.  13,  14.     1  John  iii.  3. 

'  Heb.  XL  13,  14.  •  Heb.  x.  23. 


446  GENERAL,    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [D[SC.  XV. 

confidence,"  that  is,  the  free,  fearless  avowal  of,  "and  the  rejoicing 
of,"  the  glory  in,  "the  hope  of  the  gospel,  firm  to  the  end."1  The 
Christian  acts  very  unworthily  who  behaves  as  if  he  was  ashamed  of 
his  hope,  ashamed  of  a  hope  which  will  never  make  ashamed  any 
who  really  cherish  it.  The  avowal  of  the  Christian's  hope  is  neces 
sarily  implied  in  that  confession  of  the  mouth,  which  the  apostle  repre 
sents  as  equally,  with  faith  in  the  heart,  requisite  in  order  to  salvation. 
A  Christian  cannot  declare  his  faith  without  avowing  his  hope ;  and 
he  cannot  neglect  the  declaration  of  his  faith  without  exposing  him 
self  to  that  tremendous  denunciation  :  "  Whosoever  shall  deny  me  be 
fore  men,  him  will  I  deny  before  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  He 
that  is  ashamed  of  me  and  of  my  words,  before  this  adulterous  and 
sinful  generation,  of  him  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  ashamed,  when  he 
cometh  in  the  glory  of  his  Father  with  the  holy  angels."  2 

It  has  been  justly  said,  "  To  all  who  deliberately  hold  the  truth  cap 
tive,  we  are  bound  to  declare  that  they  do  not  possess  the  truth,  or 
rather,  that  the  truth  does  not  possess  them ;  does  not  dwell  in  them 
richly.  Religious  conviction,  which  refuses  to  express  itself,  is  dis 
owned  by  that  very  act." 

Those  doctrines  which  embody  the  Christian's  hope  are  the  saving 
truth.  That  every  one  who  is  in  possession  of  that  truth,  should 
make  it  known  to  others,  is  the  first  duty  which  the  second  great 
commandment  of  the  law,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself/' 
binds  on  the  conscience.  In  presenting  it  to  their  belief,  he*  must 
avow  his  own  ;  and  he  cannot,  as  we  have  seen,  avow  his  faith  with 
out  professing  his  hope.  "  We  are  debtors  of  religious  truth  to  our 
brethren,"  says  one  of  the  greatest  writers  of  our  age,  "so  soon  as 
we  ourselves  become  possessed  of  it ;"  "  we  are  debtors  in  the  strictest 
sense  of  the  term,  for,  properly  speaking,  the  truth  is  not  the  exclusive 
property  of  any  one.  Every  good,  which  may  be  communicated  by 
its  possessor  without  impoverishing  himself,  cannot  remain  exclusively 
his  own.  If  this  proposition  be  not  true,  morality  falls  to  the  ground. 
How  much  more  does  this  hold  good  of  a  blessing  which  is  multiplied 
by  division  of  a  spring  which  becomes  more  abundant  as  it  pours  out 
its  waters  ?" 3  The  hope  of  the  gospel  is  necessary  to  true  comfort 
here,  to  perfect  happiness  hereafter.  I  am  bound  then  to  communi 
cate,  so  far  as  man  can  do  it,  this  hope  to  those  who  are  destitute  of 
it.  How  can  I  do  this  but  by  telling  them  what  I  hope  for,  and  why 
I  hope  for  it ;  showing  them  how  that  hope  became  mine,  and  how  it 
may  become  theirs.  For  the  Christian  to  keep  his  hope  to  himself, 
were  it  possible,  would  be  to  deny  the  bread  of  life  to  those  who  are 
perishing  of  hunger.  Almost  every  denial  may  find  some  excuse  but 
this.  We  are  not  bound  to  give  bread  to  all  men  in  all  circumstan 
ces  ;  but  we  do  owe  to  all  men,  in  all  circumstances,  the  communica 
tion  of  saving  truth. 

Even  though  the  Christian  were  disposed  to  conceal  his  hope,  he 
would  find  it  difficult  to  do  so;  for  he  is  likely,  as  the  apostle  intimates, 
to  be  called  to  give  an  account  of  it :  a  reason  of  his  hope  is  likely 
to  be  demanded  of  him.  Such  inquiries  may  originate  in  various  and 


Hcb.  ill.  6.      T/>  ^a^rjaiav  nal  TO  navvriua  rfo  tXtficJoy.  a   Matt.  X.  33.      Luke  xii.  8. 

Vinet. 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  447 

opposite  causes.  Some,  who  are  honestly  inquiring  after  truth  and 
happiness,  having  discovered  that  the  hopes  which  the  world  offers  to 
its  votaries  are  liable  to  be  disappointed,  and  even  when  realized  can 
not  confer  true  permanent  enjoyment,  may  ask  a  reason  of  the  hope 
that  is  in  the  Christian,  that  they  may  see  whether  it  meets  the  exi 
gences  of  their  case,  and,  if  it  does  so,  that  they  may  find  how  they 
may  become  partakers  of  it ;  others  may  make  such  inquiries  merely 
for  the  purpose  of  cavilling  at,  and  casting  ridicule  on,  the  Christian 
and  his  hope ;  and  others,  armed  with  civil  power,  may  call  him  in 
question  for  his  hope  and  faith,  and  for  his  conduct  as  influenced  by 
this  hope  and  faith.  In  the  primitive  age,  and  in  other  ages  too,  the 
faith  and  hope  of  the  gospel  have  often  led  their  possessors  to  refuse 
compliance  with  what  custom  and  law  required,  and  to  follow  certain 
courses  which  custom  and  law  condemned  and  proscribed ;  and 
Christians  have,  in  consequence  of  this,  often  been  "  called  before 
governors  and  kings,  magistrates  and  powers,"  as  their  Lord  fore 
warned  them,  to  give  an  account  of  that  hope  which  distinguished 
them  from  those  among  whom  they  lived,  and  of  the  grounds  on 
which  it  rested.  When  the  connection  of  the  passage  is  carefully 
attended  to,  it  can  scarcely  be  doubted  that  it  is  to  this  last  species  of 
inquisition  into  the  nature  and  ground  of  the  Christian's  hope,  that 
the  apostle  directly  refers. 

Whatever  may  be  the  motives  of  the  inquirers,  it  is  the  duty  of  the 
Christian,  in  ordinary  circumstances,  "  to  give  an  answer  to  every 
one  who  asketh  him  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  him."  What  the 
apostle  calls  on  Christians  to  do,  is  to  defend  their  hope  to  those  who 
called  on  them  to  give  an  account  of  it,  for  that  is  the  force  of  the 
word  rendered  answer  ; l  apology,  in  the  sense  in  which  the  word  is 
used  in  reference  to  the  apologies  of  the  Fathers  for  Christianity,  the 
publication  of  which  was  indeed  just  a  specimen  of  obedience  to  the 
apostle's  injunction, — a  defence  of  the  faith  and  hope  of  the  gospel, 
by  a  statement  of  their  grounds  to  those  Roman  magistrates  who  per 
secuted  them.  Every  Christian,  when  called  on  to  give  an  account 
of  his  hope,  is  to  defend  it.  He  is  to  do  this,  first,  by  distinctly  stating 
what  it  is ;  by  giving  a  plain  account  of  what  are  the  objects  of  his 
hope :  and  this  of  itself,  if  candidly  listened  to,  will  go  far  to  answer 
all  the  purposes  of  defence.  But  he  must  do  more  than  this  :  he  must 
be  ready  to  show  that  what  he  hopes  for  is  really  promised  in  the 
Scriptures,  and  that  these  Scriptures  are  indeed  "  given  by  inspiration 
of  God" — an  infallible  and  authoritative  revelation  of  the  Divine 
mind  and  will,  for  the  regulation  of  the  religious  sentiments  and  con 
duct  of  mankind,  and  therefore,  a  solid  foundation  for  his  hope.  He 
must  show  that  his  hope  is  no  mere  imagination,  but  is  founded  on  the 
most  certain  truth ;  and  that  in  performing  the  duties,  making  the 
sacrifices,  cherishing  the  expectations,  which  naturally  flow  .from  its 
admission,  he  is  acting  a  reasonable,  the  only  reasonable  part,  and 
that  to  abandon  his  hope,  or  to  do  anything  inconsistent  with  it,  were 
to  act  the  part  of  a  fool  and  a  madman.  And  the  Christian  is  to  do 
this,  not  only  where  it  may  be  done  without  inconvenience  or  hazard, 
but  in  the  face  of  the  greatest  dangers,  though  sure  to  draw  down  on 

1   'AroXayfa. 


448  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

himself  ridicule,  scorn,  contumely,  torture,  death.  "Consequences 
should  be  accounted  for  naught  in  the  discharge  of  this  duty,  which 
is  of  an  absolute  nature ;  or,  if  considered  at  all,  should  be  regarded 
only  as  motives  and  additional  inducements  to  its  fulfilment."  l 

There  are,  however,  cases  in  which  a  formal  defence  of  the  Chris 
tian's  hope,  even  when  he  is  called  in  question  for  it,  could  serve  no 
gocd  purpose.  The  command  of  our  Lord  is  not  superseded  by,  for 
it  is  not  inconsistent  with,  that  of  his  apostle:  "Give  not  that  which 
is  holy  to  the  dogs,  neither  cast  your  pearls  before  swine,  lest  they 
trample  them  under  their  feet,  and  turn  again  to  rend  you." 2  It  has 
been  justly  observed,  "That  the  truth  is  not  to  be  scattered  at  random 
like  contemptible  dust:  it  is  a  pearl  which  must  not  be  exposed  to  be 
trodden  under  foot  by  the  profane.  To  protect  it  by  an  expressive 
silence  is  sometimes  the  only  way  we  can  testify  our  own  respect  for 
it,  or  conciliate  that  of  others.  He  who  cannot  be  silent  respecting 
it,  under  certain  circumstances,  does  not  sufficiently  respect  it.  Si 
lence  is  on  some  occasions  the  only  homage  truth  expects  from  us. 
This  silence  has  nothing  in  common  with  dissimulation;  it  involves 
no  connivance  with  the  enemies  of  truth  ;  it  has  no  other  object  than 
to  protect  it  from  needless  outrage.  This  silence,  in  a  majority  of  in 
stances,  is  a  language ;  and  when,  in  the  conduct  of  those  who  main 
tain  it,  everything  is  consistent  with  it,  the  truth  loses  nothing  by 
being  suppressed.  Or  to  speak  more  correctly,  it  is  not  suppressed; 
it  is  vividly,  though  silently,  pointed  out;  its  dignity  and  importance 
are  placed  in  relief;  and  the  respect  which  occasioned  this  silence, 
itself  imposes  silence  on  the  witnesses  of  its  manifestation."  3  The 
greatest  of  all  witnesses  to  the  truth,  who,  in  delivering  his  testimony, 
set  his  face  as  a  flint,  not  fearing  the  cross,  despising  the  shame,  main 
tained,  on  some  occasions,  a  dignified  silence  even  when  questioned ; 
but  it  was  only  where  the  truth  had  already  been  declared  by  him, 
and  when  a  renewed  declaration  of  it  could  have  served  no  good  pur 
pose.  His  object  was  not  to  shelter  himself,  but  the  truth,  from  un 
necessary  insults.  Generally,  his  conduct  corresponded  with  the 
prophetic  oracle  concerning  him:  "I  have  preached  righteousness  in 
the  great  congregation :  lo,  I  have  not  refrained  my  lips,  O  Lord,  thou 
knovvest.  I  have  not  hid  thy  righteousness  within  my  heart ;  I  have 
declared  thy  faithfulness  and  thy  salvation :  I  have  not  concealed  thy 
loving-kindness  and  thy  truth  from  the  great  congregation."  4 

But  though  Christians  may  not  be  required  in  every  case  to  give  an 
answer,  even  when  questioned,  respecting  their  hope,  they  must  always 
hold  themselves  "ready"  to  do  so  when  called  on.  To  be  "ready," 
is  to  be  prepared,  when  called  on,  to  state  and  defend  the  Christian 
hope.  For  this  purpose,  it  is  necessary  that  the  Christian  should  be 
constantly  giving  all  diligence  towards  maintaining  the  full  assurance 
of  hope  in  his  own  heart ;  that  he  should  be  familiarly  acquainted 
with  the  objects  of  his  hope,  as  these  are  stated  in  the  Holy  Scrip 
tures  ;  and  with  the  manner,  too,  in  which  those  things,which  it  would 
seem,  at  first  sight,  to  be  folly  and  presumption  in  man  to  hope  for, 
have  become  the  object,  the  reasonable  object,  of  his  hope,  and  may 
become  the  reasonable  object  of  the  hope  of  every  man  who,  like  him, 

1  Vinet,  J  Matt.  vii.  6.  8  Vinet.  *  Psal.  xl.  9,  10. 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  449 

believes  in  Jesus.  He  must  be  able  to  show  how  he  once  cherished 
false  hopes  ;  and  how  he  was  made  ashamed  of  these  hopes ;  and  how 
he  was,  when  destitute  of  all  hope,  led,  in  the  faith  of  the  truth  of  the 
gospel,  to  lay  hold  on  the  hope  there  set  before  him.  He  must 
be  able  to  show,  how  the  free  grace  of  God,  manifested  in  a  con 
sistency  with  his  righteousness,  through  the  mediation  of  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ,  when  apprehended  in  the  statements  and  promises  of  the 
gospel,  lays  a  solid  foundation  for  all  the  great  and  glorious  expecta 
tions  which  he  entertains.  And  as  such  a  statement  can  be  satisfac 
tory  only  on  the  supposition  that  the  Bible  is  indeed  a  Divine  Reve 
lation,  he  must  be  prepared  to  show,  that  in  giving  credit  to  its 
declarations,  and  grounding  his  hope  on  them,  he  has  acted  a 
reasonable  part ;  because  it  is  indeed  given  by  the  inspiration  of 
that  God  who  cannot  lie,  who  cannot  be  deceived,  and  who  cannot 
deceive. 

The  importance  of  an  accurate  and  extensive  knowledge  of  the 
evidence  of  Christianity  can  scarcely  be  overrated,  if  it  be  not  sub 
stituted  in  the  place  of  an  experimental  knowledge  of  Christianity 
itself.  It  is  of  vital  importance  to  the  individual  Christian's  peace 
and  improvement.  It  is  intimately  connected  with  the  vigor  of  his 
graces  and  the  abundance  of  his  consolations.  I  do  not  say  that  a 
man  is  not  a  Christian  who  cannot  give  a  distinct  account  of  the  evi 
dence  of  the  divinity  of  the  religion  which  he  professes  to  believe; 
but  in  proportion  to  the  imperfection  and  indistinctness  of  his  views 
on  this  subject,  will  be  the  deficiency  and  insecurity  of  his  attain 
ments,  both  in  holiness  and  in  comfort.  These  are  weighty  words  of 
Richard  Baxter:  "I  take  it  to  be  the  greatest  cause  of  coldness  in' 
duty,  weakness  in  grace,  boldness  in  sinning,  and  unwillingness  to  die, 
that  our  faith  in  the  Divine  authority  of  the  Scriptures  is  either  un 
sound  or  infirm.  Few  Christians  among  us  have  anything  better  than 
an  implicit  faith  on  this  point.  They  have  received  it  by  tradition. 
Godly  ministers  and  Christians  tell  them  so:  it  is  impious  to  doubt  it, 
and  therefore  they  believe  it.  And  this  worm,  lying  at  the  root, 
causeth  the  languishing  and  decaying  of  the  whole.  Faith  in  the 
verity  of  the  Scriptures,  would  be  an  exceeding  help  to  the  joy  of  the 
saints.  For  myself,"  adds  that  wonderful  man,  "if  my  faith  in  this 
point  had  no  imperfection,  if  I  did  as  verily  believe  the  glory  to  come 
as  I  do  believe  that  the  sun  will  rise  again  when  it  is  set,  oh,  how 
would  it  raise  my  desires  and  my  joys !  What  haste  would  I  make ! 
How  serious  should  I  be !  How  should  I  trample  on  these  earthly 
vanities,  and  even  forget  the  things  below !  How  restless  should  I  be 
till  I  was  assured  of  the  heavenly  rest ;  and  then  how  restless  till  I 
did  possess  it !  How  should  I  delight  in  the  thoughts  of  death,  and 
my  heart  leap  at  the  tidings  of  his  approach !"  -, 

If  such  a  knowledge  of  the  evidences  of  revelation  be  of  im 
portance  to  the  healthy  state  of  the  Christian  life  generally,  it  is  abso 
lutely  necessary  to  the  discharge  of  that  particular  function  of  it  of 
which  we  are  speaking.  How  can  a  Christian,  with  very  limited  and 
confused  ideas  on  this  subject,  give  a  reason  for  his  hope,  or  defend  it  ? 
It  is,  then,  of  great  importance  that  Christians  should  not  satisfy  them 
selves  with  any  confidence  or  persuasion  unless  they  have  such  clear 


450  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

and  rational  grounds  thereof,  as  do  not  only  convince  themselves,  but 
admit  of  being  stated  in  a  distinct  manner  to  others. 

If  we  would  "  be  ready  to  give  an  answer  to  every  one  that  asketh 
us  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  us,"  we  must  attend  to  the  wise 
man's  declaration,  "  The  heart  of  the  wise  studieth  to  answer."  l  We 
must  give  ourselves  to  reading,  we  must  meditate  on  these  things,  and 
thus  lay  up  in  store  what  we  may  turn  to  account  when  called  on  to 
state  and  defend  our  hope.  To  be  ready  for  the  discharge  of  this 
duty,  we  must  farther  habitually  seek  and  cherish  the  influence  of  the 
Good  Spirit,  who  is  the  author  of  faith  and  hope  ;  who  takes  the  things 
of  Christ  arid  shows  them  to  us ;  who  brings  truth  seasonably  to  re 
membrance  ;  and  who  was  "  a  mouth  and  wisdom"  to  the  primitive 
Christians,  when  called  to  state  and  defend  their  hope.  He  who  has 
his  mind  full  of  truth  and  its  evidence,  and  his  heart  filled  with  hum 
ble,  confiding  dependence  on  the  teaching  and  guidance  of  the  Good 
Spirit ;  he  whose  habitual  prayer  is,  "  Uphold  me  according  to  thy 
word,  and  let  me  not  be  ashamed  of  my  hope ;" 2  he,  he  alone,  is 
"  always  ready"  to  discharge  the  duty  here  enjoined  in  a  manner  cred 
itable  to  his  religion,  calculated  to  convince  the  candid,  and  to  "  put 
to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men."  Such  a  man,  if  called  to  it, 
will  "speak  of  God's  testimonies  before  kings,  and  not  be  ashamed."3 

It  only  remains  that  a  word  or  two  be  said  respecting  the  manner  in 
which  this  duty  to  our  religion  and  its  Author,  and  to  our  fellow-men, 
is  to  be  performed,  Christians  are  to  "  give  an  answer  to  those  who  ask 
them  a  reason  of  the  faith  that  is  in  them  with  "meekness  and  fear." 

The  truth  is  to  be  stated  and  defended  in  its  own  spirit — the  spirit, 
not  only  of  power,  but  of  love ;  not  only  of  a  sound  mind,  but  of  a 
tender  heart.  The  conduct  of  those  who  call  them  to  give  an  account 
of  their  faith  may  be,  often  has  been,  most  unreasonable  and  pro 
voking.  But  the  Christian  confessor  must  possess  his  soul  in  patience. 
"The  servant  of  the  Lord  must  not  strive,  but  in  meekness  instruct 
those  who«oppose  themselves,"  "showing  all  meekness  to  all  men."4 
"  He  must  not  bluster  and  fly  into  invectives,  because  he  has  the  better 
of  it,  against  any  man  who  questions  him  of  his  hope,  as  some  think 
themselves  authorized  to  use  rough  speech  because  they  plead  for 
truth.  On  the  contrary,  so  much  the  rather  should  he  study  meekness 
for  the  glory  and  advantage  of  the  truth.  It  needs  not  the  service  of 
passion ;  yea,  nothing  so  disserves  it  as  passion  when  set  to  serve  it. 
The  spirit  of  truth  is  withal  the  spirit  of  meekness — the  dove  that 
rested  on  that  great  champion  of  truth,  who  is  truth  itself;  and  this 
spirit  is  from  him  derived  to  the  lovers  of  truth,  and  they  ought  to 
seek  a  participation  of  it.  Imprudence,  want  of  meekness,  rashness, 
harshness,  makes  some  kind  of  Christians  lose  much  of  their  labor  in 
speaking  for  religion,  and  drives  those  farther  off  whom  they  would 
draw  into  it." 5 

The  pleader  for  religion  cannot  be  too  earnest ;  but  it  must  be  the 
earnestness  of  conviction  as  to  the  truth,  the  earnestness  of  compas 
sion  to  those  who  oppose  it.  As  an  able  writer  says,  "  His  voice  may 
well  falter  from  emotion ;  but  it  must  not  be  the  emotion  of  anger. 


1  Prov.  xv.  28.  2  Peal  cxix.  116.  3  PsaL  cxix.  46. 

*  2  Tim.  ii.  25.     Tit.  iii.  2.          6  Leigh  ton. 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  451 

Energy  may  give  emphasis  to  his  words,  and  cause  them  to  vibrate, 
but  passion  never."  l 

This  duty  is  to  be  performed,  not  only  with  meekness,  but  "  with 
fear;"  that  is,  not  as  some  have  supposed,  with  due  respect  to  the  hea 
then  magistrates  before  whom  Christians  were  called  to  defend  their 
hope  ;  but  with  religious  reverence,  with  holy  fear,  with  a  sense  of  the 
infinite  importance  of  the  subject,  and  its  close  connection  with  the 
eternal  interests  both  of  those  who  question  and  of  him  who  answers. 
"Divine  things  ought  never  to  be  spoken  in  a  light,  perfunctory  way, 
but  with  a  reverend,  grave  temper  of  spirit ;  and  for  this  reason  some 
choice  should  be  made  (when  we  have  it  in  our  power)  of  time  and 
persons.  The  confidence  that  is  in  this  hope  makes  the  believer  not 
fear  men  to  whom  he  answers ;  but  still  he  fears  God,  for  whom  he 
answers  ;  and  whose  interest  is  chief  in  the  things  he  speaks  of.  The 
soul  that  has  the  deepest  sense  of  spiritual  things,  and  knowledge  of 
God,  is  most  afraid  to  miscarry  in  speaking  of  him ;  most  tender  and 
wary  how  to  acquit  itself  when  engaged  to  speak  of  and  foi-  God."  2 
There  is  something  very  shocking  in  an  irreverent  defehoe  of  the 
solemn  verities  of  the  Christian  revelation.  It  almost  necessarily  in 
duces  a  suspicion  of  the  depth,  if  not  of  the  reality,  of  the  conviction 
of  the  apologist.  The  man  who  regards  as  real  the  glorious  objects 
of  the  Christian  hope,  must  be  filled  with  a  heartfelt  joy  and  a  solemn 
awe,  both  equally  incompatible  with  every  approach  to  irreverence. 
He  will  rejoice,  but  he  will  "  rejoice  with  trembling." 

Thus  have  I  endeavored  briefly  to  illustrate  this  interesting  passage. 
Of  the  mode  of  conduct  which  it  recommends,  we  have  a  fine  speci 
men  in  the  conduct  of  the  apostles  Peter  and  John  before  the  Jewish 
Sanhedrim,  as  recorded  in  the  fourth  chapter  of  the  acts  of  the  Apos 
tles,  and  of  the  Apostle  Paul  in  defence  of  himself  before  Festus  and 
King  Agrippa.  What  clear  statements,  what  powerful  reasons,  what 
a  readiness  in  giving  them,  what  meekness,  what  fear,  characterize 
their  speeches !  How  well  fitted  were  they  to  compel  respect  both  for 
the  cause  and  its  advocates,  even  from  the  most  prejudiced  judges ! 

I  cannot  conclude  this  part  of  the  discourse  without  calling  on  all 
my  hearers  seriously  to  examine  whether  they  have  any  hope  in  them 
in  reference  to  eternity;  and  whether  the  hope  they  have  in  them  be 
the  hope  of  the  gospel.  There  are  not  a  few  who  have  no  hope  with 
regard  to  eternity.  They  have  no  faith,  no  solid  belief,  on  such  sub 
jects,  and  therefore  they  can  have  no  hope.  Others  have  a  kind  of 
faith  as  to  eternity,  of  which  they  would  very  willingly  get  rid  ;  but 
it  is  a  faith  which  produces,  not  the  hope  which  gives  peace,  but  the 
fear  that  has  torment.  Others  have  hope,  it  may  be  strong  hope  ;  but 
they  can  give  no  satisfactory  reason  for  their  hope.  It  rests  on  no 
solid  basis,  but  on  false  views  of  God  and  of  themselves.  If  you  have 
no  hope  for  eternity,  be  assured  you  have  not  believed  the  gospel ;  and 
if  your  hope  rests  on  anything  but  the  free  grace  of  God,  manifested 
in  consistency  with  his  justice  in  the  atonement  of  Christ,  apprehended 
by  you  in  the  faith  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  be  assured  that  that  hope 
will  fail  you  in  the  day  of  trial,  and  make  you  "  ashamed  and  con 
founded,  world  without  end." 

1  Vinet  •  Leighton. 


452  GENERAL    CHR.BTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

How  sad  is  it  to  think  that  so  many  are  without  hope,  so  many  with 
out  good  hope ;  while  there  is  hope,  good  hope,  set  before  every  sin 
ner  to  whom  the  gospel  comes  !  "  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  that  God 
is  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  to  himself.  The  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ,  God's  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin.  He  came  to  save  sin 
ners,  even  the  chief.  He  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  coming 
to  God  by  him.  Whosoever  believeth  in  him  shall  not  perish,  but 
shall  have  everlasting  life."  This  is  the  very  truth  most  sure.  This 
great  salvation  was  spoken  to  us  by  the  Son  of  God,  and  has  been 
confirmed  to  us  by  them  who  heard  him ;  and  God  has  given  witness 
to  it  by  divers  signs,  and  miracles,  and  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  ac 
cording  to  his  own  will,  and  especially  by  raising  Christ  from  the  dead, 
and  giving  him  glory,  that  our  faith  and  hope  might  be  in  him.1 

Let  those  who,  through  the  faith  of  this  truth,  have  hope,  good  hope, 
in  them,  prove  its  reality  by  purifying  themselves  as  he  in  whom  they 
hope  is  pure ;  and  let  them  seek  to  grow  in  hope  that  they  may  grow 
in  holiness  ;  and  seek  to  grow  in  holiness  that  they  may  grow  in  hope  ; 
and  seek  to  grow  in  faith  that  they  may  grow  both  in  hope  and  holi 
ness.  Let  them  "show  all  diligence,  to  the  full  assurance  of  hope  to 
the  end ;  that  they  be  not  slothful,  but  followers  of  them  who  through 
faith  and  patience  are  inheriting  the  promises."  Let  them  prove  them 
selves  to  be  the  family  of  Christ,  by  "holding  fast  the  confidence  and 
rejoicing  of  their  hope  steadfast  to  the  end."  Let  them  hold  forth  the 
word  of  life,  the  ground  of  their  hope,  in  a  meek  and  reverent  con 
fession  of  the  truth,  and  attest  and  adorn  that  confession  by  "  a  con 
versation  becoming  the  gospel" — a  holy,  happy,  useful  life.  Let  them 
"  not  cast  away  their  confidence,  which  has  great  recompense  of  re 
ward."  Let  them  persevere  in  faith  and  hope  and  holiness  ;  that, 
"after  having  done  the  will  of  God,  they  may  receive  the  promise."  2 

It  is  but  a  little  while,  and  faith  shall  be  converted  into  vision,  hope 
into  enjoyment ;  that  which  is  in  part  shall  pass  away,  and  that  which 
is  perfect  shall  take  its  place.  They  who  are  "  looking  for  the  blessed 
hope,  the  glorious  appearing  of  him  who  is  the  Great  God  and  our 
Saviour,"  shall  not  look  in  vain.  "  He  that  should  come  will  come, 
and  will  not  tarry."  Meanwhile  let  us  live  by  faith  ;  let  us  persevere 
in  the  belief,  and  profession,  and  practice  of  the  truth :  knowing  that, 
"if  any  man  turn  back,  God's  soul  has  no  pleasure  in  him."  Oh,  may 
all  of  us,  who  profess  to  have  the  faith  and  hope  of  the  gospel  in  us, 
be  found  at  last,  not  among  "  those  who  draw  back  unto  perdition,  but 
among  those  who  believe  to  the  saving  of  the  soul."  3 

§  4. — Maintaining  "  a  good  conscience"  and  "  a  good  conversation  " 

It  only  remains  to  consider  the  last  injunction  laid  on  Christians  as 
exposed  to  persecution.  They  are  exhorted  to  "  have  a  good  con 
science  ;  that,  whereas  they  spoke  evil  of  them,  as  of  evil-doers,  they 
might  be  ashamed  who  falsely  accused  their  good  conversation  in 
Christ."  In  the  remaining  part  of  the  discourse,  I  shall,  first,  inquire 

1  1  Tim.  i.  15.  2  Cor.  v.  19.  1  John  L  7.  Heb.  vil  25.  John  iii.  16.  Heb.  ii.  4 
1  Pet.  i.  21. 

•  Heb.  vi.  11,  12 ;  ill  6 ;  x.  35,  36.  •  Heb,  x.  37-39. 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  453 

what  the  apostle  calls  on  the  calumniated  Christians  to  do;  and, 
second,  why  he  requires  them  to  do  this.  He  requires  them  to  do 
two  things  :  the  one  in  express  terms ;  the  other  by  necessary  impli 
cation.  He  requires  them  to  "have,"  or  hold,  "a  good  conscience," 
and  to  maintain  "  a  good  conversation,"  in  Christ ;  and  he  requires 
them  to  do  this,  that  their  calumniators  may  be  made  ashamed  of  their 
false  accusations. 

In  considering  the  first  part  of  our  subject,  I  shall,  in  succession, 
endeavor  to  explain  to  you  what  it  is  to  have  a  good  conscience,  and 
what  it  is  to  maintain  a  good  conversation,  in  Christ,  and  then  show  how 
these  are  mutually  connected ;  how  they  act  and  react  on  each  other. 

There  are  few  subjects  on  which  more  has  been  written  and  spoken 
to  little,  or  no,  or  worse  than  no,  purpose,  than  conscience.  "  Here/' 
as  Leighton  justly  says,  "  are  many  fruitless,  verbal  debates ;  and,  as 
in  other  things  that  most  require  solid  and  useful  consideration,  the 
vain  mind  of  man  feedeth  on  the  wind,  and  loves  to  be  busy  to  no 
purpose.  How  much  better  is  it  to  have  the  good  conscience  than 
dispute  about  its  nature ;  to  experience  its  power  than  to  understand 
its  definition."  Yet  it  is  very  desirable  that  we  should  have  distinct 
and  accurate  ideas  on  this  subject.  If  we  do  not  know  what  con 
science  is,  how  can  we  understand  what  is  meant  by  a  good  con 
science  ?  and  if  we  do  not  know  what  a  good  conscience  is,  how  can 
we  employ  the  appropriate  means  of  obtaining  it  if  we  are  destitute 
of  it,  or  of  retaining  it  if  we  are  so  happy  as  already  to  possess  it  ? 

Conscience  may  be  described  as  that  part  of  our  mental  constitu 
tion  which  makes  us  the  proper  subjects  of  religious  and  moral  obli 
gation  and  responsibility;  or,  in  other  words,  the  human  mind  in  its 
relations  to  God  and  duty.  It  is  a  part  of  the  constitution  of  man,  that 
as  he  makes,  and  cannot  but  make,  a  distinction  between  propositions 
as  true  and  false,  so  he  makes,  and  cannot  but  make,  a  distinction  be 
tween  dispositions  and  actions  as  right  and  wrong;  and  as  he  cannot 
but  count  what  he  thinks  to  be  true  to  be  worthy  of  belief,  and  what 
he  thinks  to  be  false  to  be  worthy  of  disbelief ;  so  he  cannot  but  count 
what  he  thinks  right  worthy  of  approbation  and  reward,  and  what  he 
thinks  wrong  worthy  of  disapprobation  and  punishment;  and  he  can 
not  do  what  he  knows  to  be  right  without  the  pleasurable  feeling  of 
self-approbation,  nor  can  he  do  what  he  knows  to  be  wrong  without 
the  painful  feeling  of  self-disapprobation.  These  seem  to  be  the  acts 
or  states  of  the  mind  to  which  we  give  the  general  name  of  conscience. 
It  is,  as  the  apostle  expresses  it,  the  having  "  the  work,"  the  office1  of 
law  so  "  written  in  the  heart,"  so  inwoven  into  his  nature,  as  that  with 
out  a  written  law  he  is  as  a  law  to  himself,  his  thoughts  accusing  o* 
excusing  one  another.  It  seems  to  be  this  part  of  our  constitution  to 
which  Solomon  refers,  when  he  says,  that  "  the  spirit  of  a  man  is  the 
Candle  of  the  Lord,  searching  all  the  inward  parts  of  the  belly."  It 
s  this  peculiar  endowment  of  the  human  soul  more  than  anything  else, 
nore  than  all  things  else  taken  together,  that  raises  it  above  the  ani- 
nating  principle  of  the  brutes.2 


. 


Tu  Ttv  vojinv.      To  tpyov  TOV  v^ov. — Rom.  ii.  14,  15. 

*  See  Bishop  Butler's  "  Three  Sermons  on  Human  Nature" — the  most  valuable  treatise 
n  the  philosophy  of  morals  in  existence 


454  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

The  conscience  is  good  when  the  mind  exercises  all  the  functions 
referred  to,  in  a  way  fitted  to  promote  the  religious  and  moral  excel 
lence,  the  holiness  and  the  happiness,  both  of  the  individual  and  of  all 
with  whom  he  is  connected.  It  is  absolutely  good  when  it  gains  this 
end  in  the  highest  degree  ;  and  it  is  good  or  evil  just  in  the  degree  in 
which  it  gains  these  ends,  or  comes  short  of  them,  or  conduces  to  ends 
of  an  opposite  kind. 

Man,  when  he  came  from  the  hand  of  his  Creator,  was  as  a  being 
possessed  of  conscience,  as,  in  every  other  view  that  can  be  taken  of 
his  nature,  very  good.  He  had  a  good  conscience.  He  clearly  per 
ceived  what  was  right,  and  strongly  felt  what  was  good.  He  thought, 
and  felt,  and  acted,  in  entire  coincidence  .with  his  convictions  of  right. 
His  heart  condemned  him  not,  and  he  had  confidence  towards  God, 
arising  from  the  consciousness  that,  in  mind  and  heart,  he  was  entirely 
conformed  to  His  will. 

Had  this  state  of  things  continued,  sin  and  misery  had  never  been 
known ;  and  in  a  growing  acquaintance  with  what  is  holy,  just,  and 
good,  and  a  corresponding  disposition  to  conform  himself  in  all  the 
faculties  of  his  nature  to  it,  a  foundation  was  laid  for  illimitable  pro 
gress  in  moral  excellence  and  happiness. 

But  man's  conscience  became  evil,  and  "that  which  was  ordained 
to  life  became  death,"  the  fruitful  source  both  of  sin  and  of  misery. 
The  conscience,  under  malignant  spiritual  influence,  became  evil, 
morally  depraved,  hesitating  in  a  case  where  there  was  no  room  for 
hesitation  ;  doubting  as  to  the  absolute  authority  of  a  distinctly  uttered 
announcement  of  the  mind  of  God,  and  as  to  the  necessary  connec 
tion  between  sin  and  punishment.  Had  conscience  maintained  its 
superiority  over  desire,  Satan  might  have  tempted,  but  man  would  not 
have  fallen.  But  conscience  betrayed  its  trust,  and  delivered  man  up 
to  the  influence. of  curiosity  and  ambition,  inflamed  by  the  false  repre 
sentations  of  the  great  deceiver;  and  no  sooner  had  he,  yielding  to 
temptation,  violated  the  Divine  law,  than,  incapable  of  changing  its 
nature,  the  inward  witness  and  judge  instantly  became  evil,  in  the 
sense  of  being  productive  of  misery.  It  having  first  deceived  him, 
then  slew  him.  It  repeated  the  declaration  of  the  Lawgiver  in  a  most 
terrific  form :  "  Thou  hast  eaten,  thou  must  die :  thou  art  a  sinner, 
thou  art  miserable/'  It  filled  him  with  remorse  and  the  fear  which  has 
torment ;  and  made  him  flee  from  what  had  been  the  source  of  his  happi 
ness,  but  now  was  the  object  of  his  terror,  "  the  presence  of  the  Lord." l 

Man,  the  sinner,  is  exposed,  under  the  penal  arrangements  of  the 
Divine  government,  to  the  operation  of  causes  both  of  depravity  and 
of  wretchedness  without  himself;  but  the  principal  sources  both  of 
his  ever-growing  sin  and  misery  are  within  himself,  in  his  own  de- 

1  Prima  est  hscc  ultio,  quod  se 
Judice,  nemo  nocens  absolvitur. 

Cur  tamen  hoa  tu 

Evasisse  putes,  quos  diri  conscia  facti 
Mens  habet  attonitos  est  surdo  verbere  csedit 
Occultum  quatiente  animo  tortore  flagellum  ? 
Poena  autem  vehemens,  ac  multo  saevior  illis 
Quas  et  Ccedilius  gravis  invenit,  aut  Rhadamanthus, 
Node  dieque  suuru  gestare  in  pectore  testein. — JUVENAL,  xiii. 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  455 

praved  nature.  He  is  his  own  perverter  and  his  own  tormentor.  All 
the  faculties  of  his  nature  have  become  "instruments  of  unrighteous 
ness  unto  sin  ;"  and  they  all,  too,  "  bring  forth  fruit  unto  death."  All 
his  faculties,  originally  good,  are  now  evil :  evil — influenced  by  de 
pravity  ;  evil — productive  of  misery.  Conscience,  the  master  faculty, 
is  thus  emphatically  evil. 

Conscience,  influenced  by  ignorance,  and  error,  and  criminal  in 
clination,  pronounces  false  judgments,  calls  evil  good,  and  good  evil, 
and  says  peace,  peace,  where  there  is  no  peace.  It  approves  what  it 
should  condemn,  and  condemns  what  it  should  approve.  It  is  fitful, 
and  uncertain,  and  inconsistent,  and  unreasonable,  sometimes,  at  the 
same  time  it  may  be  reproving  and  punishing  severely  for  the  neglect 
of  some  superstitious  usage,  and  permitting,  or  even  enjoining,  the 
perpetration  of  the  greatest  crimes.  It  is  sometimes  absurdly  and 
most  vexatiously sensitive  and  scrupulous,  and  at  other  times  "seared 
as  with  a  hot  iron/'  This  is  the  very  core  of  man's  depravity  and 
wretchedness.  When  the  mind  and  the  conscience  are  defiled, 
nothing  can  be  pure.  When  the  light  which  is  in  man  is  darkness, 
how  great  is  the  darkness ! 

Even  when  conscience,  in  the  unchanged,  unpardoned  sinner,  per 
forms  its  most  legitimate  function,  condemnation,  it  is  evil,  productive 
of  depravity  as  well  as  of  misery.  Its  condemnation  irritates,  instead 
of  destroying,  or  even  weakening,  the  sinful  principle  which  is  con 
demned.  It  awakens,  into  more  exasperated  fury,  enmity  against 
Him  who  forbids,  and  who  punishes,  what  the  sinner  loves.  It  makes 
the  sinner  "  run,  as  it  were,  on  the  Almighty's  neck,  on  the  thick 
bosses  of  his  buckler ;"  or,  paralyzing  the  sinews  of  dutiful  exertion, 
makes  him  say  there  is  no  hope,  and  yield  himself  up  an  unresisting 
victim  to  the  powers  of  evil.  And  the  most  fearful  scenes  of  suffer 
ing  that  are  witnessed  on  this  side  death — out  .of  the  prison-house 
from  which  there  is  no  discharge,  are  those  which  originate  in  the 
inflictions  of  a  guilty,  awakened,  unenlightened  conscience.  This  is 
the  most  adequate  representation  we  can  have  of  "  the  worm  that 
dieth  not,  and  the  fire  that  cannot  be  quenched." 

Behold  a  picture  drawn  from  the  life  of  a  sinner  conscience- 
struck  : — 

"  Alas !  how  changed !     Expressive  of  his  mind, 
His  eyes  are  sunk,  arms  folded,  head  reclined. 
Those  awful  syllables — hell,  death,  and  sin  ! 
Though  whisper'd,  plainly  tell  what  works  within : 
That  conscience  there  performs  her  proper  part, 
And  writes  a  doomsday  sentence  on  Ms  heart. 
Forsaking  and  forsaken  of  all  friends, 
He  now  perceives  where  earthly  pleasure  ends. 
Hard  task  for  one  who  lately  knew  no  care  ; 
And  harder  still,  as  learned  beneath  despair  ! 
His  hours  no  longer  pass  uumark'd  away — 
A  dark  importance  saddens  every  day  : 
He  hears  the  notice  of  the  clock,  perplexed, 
And  cries — Eternity  perhaps  comes  next ! 
Sweet  music  is  no  longer  music  here, 
And  laughter  sounds  like  madness  in  his  ear; 
His  grief  the  world  of  all  her  powers  disarms — 
"Wine  has  no  taste,  and  beauty  has  no  charms."  l 


Cowner. 


456  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

Out  of  this  darkness  God  can  bring  light ;  but  its  natural  consumma 
tion  is  "  the  blackness  of  darkness  forever." 

The  question  is  a  most  important  one,  How  is  conscience  in  man, 
the  sinner,  to  become  good,  the  source  of  holiness  and  happiness,  a 
well  of  living  water  in  him,  springing  up  unto  everlasting  life  ?  The 
true  answer  is,  the  conscience  must  be  brought  under  the  saving 
operation  of  "  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  It  must  be 
sprinkled  by  the  blood  of  his  atoning  sacrifice :  it  must  be  enlightened 
by  his  word :  it  must  be  influenced  by  his  Spirit.  It  is  thus,  thus 
alone,  that  any  sinner  can  have  a  good  conscience. 

"  The  blood  of  Christ,  who  through  the  eternal  Spirit  offered  him 
self  without  spot  unto  God,  purges  the  conscience  from  dead  works, 
to  serve  the  living  God."  1  The  heart  is  thus  "  sprinkled  from  an  evil 
conscience."  The  evil  conscience  becomes  good.  The  sprinkling 
of  the  blood  of  the  atoning  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ  on  the  con 
science  of  the  sinner,  makes  it  clean,  "  good ;"  converts  it  from  a 
source  of  misery  and  sin  into  a  source  of  peace  and  of  holiness. 
But  what  is  meant  by  this  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Christ  on  the 
heart  or  conscience,  and  how  does  it  produce  such  wonderful,  such 
delightful  results?  The  best  way  of  answering  the  first  of  these  in 
teresting  questions  is,  perhaps,  by  asking  another.  The  sprinkling 
of  the  blood  of  the  sin-offering  was  necessary,  in  order  to  its  being 
effectual  to  the  removal  of  the  guilt  of  those  for  whom  it  was  offered. 
What,  in  the  Christian  economy  of  redemption,  answers  to  this  part 
of  "  the  patterns  of  the  heavenly  things  ?"  2  There  can  be  but  one 
reply  :  the  faith  of  the  truth  respecting  the  atoning  sacrifice  of  Christ, 
produced  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  this  which  brings  home  the  sav 
ing  results  of  the  atonement  to  the  individual  sinner. 

Now,  how  does  this  faith  of  the  truth  respecting  Christ,  as  the 
great  atonement,  deliver  from  the  evil  conscience,  and  bring  us  under 
the  power  of  a  good  conscience  ?  Till  this  truth  is  understood  and 
believed,  conscience  condemns,  cannot  but  condemn,  the  sinner,  and 
produce  in  his  mind  and  heart  the  natural  consequences  of  this  con 
demnation,  fear  and  dislike  of  God.  But  when,  in  the  faith  of  the 
truth,  conscience  sees  God  setting  forth  his  Son,  a  propitiation  in  his 
blood,  and  hears  him  declaring  that  he  is  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  has 
borne  and  borne  away  the  sin  of  the  world;  who,  though  he  knew  no 
sin,  has  been  made  sin  for  men,  wounded  for  their  transgressions, 
bruised  for  their  iniquities ;  and  who  thus  has  magnified  the  law  and 
made  it  honorable,  and  brought  in  an  everlasting  righteousness ;  and 
that  He,  the  righteous  Judge,  is  well  pleased  for  that  righteousness* 
sake,  and  while  the  just  God  is  the  Saviour,  "just,  and  the  justifierof 
him  that  believeth  in  Jesus  ;"  conscience,  seeing  and  hearing  all  this, 
and  echoing,  as  formerly,  the  voice  of  God,  proclaims,  "  It  is  finished ;" 
God  is  satisfied,  and  so  am  I ;  he  justifies,  and  I  absolve :  "  There  is 
no  condemnation  to  them  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus."  3  Believing  in 
him,  thou  art  justified  in  all  things,  accepted  in  the  Beloved.  Thy 
sin  is  more  condemned  than  ever  through  his  flesh ;  but  thou,  thou 
art  justified.  Who  shall  lay  anything  to  thy  charge  ?  God  justifies ; 

1  Heb.  ix  14.  2  Heb.  ix.  23.      'Y^ay/tara  TUV  evovpaviuv.  *  Ro.M.  viii.  1. 


PART  IN.]  DUTIES  UNDER  PERSECUTION.  457 

who  shall  condemn  ?  Christ  has  died,  the  just  in  the  room  of  the 
unjust." 

And  as  the  condemning  conscience  naturally  filled  the  mind  with 
dislike  and  fear  of  God;  so  the  absolving,  the  justifying  conscience 
casts  out  the  jealousies  of  unforgiven  guilt,  fills  the  heart  with  confi 
dence  and  love,  fitting  the  man  to  yield  a  living  service  to  the  living 
God.  In  this  way,  in  this  way  alone,  can  the  conscience  of  man  be 
made  good,  or  kept  good,  by  bringing  it  and  keeping  it  under  the 
pacifying,  purifying  power  of  the  blood  of  atonement. 

This  is  indeed  "  a  good  conscience/'  It  makes  its  possessor  at 
once  happy  and  holy.  Let  him,  who  has  heard  its  testimony,  tell 
how  it  does  so — 

"  Tis  Heaven,  all  Heaven,  descending  on  the  wings 
Of  the  glad  legions  of  the  Kino;  of  kings  ; 
'Tis  more — 'tis  God,  diffused  in  every  part, 
'Tis  God  himself,  triumphant  in  the  heart." 

The  conscience  that  is  thus  sprinkled  by  Christ's  blood  is  enlight 
ened  by  Christ's  truth.  The  Christian  is  "  not  unwise,  but  under 
stands  what  the  will  of  the  Lord  is."  His  conscience  is  not  a  blind 
impulse.  Regulating  him,  it  is  itself  regulated  by  "the  perfect  law  of 
liberty,"  "  the  good,  and  perfect,  and  acceptable  will  of  the  Lord." 
It  is  not  guided  in  its  decisions  by  his  own  caprice,  or  his  own  rea 
son,  or  the  opinions  of  other  men ;  but  by  "  what  is  good,  by  what 
the  Lord  hath  required." 

And  while  sprinkled  by  the  blood  of  Christ's  sacrifice,  and  enlight 
ened  by  the  truth  of  Christ's  law,  it  is  guided  in  its  operation  by  the 
influence  of  Christ's  Spirit.  He  enables  it  wisely  and  honestly  to 
make  the  precepts  and  motives  of  the  Christian  law  bear  on  the  vary 
ing  circumstances  of  the  Christian's  inner  and  outer  life ;  on  his 
transactions  with  God,  and  his  transactions  with  men.  A  conscience 
which  allows  its  possessor  no  quiet  of  mind,  while  known  duty  is 
neglected,  or  known  sin  is  indulged  ;  and  makes  him  habitually 
feel  the  need  of  repairing  to  the  fountain  opened  for  sin  and  for 
uncleaness;  and  at  once  inclines  and  enables  him  to  "walk  at 
liberty,"  while  he  keeps  God's  law,  and  to  "  serve  God  without  fear, 
in  righteousness  and  holiness,  all  the  days  of  his  life,"2  is  the  good 
conscience,  to  possess  which  is  one  of  the  Christian's  highest  privi 
leges,  and  to  maintain  and  improve  which  is  one  of  his  principal 
duties. 

It  is  but  right,  however,  before  closing  this  part  of  the  subject,  to 
remark,  that  the  phrase  "  a  good  conscience"  is  sometimes  used  in 
the  New  Testament  in  a  more  restricted  sense,  to  signify  that  state 
of  the  mind  when  the  conscience  bears  witness,  "  in  the  Holy  Ghost," 
to  the  individual,  that  his  conduct  in  any  particular  case  is  in  accord 
ance  with  what  he  knows  and  believes  to  be  the  will  of  God :  an  ap 
proving  conscience.  To  this  the  apostle  refers  when  he  says,  "  Our 
rejoicing  is  this,  the  testimony  of  our  conscience,  that  in  simplicity 
and  godly  sincerity,  not  by  fleshly  wisdom,  but  by  the  grace  of  God, 
we  have  our  conversation  in  the  world  ;"  and  again,  "  Herein  do  I 
1  Cowper  3  Psal,  cxix.  44,  45.  Luke  i.  74,  75. 


458  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

exercise  myself  to  maintain  a  conscience  void  of  offence  towards 
God,  and  towards  man  ;"  and  again,  '•"  Pray  for  us,  for  we  trust  we 
have  a  good  conscience,  willing  in  all  things  to  live  honestly."  *  The 
question  whether  the  apostle  here  uses  the  phrase  in  its  more  extend 
ed  or  more  restricted  sense,  will  meet  us  before  we  close  the  dis 
course. 

Having  thus  illustrated  the  apostle's  express  injunction,  to  have  a 
good  conscience,  I  must  pass  more  lightly  over  his  implied  one,  to 
maintain  a  good  conversation  in  Christ.  The  word  "conversation'* 
here,  as  uniformly  in  its  biblical  sense,  does  not  mean,  as  in  common 
usage,  colloquial  intercourse,  but  character  and  conduct,  disposition 
and  behavior.  Conversation  in  Christ,  is  Christian  character  and  con 
duct;  though,  when  the  phrase  "in  Christ"  is  used,  as  it  very  often  is 
in  this  way,  as  equivalent  to  an  adjective,  it  has  a  great  deal  more 
meaning  than  we  commonly  attach  to  the  word  Christian.  A  con 
versation  in  Christ,  is  such  a  frame  of  disposition  and  tenor  of 
conduct,  as  becomes  persons  who  are  placed  in  a  relation  so  close  to 
Jesus  Christ,  that  all  the  most  intimate  unions  known  among  men  are 
employed  to  shadow  forth  its  closeness.  They  are  in  him  as  the 
branches  are  in  the  vine,  and  the  members  in  the  body ;  they  are  so 
in  him  as  that  they  died,  and  were  buried,  and  rose  again,  in  his  death, 
burial,  and  resurrection;  so  one  with  him  as  that  what  he  did  was 
considered  as  done  by  them,  and  what  he  deserved  is  bestowed  on 
them ;  so  one  with  him  as  that  his  Father  is  their  Father,  his  God 
their  God,  and  his  inheritance  their  inheritance  ;  they  are  animated 
by  his  Spirit,  having  the  same  mind  in  them  as  was  in  him  ;  thinking 
as  he  did,  willing  as  he  did,  feeling  as  he  did,  choosing  as  he  did  ;  they 
acknowledge  him  as  their  one  Teacher,  Saviour,  and  Lord  ;  they  are 
"  under  law,"  in  religious  matters,  to  him,  to  him  alone  ;  they  are  "  in 
the  world  as  he  was  in  the  world,"  his  animated  images,  his  "  living 
epistles,  seen  and  read  of  all  men."  Such  a  character  and  conduct 
must  have  in  them  something  very  peculiar. 

There  are  men,  calling  themselves  Christians,  and  who  would  not 
be  very  well  pleased  with,  any  one  who  questioned  their  right  to  that 
appellation,  who  think,  feel,  and  act  just  as  if  there  never  had  been 
such  a  person  as  Jesus  Christ,  and  whose  life  is  anything  rather  than 
"a  life  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God."  Their  conversation  is  not 
in  Christ ;  his  sacrifice  is  not  the  ground  of  their  hope  ;  his  Spirit 
not  the  source  of  light,  and  life,  and  energy,  and  peace,  and  joy  to 
them  ;  his  law  is  not  the  rule  of  their  duty  ;  his  example  not  the  pat 
tern  of  their  imitation  ;  his  authority  and  grace  not  their  motives  to 
duty  ;  his  glory  not  the  end  of  their  conduct.  In  a  word,  their  con 
versation  is  not  "  such  as  becomes  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ." 

The  maintenance  of  such  "  a  conversation  in  Christ,"  ought  to 
be  a  main  object  with  every  Christian.  He  must  habitually  endeav 
or  to  comply  with  the  exhortation  of  Leighton,  "  Seek  this  as  the 
only  way  to  have  thy  soul  and  thy  ways  righted  :  to  be  in  Christ,  and 
then  to  walk  in  him.  Let  thy  conversation  be  in  Christ.  Study 
him,  and  follow  him.  Look  on  his  way,  in  his  graces,  his  obedience, 
humility,  and  meekness,  till,  looking  on  them,  they  make  the  very 


£> 

1  2  Cor.  i.  12.    Acts  xxiv.  16.    Heb.  xiii.  18. 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  459 

idea  of  thee  new,  as  the  painter  doth  of  a  face  he  would  draw  to  the 
life.  So  behold  his  glory  that  thou  mayest  be  transformed  from  glory 
to  glory  ;  but,  as  it  is  there  added,  this  must  be  '  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord/  Do  not,  therefore,  simply  look  on  him  as  an  example  without 
thee,  but  a  life  within  thee.  Having  received  him,  walk  not  only 
like  him,  but  in  him.  Let  your  conversation  be  not  only  according  to 
him,  but  in  him  ;"  animated  by  his  Spirit  as  well  as  regulated  by  his 
law. 

Such  a  Christian  conversation  will,  of  necessity,  be  "  a  good  con 
versation."  It  is  to  "  walk  as  He  also  walked  ;"  the  "  holy,  harmless'' 
one ;  "  separated  from  sinners ;"  "  who  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile 
found  in  his  mouth  ;"  "  who  went  about  doing  good."  l  A  conversa 
tion  in  Christ  must,  just  because  it  is  conversation  in  Christ,  include 
in  it  every  species,  every  degree,  of  excellence. 

The  apostle  had  obviously  a  particular  purpose  to  serve,  in  giving 
this  epithet  to  the  Christian  conversation  which  he  intimates  is  ex 
pected  from  those  to  whom  he  wrote.  It  suggests  the  thought,  '  If 
you  Christians  were  characterized  by  an  evil  conversation,  then  not 
they  who  speak  of  you  as  evil-doers,  but  you,  would  have  cause  to  be 
ashamed;  but  if  your  conversation  be  the  good  conversation,  which 
it  must  be  if  it  be  a  conversation  in  Christ,  then  the  reality  in  your 
character  and  conduct  will  so  strikingly,  so  grotesquely,  contrast  with 
their  calumnious  misrepresentations,  they  will  be  so  plainly  in  the 
wrong,  that  they  must  be  shamed  into  silence.' 

The  mutual  relation  of  the  apostle's  two  injunctions,  the  one  ex 
press,  relating  to  a  good  conscience;  and  the  other  implied,  relating 
to  a  good  conversation,  requires  now  to  be  attended  to.  The  relation 
is  different,  according  as  you  consider  the  good  conscience  as  bearing 
the  wide,  or  the  more  limited,  sense  in  which  I  explained  the  phrase 
in  the  preceding  part  of  the  discourse. 

If  you  understand  it  in  the  wide  sense,  then  the  good  conversation 
is  the  result  of  the  good  conscience ;  and  the  exhortation  is,  '  Hold  a 
good  conscience  that  you  may  maintain  a  good  conversation  in 
Christ.'  Seek  to  have  your  conscience  habitually  sprinkled  by 
Christ's  blood,  enlightened  by  Christ's  truth,  influenced  by  Christ's 
Spirit,  that  you  may  exemplify  all  the  graces  of  the  Christian  charac 
ter,  and  perform  all  the  duties  of  the  Christian  life.  In  this  view,  the 
words  embody  one  of  the  most  important  maxims  of  practical  reli 
gion. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  you  understand  having  or  holding  a  good 
conscience,  to  mean,  seeking  to  maintain  the  approving  smile  of  our 
own  mind  in  a  consistency  with  the  truth  of  the  case,  then  the  good 
conscience  is  the  result  of  the  good  conversation,  and  the  exhortation 
is,  '  Let  your  temper  and  behavior  as  Christians  be  habitually  such,  as 
that,  whatever  calumniators  may  say,  you  shall  have  the  approving 
testimony  of  "the  man  within  the  breast;"  that  you  shall  have  "  a 
conscience  void  of  offence  towards  God  and  towards  men."  This 
is  another  important  maxim  of  practical  religion. 

The  conversation  cannot  be  made  good  but  by  having  the  con 
science  made  good.  The  conscience  cannot  be  kept  good  but  by  the 

1  1  John  ii.  6.    Heb.  vii.  26.     1  Pet.  ii.  22.    Acts  x.  38. 


460  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

conversation  being  kept  good.  To  attempt,  as  some  do,  to  get  the 
conversation  good,  while  the  conscience  is  not  good,  is  "to  be  still 
putting  the  handle  of  the  clock  right  with  your  finger,  which  is  a  con 
tinual  business,  and  does  no  good/'5 1  And  to  try,  as  others  do,  while 
not  maintaining  a  good  conversation,  to  keep  a  good  opinion  of  them 
selves,  and  think  this  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience,  by  cherish 
ing  antinomian  dogmas,  mystical  dreams,  or  enthusiastic  raptures,  is 
like  a  person  attempting,  by  the  use  of  narcotic  medicines,  to  preserve 
peace  of  mind,  when,  through  indolence  and  mismanagement,  his  af 
fairs  are  in  disorder,  and  ruin  is  at  hand,  and  poverty  about  to  come 
on  him  as  an  armed  man. 

The  particular  object  for  which  the  apostle  addresses  these  injunc 
tions  to  the  persecuted  Christians,  comes  now  shortly  to  be  noticed. 
Have  a  good  conscience  and  a  good  conversation  in  Christ,  "  that 
they  who  speak  evil  of  you  as  evil-doers,  and  accuse  you,  may  be 
ashamed." 

Christians  cannot  gratify  their  calumniators  more  than  by  being 
induced,  under  the  irritating  influence  of  their  false  accusations,  to  do 
anything  inconsistent  with  a  good  conversation  in  Christ,  which 
would,  of  course,  interfere  with  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience. 
Even  the  slightest  deviation  of  a  Christian,  not  only  from  what  is 
right  in  the  estimation  of  a  lax  worldly  morality,  but  from  what  is 
right  according  to  the  principles  of  spiritual  Christianity,  gives  coun 
tenance  to  the  slanders,  and  enables  their  authors  to  say,  'You  see 
he  is  not  what  his  profession  requires  him  to  be,  and  he  only  needs 
to  be  better  known  to  be  found  out  to  be,  indeed,  the  very  bad  per 
son  we  represent  him.' 

On  the  other  hand,  uniform,  consistent,  good  conduct,  as  it  is  often 
the  only,  so  it  is  always,  in  the  long  run,  the  most  effectual  method 
of  putting  down  calumny,  and  putting  to  shame  calumniators.  "A 
lying  tongue  is  but  for  a  moment."  Men  cannot  continue  to  believe 
without  evidence,  and  in  opposition  to  evidence.  A  uniform  course 
of  Christian  behavior  secures,  that,  if  the  accusations  are  taken  up  and 
inquired  into,  they  will  be  found  not  true.  They  will  be  found  to  be 
not  even  plausible ;  they  will  be  found  to  be  false,  entirely  false,  ob 
viously,  malignantly  false.  Such  was  the  result  in  the  case  of  our 
Lord,  when  the  attempt  was  made  to  substantiate  the  calumnies  of  his 
enemies.  "  I  find  no  fault  in  him,"  said  a  judge  certainly  by  no 
means  predisposed  in  his  favor.  And  such,  too,  was  the  result  in  the 
case  of  Paul,  when  he  was  spoken  evil  of  as  an  evil-doer,  and  falsely 
accused.  Claudius  Lysias,  the  Roman  commander,  after  inquiry,  de 
clared  that,  notwithstanding  all  the  calumnies  of  his  enemies,  he  had 
done  nothing  worthy  of  death  or  of  bonds  ;  and  Festus  the  governor, 
and  King  Agrippa,  came  to  the  same  conclusion;  thus  covering  his 
calumniators  with  shame.  Even  where  no  formal  investigation  of 
calumnies  takes  place,  a  blameless  holy  life  effectually  refutes  them. 

When   our  hope  is  called  in  question,  in  all  ordinary  cases  we 

should  defend  it ;  but  defend  it  with  meekness  and  fear.     Silence  in 

such  a  case  is  often,  is  usually,  injustice  to  truth.     But  when  our 

character   is   calumniated,  in  very  many  instances  it  is  the  wisest 

1  Leighton.  a  proy  xjj  19 


PART  III.]  DUTIES    UNDER    PERSECUTION.  461 

course  to  allow  it  to  vindicate  itself.  In  such  a  case,  to  use  Arch 
bishop  Leighton's  beautiful  figure,  "  The  integrity  of  a  Christian  con 
quers,  as  a  rock  unremoved  breaks  the  waters  that  are  dashing 
against  it.  This  is  not  only  a  lawful,  but  a  laudable  way  of  revenge  ; 
shaming  calumny  out  of  its  malignant  lies ;  punishing  evil-speakers 
by  well-doing;  showing  by  facts,  not  words,  how  false  is  the  accusa 
tion  brought  aginst  us."  This  is  the  most  effectual  apology,  the  most 
triumphant  refutation.  It  is  like  the  reply  which  was  given  to  the 
sophist,  who  denied  the  possibility  of  motion,  and  fortified  his  denial 
by  many  very  ingenious  reasons.  His  antagonist,  without  speaking 
a  word,  rose  and  walked.  The  most  elaborate  refutation  would  not 
more  satisfactorily  have  exposed  the  absurdity,  or  so  effectually  have 
put  the  sophist  to  shame. 

It  is  also  a  very  weighty  consideration,  that  without  this  good  con 
science  and  conversation,  any  defence  we  can  make  of  our  religion  is 
not  likely  to  have  much  influence.  One  unchristian  action  on  the 
part  of  a  professor  of  Christianity,  will  cast  more  discredit  on  his  reli 
gion  than  the  largest  and  best-framed  speeches  in  its  behalf  can  com 
pensate.  Religion  has  never  permanently  suffered  from  calumnies 
cast  on  consistently  religious  men  ;  and  the  objects  of  such  calumnies 
have  seldom  been  permanent  sufferers.  When  they  "  trust  in  the 
Lord  and  do  good,"  when  they  "  delight  themselves  in  him,"  and 
"  commit  their  way  to  him,"  he  often,  in  a  manner  that  amazes  them 
selves  and  confounds  their  enemies,  "  brings  forth  their  righteousness 
as  the  light,  and  their  judgment  as  the  noon-day."1 

The  apostle  closes  his  exhortations  to  Christians  under  persecu 
tion,  by  directing  their  attention  to  a  view  of  affliction,  calculated  at 
once  to  afford  support  and  direction,  consolation  and  guidance  :  "  For 
it  is  better,  if  the  will  of  God  be  so,"  or  since  it  is  the  will  of  the  Lord, 
"that  ye  suffer  for  well-doing  than  for  evil-doing;"  literally,  "that 
ye  suffer  as  well-doers  rather  than  evil-doers."2 

These  words  do  not  seem  to  have  any  peculiarly  close  connection 
with  the  verse  which  immediately  precedes  them.  They  are  con 
nected  with  the  whole  paragraph,  occupied,  as  it  is,  with  an  account 
of  the  duties  of  Christians  exposed  to  persecution.  The  force  of  the 
connective  particle  seems  to  be,  c  You  ought  to  submit  to  suffering, 
and  you  ought  to  act  in  this  manner  under  suffering ;  "for  it  is  bet 
ter,  since  such  is  the  will  of  God,  to  suffer;  and  it  is  better  to  suffer 
doing  well,  than  doing  evil."  ' 

It  is  better,  since  such  is  the  will  of  God,  that  Christians  should 
suffer.  Suffering  is  not  in  itself  desirable.  Abstractly  considered,  it 
is  not  better  to  suffer  than  not  to  suffer.  But,  taking  into  consider 
ation  the  whole  circumstances  of  the  case,  it  is  much  better  that 
Christians  should  suffer  than  that  they  should  not  suffer.  "  It  is  need 
ful"  that  they  be  "in  heaviness  through  manifold  trials."  3  A  life  of 
ease  would  not  be  the  suitable  means  of  forming  them  to  that  charac 
ter  which  is  essential  to  their  complete  and  final  happiness.  They  all 

1  Psal.  xxxvii.  3-6. 

1  K.PEITTOV  yap  dvaOoKotoTJvras  (si  6c\si  TO  8i\i}{ta  Qsov)  ni<rycivt  ?J 

•  1  Pet.  i.  6. 


462  GENERAL   CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

are  made  to  see  this  in  a  good  measure  :  and  to  say,  "  It  has  been  good 
for  me  that  I  have  been  afflicted.  I  know,  O  Lord,  that  thy  judg 
ments  are  right,  and  that  thou  in  faithfulness  hast  afflicted  me."  l  The 
occurrence  of  the  affliction  is  proof  enough  that  it  is  the  "  will  of  the 
Lord."  "  Shall  there  be  evil  in  a  city,  and  the  Lord  hath  not  done 
it  ?"  2  Every  affliction  "  comes  forth  from  Him  who  is  wonderful  in 
counsel,  and  excellent  in  working/'  And  the  undoubted  fact,  that 
these  sufferings  are  the  will  of  God,  is  to  Christians  undoubted  evi 
dence  that  it  is  better  for  them  to  suffer.  For,  does  not  God  love 
them  ?  is  he  not  infinitely  wise  ?  has  he  not  promised  to  give  them  what 
is  good,  and  to  make  all  things  work  together  for  their  good  ?  What 
ever,  then,  may  be  the  form,  whatever  the  degree,  whatever  the  con 
tinuance  of  the  affliction,  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  this 
is  the  will  of  God  concerning  us;  and  as  little  doubt  that  that  will  is 
good.  Nature  may,  nature  often  does,  say,  '  It  were  better  that  I  did 
not  suffer ;'  but  faith  reproves  nature,  and  bids  reason  school  her  into 
a  better  mind.  '  It  is  the  will  of  the  Lord  that  I  suffer ;  that  I  suffer 
thus;  and  can  anything  be  better,  better  for- me,  than  the  will  of  my 
Father  in  heaven,  my  Almighty,  all-wise,  infinitely  righteous,  infinitely 
benignant,  unchanging  Friend?' 

There  is  to  every  rational  being  a  strong  argument  for  submission 
under  affliction,  in  the  sentiment,  '  Such  is  the  will  of  God.'  For 
"what  is,  what  can  be,  gained  by  our  reluctances  and  repinings,  but 
pain  to  ourselves  ?  he  doth  what  he  wills,  whether  we  consent  or  no. 
Our  disagreeing  doth  not  prejudice  his  purpose,  but  our  peace.  If  we 
will  not  be  led,  we  must  be  drawn ;  we  must  suffer  if  he  will :  but  if 
we  will  what  he  wills,  even  in  suffering  that  makes  it  sweet  and  easy 
when  our  mind  goes  along  with  his,  and  we  willingly  move  with  the 
stream  of  Providence,  which  will  carry  us  with  it,  though  we  row 
against  it,  and  we  still  have  nothing  but  toil  and  weariness  for  our 
pains :  and  why  should  we  not  will  what  he  wills,  when  we  know  this 
is  his  will,  even  our  sanctification,  our  salvation;  and  that  when  he 
wills  our  sufferings,  he  wills  them  in  order  to  these?"  3 

But  the  words  before  us  not  only  intimate  that  it  is  better,  since 
such  is  the  will  of  God;  that  Christians  suffer,  but  it  is  better  that  they 
suffer  doing  well,  than  doing  evil.  The  sentiment  which  our  transla 
tion  brings  out  of  the  words  is  a  just  one,  "it  is  better  to  suffer  for 
well-doing,  than  for  evil-doing."  '  Take  heed,'  as  if  he  had  said,  '  that 
your  enemies  never  have  occasion  to  punish  you  for  real  crimes  ;'  "  let 
none  of  you  suffer  as  a  murderer,  or  as  a  thief,  or  as  an  evil-doer,  or 
as  a  busy-body  in  other  men's  matters" — that  would  be  disgraceful  to 
yourselves,  disgraceful  to  your  cause;  but  if  any  man  suffer  as  a 
Christian,  for  righteousness'  sake,  because  he  will  not  deny  his  Lord, 
or  renounce  his  faith,  "let  him  not  be  ashamed."  It  is  far  better  to 
suffer  in  this  last  way  than  in  the  first  way.  Your  characters  will  be 
improved,  your  religion  will  be  honored,  by  such  sufferings.  The 
other  sort  of  suffering  is  calculated  to  disgrace  both. 

At  the  same  time,  the  words  do  seem  naturally  to  express  a  some 
what  different,  and  an  equally  important  and  appropriate  sentiment. 
It  is  better  to  suffer  the  trials  to  which,  as  Christians,  you  are  exposed, 

1  Paal.  cxix.  71,  75.  »  Amos  iii.  6.  3  Leighton. 


DISC.  XV.]  CONCLUSION.  463 

doing  well  than  doing  evil.  It  is  better  to  bear  them  in  a  right  spirit 
than  in  a  wrong  spirit ;  to  act  properly  under  them  than  to  act  im 
properly.  It  is  better,  for  example,  that  you  should  for  injury  and 
insult  render  blessing,  than  that  you  should  resentfully  retaliate  ;  better 
that  you  should  entirely  rise  above  the  fears  of  your  adversary,  than 
in  any  degree  sink  under  them ;  better  that  you  should  meekly  and 
piously  meet  the  demands  of  your  enemies  for  an  account  of  your 
faith,  than  manifest  either  cowardice  in  shrinking  from,  or  bad  temper 
in  conducting,  your  defence ;  better  quietly  live  down  the  calumnies 
of  your  enemies,  than  be  hurried  by  resentment  of  them  into  anything 
inconsistent  with  the  holding  a  good  conscience,  or  maintaining  a 
good  conversation.  It  is  not  enough  that  Christians,  when  they  suffer, 
should  suffer  not  for  doing  ill,  but  for  doing  well;  but  farther,  that  they 
should  do  well,  and  not  do  ill,  in  suffering.  They  should  be  good 
sufferers  in  a  good  cause.  It  is  not  the  mere  suffering  that  is  to  do  us 
good ;  it  is  the  manner  in  which  we  think,  and  feel,  and  act  under 
suffering.  It  is  much  better,  when  called  to  suffer  in  the  manner  the 
apostle  recommends,  than  in  an  opposite  way.  How  much  more 
comfortable,  how  much  more  advantageous  to  ourselves,  how  much 
more  honorable  to,  God,  how  much  more  creditable  to  religion,  to  bear 
the  afflictions  laid  on  us,  especially  those  which  come  in  the  form  of 
persecution,  in  a  quiet,  resigned,  pious,  cheerful,  humble,  patient,  meek 
spirit,  than  in  a  different,  than  in  an  opposite  temper!  "Wherefore, 
let  them  that  suffer  according  to  the  will  of  God,  commit  the  keeping 
of  their  souls  to  Him,  in  well-doing,  as  unto  a  faithful  Creator." 
Then  will  "  tribulations  work  patience,  and  experience,  and  hope,  that 
makes  not  ashamed."  "  The  chastisement,"  though  "  not  for  the 
present  joyous  but  grievous,"  will  yield  "  the  peaceable  fruits  of  righte 
ousness  unto  them  who  are  exercised  thereby;"  and  their  "light 
affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  moment,  will  work  out  for"  them  "  a  far 
more  exceeding  and  an  eternal  weight  of  glory."  l 

I  cannot  conclude  without  taking  notice  of  the  illustration  which 
the  subject  of  discourse  gives,  of  what  Tertullian  calls  "the  adorable 
fulness  of  the  Holy  Scriptures."  They  are  indeed  full,  full  to  an 
overflow,  of  the  mind  and  spirit  of  Christ,  of  light  and  love,  of  truth 
and  grace.  All  that  man  needs  to  know  in  reference  to  his  relations 
to  God  and  eternity,  to  make  him  wise,  and  good,  and  happy,  is  to  be 
found  there.  There  is  no  question  respecting  the  Divine  character 
and  government,  the  solution  of  which  is  necessary  to  human  duty  or 
happiness,  which  is  not  there  satisfactorily  settled ;  and,  amid  the  im 
mense  variety  of  circumstances  in  which  a  human  being  may  be 
placed,  there  is  not  one  situation  to  which  there  is  not  to  be  found 
their  appropriate  warning,  direction,  or  consolation.  The  fulness  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  as  a  practical  directory,  must  often  have  struck 
with  wonder  and  awe,  as  well  as  gratitude  and  delight,  the  intelligent 
Christian.  When  the  ear  of  his  mind  is  opened  to  discipline,  the 
Holy  Spirit,  bringing  to  remembrance  his  own  oracles,  makes  him 
often  in  the  hour  of  perplexity,  in  a  way  which  astonishes  himself, 
hear  as  it  were,  a  word  behind  him,  "  This  is  the  way,  walk  in  it." 
1  Rom.  v.  3,  5.  Hcb.  xii.  11.  2  Cor.  iv.  17. 


464  GENERAL    CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XV. 

Not  merely  are  there  to  be  found  in  them  wide-reaching  principles  of 
duty,  which  admit  of  easy  application  to  an  endless  number  and  va 
riety  of  particular  cases,  but  there  are,  comparatively,  few  combina 
tions  of  circumstances,  even  the  most  extraordinary,  in  which  the 
diligent,  humble,  pious  student  of  the  Scriptures,  will  not  find  himself 
furnished  there  with  information  and  directions,  as  suited  even  to  the 
minute  peculiarities,  or  it  may  be,  as  he  is  apt  to  think  it,  the  absolute 
singularities  of  his  case,  as  if  these  had  been  immediately  before  the 
mind  of  the  inspired  writers.  He  is  there  taught  how  to  employ  all 
his  faculties;  how  to  regulate  all  his  desires;  how  to  behave -himself 
to  God  and  man,  to  relatives  and  strangers,  to  friend  and  enemy;  in 
retirement  and  in  society ;  in  his  own  house  and  in  the  house  of  God ; 
in  prosperity  and  in  adversity ;  in  youth,  in  middle  life,  and  in  old 
age  ;  how  to  think  and  feel ;  how  to  speak  and  act ;  how  to  live  and 
how  to  die.  How  so  much  particular,  easily  applicable,  practical 
instruction,  could,  without  any  appearance  of  unnatural  constraint, 
be  brought  within  the  compass  of  so  moderate  a  sized  volume  as  the 
Bible,  is  indeed  extraordinary ;  and  he  who  is  best  acquainted  with 
that  divine  Book,  and  has  been  most  in  the  habit  of  taking  it  as  a 
"  lamp  to  his  feet  and  a  light  to  his  path/'  will  be  readiest  to  say  with 
Tertullian,  "  I  adore  the  fulness  of  the  Holy  Scriptures." 

This  train  of  thought  is  naturally  suggested  by  observing  how  much 
varied,  important,  particular,  readily-available  instruction,  on  the  in 
teresting  subject  of  the  duties  of  Christians  when  exposed  to  perse 
cution  on  account  of  their  religion,  is  crowded  into  the  short  paragraph 
with  which  the  subject  of  this  discourse  concludes.  We  have  here 
not  a  general  exhortation  to  patience  and  constancy,  but  directions 
are  given  suited  to  the  various  forms  which  persecution  might  assume. 
Injuries  and  insults  might  be  heaped  on  them :  how  were  they  to  act 
in  this  case  ?  They  were  not  to  "  render  evil  for  evil,  but  contrari 
wise,  blessing."  Prospects  the  most  appalling  might  be  presented 
to  them  for  the  purpose  of  shaking  their  faith :  how  were  they  to  act 
in  this  case  ?  They  were  not  to  be  afraid  of  the  terror  of  their  ene 
mies,  neither  were  they  to  be  troubled,  but  to  "sanctify  the  Lord  God 
in  their  hearts,"  as  the  object  both  of  supreme  fear  and  confidence. 
They  might  be  called  on  publicly  to  state  and  defend  the  religion  on 
which  rested  all  their  hopes :  how  were  they  to  act  in  this  case  ? 
They  were  to  "  be  always  ready  to  give  an  answer  to  every  one  who 
asked  them  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  was  in  them  with  meekness  and 
fear."  They  might  be  exposed  to  a  sort  of  attack  from  which  it  is 
peculiarly  difficult  to  defend  either  themselves  or  their  cause :  syste 
matic  calumniation.  Men  might  "speak  evil  of  them,  and  falsely 
accuse  them  as  evil-doers :"  how  were  they  to  act  in  this  case  ?  They 
were  to  hold  "a  good  conscience,"  and  to  maintain  "a  good  conver 
sation  in  Christ."  And  what  a  persecuted  Christian  must  have  found 
in  this  portion  of  Scripture,  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  every 
Christian,  if  he  is  but  careful  enough  to  search  the  Scriptures,  will 
find  in  some  portion  of  it — that  which  is  fitted  to  make  him,  as  a 
"man  of  God,  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished,"  for  work  and  for 
warfare. 


DISC.  XV.]  NOTES.  465 


NOTE  A.  p.  433. 

The  present  division  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  into  chapters  and  verses  is  not  of  Divine 
origin,  but  is  a  human  invention  of  comparatively  late  date,  intended  chiefly  to  facilitate 
reference  to  any  particular  portion  of  the  sacred  oracles.  With  the  exception  of  the  book 
of  Psalms — the  particular  poems  in  which,  as  separate  compositions,  given  forth  at  differ 
ent  times  and  on  various  occasions,  were,  from  the  beginning,  divided  from  each  other — all 
the  books,  both  in  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New,  were  originally  written  as  so  many  con 
tinued  discourses;  not  only  without  paragraphs,  but  with  the  clauses,  and  even  sentences, 
undivided  by  such  notes  as  we  call  points,  and  the  words  themselves  not  separated  by  any 
sensible  distance  from  each  other. 

The  division  first  made  of  the  Old  Testament  writings  is  considerably  ancient ;  probably 
not  much,  if  at  all,  posterior  to  the  days  of  Ezra.  The  different  books  were  divided  into 
large  paragraphs,  and  verses ;  which  last  were,  however,  merely  marked  by  a  point,  not 
numbered.  This  division  was  probably  made  for  the  convenience  of  their  synagogue  wor 
ship.  Pure  Hebrew,  in  which  the  Old  Testament  books  are  written,  ceased  to  be  the  ver 
nacular  language  of  the  Israelites  after  the  Babylonian  captivity.  After  the  return  from 
Babylon,  when  the  sacred  writings  were  read  in  the  synagogue,  they  were  first  read  in 
the  original,  and  then  interpreted  into  the  Chaldaic  or  Syro-Chaldaic  dialect,  whicli  was 
commonly  used  by  the  people.  To  this  mode  of  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures,  it  is  gen 
erally  supposed  there  is  a  reference,  Neh.  viii.  8,  where  it  is  said  that  the  Levites  "read in 
the  book,  in  the  law  of  the  Lord,  distinctly,  and  gave  the  sense,  and  caused  them  to  under 
stand  the  reading."  As  this  was  done  period  by  period,  it  became  necessary  to  adopt 
some  notation  to  mark  the  beginning  and  end  of  the  periods. 

The  division  of  the  Bible  into  the  chapters,  with  which  we  are  familiar,  is  comparatively 
a  modern  invention.  It  was  made  about  the  middle  of  the  13th  century,  by  a  cardinal  of 
the  Roman  Church,  Hugo  de  St.  Caro,  who  formed  the  first  concordance  of  the  Latin  Vul 
gate  translation  of  the  Scriptures,  for  the  obvious  purpose  of  facilitating  reference  to  any 
particular  passage  or  word.  This  division  was  adopted  by  a  learned  Jew  Rabbi,  Isaac 
Nathan,  who,  about  the  middle  of  the  15th  century,  published  the  first  concordance  of  the 
Hebrew  Scriptures  ;  and,  MI  addition,  he  numbered  the  verses  into  which  the  sacred  text 
had  been  anciently  divided. 

About  a  century  later,  a  learned  French  printer,  Robert  Stephens,  divided  the  New 
Testament  into  verses ;  and  his  division,  with  few  exceptions  and  with  very  slight  varia 
tions,  has  been  generally  adopted  in  the  editions  of  the  original  text,  and  in  the  transla 
tions  of  the  Scriptures,  which  have  been  since  published  throughout  the  Christian  world. 

This  division  of  the  sacred  text  is  convenient  for  the  purpose  of  reference  ;  and  had  it 
been  always  judiciously  made  and  accommodated  to  the  different  kinds  of  composition  of 
which  the  sacred  books  are  made  up,  might  have  contributed  materially  to  the  more  im 
portant  purpose  of  interpretation.  Like  all  human  works,  however,  it  bears  abundant 
evidence  of  the  imperfection  of  its  authors,  and  has  been  productive  of  some  bad  as  well 
as  of  some  good  consequences.  The  division,  whether  of  chapters  or  of  verses,  is  not  al 
ways  judicious  :  where  there  is  no  pause  in  the  discourse,  no  division  in  the  thoughts,  we 
often  find  a  division  in  the  words  :  while,  on  the  other  hand,  where  the  sense  requires  such 
a  division,  it  is  not  always  to  be  found. 

To  no  part  of  the  sacred  writings  does  the  division  into  chapters  and  verses  less  happily 
apply,  than  to  the  epistolary  writings  of  the  New  Testament.  Both  from  their  argumenta 
tive  character,  and  their  epistolary  form,  it  becomes  almost  impossible  to  break  them 
down  into  such  short  sections  as  our  verses,  without  materially  impairing  their  beauty  and 
obscuring  their  meaning.  It  would  be  a  considerable  help  towards  the  understanding  of 
the  apostolical  epistles,  if  the  chapters  and  verses  were  merely  marked  on  the  margin, 
while  the  epistle  itself  was  printed  as  a  continuous  discourse,  broken  down  only  into  such 
paragraphs  as  it  naturally  resolves  itself  into;  and  indeed  we  are  persuaded,  nobody  will 
ever  make  very  satisfactory  progress  in  the  study  of  these  most  interesting  portions  of 
eacred  writ,  who  does  not  get  into  the  habit  of  reading  them  with  an  almost  total  disre 
gard  of  the  ordinary  divisions. 

We  have  an  illustration  of  these  remarks  in  the  words  which  form  the  subject  of  the 
first  division  of  the  third  part  of  this  discourse.  They  form  a  part  of  a  series  of  injunc 
tions  laid  by  the  apostle  on  the  Christians  to  whom  he  wrote,  respecting  their  duty  so  to 
behave  themselves  towards  their  persecutors  as  that  no  discredit  should  be  reflected  either 
on  their  religion  or  themselves ;  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  the  doctrine  of  God  their 
Saviour  might  be  adorned,  and  their  adversaries  have  no  evil  thing  to  say  with  truth  of 
its  professors.  The  first  injunction  is,  to  abstain  from  all  resentful  retaliation,  and  to  meet 
injury  and  reproach  by  kindness  both  in  conduct  and  in  language.  This  injunction  is  con 
tained  in  the  9th  verse :  and  with  the  illustration  and  enforcement  of  this  injunction,  the 

30 


466  NOTES.  [DISC,  xv 

apostle  13  engaged  down  to  the  middle  of  the  14th  verse.  Here  there  is  a  pause  in  the 
discourse,  a  division  in  the  thought  He  proceeds  to  a  second  injunction  ;  calling  on  them 
to  guard  against  the  undue  influence  of  fear,  and  prescribing  a  due  regard  to  God  as  the 
best  means  of  preventing  an  undue  regard  to  man.  But  you  will  notice  there  is  in  our 
common  bibles  no  division  of  the  words  here.  You  would  suppose  the  second  part  of  the 
verse  just  a  following  out  the  thought  contained  in  the  first ;  when,  in  reality,  it  is  what  in 
a  discourse  we  would  call  entering  on  the  illustration  of  a  new  particular.  And,  as  we 
have  here  no  division  where  the  sense  required  one,  so,  at  the  close  of  the  verse,  we  have 
a  division  where  the  sense  requires  there  should  be  none :  for  the  first  part  of  the  loth 
verse  is  just  the  conclusion  of  the  sentence  begun  in  the  last  part  of  the  14th, — a  part, 
indeed,  of  the  same  quotation  from  an  Old  Testament  writer.  And  then  again  a  third,  and 
entirely  distinct  injunction,  is  given  in  the  remaining  part  of  the  15th  verse, — an  injunction 
to  be  always  ready  to  give  an  account  of  their  religion,  and  its  grounds,  to  all  who  should 
call  them  in  question  for  them.  Here  again  we  have  a  distinct  division  in  the  thoughts, 
unmarked  by  any  corresponding  division  in  the  words. 

These  may  appear  to  some  very  minute  and  unimportant  remarks,  and  comparatively 
they  are  so  ;  but  nothing  should  be  considered  as  trifling  or  useless,  which  goes  to  remove 
obscurity  or  pointlessness  from  an  inspired  declaration  or  precept;  or  to  give  it,  even  in 
a  slight  degree,  additional  clearness  or  force. 


NOTE  B.  p.  434. 

"  Observandum  est,  duo  esse  in  N"ovo  Testamento  e  veteri  citationum  genera.  Qusedara 
enim,  imo  pleraque  omnia  loca  quae  e  veteri  proferunter  in  Novo  Testamento  ejus  modi 
sunt,  ut,  juxta  mentem  consilium  et  scopum  Scriptoris  ex  quo  depromuntur,  adducantur  ad 
doctrinae  evangelicae  confirmation  em.  Sed  et  alia  sunt  nonnulla  in  quibus  a  Novi  Testa 
ment!  Scriptoribus,  non  tarn,  spectatur  mens  consilium  et  scopus,  quam  Scriptoris  verba 
duntaxat,  quoa  quoniam  aliquam  habent  cum  iis  de  quibus  loquuntur  similitudinem  et  sig- 
nificationis  convenientiam,  iis  utuntur,  non  tanquam  testimonio  et  auctoritate,  qua  velint 
dictum  suum  communirc,  sed  per  allusionem  duntaxat.  Cujus  modi  ferme  sunt  ilia  quce  vulgo 
Noemata  seu  Gnomas  Rhetores  vocant,  dicta  nimirum  qnzedam  sententiosa  ex  poeta  aliquo — 
Virgilio  puta  vel  Homero  deprompta,  quoe  nos  solemus  ad  rem  et  propositum  nostrum 
accommodare,  non  quod  hoc  velimus,  poetam  idipsum  spectasse  et  in  an  imo  habuisse  quod 
nos  cum  ejus  verba  usurpamus,  sed  id  grata  quadam  '  accommodatione'  duntaxat  a  nobis 
fit,  quod  allusionibus  libenter  et  impense  soliti  sint  homines  delectari." — Matt.  xiii.  34. 
Psal.  xlix.  2.  Rom.  x.  18.  Psal.  xix.  5.  2  Cor.  viii.  15.  Exod.  xvi.  13. — L.  CAPELLUS. 


NOTE  C.  p.  440. 

"  Should  the  empress,"  says  Chrysostom,  in  his  epistle  to  Cyriacus,  "  determine  to  banish 
me,  let  her  banish  me ;  'the  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  the  fulness  thereof.'  If  she  will  cast 
me  into  the  sea,  let  her  cast  me  into  the  sea ;  I  will  remember  Jonah.  If  she  will  throw 
me  into  a  burning  fiery  furnace  ;  the  three  children  were  there  before  me.  If  she  will  throw 
me  to  the  wild  beasts ;  I  will  remember  that  Daniel  was  in  the  den  of  lions.  If  she  will 
condemn  me  to  be  stoned  ;  I  shall  be  the  associate  of  Stephen,  the  proto-martyr.  If  she 
will  have  me  beheaded ;  the  Baptist  has  submitted  to  the  same  punishment.  If  she  will 
take  away  my  substance ;  '  naked  came  I  out  of  my  mother's  womb,  and  naked  shall  I 
return  to  it.'" 


DISCOURSE   XVI 

THE  SUFFERINGS  OF  CHRIST  (THEIR  NATURE— DESIGN— CONSE 
QUENCES)  AN  ENCOURAGEMENT  TO  CHRISTIANS  SUFFERING 
FOR  HIS  CAUSE. 

1  PET.  iii.  18-22. — For  Christ  also  hath  once  suffered  for  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  that 
he  might  bring  us  to  God,  being  put  to  death  in  the  flesh,  but  quickened  by  the  Spirit: 
By  which  also  he  went  and  preached  unto  the  spirits  in  prison ;  which  sometime  were 
disobedient,  when  once  the  long-suffering  of  God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah,  while  the 
ark  was  a  preparing,  wherein  few,  that  is,  eight  souls,  were  saved  by  water.  The  like 
figure  whereunto  even  baptism  doth  also  now  save  us  (not  the  putting  away  of  the  filth 
of  the  flesh,  but  the  answer  of  a  good  conscience  toward  God),  by  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ :  who  is  gone  into  heaven,  and  is  on  the  right  hand  of  God ;  angels,  and 
authorities,  and  powers,  being  made  subject  unto  him. 

IN  studying  Christianity,  as  developed  in  the  inspired  writings  of  the 
New  Testament,  few  things  are  more  fitted  to  strike  the  mind,  than 
the  intimate,  the  indissoluble,  connection  which  exists  between  its 
principles  and  its  laws,  its  doctrinal  statements  and  its  practical  re 
quirements.  Its  doctrines  are  such  as,  if  really  believed,  necessarily 
lead  to  the  discharge  of  its  duties ;  and  its  duties  are  such  as  cannot 
be  discharged  without  a  knowledge  and  belief  of  its  doctrines.  They 
are  connected  together  as  the  two  constituents  of  human  nature ;  body 
and  soul.  The  doctrines  are  embodied  in  the  duties,  and  the  duties 
are  animated  by  the  doctrines. 

This  is  true  even  of  those  doctrines  which,  at  first  view,  seem  to 
partake  most  of  the  nature  of  abstract  principles ;  such  as  the  doc 
trine  of  the  expiation  of  human  guilt,  and  the  accomplishment  of 
human  salvation,  through  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings 
of  the  incarnate  Son  of  God.  This  doctrine,  which  to  many  seems 
a  point  of  mere  speculation,  having  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  the 
formation  of  character  or  the  guidance  of  conduct,  is  brought  forward 
in  the  New  Testament  as  the  grand  motive  to  Christian  obedience 
generally,  and  to  all  the  various  parts  of  Christian  obedience.  Are 
Christians  exhorted  to  universal  holiness  ?  this  is  the  motive,  "  Ye  are 
bought  with  a  price ;  therefore,  glorify  God  in  your  body  and  in  your 
spirit,  which  are  God's/'  Are  they  exhorted  to  "  walk  in  love  ?"  the 
motive  is,  "  Christ  also  hath  loved  us,  and  hath  given  himself  for  us, 
an  offering  and  a  sacrifice  to  God,  for  a  sweet-smelling  savor."  Are 
they  exhorted  to  mutual  forgiveness  ?  the  motive  is,  "  God,  for  Christ's 
sake,  hath  forgiven  us."  Are  they  exhorted  to  a  complying,  self- 
denying  spirit  ?  the  motive  is,  "  Christ  pleased  not  himself."  Are  they 
exhorted  to  public  spirit,  in  opposition  to  selfishness  ?  the  motive  is 
drawn  from  "  the  mind  which  was  in  Christ,"  and  which  manifested 


468  THE    SUFFERINGS    OP    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

itself  in  his  emptying  and  abasing  himself,  in  his  laboring,  and  suf 
fering,  and  dying,  for  the  salvation  of  men.  Are  they  exhorted  to 
make  pecuniary  sacrifices  for  the  relief  of  their  poor  brethren  ?  the 
motive  is,  "  Ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  in  that  though  he 
was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  he  became  poor,  that  ye  through  his  pov 
erty  might  be  rich."  Are  husbands  urged  to  love  their  wives  ?  the 
motive  is,  "  Christ  also  loved  the  church/3  his  spouse,  "  and  gave  him 
self  for  her."  And  not  to  multiply  examples,  are  Christians  in  the 
passage  which  I  have  read  as  the  subject  of  discourse,  called  on  cheer 
fully  and  patiently  to  endure  suffering  in  the  cause  of  Christ  ?  the 
motive  is,  "Christ  also  once  suffered  for  us,  the  just  for  the  unjust, 
that  he  might  bring  us  to  God,  being  put  to  death  in  the  flesh,  and 
quickened  by  the  Spirit :  by  which  also  he  went  and  preached  to  the 
spirits  in  prison ;  which  aforetime  were  disobedient :  and  having  risen 
from  the  dead,  is  gone  into  heaven,  and  is  on  the  right  hand  of  God ; 
angels,  and  authorities,  and  powers,  being  made  subject  to  him." 

In  the  immediate  context,  as  you  are  aware,  the  apostle  has  been 
instructing  those  to  whom  he  was  writing  how  to  behave  themselves, 
when  exposed  to  persecution  on  account  of  the  religion  of  Christ,  so 
as  to  reflect  honor  on  Him,  on  it,  and  on  themselves ;  and  to  reconcile 
them  to  such  sufferings,  and  induce  them  to  conduct  themselves  prop 
erly  under  them,  he  suggests  the  thought,  "that  divinely-appointed 
suffering  in  a  good  .cause,  rightly  sustained,  is  not  to  be  considered  as 
an  evil."  "  If  ye  suffer  for  righteousness'  sake,  happy  are  ye."  "  It 
is  better,  since  such  is  the  will  of  God,  that  ye  doing  well  suffer :"  bet 
ter  not  only  that  ye  should  suffer  doing  well,  "  rather  than  doing  evil ;" 
but  better  in  these  circumstances  that  ye  should  suffer  than  ye  should 
not  suffer. 

It  is  in  illustration  and  proof  of  this  principle,  I  apprehend,  that  the 
apostle  introduces  the  example  of  our  Lord,  the  Prince  of  sufferers. 
His  sufferings  were  divinely-appointed  sufferings ;  sufferings  in  the 
best  of  all  causes :  sufferings  sustained  in  the  best  possible  manner ; 
and  sufferings  terminating  in  such  a  way,  as  very  strikingly  to  show, 
that  divinely-appointed  suffering  in  a  good  cause,  rightly  sustained,  is 
rather  to  be  chosen  and  embraced  as  a  good,  than  dreaded  and  shunned 
as  an  evil.  Such  seems  to  me  the  general  import  of  the  interesting 
paragraph  I  have  read,  excluding  from  consideration,  at  present,  the 
20th  and  21st  verses,  which,  being  plainly  parenthetical,  may  be  left 
out  without  at  all  interrupting  the  train  of  thought,  and  which,  being 
involved  in  considerable  difficulties,  may,  with  greater  advantage,  be 
afterwards  made  a  subject  of  separate  examination. 

In  suffering  "  for  righteousness*  sake,"  you  may  well  account  your 
selves  happy.  It  is  better,  since  such  is  the  will  of  God,  that  you 
doing  well  should  suffer ;  for  even  l  (that  is  the  force  of  the  particle 
rendered  also)  the  Lord  Christ,  all  excellent  and  glorious  as  he  is,  even 
HE,  ONCE  suffered,  though  now  and  henceforth  he  suffers  no  more — is 
completely  and  forever  exempt  from  suffering  of  every  kind,  in  every 
degree,  the  ends  of  his  sufferings  being  completely  gained.  He  suf 
fered,  even  to  the  death,  "  for  sins ;"  not  his  own,  for  he  had  none,  but 
for  those  of  others,  of  course,  then,  by  the  will  of  God,  the  express 

1  Kai. 


PART  I.]  THE    SUFFERER.  469 

appointment  of  the  supreme  Judge,  "in  the  stead  of  sinners;"  and  he 
suffered  doing  well,  being  and  appearing  to  be  "  the  just  One,"  though 
"in  the  room  of  the  unjust ;"  and  these  sufferings  were  for  a  most  holy 
and  benignant  object,  that  he  might  restore  sinful  and  miserable  men 
to  holiness  and  happiness  by  bringing  them  to  God.  These  sufferings, 
though  they  ended  in  a  most  violent  death  (for  he  was  put  to  death, 
or  became  dead  "  in  the  flesh,"  or  bodily),  led  to  a  vivification,  a  quick 
ening  in  the  Spirit,  or  spiritually,  which  manifested  itself  in  his  going 
and  preaching  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  whatever  that  may  mean,  and 
to  a  bodily  resurrection  too,  which  was  followed  by  ascension  to 
heaven,  where,  in  the  nature  in  which  he  had  endured  so  much  suf 
fering,  He  sits  "  at  the  right  hand  of  God ;  angels,  and  authorities, 
and  powers,  being  made  subject  to  him."  Is  there  not  abundant  rea 
son  here  why  Christians,  the  followers  of  that  illustrious  sufferer,  the 
Captain  of  salvation,  thus  made  perfect  through  suffering,  when  ex 
posed  to  suffering  for  his  sake,  should  count  it  all  joy  to  be  subjected 
to  manifold  trials  while  he  is  conducting  them  to  glory ;  should  reckon 
themselves  happy  because  they  thus  endure;  and  should  consider  it 
better,  since  such  is  the  will  of  God,  that  they  doing  well  should 
suffer  ? 

For  the  further  illustration  of  this  most  interesting  and  instructive 
passage  of  Scripture,  I  shall  call  your  attention,  First,  to  the  illustrious 
sufferer,  "  Christ,  the  just  One  ;"  Secondly,  to  his  sufferings — he  suf 
fered,  suffered  even  to  death  ;  Thirdly,  to  the  nature  of  his  sufferings — 
they  were  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory,  for  sins,  in  the  room  of  the  un 
just  ;  Fourthly,  to  the  design  of  his  sufferings — to  bring  men  to  God ; 
and  Fifthly,  to  the  consequences  of  his  sufferings — "  Being  quickened 
in  the  Spirit,  he  went  and  preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison  ;  and  having 
risen  from  the  dead  he  went  into  heaven,  where  he  is  on  the  right 
hand  of  God ;  angels,  and  authorities,  and  powers,  being  made  sub 
ject  to  him."  After  having  illustrated  under  these  heads,  the  im 
portant  principles  contained  in  this  passage,  I  shall  endeavor  to  show 
how  they  are  fitted  to  serve  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  brought 
forward  by  the  apostle  :  to  reconcile  Christians  to  suffering ;  to  give 
them  both  support  and  direction  under  their  sufferings. 


I— THE  SUFFERER. 

Let  us  then,  first,  inquire  into  the  import  of  the  two  descriptive 
appellations  here  given  to  the  illustrious  Sufferer.  He  is  Christ,  the 
just  One. 

§  I.— Christ. 

First,  He  is  Christ.  This  is  not,  strictly  speaking,  the  proper  name 
of  Him  who  bears  it.  It  is  one  of  his  official  designations  ;  and  in 
this  way  stands  in  the  same  class  as  Mediator,  Redeemer,  Saviour. 
Jesus  was  his  proper  name ;  and  Jesus  Christ,  or  rather  Jesus  the 
Christ,  is  not  like  Simon  Peter,  or  John  Mark,  a  double  name,  but  like 
John  the  Baptist,  or  Herod  the  king,  a  proper  name,  and  a  descriptive 


470  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

appellation  conjoined.     Christ  is  a  Greek  word, l  corresponding  in 
meaning  to  the  Hebrew  word  Messiah,  and  the  English  word  anointed. 

The  Christ,  then,  is  just  the  Anointed  One.  Anointing  seems, 
from  a  very  early  period,  to  have  been  the  emblem  of  consecration ; 
the  setting  apart  of  a  person  or  thing  to  a  particular  and  sacred  pur 
pose  : 2  and  it  appears  that,  among  the  Jews,  consecration  to  the  three 
sacred  offices,  the  prophetical,  priestly,  and  kingly,  was  indicated  by 
anointing.3  In  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  the  great  Deliverer, 
who  had  been  promised  almost  immediately  after  man  by  his  sin  had 
brought  himself  into  circumstances  which  made  a  deliverer  neces 
sary,  is  spoken  of  as  God's  Anointed  One,  with  a  reference  to  all  the 
three  sacred  offices.  David  speaks  of  him  as  Jehovah's  Anointed  King, 
Isaiah  as  his  Anointed  Prophet,  and  Daniel  as  his  Anointed  Priest.4 
During  the  period  which  elapsed  from  the  close  of  the  prophetic 
canon  till  the  birth  of  Jesus,  no  appellation  for  the  promised  Deliverer 
seems  to  have  been  so  commonly  employed  as  this,  The  Messiah  ;  and 
this  is  still  the  name  which  the  Jews  ordinarily  use  when  they  speak 
of  Him  whom  they  hope  for,  as  "  the  glory  of  God's  people,  Israel." 

Our  Lord  is  termed  The  Christ,  or  Anointed  One,  as  standing 
apart,  by  himself,  far  elevated  above  all  other  anointed  persons ;  just 
as  he  is,  amid  the  countless  millions  of  the  sons  of  men,  termed  The 
Son  of  Man. 

The  appellation  Christ,  naturally  called  up  to  the  mind  of  a  believ 
ing  Jew,  and  such  were  all  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament,  as  well 
as  most  of  its  original  readers,  much  important  and  interesting  truth 
respecting  Him  who  bore  it.  The  Christ,  as  they  thought  of  him, 
was  a  person  in  whom  all  the  varied  predictions  respecting  the  great 
promised  Deliverer  had  found,  or  were  to  find,  their  accomplishment: 
the  seed  of  the  woman  who  was  to  bruise  the  head  of  the  serpent ;  the 
seed  of  Abraham,  in  whom  all  the  families  of  the  earth  were  to  be 
blessed ;  ths  great  Prophet  like  unto  Moses,  whom  all  men  were  re 
quired  to  hear  and  obey;  the  Priest  after  the  order  of  Melchizedeck; 
the  Priest  on  the  throne ;  the  Root  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse ;  the 
Branch  of  Jehovah ;  the  Angel  of  the  covenant ;  the  Lord  of  the 
temple  ;  the  wonderful  Counsellor ;  the  mighty  God  ;  the  Father  of 
the  future  age;  the  Prince  of  peace ;  Immanuel,  God  with  us;  Jeho- 
vah-Tsidkenu,  the  Lord  our  Righteousness,  our  Justification,  our  Jus- 
tifier.1  While  the  name  Christ  naturally  calls  up  all  the  truth  re 
specting  Him  who  bears  the  name,  it  brings  him  especially  before  the 
mind  as  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King;  the  anointed  Prophet,  Priest, 
and  King;  the  Prophet,  the  great  revealer  of  truth  respecting 
the  Divine  character  and  will  ;  the  Priest,  the  only  expiator  of 
human  guilt,  and  reconciler  of  man  to  God ;  the  King,  the  su 
preme  and  sole  legitimate  ruler  over  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
mankind.  And  he  not  only  fills  these  offices  and  performs  these 
functions,  but  he  has  been  anointed  to  do  so :  that  is,  in  figura 
tive  language,  he  has  been  divinely  appointed,  divinely  qualified,  di- 

Xpurro'j.  a  Gen.  xxviii.  18;  xxxi.  13;  xxxv.  14. 

1  Sam.  xxiv.  6.     2  Sam.  xxiii.  1.     Lam.  iv.  20.     Lev.  iv.  3. 
Psal.  ii.  3 ;  xx.  6  ;  xlv.  7.     Isa.  Ixi.  1.     Dan.  ix.  24-26. 

Gen.  iii.  15;  xxii.  18.  Deut.  xviii.  15.  Psal.  ex.  4.  Zock  vi.  13.  Isa.  ix  6 ;  ». 
I  10  vh.  14;  iv.  2.  Jer.  xxiii.  6.  MaL  iii.  1. 


PART  I.]  THE    SUFFERER.  471 

vinely  commissioned,  and  divinely  accredited;  divinely  appointed, 
"set  up  from  everlasting,"  God's  "elect"  one  ;  divinely  qualified,  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  given  him,  not  by  measure ;  divinely  com 
missioned,  "called  of  God  as  was  Aaron,"  "the  Father  sent  him  to  be 
the  Saviour  of  the  world ;"  and  divinely  accredited,  the  Father  who 
sent  him  bears  witness  of  him,  "both  with  signs,  and  wonders,  and 
divers  miracles  and  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  according  to  his  own 
will."  *  So  full  of  meaning  is  the  appellation  CHRIST,  a  word  which  I 
am  afraid  we  often  use  without  having  any  very  definite  idea  in  our 
minds ;  a  word  in  which,  however,  is  folded  up  the  whole  saving 
truth,  so  that  he  who,  in  the  true,  full  import  of  the  words,  "  Believes 
that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,"  believes  the  saving  truth,  and  has  the  priv 
ilege  conferred  on  him  of  being  a  son  of  God.2 

§  2  _ The  just  One. 

The  second  appellation  given  to  the  glorious  Sufferer  spoken  of  in 
the  text  is,  the  just,  or  the  righteous.  One.  "  The  just  One,"  as  well 
as  the  anointed  One,  is  an  appellation  given  to  the  great  promised 
Deliverer  in  the  writings  of  the  Old  Testament  prophets.  In  the  last 
prophetic  words  of  David,  he  speaks  of  his  Son  and  Lord  under  this 
name.  "  The  just  One  ruleth  among  men  ;"  for  so  do  the  best  Scrip 
ture  critics  render  the  words  translated  in  our  version,  "  He  that 
ruleth  among  men  must  be  just."  It  is  of  him  of  whom  it  was  pre 
dicted  that  a  bone  of  him  should  not  be  broken,  that  it  is  said  by  the 
same  inspired  writer,  "  Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous"  or 
just  One.  The  prophet  Isaiah  speaks  of  Him  as  Jehovah's  "  righteous 
servant ;"  and  the  prophet  Zechariah,  congratulating  the  church  or* 
his  appearance,  exclaims,  "  Behold,  thy  King  cometh.  He  is  just, 
having  salvation."  3 

In  obvious  allusion  to  such  passages,  we  find  the  appellation  not 
unfrequently  given  by  the  New  Testament  writers  to  our  Lord  Jesus. 
"  Your  fathers,"  says  Stephen,  "  have  slain  them  who  spake  before 
of  the  coming  of  the  just  One."  "  Ye  denied,"  says  the  Apostle  Pe 
ter  to  his  countrymen,  "  the  Holy  One  and  the  just."  "  The  God  of 
our  fathers,"  said  Ananias  to  Saul  of  Tarsus,  "hath  chosen  thee  to 
see  that  just  One,  and  to  hear  the  words  of  his  mouth."  "  Ye  have 
condemned  and  killed  the  just  One,"  says  the  Apostle  James  to  his 
unbelieving  countrymen.  "  We  have  an  advocate  with  the  Father/' 
says  the  Apostle  John,  "  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous."  4 

The  appellation  is  most  accurately  descriptive,  both  personally  and 
officially,  of  Him  who  wears  it.  Personally  our  Lord  is  absolutely 
free  from  sin,  and  in  heart  and  life  completely  conformed  to  the  re 
quisitions  of  the  holy,  just,  and  good  law  of  God.  The  man  Christ 
Jesus  came  into  the  world  free  from  every  taint  or  tendency  to  evil ; 
and  if  the  questions  be  asked,  in  reference  to  him,  "What  is  man, 
that  he  should  be  clean  ?  or  he  who  is  born  of  a  woman,  that  he 
should  be  righteous  ?  Who  can  bring  a  clean  thing  out  of  an  un- 

1  Prov.  viii.  23.     Isa.  xlii.  1.     Heb.  v.  4.     Isa.  xi.  2—1 ;  xlix.  6.     Acts  ii.  22.     Johnv.  37 

8  1  John  v.  1. 

*  2  Sam.  xxiii.  3.     Psal.  xxxiv.  19,  comp.  with  20.     Isa.  liii.  11.     Zech.  ix.  9. 

4  Acts  vii.  32 ;  iii.  14 ;  xxii.  14.    James  v.  6.     1  John  ii.  1. 


472  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

clean  ?"  the  evangelist  will  answer  them :  "  The  Holy  Ghost  came 
upon  his  virgin  mother,  and  the  power  of  the  Highest  overshadowed 
her ;  and  that  which  was  born  of  her  was  a  Holy  thing,  and  was 
called/'  "and  was  indeed,"  "the  Son  of  God/' l  This  original  purity 
was  never  in  the  slightest  degree  stained.  Though  exposed  to  the 
assaults  of  the  great  author  of  evil,  that  adversary  did  not  prevail 
against,  that  son  of  mischief  did  not  overcome,  him.  Though  in  a 
world  full  of  temptation  and  sin,  he  remained  untainted ;  though 
tried  both  by  its  smiles  and  its  frowns,  its  terrors  and  its  allurements, 
he  never,  in  the  slightest  degree,  imbibed  its  spirit,  or  imitated  its 
manners.  He  kept  himself  "  unspotted  from  the  world,"  being  "in 
it,  not  of  it ;"  and  he  died,  as  he  lived,  a  stranger  to  guilt  and  deprav 
ity.  No  action,  no  word,  ever  escaped  from  him,  no  thought,  no 
desire,  ever  arose  in  his  bosom,  inconsistent  with  the  requisitions 
or  with  the  spirit  of  the  Divine  law.  He  left  this  world  as  he  entered 
it,  "  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and  separate  from  sinners."  2 

But  the  character  of  our  Lord  was  not  merely  free  from  faults,  it 
was  distinguished  by  every  possible  moral  excellence.  Every  holy 
principle  in  absolute  perfection  reigned  in  his  mind  ;  and  his  conduct 
was  a  uniform  tenor  of  perfect  obedience  to  that  law  which  was  in 
his  heart.  He  fulfilled  the  law  in  both  of  its  great  requisitions. 
"  He  loved  the  Lord  his  God  with  all  his  heart,  and  soul,  and  strength, 
and  mind  ;  and  he  loved  his  neighbor  as  himself."  He  "  did  justly, 
loved  mercy,  and  walked  humbly  with  his  God."  He  fully  did  all 
that  God  required,  and  cheerfully  suffered  all  that  God  appointed. 
In  principle,  in  extent,  in  continuance,  his  obedience  completely  an 
swered  the  demands  of  the  holy  Jaw,  which  is  spiritual  and  exceeding 
broad.  "His  meat  was  to  do  the  will  of  him  who  sent  him,  and  to 
finish  his  work."3  All  excellences  were  found  in  him,  and  found  in 
their  due  proportion;  and  they  wrought  together  in  uninterrupted 
harmony.  "  He  was  all  fair  ;  there  was  no  spot  in  him.'* 

"  The  just  One"  is  an  appellation  equally  applicable  to  him  in  his 
official  administration  as  in  his  personal  character;  no  less  applicable 
to  him  as  the  Christ,  than  as  the  man  Jesus.  He  is  "faithful  to  him 
who  appointed  him."  He  was  appointed  to  glorify  God  in  the  salva 
tion  of  an  innumerable  multitude  of  mankind;  and,  in  the  accom 
plishment  of  this  great  work,  "righteousness  has  been  the  girdle  of  his 
loins,  and  faithfulness  the  girdle  of  his  reins."  He  has  shown  in 
every  part  of  his  work  that  "he  loves  righteousness  and  hates  ini 
quity."  As  a  Prophet,  he  has  faithfully  delivered  the  message  he  has 
received  from  his  Father ;  he  has  "  declared  him  whom  no  man  has 
seen  at  any  time ;"  he  has  "  manifested  his  name."  His  "  mouth 
spoke  truth;  wickedness  was  an  abomination  to  his  lips."  "All  the 
words  of  his  mouth  were  in  righteousness;  there  was  nothing  fro- 
ward  or  perverse  in  them."  As  a  Priest,  he  has  "  fulfilled  all  right 
eousness."  He  has  fully  satisfied  all  the  demands  of  the  Divine  law 
on  those  in  whose  room  he  stood.  When  exaction  was  made,  he  an 
swered  it.  There  was  not  one  requisition  of  the  law,  but  he  readily 
and  completely  met  it.  He  obeyed  the  whole  precept ;  he  bare  the 
entire  penalty  of  the  violated  law.  He  "  finished  transgression,  made 

1  Job  xv.  14 ;  xiv.  4.     Luke  i.  35.  8  Heb.  vii.  26.  3  John  iv.  34. 


PART  II. J  FACTS  OF  THE  CASE.  473 

an  end  of  sin,  brought  in  an  everlasting  righteousness."  He  "  gave 
himself  for  us,  an  offering  and  a  sacrifice  to  God,  for  a  sweet-smelling 
savor;"  and  thus  " magnified  the  law  and  made  it  honorable."  And 
as  a  King,  he  "reigns  in  righteousness,"  and  rules  in  judgment. 
"  Justice  and  judgment  are  the  foundation  of  his  throne/'  "  The 
sceptre  of  his  kingdom  is  a  right  sceptre."  He  is  the  true  Melchize- 
dek,  the  King  of  righteousness,  as  well  as  the  Prince  of  peace.  "  In 
majesty  he  rides  prosperously  in  the  cause  of  truth,  and  meekness, 
and  righteousness."  His  administration  in  reference  to  his  own  peo 
ple,  is  an  administration  of  pure  grace ;  but  it  is  "  grace  reigning 
through  righteousness  unto  everlasting  life ;"  and  ruling,  as  he  does, 
in  the  midst  of  his  enemies,  his  royal  style  and  appellation  is, 
"  FAITHFUL  AND  TRUE,  and  in  righteousness  he  doth  judge  and  make 
war." » 

While  it  is  obvious,  from  these  remarks,  that  the  appellation,  the 
just  One,  is  admirably  descriptive  both  of  the  personal  character,  and 
the  official  administration  of  our  Lord,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt 
that  the  great  design  of  the  inspired  writer  in  using  it  here,  is  to  fix 
our  minds  on  the  facts,  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  of  all  the  sons  of 
Adam,  is  the  only  just  One ;  all  the  rest  are  unjust ;  and  that,  from  the 
spotlessness  of  his  nature,  the  perfection  of  his  obedience  to  the  pre 
ceptive  part  of  the  law,  and  the  cheerfulness  of  his  submission  to  its 
sanctionary  enactments,  all  infinitely  dignified  by  that  divine  nature 
which  was  in  personal  union  v/ith  the  human  nature  in  which  he 
obeyed  and  suffered,  there  is  in  the  sacrifice  which,  by  the  appoint 
ment  of  his  Father,  he  offered  up,  an  infinity  of  merit  or  righteousness, 
which,  for  all  the  purposes  of  law  and  justice,  more  than  compensates 
for  all  the  demerit  and  unrighteousness  of  those  innumerable  offences 
of  the  innumerable  multitude  of  unjust  ones  in  whose  room  he  stood; 
so  that  HE,  the  righteous  One,  "who  knew  no  sin,"  having  been 
"  made  sin"  for  them,  they  who  were  nothing  but  sin  "  might  be  made 
the  righteousness  of  God  in  him."  The  just  One  here,  is  just  equivalent 
to  Isaiah's  "  Jehovah's  righteous  servant,  who  justifies  many,  having 
borne  their  iniquities;"  or  Jeremiah's,  "Jehovah  our  righteousness," 
in  whom,  in  whom  alone,  any  unrighteous  sinner  can  find  righteous 
ness;  in  whom  every  sinner,  however  unrighteous,  will  assuredly  find 
righteousness,  believing  in  Him.2 


II— HIS  SUFFERINGS. 

Having  thus  shortly  illustrated  the  two  descriptive  appellations  here 
given  to  the  illustrious  Sufferer,  let  us  now,  in  the  second  place,  turn 
our  attention  to  his  sufferings.  "  Christ,  the  just  One,  suffered ;  being 
put  to  death  in  the  flesh."  The  exalted  personage  to  whom  these 
appellations  belong,  existed  from  before  all  ages  in  a  state  of  the  most 
perfect  blessedness :  "He  was  in  the  beginning  with  God,"  "in  the 

1  Heb.  iii.  2.    Isa.  xi.  5.    Psal.  xlv.  7.    John  i.  18;  xvii.  6.    Prov.  viii.  7,  8.    Matt.  iii.  15. 
Isa.  liii.  7,  Lowth.    Dan.  ix.  24.     Eph.  v.  2.     Isa.  xlii.  21 ;  xxxii.  1.     Psal.   Ixxxix.  14; 
xlv.  6,  4.     Rom.  v.  21.     Rev.  xix.  11. 

2  2  Cor.  v.  21.    Isa.  liii.  11.    Jer.  xxii.  G. 


474  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

bosom  of  the  Father,"  enjoying  glory  with  him  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world,  delighting  in  him,  and  delighted  in  by  him.  A  state  of 
suffering  was  not  then  his  original  condition.1 

But  when,  in  order  to  gain  the  great  objects  of  his  eternal  appoint 
ment,  he,  in  the  fulness  of  the  times,  took  on  him  the  nature  of  men 
in  its  present  humbled  state,  a  state  resulting  from  their  violation  of 
the  Divine  law,  "the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,"  he,  of  course,  became  a 
sufferer:  for  "man  born  of  a  woman  is  of  few  days,  and  full  of 
trouble ;  he  comes  forth  as  a  flower,  and  is  cut  down ;  he  flees  as  a 
shadow,  and  continues  not."  He  is  "  born  to  trouble  as  the  sparks 
fly  upwards."  2 

It  is  obvious,  however,  that  by  Divine  appointment,  Christ,  the  just 
One,  was  a  sufferer  far  beyond  the  ordinary  lot  of  mankind.  His 
sufferings  commenced  with  his  birth.  Unfurnished  with  the  accom 
modations  which  the  humblest  ordinarily  enjoy  in  entering  into  life, 
his  birth-place  was  a  stable,  his  cradle  a  manger.  While  yet  an  in 
fant,  his  life  was  endangered  by  the  unprincipled  and  cruel  jealousy 
of  a  tyrant,  and  he  was  exposed  to  the  hazards  and  fatigues  of  a 
hurried  flight  into  a  foreign  country.  At  an  early  age  he  felt  the 
pressure  of  the  "primal  curse,"  "In  the  sweat  of  thy  brow  shalt  thou 
eat  thy  bread,"  and  engaged  in  the  toilsome  labors  of  mechanical  in 
dustry.  We  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  our  Lord  was  ever  affect 
ed  by  disease,  but  he  experienced  all  the  other  sinless  infirmities  of 
our  nature.  He  was  hungry,  and  thirsty,  and  weary ;  felt  the  incon 
veniences  of  the  extremes  of  cold  and  heat :  and  was  no  stranger 
to  disappointment,  vexation,  and  sorrow,  and  the  pangs  of  unrequited 
kindness  and  violated  friendship.  Destitute  of  the  conveniences  and 
comforts,  he  was  but  scantily  and  precariously  furnished  with  the 
necessaries,  of  life.  He  seems  often  to  have  been  indebted  for  a  sup 
ply  of  these  to  the  hospitality  of  others;  and  while  "the  foxes  had 
holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  nests,  he  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head." 3 
Though  followed  and  admired  by  multitudes,  he  was  the  object  of  the 
contempt  and  hatred  of  by  far  the  greater  part  of  his  countrymen  of 
all  classes.  He  was  the  butt  of  the  great  man's  scorn,  and  the  poor 
man's  contumely.  He  was  represented  as  a  mover  of  sedition  and  a 
speaker  of  blasphemy,  an  impostor  or  a  madman,  a  glutton  and  a 
drunkard,  an  emissary  of  Satan,  a  friend  and  companion  of  the  basest 
of  men. 

Nor  were  his  sufferings  limited  to  those  inflicted  by  his  fellow-men. 
He  was  exposed  to  temptations  to  sin  from  malignant  spiritual  beings, 
which  to  his  holy  mind  must  have  been  productive  of  the  most  poig 
nant  anguish.  Oil  one  occasion,  for  forty  successive  days,  in  a  deso 
late  wilderness,  he  was  subjected  to  these  attacks ;  and  we  read  that, 
when  his  infernal  tormentor  left  him,  he  did  so  only  "for  a  season" 
We  know  that,  in  the  time  of  the  deepest  complication  of  the  Saviour's 
sufferings,  he  returned.  That  was  his  hour  when  "  the  power  of  dark 
ness"  especially  exerted  itself.4  The  degree  of  suffering  occasioned 
to  a  being  so  holy  and  so  benignant,  by  witnessing  the  empire  of  the 
evil  one,  in  the  depravity  and  wretchedness  of  mankind,  can  be  very 

1  John  i.  l    18;  xvii.  5.  a  Rom.  viii.  3.     Job  xiv.  1 ;  v.  7. 

•  Matt.  viii.  20.     Luke  ir.  13.  «  Matt.  iv.  1-11.    Luke  xxii.  53. 


PART  II.]  FACTS  OF  THE  CASE.  475 

inadequately  conceived  of  by  even  the  holiest  and  most  benevolent 
of  imperfect  rnen. 

The  severest  of  all  his  sufferings,  however,  were  those  which  came 
immediately  from  the  hand  of  God  as  the  manifestation  of  the  divine 
righteous  displeasure  at  the  sins  of  those  in  whose  room  he  stood. 
These  sufferings  of  his  soul  were  the  soul  of  his  sufferings.  There  is 
something  in  the  inspired  description  of  them,  that  excites  amazement 
rather  than  communicates  definite  information  :  "  A  horror  of  great 
darkness"  comes  over  his  mind ;  "  he  begins  to  be  sorrowful,  to  be  sore 
amazed,  and  to  be  very  heavy ;"  he  "  becomes  suddenly  possessed 
with  fear,  horror,  and  amazement ;  encompassed  with  grief  and  over 
whelmed  with  sorrow;  pressed  down  with  consternation  and  dejection 
of  mind  ;  tormented  with  anxiety  and  disquietude  of  spirit."  l  Under 
his  intolerable  load  of  anguish,  he  pours  out  his  heart  in  supplication 
to  his  Father,  "  And,  being  in  an  agony,  he  prayed  more  earnestly  ; 
and  his  sweat  was  as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to  the 
ground."  Again,  and  again,  he,  with  strong  crying  and  tears,  repeats 
the  same  prayer,  and  an  angel  is  sent  to  strengthen  him.  He  was 
"  poured  out  like  water,  his  heart  was  like  wax :  it  was  melted  in  the 
midst  of  his  bowels."2 

But  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  the  just  One,  were  not  yet  completed. 
The  awful  solemnities  of  Gethsemane,  its  preternatural  sufferings  and 
consolations,  were  broken  in  on  by  a  band  of  ruffians,  led  on  by  a 
traitor  disciple.  Deserted  by  his  friends,  who  had  lately  assured  him 
of  inviolable  fidelity,  he  was  dragged  as  a  felon  before  the  tribunal  of 
the  high  priest,  and  there  accused  of  the  foulest  crimes,  and  subjected 
to  the  vilest  indignities.  He  was  reviled  and  insulted  in  all  the  forms 
which  wanton,  vulgar  malignity  could  invent.  They  spat  in  his  face, 
and  buffeted  him  with  the  palms  of  their  hands.  And  while  thus 
abused  by  his  enemies,  he  was  basely  denied  with  oaths  and  execra 
tions  by  one  of  his  followers,  who  had  lately  drawn  his  sword  in  his 
defence,  and  declared  that,  though  he  should  die  with  him,  he  would 
never  deny  him.  With  an  impious  mockery  of  justice,  under  the 
form  of  law,  he  was  condemned  as  worthy  of  death  for  imposture  and 
blasphemy.  Hurried  before  the  judgment-seat  of  the  Jewish  procu 
rator,  he  was  there  accused  of  the  state-crimes  of  sedition  and  trea 
son ;  and  though  declared  innocent  of  them,  his  dastardly  judge  de 
livered  him  up  to  the  will  of  his  inveterate  foes,  sentencing  him  first 
to  the  scourge,  and  then  to  the  cross.  The  barbarous  soldiery,  who 
were  intrusted  with  carrying  the  unrighteous  sentence  into  execution, 
robed  him  in  the  "garments  of  mock  royalty,  and  wreathed  a  garland 
of  thorns  round  his  temples,  in  savage  mockery  of  his  claims  to  be  a 
king.  On  his  lacerated,  bleeding,  enfeebled  body,  he  bore  the  ponder 
ous  instrument  of  torture  and  death  to  the  place  of  execution  ;  and, 
stripped  of  his  raiment,  he  was  there  affixed  to  the  cross,  amid  the 
sarcasms  of  the  chief  priests  and  the  shouts  of  the  populace.  To  add 
to  his  ignominy,  two  notorious  malefactors  were  crucified  along  with 
him,  and  the  middle  cross  was  assigned  him  as  the  vilest  criminal  of 

1  The  student  will  do  well  to  consult  the  learned  note  in  "  Pearson  on  the  Creed."— 
Art.iv.  p.  190,  fol.  1676. 
3  Luke  xvij.  4-i.    PsaL  wii- 14. 


476  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [D[3C.  XVI. 

the  three.  While  hanging  on  the  cross  in  agony,  his  enemies  contin 
ued  to  insult  him  by  their  contemptuous  speeches ;  and,  instead  of 
water  to  quench  his  thirst,  they  offered  him  vinegar  mixed  with  gall. 
To  crown  his  sufferings  a  dark  cloud  was  interposed  between  him  and 
his  Father;  the  comforts  of  sensible  intercourse  with  HIM,  the  source 
of  his  happiness,  were  withdrawn ;  and  those  words  so  big  with  an 
guish,  came  forth  from  a  breaking  heart,  "  My  God,  my  God  !  why  hast 
thou  forsaken  me  ?"  Such  were  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  the  just  One. 

The  sufferings  were  sufferings  to  death.  When  he  suffered  he  was 
"put  to  death  in  the  flesh."  After  hanging  on  the  cross  for  a  number 
of  hours,  "  he  bowed  the  head,  and  gave  up  the  ghost."  His  death 
was  a  violent  death  ;  and  of  all  violent  deaths  that  probably  which 
inflicted  most  pain  on  the  sufferer.  During  these  tedious  hours  he 
suffered  every  moment  more  than  the  agonies  of  an  ordinary  death. 
It  was  of  all  modes  of  punishment,  too,  the  most  ignominious.  No 
Roman  citizen,  however  foul  his  crime,  could  be  legally  crucified.  It 
was  the  punishment  appropriated  to  felonious  slaves.  In  being  nailed 
to  the  cross,  our  Lord  was  exhibited  as  an  outcast  from  society,  a 
man  who  had  no  rights,  a  person  unworthy  of  being  treated  as  an  or 
dinary  human  criminal;  "a  worm,  and  no  man."  It  was  also  a  death, 
in  consequence  of  a  Jewish  law  which  required  the  dead  bodies  of 
criminals  who  had  suffered  capital  punishment  to  be  hung  on  a  tree, 
as  a  token  of  their  having  suffered  the  vengeance  of  the  law,  which 
marked  the  peculiar  penal  character  of  his  sufferings.  It  intimated 
that  he  died  accursed,  condemned  of  God  as  the  victim  of  human 
transgression  ;  "  As  it  is  written,  Cursed  is  every  one  that  hangeth  on 
a  tree."  l  Surely,  well  then  may  we,  with  all  the  emphasis  that  can 
be  given  to  the  term,  pronounce,  that  "even  Christ,  the  just  One, 
suffered." 

What  his  sufferings  were,  none  knew,  none  can  ever  know,  but  he 
who  endured,  and  he  who  inflicted  them.  We  know  he  endured  the 
adequate  penalty  of  sin ;  but  what  that  is  who  can  tell  ?  We  know 
it  is  the  displeasure  of  God;  but  "who  knoweth  the  power  of  Hrs 
anger?  According  to  his  fear,  so  is  his  wrath."  The  most  dreadful 
apprehension  comes  infinitely  short  of  the  more  dreadful  reality. 
Never  was  there  a  sufferer  like  Christ,  the  just  One.  He  was,  in  a 
far  higher  sense  than  the  weeping  prophet,  "  the  man  who  saw  afflic 
tion  by  the  rod  of  God's  wrath."  He  was  "the  man  of  sorrows,  and 
acquainted  with  grief;"  "Behold,  and  see  all  ye  that  go  by,  if  there 
be  any  sorrow  like  unto  the  sorrow  wherewith  the  Lord  afflicted  him 
in  the  day  of  his  fierce  anger."2  To  borrow  the  words  of  an  old 
divine,  "If  hunger  and  thirst,  if  revilings  and  contempt,  if  sorrows 
and  agonies,  if  stripes  and  bufferings,  if  condemnation  and  crucifixion 
be  suffering,  Jesus  suffered.  If  the  infirmities  of  our  nature,  if  the 
weight  of  our  sins,  if  the  malice  of  man,  if  the  machinations  of 
Satan,  if  the  hand  of  God,  could  make  him  suffer,  our  Saviour 
suffered."  And  of  this  wonderful  fact  we  have  the  most  abundant 
evidence :  "  If  the  annals  of  the  times,  if  the  writings  of  his  apostles, 
if  the  death  of  his  martyrs,  if  the  confessions  of  the  Gentiles,  if  the 
scoffs  of  the  Jews,  be  testimonies,  Jesus  suffered."  3 

1  Gal.  iii  13.  a  psal.  xc.  n.     Isa.  liii.  3.     Lam.  iii.  1 ;  i.  12.  «  Pearson. 


PART  II.]  FACTS  OF  THE  CASE.  477 

Such  views  of  the  Saviour  as  have  now  been  presented  to  you, 
are  intended  and  calculated  to  have  an  important  practical  influence 
on  our  hearts  and  lives.  If  he  is  the  divinely  appointed,  qualified, 
commissioned,  accredited  revealer  of  the  will  of  God,  let  us  "  hear 
him,"  him  alone,  as  the  authoritative  teacher  of  religious  truth.  His 
word  is  the  word  of  Him  that  sent  him.  Let  us  not  disregard  it,  let 
us  not  reject  it,  let  us  not  mutilate  it,  let  us  not  adulterate  it.  Let  us 
believe  and  obey  his  word,  and  humbly  submit  our  minds  to  the 
teaching  of  his  Spirit. 

If  he  is  the  divinely  appointed,  qualified,  commissioned,  accredited 
expiator  of  human  guilt,  let  us  rely  with  unsuspecting  confidence  on 
the  great  sacrifice  which,  through  the  Eternal  Spirit,  he  offered,  with 
out  spot  and  blemish,  to  the  Supreme  Judge,  and  on  the  all- prevalent 
intercession  which,  pn  the  ground  of  that  sacrifice,  he  ever  lives  to 
make  for  all  coming~to  God  by  him. 

If  he  is  the  divinely  appointed,  qualified,  commissioned,  accredited 
King  over  God's  holy  hill  of  Zion,  let  us  seek  to  know  his  laws  and 
ordinances,  and,  knowing  them,  let  us  walk  in  them  all  blameless, 
confiding  in  his  power  to  protect  us  amid,  and  to  save  us  from,  all  our 
enemies. 

If  he  is  the  righteous  one,  let  us  receive  him  as  "  of  God,  made  to 
us  righteousness."1  Let  us,  instead  of  going  about  to  "establish 
our  own  righteousness,"  seek  to  "  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God 
in  him ;"  seek  to  "  win  him,  and  to  be  found  in  him ;"  and,  deeply 
feeling  that  "  all  our  righteousnesses  are  as  filthy  rags,"  let  us  gladly  and 
gratefully  say,  "  Surely  in  the  Lord  have  I  righteousness  :  in  the  Lord 
I  am  justified,  and  in  the  Lord  I  glory."  And  let  us  not  forget  that, 
as  the  righteous  One,  he  is  not  only  the  ground  of  our  acceptance, 
but  the  pattern  for  our  imitation.  Let  us  seek  to  be  "  righteous  even 
as  he  was  righteous."  Let  it  be  our  desire  to  be  "  in  the  world  as  he 
was  in  the  world,"  having  his  mind  in  us,  and  having  "his  life  mani 
fested  in  our  mortal  flesh."2 

Did  Christ,  the  righteous  One,  suffer ;  and  so  suffer,  for  us  ?  How 
inconceivably  malignant  must  sin  be,  which  made  such  sufferings,  of 
such  a  glorious  person,  necessary  to  its  expiation  and  pardon ;  and 
how  inconceivably  strong  must  his  love  be,  which  made  him  willingly 
undergo  such  sufferings,  rather  than  that  we  should  be  exposed  to  the 
tremendous  consequences  of  tmexpiated,  unforgiven  iniquity  ! 

O,  how  should  we  hate  sin !  O,  how  should  we  love  the  Saviour ! 
Nothing  is  better  fitted  to  animate  and  strengthen  these  two  master 
principles  of  Christian  holiness,  the  hatred  of  sin,  and  the  love  of  the 
Saviour,  than  the  believing  contemplation  of  His  sufferings  for  sin,  in 
the  room  of  sinners.  Under  the  influence  of  the  truth  now  stated, 
let  each  of  us  say  in  his  heart,  "  Herein  is  love,  not  that  I  loved  him, 
but  that  he  loved  me,  and  gave  himself  to  be  a  propitiation  for  my 
sin."  I  would  put  that  to  death  in  my  flesh,  which  put  him  to  death 
in  the  flesh.  I  would  mortify  my  members  which  are  on  the  earth,  I 
would  crucify  the  flesh,  with  its  affections  and  lusts ;  and  forasmuch 
as  He  has  suffered  for  me  in  the  flesh,  borne  my  sin  in  his  own  body 

1   1  Cor-  i.  80.     Rom.  x.  3.     2  Cor.  y.  21.     Phil.  iii.  8,  9.     Isa.  Ixiv.  6. 
*  Isaxlv.  24,  25.     1  John  iii.  7  :  iv.  17.     Phil.  ii.  5.     2  Cor.  iv.  11 


478  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

to  the  tree,  that  I,  being  dead  to  sin,  might  live  unto  righteousness,  I 
will  arm  myself  with  the  same  mind,  that  I  no  longer  live  the  rest  of 
my  time  in  the  flesh,  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God;  and 
taught  by  the  grace  of  God,  in  Christ  his  Son,  the  righteous  One 
suffering" for  my  sins,  in  my  stead,  I  will  "deny  ungodliness  and 
worldly  lusts,  and  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly  in  the  present 
world  ;  looking  for  the  blessed  hope,  the  glorious  appearance  of  the 
great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  who  gave  himself  for  us, 
that  he  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a 
peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works."  l 


III— THE  NATURE  OF  HIS  SUFFERINGS. 

We  proceed  now  to  call  your  attention  to  the  account  contained 
in  the  text,  of  the  nature  of  these  sufferings  of  "Christ  the  just  One." 
They  were  sufferings  "for  sins,"  "for  the  unjust;"  on  account  of 
sins,  in  the  room  of  sinners.  These  two  expressions  seem  plainly  to 
intimate  that  our  Lord's  sufferings  were  PENAL,  VICARIOUS,  and  EX 
PIATORY  ;  in  other  and  plainer  words,  that  they  were  the  manifesta 
tion  of  the  Divine  displeasure  against  sin,  against  the  sin  of  men, 
and  were  intended,  and  are  found  effectual,  to  render  the  pardon  of 
sin  and  the  salvation  of  sinners  consistent  with,  and  gloriously  illus 
trative  of,  the  perfections  of  the  Divine  character,  and  the  principles 
of  the  Divine  government.  That  is  what  we  mean,  when  we  say 
these  sufferings  were  penal,  vicarious,  and  expiatory.  Let  us,  shortly, 
look  at  these  three  distinct,  but  inseparably  connected,  characters  of 
our  Lord's  sufferings. 

§  1.— Penal 

First,  then,  the  sufferings  of  our  Lord  were  penal  sufferings.  This 
was  their  grand,  their  leading  characteristic.  They  were  not  disci 
plinary  ;  intended  to  perfect  his  character.  This  is  the  view  which  is 
consistently  enough  taken  of  them  by  those  who  deny  his  divinity, 
and  consider  him  as  a  man  of  our  own  order,  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Mary ;  and  to  which,  with  less  consistency,  some  countenance  has 
been  given  by  men  "who  held  a  purer  faith.  He  was,  throughout  his 
whole  course,  holy,  harmless,  undefined.  His  character  was  perfect 
from  the  beginning.  He  was,  in  every  stage  of  his  mortal  life,  just 
what  he  should  have  been ;  entirely  conformed  to  the  will  of  God. 
His  life  was  not  the  acquirement,  but  the  manifestation,  of  excellence. 
Being  perfect  in  a  moral  sense,  he  needed  not  to  be  perfected. 

He,  indeed,  "learned  obedience  by  the  things  which  he  suffered;"8 
but  that  does  not  mean,  that  he  was  disciplined  by  his  sufferings  into 
obedience.  "  The  rod  and  reproof"  were  not  necessary  to  teach  him 
to  obey.  His  Father's  law  was  in  his  heart ;  and  to  obey  was  as 
natural  to  him  as  to  breathe.  Neither  does  it  mean,  he  learned  by  his 
sufferings  how  painful  and  difficult  a  thing  obedience  is ;  for  it  was 

1  1  John  iv.  10.     Col.  iii.  5.    Gal  v.  24.     1  PhiL  iv.  1,  2.     Tit.  ii.  12-14. 

2  Heb.  v.  8. 


PART  III.]  THEIR    NATURE PENAL.  479 

just  because  it  was  obedience,  that  suffering,  otherwise  intolerable, 
was  readily  borne  by  him.  It  was  "  his  meat  to  do  the  will  of  him 
who  sent  him,  and  to  finish  his  work."  l  It  means,  that  by  his  suffer 
ings  he  became  practically  acquainted  with  the  full  amount  of  the 
obedience,  "obedience  unto  death,"  which  was  required  of  him  as  the 
Redeemer  of  man,  and  by  which  he  was  "  perfected,"  became  fully 
accomplished,  as  to  merit  authority  and  sympathy,  for  the  discharge 
of  all  his  functions  as  "the  Captain  of  salvation,  leading  many  sons  to 
glory  ;"  "  the  Author  of  eternal  salvation  to  all  who  obey  him." 2 

Nor  was  the  great  design  of  our  Lord's  sufferings  to  give  evidence 
of  his  Divine  mission,  nor  to  afford  opportunity  for  that  display  of  the 
suffering  virtues  which  was  necessary  to  his  being  a  perfect  example 
to  his  followers.  Both  these  ends  have  been  gained  by  his  sufferings ; 
but  the  first  of  these  ends  might  have  been  gained  without  suffering  at 
all ;  and  if  the  second  had  been  the  only  or  the  chief  end  in  view, 
suffering  in  degree  more  like  that  to  which  the  bulk  of  mankind  are 
exposed,  we  are  ready  to  think,  would  have  better  served  that  purpose. 
There  is  much,  very  much,  in  the  nature  and  in  the  extremity  of  our 
Lord's  sufferings,  which  both  these  hypotheses  leave  utterly  unac 
counted  for. 

The  primary  object  of  these  sufferings  was  to  manifest  the  dis 
pleasure  of  God  against  sin.  They  were  "  for  sins."  They  were  the 
very  evils  which,  by  Divine  appointment,  are  the  result  of  the  viola 
tion  of  his  holy,  just,  and  good  law.  Christ  was  treated  just  as  if  he 
had  been  a  sinner,  a  very  great  sinner,  the  greatest  of  sinners.  In 
the  kind  and  degree  of  his  sufferings,  there  was  something  that,  even 
to  his  unreflecting  countrymen,  marked  him  as  "  stricken  of  God,"  3  a 
doomed  person. 

Nor  are  we  to  think  of  these  evils  as  merely  the  natural  result  of 
the  appearing  of  such  a  being  as  the  incarnate  Son  of  God  in  a  world 
peopled  by  guilty,  depraved  men,  suffering  under  the  partial  infliction 
of  the  curse  which  their  disobedience  has  incurred.  This  character 
of  our  Lord's  sufferings  was  the  result  of  express  Divine  appointment. 
"  (rod  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law.5* 
"  The  Lord  made  to  meet  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all ;"  so  that  ex 
action  was  made  and  he  answered  it.  Though  he  knew  no  sin,  he 
was  "made  sin  ;"  constituted  liable  to  sufferings  expressive  of  God's 
displeasure  against  sin.  Though  he  deserved  nothing  but  blessings, 
he  "  was  made  a  curse  ;"  that  is,  he  was  doomed,  divinely  doomed,  to 
suffering  on  account  of  sin.4 

The  peculiar  manner  of  his  death  marked,  and  was  intended  to  mark, 
the  penal  nature  of  the  whole  course  of  suffering  of  which  it  was  the 
close.  In  the  Mosaic  law  it  was  provided,  that  the  bodies  of  all  who 
were  put  to  death,  by  whatever  means,  for  crime,  should  be  exposed 
on  a  gibbet,  "  Cursed  is  every  one  that  hangeth  on  a  tree."  Every 
one  whose  body  was  hung  on  a  tree,  was  thus  publicly  declared  to 
have  paid  his  life  as  a  forfeit  to  justice.5  To  the  enlightened  eye,  there 
is  found  on  the  cross  another  inscription  besides  that  which  Pilate 
ordered  to  be  written  there :  THE  VICTIM  OF  GUILT.  THE  WAGES  OP 

1  John  iv.  34.  a  Heb.  v.  9.  3  Isa.  liii.  4. 

*  Gal.  iv.  4.     Isa.  liii.  6,  margin.     2  Cor.  v.  21.     Gal.  iii.  13.  *  See  note  A. 


480  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

SIN.  But  how  is  this  ?  How  does,  how  can,  the  just  One  thus  die 
for  sins  ?  How  is  the  innocent,  the  perfect,  God-man  treated,  as  if  he 
were  a  sinner ;  the  chief  of  sinners  ? 

§  2. — Vicarious. 

The  answer  to  this  question  is  to  be  found  in  the  second  character 
of  his  sufferings.  When  the  just  One  died  "  for  sins/'  he  died  "  for 
the  unjust:"  in  the  room  of  the  unjust ;  in  other  words,  his  sufferings 
were  vicarious.  By  Divine  appointment  he  suffered  what  sinners  de 
served,  that  provision  might  be  made  for  their  being  delivered  from 
the  sufferings  which  they  had  merited,  and  to  which  they  were  doomed. 
"  Messiah  was  cut  off,  but  not  for  himself."  The  just  One  suffered 
"for  sins,"  but  it  was  "in  the  room  of  the  unjust."  L 

There  is  no  possibility  of  reconciling  the  penal  sufferings  of  the  just 
One  with  the  wisdom,  benignity,  or  justice  of  the  Divine  character 
and  government,  but  on  this  supposition.  The  difficulty  is  great, 
even  if  you  take  the  lowest  ground  that  can  be  taken,  the  ordinary 
Socinian  ground ;  for,  how  are  you  to  account  for  the  benignant  and 
righteous  Governor  of  the  world  treating,  or  permitting  to  be  treated, 
as  a  sinner,  as  a  great  sinner,  an  innocent  and  perfect  man  ?  But 
just  as  you  elevate,  in  your  conception,  the  sufferer  in  the  scale  of 
being,  the  difficulty  increases,  till,  when  the  truth  is  stated,  it  swells 
beyond  all  possibility  of  being  grasped  by  any  created  mind  ;  the  Son 
of  God  in  human  nature,  all  excellent,  and  infinitely  beloved  of  his 
Father,  is  treated  as  if  he  were  a  sinner  !  "  Wonder,  O  heavens  :  be 
astonished,  O  earth." 

On  the  supposition  that  he  was  the  substitute  of  guilty  men,  that  he 
voluntarily  took  their  place  in  accordance  with  the  benignant  will  of 
his  Father,  and,  standing  in  their  place  met  with  their  desert ;  the 
darkness  which  covers  this  part  of  the  divine  procedure  is,  in  some 
measure,  dispelled.  We  deserved  to  endure  every  kind  and  degree  of 
suffering.  We  deserved  to  die  accursed.  He,  standing  in  our  room, 
met  not  with  what  he  personally  deserved,  but  with  what  we  deserved. 

This  account  of  the  matter,  it  may  be  said,  removes  one  difficulty  ; 
but  it  is  only  by  creating  another.  And  it  is  true  there  is  a  difficulty, 
and  a  great  one :  How  came  he  to  occupy  our  place  ?  But  this  diffi 
culty  is  of  a  totally  different  character  from  that  which  we  have  just 
been  considering.  In  the  former  case,  we  were  perplexed  with  an  ap 
parent  want  of  wisdom,  righteousness,  and  benignity  in  the  Divine  dis 
pensation  ;  but  admit,  what  cannot  well  be  denied,  that  the  Son  of  God 
had  complete  power  over  that  human  nature  which  he  had  taken  into 
union  with  his  divinity,  and  all  foundation  for  accusing  the  Divine 
government  of  injustice,  for  treating  him  according  to  the  character 
which  he  had  voluntarily  assumed,  is  obviously  removed :  and  take 
into  consideration  the  immeasurable  glory  which  was  to  accrue  to  the 
character  and  government  of  God,  in  the  prevention  of  an  accumula 
tion  of  sin  and  misery  through  all  eternity,  which  baffles  all  power  of 
imagination  to  estimate,  and  the  securing  of  a  corresponding  accumu 
lation  of  holy  happiness,  which  this  strange  dispensation  is  fitted  to 

1  Ditn.  ix.  26. 


PART  III.]  THEIR    NATURE VICARIOUS.  481 

secure,  which,  so  far  as  we  know,  could  not  have  been  secured  in  any 
other  way,  which  we  are  sure  could  not  have  been  secured  in  any 
other  way  so  well,  then,  instead  of  an  apparent  want,  there  is  an 
obvious  superabundance,  of  wisdom  and  benignity  in  it.  We  do  not 
cease  to  wonder, — if  possible,  we  wonder  more  than  ever;  but  the  ex 
pression  of  our  wonder  is  not,  "  Doth  God  pervert  judgment  ?  Doth 
the  Almighty  pervert  judgment  ?"  It  is,  "  O  the  depth  of  the  riches 
both  of  the  divine  knowledge  and  wisdom,  and  righteousness  and 
grace.  How  unsearchable  are  his  counsels,  and  his  ways  past  find 
ing  out!"1  The  difficulty  now  is,  not  to  reconcile  incompatibilities, 
but  to  comprehend  infinities.  There  is  still  a  mystery  ;  but  it  is  a 
bright,  not  a  dark  one.  It  is  the  mystery  of  Divine  holiness  and  kind 
ness  ;  and  its  contemplation  at  once  awes  and  delights  as  we  fear 
Jehovah  and  his  goodness.  "  Thy  mercy  is  in  the  heavens,  Holy, 
Holy,  Holy  One.  How  excellent  is  thy  loving-kindness  !  Is  this  the 
manner  of  man,  O  Lord  God  ?" 

The  doctrine  of  our  Lord's  substitution  has  plainly,  then,  at  least 
this  proof  of  truth — that  it,  and  it  alone,  accounts  satisfactorily  for  the 
facts  of  the  case,  and  leaves  the  subject  free  from  all  difficulties,  except 
such  as  necessarily  arise  out  of  its  nature.  But  this  is  but  a  small 
part  of  the  evidence  in  its  support. 

The  doctrine  of  the  vicarious,  as  well  as  penal,  nature  of  our  Lord's 
sufferings,  is  implied  in  all  those  passages  of  Scripture,  and  they  are 
very  numerous,  in  which  he  is  represented  as  having  been  a  sacrifice 
for  sin.  The  circumstance  that  the  term  "  sin"  is  often  used  in  the 
Hebrew  Scriptures  to  signify  a  sin-offering,  is  a  very  strong  proof 
that  the  victim  was  considered  as  standing  in  the  room  of  the  sinner; 
and  how  could  the  fact  be  more  plainly  stated  than  in  the  words  of 
the  Jewish  legislator,  "  Aaron  shall  lay  his  hand  on  the  head  of  the 
live  goat,  and  confess  over  him  all  the  iniquities  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  and  all  their  transgressions  in  all  their  sins,  putting  them  on  the 
head  of  the  goat  ?"  When  Christ,  then,  is  said  to  "  have  had  his  soul 
made,"  or  "to  have  made  his  soul  a  sacrifice  for  sin  ;"  when  he  is 
said  to  be  "  a  propitiation,"  that  is,  a  propitiatory  sacrifice  "  in  his 
blood ;"  when  he  is  said  to  be  "  sacrificed  for  us  as  our  passover ;" 
when  he  is  said  to  put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself;  when  he 
is  said  to  have  been  "offered  to  bear  the  sins  of  many,"  we  are  plainly- 
taught  that  he  stood  in  our  room,  and  bore  the  penal  consequences  of 
our  violation  of  the  Divine  law.2 

But  the  doctrine  is  not  only  requisite  to  account  for  the  facts  of 
the  case,  and  necessarily  implied  in  all  those  passages  of  Scripture 
where  Christ  is  represented  as  a  victim,  and  his  death  as  a  sacrifice; 
but  it  is  frequently  stated  in  the  most  explicit  language  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  I  shall  quote  a  few  passages.  Speaking  of  Jehovah's 
righteous  servant,  Isaiah  says,  "  We  esteemed  him  stricken,  smitten 
of  God,  and  afflicted ;"  we  reckoned  him  a  person  punished  signally 
for  his  own  great,  though  unknown,  crimes  ;  "  but  he  was  wounded  for 
our  transgressions,  he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities  ;  the  chastise- 

1  Job  viii.  3.     Rom.  xi.  33. 

9  Lev.  xvi.  21.  Isa.  liii.  10.  Rom.  iii.  25.  Gfya,  not  ixiOepa,  is  the  proper  supplement 
to  i\aorf,plov. — 1  Cor.  v.  7.  Heb.  ix.  26,  28. 

31 


482  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI 

ment  of  our  peace  was  on  him.  The  Lord  laid  on  him  the  iniquities 
of  us  all."  Exaction  was  made,  and  he  became  answerable.  "My 
righteous  servant,  by  his  knowledge,  shall  justify  many  ;  for  he  shall 
bear  their  iniquities.  Numbered  with  the  transgressors,  he  bore  the 
sins  of  many/'  "  Christ  died  for  the  ungodly"  in  the  way  in  which 
some  would  dare  to  die  for  a  good  man ;  that  is,  to  undergo  death  in 
his  stead.  "  Christ  bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  a  tree,"  "  or  to 
the  tree."  l  These  statements  are  so  very  explicit,  that  one  is  dis 
posed  to  say,  if  the  vicarious  nature  of  our  Lord's  sufferings  be  not 
revealed  in  them,  it  is  impossible  that  it  should  be  revealed ;  for  Ian- 
guage  furnishes  no  terms  more  clear  and  unequivocal  for  this  idea 
than  those  which  have  been  already  employed. 

§  3. — Expiatory. 

The  third  idea  which  the  language  of  the  text  conveys  respecting 
the  nature  of  our  Lord's  sufferings  is,  that  they  were  expiatory. 
When  he  suffered  in  the  room  of  sinners,  those  evils  which  were  the 
manifestations  of  the  Divine  displeasure  against  their  sins,  it  was  in 
order  to  expiate  or  make  atonement  for  their  sins  ;  or,  in  other  words, 
to  render  the  pardon  of  their  sins  consistent  with  the  perfections  of 
the  Divine  character,  the  honor  of  the  Divine  law,  and  the  stability 
of  the  Divine  government;  and,  as  this  was  the  design  of  his  suffer 
ings,  so  it  has  been  completely  gained  by  them. 

This  was  the  design  of  our  Lord's  sufferings.  The  prophet  Daniel 
informs  us,  that  a  great  event  was  to  take  place  at  a  fixed  period, 
even  that  "  Messiah  was  to  be  cut  off,  but  not  for  himself."  And  what 
was  to  be  the  object  of  this  ?  "  To  finish  the  transgression,  to  make 
an  end  of  sin;  to  make  reconciliation  for  iniquity,  to  bring  in  ever 
lasting  righteousness."  John  the  Baptist  describes  our  Lord  as  "the 
Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world."  Our  Lord 
himself  says,  that  he  came  to  "give  himself  a  ransom  for  many." 
The  apostle  informs  us,  that  "  he  came  in  the  end  of  the  age  to  put 
away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself,"  and  that  "  God  made  him  to  be 
sin  for  us,  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him." 
Indeed,  what  could  be  the  object  of  vicarious  endurance  of  penal 
evil  but  expiation  ?  2 

This  end  our  Lord's  sufferings  have  completely  gained.  "The 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  God's  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  We  are 
redeemed  by  this  price,  so  "much  more  precious  than  silver  and 
gold."  "  In  him,  we  have  redemption  through  his  blood,  the  forgive 
ness  of  sins."  "He  is  set  forth  a  propitiation  for  our  sins,  through 
faith  in  his  blood."  "He  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  not  for 
our  sins  only,  but  also  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world."  3 

In  this  glorious  truth,  that  the  vicarious  sufferings  of  our  Lord  have 
made  full  expiation  for  our  sins,  we  ought  joyfully  to  acquiesce,  even 
though  we  were  utterly  incapable  of  perceiving  how  the  means  employ 
ed  were  fitted  to  gain  the  end.  God,  who  knew  what  the  expiation  of 

1  Isa.  liii.  5-7,  11,  !  2.     Rom.  v.  6-8.     1  Pet.  ii.  24. 

3  Dan.  ix.  24-26.     John  i.  29.     Matt.  xx.  28.     2  Cor.  v.  21.     Heb.  ix.  26. 

8  1  John  L  7.     1  Pet.  i.  18.     Eph.  i.  7.     Rom.  iii.  25.     1  John  ii.  2. 


PART  ![£.]  THEIR    NATURE EXPIATORY.  483 

sin  required,  appointed  his  incarnate  Son  to  be  the  victim  of  human 
guilt,  making  to  meet  on  him  the  iniquities  of  us  all;  and  he  has  ex 
pressed,  in  the  most  unequivocal  manner,  that  he  is  well  pleased  with 
the  sacrifice  which  has  been  presented.  "  I  have  finished  the  work 
thou  gavest  me  to  do/'  said  the  Saviour.  "  Now,  O  Father,  glorify 
thou  me  with  thine  own  self  with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee 
before  the  world  was."  And  the  Father  heard  him  and  answered 
him.  He  raised  him  from  the  dust  of  death,  and  placed  him  at  his 
own  right  hand,  and  gave  him  all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth,  that 
he  might  give  eternal  life  to  all  coming  to  the  Father  by  him  ;  that 
in  expecting  pardon  and  salvation  on  the  ground  of  his  expiatory 
sacrifice,  "  our  faith  and  hope  might  be  in  God."  1 

But  when  we  look  at  the  whole  wondrous  dispensation  as  unfolded 
in  Scripture,  we  cannot  help  saying,  "  It  became  him  for  whom  are  all 
things,  and  by  whom  are  all  things,"  *  thus  to  dispense  pardon  and 
salvation.  There  is  more  honor  done  to  the  Divine  law  by  the  incar 
nate  Son  of  God  yielding,  in  the  room  of  the  guilt}7,  a  holy  obediential 
submission  to  its  penal  sanction,  than  could  have  been  done  it  by  their 
everlasting  destruction.  We  wonder  ho\^the  Father  should  not  spare 
his  Son,  but  deliver  him  up  to  be  the  victim  of  human  guilt.  We 
wonder  how  "  the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,  and  the  express 
image  of  his  person,"  the  Creator  and  Lord  of  the  universe,  should 
have  in  human  nature  made  himself  a  sacrifice ;  but  we  do  not  won 
der  that  the  Father  was  propitiated  by  that  sacrifice,  we  do  not  won 
der  that  by  that  sacrifice  the  Son  "purged  our  sins."  We  wonder 
that  "  he,  by  whom  and  for  whom  all  things  were  created,  that  are  in 
heaven  and  on  earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether  they  be  thrones  or 
dominions,  or  principalities  or  powers,"  who  is  before  them  all,  and  by 
whom  they  all  subsist,  should,  "  in  fashion  as  a  man,"  shed  his  blood 
on  a  cross ;  but  we  do  not  wonder  that  "  through  that  blood  we  should 
have  redemption,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins."  We  not  only  believe 
it  because  God  says  it ;  but  we  see  that,  if  HE  has  been  the  propitia 
tion  for  our  sins,  God  is  just,  that  he  is  "  the  just  God"  as  well  as  "  the 
Saviour,  while  he  justifies  the  ungodly,  the  sinner  believing  in  Jesus ;" 
and  we  feel  the  conclusiveness  of  the  apostle's  noble  argument :  "  For 
if  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats,  and  the  ashes  of  an  heifer  sprinkling 
the  unclean,  sanctifieth  to  the  purifying  of  the  flesh :  how  much  more 
shall  the  blood  of  Christ,  who  through  the  Eternal  Spirit  offered  him 
self  without  spot  to  God,  purge  your  conscience  from  dead  works,  to 
serve  the  living  God  ?  And  for  this  cause  he  is  the  mediator  of  the 
new  covenant,  that  by  means  of  death,  for  the  redemption  of  the 
transgressions  that  were  under  the  first  covenant,  they  which  are 
called  might  receive  the  promise  of  eternal  inheritance."3 

These  remarks  on  the  nature  of  our  Lord's  sufferings  as  penal,  vi 
carious,  and  expiatory,  force  on  our  minds  the  reflection, — How  fear 
ful  are  the  state  and  prospects,  how  certain  and  dreadful  will  be  the 
destruction,  of  those  sinners  who  are  not,  by  the  faith  of  the  truth, 
savingly  interested  in  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings  of  Jesus 

1  John  xvii.  4,  5.    1  Pet  i.  21.  *  Hcb.  ii.  10. 

8  Heb.  i  3.    Col.  i.  14-16.    Rom.  iii.  25,  26.     Heb.  ix  13-15. 


484  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

Christ !  "  If  these  things  were  done  in  the  green  tree,  what  shall  be 
done  in  the  dry  ?" 

"  Had  it  been  possible  for  sin  to  be  pardoned,  and  for  sinners  to  be 
saved,  without  the  atonement  made  by  the  sufferings  and  death  of  the 
Son  of  God,  we  may  be  sure  that  these  sufferings  and  that  death 
would  never  have  been  endured."  No.  God  would  have  spared  his 
Son.  He  would  not  have  given  him  up  for  us  could  sin  have  been 
pardoned  without  being  expiated,  or  could  it  have  been  expiated  at  a 
less  cost,  by  a  less  noble  victim.  We  argue  this  on  the  ground  of 
Divine  wisdom,  justice,  and  goodness.  That  wisdom  does  nothing 
in  vain;  that  justice  could  not  afflict  the  guiltless  but  with  his  own 
consent,  and  for  an  adequate  end  ;  that  goodness  could  inflict  no  need 
less  suffering,  especially  on  one  who  was  worthily  the  object  of  his 
entire  complacency,  his  infinite  delight.  If  it  had  been  possible  that 
the  salvation  of  a  guilty  world  could  have  been  effected  without  atone 
ment,  without  such  an  atonement  Christ  had  not  died.  Nothing  pre 
sents  to  the  mind  more  strikingly  than  this,  the  impossibility  of  sin 
being  pardoned,  or  the  sinner  saved,  without  a  personal  participation 
in  the  expiatory  efficacy  of  the  one  great  sacrifice.  "  There  is  not  a 
surer  proof  of  the  reality  of  hell  than  the  cross ;  not  one  clearer  evi 
dence  of  the  certainty  of  future  vengeance  than  the  means  provided 
for  averting  it.  Had  the  punishment  of  iniquity  not  been  under  the 
Divine  government  a  sure  and  settled  thing,  we  should  never  have 
heard  of  such  an  atonement,  or  any  atonement,  being  made  for  it. 
Calvary  confirms  the  sentences  of  Sinai.  What  justice  thundered 
from  Sinai,  mercy,  though  with  tearful  eye,  yet  with  unfaltering 
voice,  whispers  from  Calvary,  and  the  announcement  is  more  fearful 
in  the  whisper  than  in  the  thunder."  l  The  soul  that  has  sinned,  and 
puts  away  from  it  the  blood  of  the  only  atoning  sacrifice,  must  die, 
die  the  second  death.  Without  shedding  of  blood  there  is  no  remis 
sion.  "  His  blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin  ;'J  but  if  you  put  it  away  from 
you  as  "  a  common  thing,"  your  blood  must  be  shed,  the  life  of  your 
souls  must  answer  for  it ;  and  yet  there  can  be  no  remission,  there  is 
no  atonement  in  your  sufferings,  there  can  be  none ;  for  there  is  no 
adequate  satisfaction  to  the  demands  of  law  and  justice. 

And  the  destruction  of  the  neglecter,  the  despiser,  of  the  blood  of 
the  Son,  by  whom  alone  there  is  expiation,  will  be  as  dreadful  as  it  is 
certain.  If  we  form  our  judgment  of  the  amount  of  the  penalty  from 
the  amount  of  the  expiation,  no  light  thought  of  it  will  for  a  moment 
lodge  within  us.  Nowhere  is  the  lesson  "  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  living  God,"2  more  alarmingly  uttered  than  from 
the  cross.  The  wrath  of  God  is  on  the  unpardoned  sinner,  and  it 
must  abide  on  him  if  he  lay  not  hold  of  the  hope  set  before  him  in  the 
gospel :  if,  by  the  faith  of  the  truth,  he  do  not  become  one  with  him  who 
suffered,  the  just  in  the  room  of  the  unjust.  Who  knoweth  the  power 
of  this  wrath  ?  Look  to  the  cross,  and  find  there  the  most  adequate 

1  These  sentences  within  inverted  commas,  in  this  paragraph,  nnd  many  of  the  thoughts 
in  it  and  the  following  one,  are  borrowed  from  one,  to  whose  valuable  writings  the  author 
owes  ampler  and  heavier  obligations — his  esteemed  and  beloved  brother  and  friend,  Dr. 
Wardlaw. 

1  Heb.  x.  31. 


FART  IV.]  THEIR    DESIGN.  485 

answer  that  can  be  given  to  this  dreadful  question.  He  who  hangs 
there  knows  the  power  of  this  wrath.  Think  on  what  He  suffered ; 
and  learn  to  think  justly  of  the  evil  of  sin,  and  of  what  awaits  the 
obstinate  unbelieving  sinner  If  God  spared  not  his  Son,  standing  in 
the  room  of  sinners,  shall  he  spare  the  sinner  who  madly  insists  on 
keeping  his  own  place,  and  refuses  to  seek  shelter  under  the  over 
shadowing  wings  of  the  angel  of  the  covenant  ?  No ;  there  is  no 
salvation  without  pardon ;  no  pardon  without  atonement ;  no  atone 
ment  without  satisfaction ;  no  satisfaction  but  in  the  atonement  of 
Christ  Jesus.  No ;  "  there  remaineth  no  more  sacrifice  for  sin ;"  and 
to  him  who  rejects  it,  there  remaineth  nothing  but  a  certain  fearful 
looking  for  of  judgment  and  fiery  indignation,  to  devour  the  adver 
saries."  l 

I  cannot  close  this  section  of  the  discourse  with  these  tremendous 
words.  No.  Unbelieving,  impenitent  sinner,  thou  art  yet  within  the 
sphere,  throughout  which  the  infinite  atonement  is  shedding  its  saving 
influence.  Once  more,  it  may  be  only  once  more,  thou  hearest  the  sin 
cere,  affectionate  call  of  "God  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  to  himself, 
not  imputing  to  men  their  trespasses  :"  "  Be  reconciled."  He  who  knew 
no  sin,  has  been  made  sin  in  the  room  of  men,  that  they  may  be  made 
the  righteousness  of  God  in  him.  "  Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  from  your  evil 
ways;  for  why  will  ye  die?"  "Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  bearing, 
and  bearing  away,  the  sin  of  the  world."  "  Be  it  known  to  you,  men 
and  brethren,  that  through  this  man  is  preached  to  you  the  forgiveness 
of  sin."  "  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation, 
that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,"  even  the  chief; 
that  he  came  to  "  give  his  flesh  for  the  life  of  the  world ;"  that  "  his 
blood  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin ;"  and  that  "  he  is  able  to  save  to  the 
uttermost  all  coming  to  God  by  him." 2  Believe,  and  live.  Persist 
in  unbelief,  and  absolutely  certain,  inconceivably  dreadful,  must  be 
your  perdition.  The  Divine  decree,  confirmed  by  an  oath,  "  the  un 
believer  shall  not  enter  into  my  rest,"  is  unrepealed,  unrepealable. 

But,  blessed  be  God,  not  less  surely  established  in  the  heavens  is 
that  faithful  saying,  "  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only- 
begotten  Son,  that  WHOSOEVER," — whosoever,  though  his  sins  in  num 
ber  be  infinite,  and  in  heinousness  and  aggravation  beyond  all  created 
power  to  estimate — whosoever,  however  frequently  he  has,  in  resist 
ing  the  command  to  believe,  and  in  refusing  the  offer  of  mercy,  called 
God  a  liar,  and  trampled  under  foot  equally  his  authority  and  his  grace 
—WHOSOEVER  "believeth  in  him  shall  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life."  3 

IV.— THE  DESIGN  OF  HIS  SUFFERINGS,  "TO  BRING  MEN  TO  GOD." 

We  are  now  prepared  to  proceed  with  our  illustration  of  the 
apostle's  statement  of  the  design  of  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory 
sufferings  of  Christ  the  just  One.  They  were  intended  "  to  bring  us, 

1  Heb.  x.  26,  27. 

2  2  Cor.  v.  20.     Ezck.  xxxiii.  11.     John  i.  29.     Acts  xiii.  18.     1  Tim.  i.  5.     John  vi.  61. 
1  John  i.  7.     Heb.  vii.  25. 

8  John  iii.  16. 


486  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

to  conduct  us  to  God.'  The  phrase,  to  "  bring  men  to  God,"  is  obvi 
ously  figurative.  But,  though  figurative,  it  is  not  obscure.  It  obvi 
ously  indicates  some  change  in  man's  relations  and  dispositions  and 
actions ;  his  state  and  character  and  conduct  in  reference  to  God. 
This  change  is  represented  under  the  image  of  bringing  a  person  near 
to  another,  from  whom  previously  he  had  been  at  a  distance.  Such 
ideas  as  distance,  nearness,  and  motion,  borrowed  from  physical  ob 
jects,  must,  when  applied  to  moral  subjects,  be  understood  figuratively; 
and  such  expressions  as  that  before  us  communicate  no  real  informa 
tion  to  the  mind,  till  the  idea,  stripped  of  its  metaphorical  dress,  stands 
before  us  in  its  naked  reality.  Then  the  figure  will  be  of  use  in  illus 
trating  the  thing  signified.  Till  this  is  done,  there  is  nothing  in  the 
mind  but  a  confused  jumble  of  material  images  and  moral  truths. 

Distance  of  one  person  from  another,  when  the  phrase  is  used 
figuratively,  is  descriptive  of  ignorance,  enmity,  dissimilarity,  and  non- 
intercourse  ;  want  of  acquaintance,  want  of  friendship,  want  of  re 
semblance,  want  of  fellowship.  When  men,  then,  are  represented, 
as  they  often  are  in  Scripture,  as  far  from  God,  the  meaning  is,  they 
are  ignorant  of  his  character  and  will ;  they  are  in  a  state  of  enmity 
against  him,  and  the  objects  of  his  displeasure;  they  are  very  unlike 
God,  indeed,  directly  opposed  to  him  in  the  general  features  of  their 
moral  character ;  and  they  are  estranged  from  him,  having  no  favor 
able  intercourse  and  fellowship  with  him  :  And  when  men  are  said  to 
be  brought  to  God,  it  is  intimated  to  us  that  their  state  and  character 
in  reference  to  God  are  materially  and  most  beneficially  altered;  that 
from  a  state  of  ignorance  and  error,  they  are  brought  to  the  true 
knowledge  of  his  character  and  will ;  that  from  a  state  of  mutual  hos 
tility,  they  are  brought  into  a  state  of  reconciliation  ;  that  from  a  state 
of  moral  dissimilarity,  they  are  brought  into  a  state  of  moral  resem 
blance  ;  and  that  from  a  state  of  estrangement  and  non-intercourse, 
they  are  brought  into  a  state  of  habitual  and  friendly  fellowship.  You 
see,  then,  the  meaning  of  the  figurative  expression  in  the  text,  the 
bringing  men  to  God;  and  thus  you  may  clearly  perceive  the  object 
to  which  all  the  succeeding  illustrations  will  be  directed — to  make  it 
evident  to  you  that  the  great  design  of  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory 
sufferings  of  the  incarnate  Son  of  God,  the  appointed  Saviour  of  men, 
was  to  lead  men  to  just  views  of  the  Divine  character  and  will,  to 
reconcile  them  to  God,  to  make  them  like  God,  and  to  establish  a 
friendly  intercourse  between  them  and  God — to  show  that  they  have 
effected  this  design,  and  to  show,  too,  how  they  have  effected  it.  This 
must  be  kept  steadily  in  view  by  all  who  would  wish  fully  to  under 
stand  the  subsequent  part  of  our  illustration  of  this  vitally  important 
subject. 

§  1. — To  bring  men  to  the  knowledge  of  God. 

I  observe,  then,  in  the  first  place,  that  it  was  a  design  of  the  suffer 
ings  of  Christ  for  sins,  and  in  the  room  of  sinners,  to  bring  men  to 
the  true  knowledge  of  the  character  and  will  of  God.  In  this  respect, 
as  indeed  in  every  phase  of  meaning  which  belongs  to  the  figurative 
expression,  man  was  originally  near  God.  Man  was  originally  made, 


PART  IV.]  THEIR    DESIGN.  487 

as'it  has  been  happily  expressed,  "receptive  of  a  Deity."  l  He  was 
endowed  with  faculties  capable  of  apprehending  the  signatures  of  di 
vinity  impressed  on  all  the  works  of  the  Divine  hand,  whether  in 
creation  or  providence  ;  and  with  a  disposition  to  exercise  these  facul 
ties  —  a  taste  for  the  high  and  holy  satisfaction  growing  out  of  the 
mental  contemplation  of  boundless  power,  regulated  by  perfect  wisdom 
and  righteousness,  and  influenced  by  perfect  benignity  ;  and  he  was 
moreover  blessed  with  direct  communications  from  heaven  of  what, 
in  reference  to  his  own  relations  and  duties  to  God,  it  was  most  desir 
able  for  him  to  know.  He  was  made  "in  God's  image,  after  his  like 
ness  ;"  and  we  know  that  that  image  consists  "in  knowledge"  as  well 
as  "in  righteousness  and  holiness."2 

When  Adam  sinned,  we  are  not  to  suppose,  that  immediately  on 
his  transgression  he  lost,  as  by  a  miracle,  all  such  information  re 
specting  the  Divine  character  and  will  as  he  had  previously  possessed, 
or  that  he  was  deprived  of  those  rational  faculties  by  which  he  was 
made  capable  of  acquiring  such  information  :  But  becoming  an  object 
of  the  Divine  judicial  displeasure,  necessarily  from  his  becoming  a 
sinner,  two  things  followed,  which  most  materially  affected  the  state 
of  his  knowledge  ;  he  ceased  to  be  the  subject  of  that  holy  Divine 
influence,  the  communication  of  which  is  the  strongest  manifestation 
of  the  Divine  favorable  regard,  which  makes  those  intelligent  beings, 
over  whom  it  exerts  its  benignant  power,  count  all  knowledge  worth 
less  in  comparison  of  "  the  excellent  knowledge"  of  God  ;  and  the 
Divine  Being  having  now  become  an  object  of  dread  and  aversion  to 
guilty  and  depraved  man,  it  must  have  become  a  desirable  thing  with 
man  "  not  to  retain  God  in  his  knowledge,"  to  dismiss  him  as  much  as 
possible  from  his  mind,  to  guard  against  the  entrance  of  thoughts 
about  Him,  as  calculated  to  interfere  with  his  favorite  pursuits,  to 
poison  his  chosen  enjoyments.3 

The  natural  operation  of  these  two  circumstances,  would  very  soon 
have  led  to  the  utter  extinction  of  all  true  knowledge  of  God  among 
mankind,  even  keeping  out  of  view  the  influence  of  him  who  is  the 
prince  of  darkness,  and  who,  as  he  led  them  first  away  from  God, 
seeks  to  alienate  them  from  Him  more  and  more,  by  shutting  out  the 
truth  respecting  God  from  their  minds,  and  filling  them  with  false 
views  of  his  character.  The  religious  knowledge  of  the  parents  of 
the  human  race  would  soon  have  been  lost.  It  would  in  a  great  meas 
ure  have  died  with  them  ;  and  succeeding  generations  born  ignorant 
of  it,  not  destitute,  indeed,  of  faculties  to  acquire  it,  but  placed  in 
circumstances  in  which  they  had  few  facilities  for  acquiring  it;  with 
no  supernatural  revelation,  which,  in  the  supposed  case,  could  not 
exist;  destitute  of  all  inward  impulse  towards  the  acquisition  of  such 
knowledge,  nay,  positively  indisposed  to  its  pursuit  ;  exposed  to  a  pow 
erful  influence,  the  object  of  which  is  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  such 
knowledge  into  the  mind,  and  to  produce  false  views  on  its  subjects- 
must  have  been  almost  entirely  unacquainted  with,  must  have  become 
fearfully  misinformed  in  reference  to,  the  Divine  character  and  will. 
This,  I  say,  would  have  been  the  state  of  all  mankind,  had  things  been 

1  Howe.  2  Gen.  i.  27.     CoL  iii.  10.     Eph.  iv.  24. 

*  RoiIL  L  28.      Owe  idoKlftaaav  TOV  Qeov  i%£i 


£iv  iv 


488  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

left  to  their  natural,  or  rather  unnatural,  course,  which,  blessed  be  God, 
they  were  not;  and  even  as  it  is,  with  all  the  preventive  means  He 
has  employed,  such  is  nearly  the  actual  state  of  a  very  large  portion 
of  the  human  race,  "  the  nations  who  know  not  God :"  and,  indeed, 
with  regard  to  every  human  being,  however  largely  furnished  with 
the  means  of  information,  his  natural  state  is  a  state  of  ignorance  and 
error  respecting  the  Divine  character  and  will.  Now,  what  is  re 
quired  to  bring  such  men  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  on  these  all- 
important  subjects  ? 

There  are  obviously  two  things  that  are  absolutely  necessary  for 
this  purpose :  First,  a  revelation  of  the  truth  with  regard  to  the  Di 
vine  character  and  will,  couched  in  intelligible  language  and  attended 
with  sufficient  evidence  ;  and,  secondly,  an  influence  sufficiently  pow 
erful  to  counteract  man's  indisposition,  man's  antipathy,  towards  such 
knowledge,  and  to  fix  the  attention  of  the  mind  on  this  revelation  and 
its  evidence,  and  keep  it  fixed,  till  its  meaning  and  authority  are  so 
perceived  as  that  it  is  understood  and  believed.  There  is  no  other 
conceivable  way  of  communicating  the  true  knowledge  of  God  to  a 
man  unacquainted  with  the  Divine  character,  and  indisposed  to  seek 
knowledge,  strongly  disposed  to  eschew  it,  but  that  which  I  have  just 
described.  The  revelation  is  not  enough  without  the  influence ;  nor 
the  influence  without  the  revelation.  Both  are  necessary  ;  and,  when 
they  are  united,  they  are  sufficient  to  serve  the  purpose.  Accordingly, 
we  find  such  is  the  method  which  God  has  adopted,  to  prevent  the 
utter  extinction  of  all  true  knowledge  of  himself  in  the  world,  and  is 
employing,  to  make  the  true  knowledge  of  himself  universal  in  the 
world.  The  revelation  of  his  character  and  will  in  the  Holy  Scrip 
tures,  attended  by  the  influence  of  his  Spirit,  leading  men  to  under 
stand  and  believe  them,  is  the  grand  means  of  bringing  men  from 
darkness  to  light,  from  the  slavery  of  Satan  to  the  service  of  God,  by 
putting  them  in  possession  of  that  eternal  life  which  is  implied  in  the 
true  knowledge  of  the  only  true  God,  and  of  Jesus  Christ  whom  he 
hath  sent. 

But  some  of  you  are,  probably,  disposed  to  say,  "  All  this  is  very 
true,  and  very  important;  but,  apparently,  not  very  much  to  the  pur 
pose.  You  began  with  asserting  the  influence  of  Christ's  penal,  vi 
carious,  and  expiatory  sufferings,  on  men's  being  brought  to  the  true 
knowledge  of  God ;  and  you  have  only  shown  us  that  the  Word  of 
God  and  the  Spirit  of  God  are  necessary  and  sufficient  for  this  pur 
pose."  I  have  not,  however,  finished  my  illustration.  When  I  have 
shown,  as  I  am  just  about  to  do,  that  but  for  the  penal,  vicarious,  and 
expiatory  sufferings  of  Christ,  there  could  have  been  no  such  Divine 
revelation,  no  such  Divine  influence,  as  we  have  been  speaking  of; 
it  will  appear,  with  sufficient  clearness,  that  ignorant,  deluded  man's 
restoration  to  the  knowledge  of  God,  is  closely  connected  with,  is  ne 
cessarily  dependent  on,  those  sufferings  for  sin,  in  the  room  of  the 
unjust. 

What  would  have  been  the  situation  of  mankind  in  the  present 
state,  had  the  atonement  not  formed  a  part  of  the  Divine  arrange 
ments,  it  is  not  very  easy  fully  and  distinctly  to  bring  before  the 
mind;  it  is,  however,  very  evident,  that  but  for  this  we  could  have 


PART  IV.]  THEIR    DESIGN.  489 

had  no  Bible  and  no  Divine  influence  to  enable  us  to  understand  and 
believe  the  Bible,  and  of  course  we  could  have  had  no  true  knowledge 
of  God.  God,  in  consistency  with  his  moral  perfections,  can  bestow, 
directly,  no  spiritual  blessing  on  the  objects  of  his  righteous  condem 
nation.  Whatever  good  of  this  kind  he  does  to  man,  he  does  through 
the  mediation  of  his  Son;  and  whatever  he  does  through  the  media 
tion  of  his  Son.  he  does  with  a  reference  to  his  atoning  sacrifice. 
Had  it  not  been  that  Christ,  as  the  victim  of  human  guilt,  the  ransom 
of  human  beings,  "  the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of 
the  world/'  was  "  fore-ordained  before  the  foundation  of  the  world ;"  * 
no  revelation  of  the  truth  respecting  the  character  of  Jehovah,  as  the 
God  of  holiness  and  love,  justice  and  mercy,  could  ever  have  reached 
our  earth,  nor  could  a  Divine  influence  have  found  its  way  to  the 
heart  of  condemned,  depraved  man,  to  render  that  revelation  effectual. 

Indeed,  what  is  the  revelation  of  God  which  serves  this  purpose, 
but  the  revelation  of  "his  glory  in  the 'face  of  his  Son,"2  that  is,  in 
his  person  and  in  his  work  ?  What  man  needs  is  "  repentance  towards 
God  ;"  3  a  change  of  mind  respecting  God.  It  were  endless  to  detail 
all  the  erroneous  views  of  men  with  regard  to  the  Divine  character; 
but  there  are  two  mistakes  universally  prevalent  among  men,  in  their 
unconverted  state,  on  this  subject.  They  do  not  believe  God  to  be 
the  holy  Being  he  really  is ;  they  do  not  believe  him  to  be  the  benig 
nant  Being  he  really  is.  These  were  the  original  false  views  which 
the  father  of  lies  infused  into  the  mind  of  man.  It  is  in  the  atone 
ment  of  Jesus,  the  incarnate  only  begotten  of  God,  that  the  immacu 
late  holiness  and  the  inconceivable  kindness,  the  inflexible  justice  and 
the  transcendent  mercy,  of  the  Divine  Being,  are  most  gloriously  and 
affectingly  displayed.  That  exhibition  of  the  Divine  character,  forms 
the  great  subject  of  the  scriptural  revelation.  Everything  is  subor 
dinated  to  the  bringing  of  this  out  in  strong  relief;  and  it  is,  indeed, 
just  in  proportion  as  men  understand  and  believe  the  truth  on  this 
subject,  that  they  really  know  God. 

God  is  not  truly  known,  though  we  may  be  acquainted  with  many 
of  his  attributes  and  works,  till  he  is  known  as  "God  in  Christ,  recon 
ciling  the  world  to  himself,  not  imputing  to  men  their  trespasses;  see 
ing  he  has  made  him  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin ;  that  we  might  be 
made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him."4  "No  man  has  seen,"  no 
man  can  see,  "God ;  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  who  was  in  his 
bosom,  he  has  declared  him."5  In  his  work  primarily,  and  then  in 
his  word  which  is  the  record  of  his  work,  he  has  disclosed  the  mingled 
glories  of  Divine  holiness  and  grace,  and  the  unfathomable  depth  of 
Divine  wisdom,  and  the  exceeding  greatness  of  Divine  power,  in  the 
formation  and  execution  of  that  wondrous  scheme,  of  which  his 
atoning  death  was,  as  it  were,  the  foundation  and  centre.  Hence,  in 
the  estimation  of  the  apostle,  the  most  direct  way  of  bringing  men, 
sunk  in  ignorance  and  error,  to  the  knowledge  of  God,  was  to  preach 
Christ,  Christ  crucified.  "  Here,  shine  spotless  justice,  incomprehen 
sible  wisdom,  and  infinite  love,  all  at  once.  None  of  them  darkens 
or  eclipses  the  other :  every  one  of  them  gives  a  lustre  to  the  rest. 

1  1  Pet.  i.  20.  2  2  Cor.  iv.  6.  »  Msravota  sis  rov  Qc6v.    Acts  xx.  21. 

4  2  Cor.  v.  19,  21.  s  John  i.  18. 


490  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

They  mingle  their  beams,  and  shine  with  united  eternal  splendor :  the 
just  Judge,  the  merciful  Father,  and  the  wise  Governor.  Nowhere 
does  justice  appear  so  awful,  mercy  so  amiable,  or  wisdom  so  pro 
found."  l 

And  as  there  could  be  no  such  revelation  of  the  Divine  character, 
as  is  necessary  to  bring  man  to  a  right  knowledge  of  God,  without 
these  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  so, 
without  these  sufferings,  there  could  have  been  no  such  Divine  influ 
ence  as  the  depravity  of  man  makes  necessary  to  secure  that  that 
revelation,  however  clear  and  well  accredited,  shall  serve  its  purpose. 
it  is  with  a  reference  to  this  atonement,  that  all  saving  Divine  influ 
ence  is  put  forth.  The  Holy  Spirit,  in  his  renewing  influence,  is 
"shed  forth  abundantly  through  Jesus  Christ  the  Saviour  ;"  and  re 
demption  from  the  curse  lays  the  foundation  for  our  receiving  "  the 
promised  Spirit,  through  believing."2 

In  order  that  God  may  be  known  by  fallen  man,  there  must  be  a 
revelation  of  God,  a  suitable  revelation  of  God.  The  giving  of  that 
revelation  goes  on  the  supposition  that  God  has  been  propitiated  by 
an  atonement ;  and  the  atonement  by  which  God  is  propitiated  is  the 
great  subject  of  the  revelation ;  and  makes  it  what  it  is,  a  revelation 
fitted  to  give  fallen  men  just  views  of  the  Divine  character.  To  the 
knowledge  of  God  by  fallen  man,  a  Divine  influence  is  necessary  to 
dispose  him  to  receive,  to  make  him  understand  and  believe,  this  reve 
lation ;  and,  but  for  the  sufferings  of  Jesus  Christ,  no  such  influence 
could  have  been  put  forth.  Thus,  we  trust,  we  have  made  it  clear  to 
the  understandings  of  all,  that  to  lead  men  into  the  knowledge  of  the 
Divine  character,  by  a  revelation,  not  only  confirmed,  but  merited, 
by  his  sufferings,  and  which  is  a  revelation  of  God,  chiefly,  because 
it  is  an  account  of  those  sufferings,  in  which  the  character  of  God  is 
unfolded ;  and  by  a  Divine  influence,  not  only  dispensed,  but  procured 
by  him,  is  one  design  which  the  Saviour  had  in  view  when,  accord 
ing  to  the  benignant  good  pleasure  of  his  Father,  He,  as  the  just  One, 
suffered  for  sins  in  the  room  of  the  unjust. 

On  allowing  the  mind  to  rest  on  such  views,  the  reflection  naturally 
rises,  how  highly  should  we  value  our  Bibles!  How  highly  should 
we  value  them,  when  we  think  what  they  have  cost!  How  highly 
should  we  value  them,  when  we  think  what  they  contain!  How 
highly  should  we  value  them,  when  we  think  what  end  they  are  in 
tended  and  fitted  to  serve ! 

How  much  have  our  Bibles  cost !  They  have  not  cost  us  much 
Though  there  once  was  a  time,  when,  even  in  this  country,  a  single 
copy  of  the  Scriptures  was  a  possession  to  which  only  the  wealthy 
and  noble  could  aspire;3  yet  ever  since  any  of  us  can  recollect,  the 
Bible  was  to  be  obtained  at  a  moderate  price,  and  we  have  great 
cause  to  rejoice  that,  now,  the  best  of  books,  is  the  cheapest  of  books.4 
If  any  one  in  our  country  is  without  a  Bible,  the  reason  must  be 

1  M'Laurin.  a  Tit.  iii.  5,  6.     Gal.  iii.  13,  14. 

3  In  England,  in  1274,  the  price  of  a  Bible,  with  a  commentary,  fairly  written,  was 
£30 ;  the  equivalent  of  fifteen  years'  work  for  a  laborer,  whose  wages  were  then  Ihd. 
a-day.  In  1420,  Wiclif's  New  Testament  sold  for  £2,  16s.  Sd.,  equal  to  £30  of  our 
monej.—Lc  Baa'  Wiclif—znd  Townhys  Biblical  Anecdotes. 

*  See  note  B. 


PART  IV.]  THEIR    DESIGN.  491 

sought  somewhere  else  than  in  the  scarceness  or  the  clearness  of  the 
inspired  volume.  Yet  the  Bible,  which  costs  us  so  little,  cost  some 
very  dear,  through  whose  instrumentality  it  comes  to  us.  Our  Eng 
lish  Bible  cost  William  Tyndale  his  life ;  and  many  others  bonds  and 
imprisonments.  Indeed  it  were  difficult  to  estimate  the  amount  of 
labor  and  suffering  which  our  English  Bible  has  cost  ;l  still  more  diffi 
cult  to  estimate  the  expense  of  toil  and  sacrifice  at  which,  since  the 
beginning,  the  preservation  and  transmission  of  the  sacred  books 
have  been  secured.  All  these  considerations  go  to  enhance  the  value 
of  our  Bibles ;  but  they  are  all  as  nothing  in  comparison  with  the 
consideration  which  the  subject  of  our  discourse  brings  before  the 
mind.  Looking  at  our  Bibles,  we  may  well  say,  "  They  were  not 
gotten  for  gold,  neither  was  silver  weighed  for  their  price.  They 
cannot  be  valued  with  the  gold  of  Ophir,  with  the  precious  onyx,  or 
the  sapphire.  No  mention  shall  be  made  of  the  coral,  or  pearls ;  for 
their  price  is  above  rubies.  The  topaz  of  Ethiopia  cannot  equal 
them,  neither  can  they  be  valued  with  fine  gold."2  They  were  not 
purchased  for  us  by  "such  corruptible  things  as  silver  and  gold  ;"  nay, 
not  by  such  things  even  as  the  travail  of  men's  minds,  or  the  sacrifice  of 
men's  lives,  but  "by  precious  blood  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and 
without  spot — the  blood  of  Christ."  Our  Bibles  are  blood-bought 
Bibles!  Surely,  then,  we  should  value  them,  and  show  our  value  for 
them  by  rightly  using  them.  He  who  neglects  the  Bible  pours  con 
tempt  on  the  blood  of  the  incarnate  Son  of  God. 

Our  regard  to  the  Bible  should  be  strengthened  by  the  considera 
tion  of  what  it  contains.  It  is  the  record  of  those  sufferings  of  which 
it  is  one  of  the  many  precious  results.  It  tells  us,  of  what  it  never 
could  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive,  that  He  who 
was  "God,  manifest  in  the  flesh,"  died,  died  as  a  victim,  in  our  room, 
for  our  salvation.  It  tells  us  how  He  who  was  in  the  form  of  God 
and  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God,  humbled  himself; 
took  on  him  the  nature  of  a  man,  the  form  of  a  servant,  the  likeness 
of  a  sinner;  and  having  had  our  sins  made  to  meet  on  him,  became 
obedient  to  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.  What  are  the  events 
of  history,  what  are  the  wonders  of  nature,  what  are  the  inventions 
of  art,  what  are  the  discoveries  of  research,  what  are  the  demonstra 
tions  of  science,  compared  with  this !  "  Into  these  things  angels  de 
sire  to  look ;" 3  and  shall  we,  we  who  have  so  much  deeper  an  interest 
in  them,  turn  away  from  them  with  indifference  or  disgust  ? 

Another  consideration  calculated  to  increase  our  regard  to  our 
Bible,  which  our  subject  brings  before  the  mind,  is  the  end  for  which  it 
is  designed.  It  is  the  design  of  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  suffer 
ings  of  Christ,  by  means  of  the  Bible,  to  bring  us  to  God  ;  to  make  us 
acquainted  with  him,  "  whom  to  know  is  life  eternal ;"  and  acquaint 
ance  with  whom  is  at  once  necessary  and  sufficient  to  secure  true  peace 
to  the  mind ;  to  restore  us  to  his  favor,  "  whose  favor  is  life,  and  whose 

1  My  ancient  and  much  esteemed  friend,  the  Rev.  Christopher  Anderson,  in  his  elaborate 
and  valuable  "  Annals  of  the  English  Bible,  from  1524  to  1844,"  has,  at  a  great  expense 
of  time  and  toil,  furnished  Brutish  Christians  with  the  means  of  forming  a  just  judgment 
en  the  topics  referred  to  in  the  text ;  and  they  will  not  act  with  wisdom  and  gratitude  if 
they  do  not  avail  themselves  of  these  means. 

8  Job  xxviii.  15-19.     1  Pet.  i.  18,  19.  8  1  Pet.  i.  12. 


492  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DtSC.  XVI. 

loving-kindness  is  better  than  life ;"  to  conform  us  to  his  image,  who 
is  the  perfection  of  inte.lectual  and  moral  beauty;  and  to  introduce 
us  to  intercourse  with  him,  whose  fellowship  is  the  highest  honor,  and 
the  highest  blessedness,  of  the  highest  order  of  intellectual  beings. 
Let  us  then  value  our  Bibles ;  we  cannot  overvalue  them.  Let  us 
show  our  sense  of  their  worth  by  applying  them  to  the  purpose  for 
which  they  have  been  given  to  us  ;  and  let  us  show  our  love  to  our 
fellow-men,  by  exerting  ourselves,  that  all  of  them  may  be  put  in  pos 
session  of  a  gift  so  costly  and  so  advantageous. 

The  same  considerations  which  should  lead  us  to  value  the  Divine 
word,  should  lead  us  to  value  the  Divine  influence.  Both  are  neces 
sary  to  our  salvation.  Neither  could  have  been  ours,  but  for  the 
penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings  of  the  Son  of  God.  Let  those 
of  us  who  have  obtained  the  Spirit  through  believing,  "  having  obeyed 
the  truth  by  the  Spirit,"  seek  larger  measures  of  his  influence  for 
ourselves.  We  obtained  it  when  we  were  not  seeking  it :  when  from 
our  ignorance  and  unbelief  we  could  not  seek  it;  but,  now  that  we 
know  its  reality  and  its  value,  let  us  seek  a  more  abundant  effusion 
of  it.  Jesus  has  died,  Jesus  has  been  glorified,  that  the  Spirit  may  be 
poured  down  from  on  high.  "  Ask  and  ye  shall  receive,  seek  and  ye 
shall  find,  knock  and  it  shall  be  opened  to  you  ;  for  every  one  that 
asketh  receiveth,  and  he  that  seeketh  findeth,  and  to  him  that  knock- 
eth  it  shall  be  opened.  If  we,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good 
gifts  to  our  children,  how  much  more  shall  our  Father  in  heaven  give 
good  gifts,  give  his  Holy  Spirit,  to  them  who  ask  him  ?"  And  let  us 
not  confine  our  prayers  to  ourselves,  but  extend  them  to  those  who 
are  yet  "sensual,  and  have  not  the  Spirit/'  Let  us  say,  "  Come  from 
the  four  winds,  O  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  and  breathe  upon  these  dead 
bones,  that  they  may  live."  l  He  could,  He  alone  could,  bring  us  to 
God.  He  can,  He  alone  can,  bring  them  to  God.  Let  us  bless  the 
Son,  to  whose  meritorious  sufferings  we  owe  the  word  of  life,  and  the 
Spirit  of  life ;  and  let  us  bless  the  Father,  to  whom  we  owe  the  Son, 
and  all  the  blessings  he  procures  and  bestows;  in  bringing  us  back 
to  him,  in  drawing  nearer  and  nearer  to  whom,  through  eternal  ages, 
consists  "  the  whole"  of  man,2  the  whole  of  his  holiness,  honor,  and 
happiness. 

The  subject  we  have  been  considering  naturally  suggests  an  impor 
tant  question  in  which  we  all  have  a  very  deep  interest.  Has  this 
end  of  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
bringing  of  men  to  the  true  knowledge  of  God, — has  this  end  been 
answered  in  us  as  individuals  ?  Have  we  thus  been  brought  to  God  ? 
Do  we  know  God  ?  Do  we  really  understand  and  believe  the  truth 
with  regard  to  the  Divine  character  ?  This  is  far  from  being  a  com 
mon  attainment,  even  in  this  nominally  Christian  country.  It  is  far 
from  being  a  universal  attainment,  even  among  members  of  Christian 
churches.  Many  are  called  by  the  name  of  the  true  God.  Many 
externally  call  on  that  name  who  do  not  know  it ;  who  are  entire 
strangers  to  that  knowledge  of  the  only  true  God,  which  is  eternal 
life.  No  man  has  this  knowledge  naturally.  No  man  can  acquire  it 
without  Divine  teaching.  Brother  may  say  to  brother,  know  the 
1  Luke  xi.  9-13.  Ezek.  xxxvii.  9.  3  Eccles.  xii.  13. 


PART  IV.]  THEIR    DESIGN.  493 

Lord;  but  the  knowledge  of  God  is  "a  good  gift  that  cometh  down 
from  above."  "The  Lord  giveth"  this  "wisdom;  out  of  his  mouth 
cometh  knowledge  and  understanding."  l  Are  we  in  possession  of 
this  knowledge  of  God,  this  knowledge  which  brings  us  near  God, 
which  makes  us  habitually  dwell  as  in  his  presence  ?  He  who  thus 
knows  God,  trusts  in  him.  "  They  that  know  thy  name  will  put  their 
trust  in  thee."  2  He  that  knows  God  as  he  ought,  loves  God.  He 
who  knows  God  follows  on  to  know  him,  "  counting  all  things  loss"  in 
comparison  of  this  excellent  knowledge  ;  yet  "not  counting  himself 
to  have  attained,  neither  to  be  already  perfect,"  but  "  following  after 
to  apprehend  that  for  which  also  he  has  been  apprehended  of  God." 
He  that  knows  God  is  "  strong,  and  does  exploits"  in  the  spiritual 
warfare.  He  who  is  thus  acquainted  with  God,  is  "  at  peace,"  at 
peace  with  God,  at  peace  with  himself,  at  peace  with  all  the  world. 
He  who  knows  God  is  transformed  by  his  knowledge,  "  changed  into 
the  same  image  from  glory  to  glory."  3  Are  we  in  possession  of  this 
knowledge  ?  And  is  it  in  the  school  of  the  cross  that  we  have  learned 
it  ?  Are  the  penal,  vicarious  expiatory,  sufferings,  the  mirror  in 
which  we,  with  open  face,  have  seen  the  unveiled  glories  of  the  Di 
vine  character  ? 

If  this  is  indeed  the  case,  happy  are  we.  We  "  walk  in  the  light 
of  his  countenance;"  we  "rejoice  in  his  name  all  the  day,"  and  we 
"  are  exalted  in  his  righteousness."  We  are  near  him,  and  we  shall 
yet  be  nearer  him.  "  We  know  in  part ;"  ere  long  "  we  shall  know 
even  as  we  are  known."  We  shall  be  brought  very  near  him,  even 
to  the  light  which  is  his  dwelling-place,  "  and  in  his  light  we  shall  see 
light."  " 

But  if  we  have  not  been  thus  brought  to  God,  by  being  made  truly 
to  understand,  really  to  believe,  the  truth  respecting  him,  especially 
as  manifested  in  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings  of  his  in 
carnate  Son;  though  in  words  we  should  profess  to  know  Him,  living 
and  dying  in  these  circumstances,  we  shall  find  our  place  among 
"  them  who  know  not  God.  and  obey  not  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  And  we  know  that  when  He  comes,  it  will  be  "in  flaming 
fire,  to  take  vengeance"  on  all  such.  To  those  who  never  knew  hirn 
in  truth,  though  they  professed  to  know  him,  he  will  say,  "I  never 
knew  you  :  depart  from  me."  fi  And  then  they  shall  never,  never, 
know  God,  but  as  a  God  of  righteous  vengeance  ;  never  so  know 
Him,  as  to  have  life  eternal  in  the  knowledge  of  Him.  Far  from  him 
now,  they  shall  everlastingly  go  farther  and  farther  from  the  light  of 
life  into  the  blackness  of  darkness,  never  to  find  their  way  back  to 
Him.  the  Sun  of  the  universe,  the  Fountain  of  knowledge,  purity,  anc1 
happiness.  But  now  they  may.  To  them  who  are  farthest  from 
Him  in  ignorance,  and  in  error ;  and  in  alienation  through  that  .gno- 
rance  and  error  that  are  in  them,  God  still  proclaims,  "Acquaint 
yourself  now  with  ME,  and  be  at  peace."  "  No  man  hath  seen,"  no 
roan  can  see  me  ;  but  "  The  Only-Begotten  has  declared"  me.  "He 
that  hath  seen  the  Son  hath  seen  the  Father."  Look  to  Jesus,  then, 

1  Prov.  ii.  C.  2  Psal.  ix.  10.  8  Phil.  iii.  3-12.    Job  xsdi.  21.     2  Cor.  iii.  18. 

4  Psal.  Ixxxix.  15-17.     1  Cor.  xiii.  12.    PsaL  xxxvi.  9. 
»  2  Thess.  i.  7,  8.    Matt.  vii.  23. 


494  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

if  you  would  know  God.  "How  long,  ye  simple  ones,  will  ye  love 
simplicity  ;  how  long,  ye  fools,  will  ye  hate  knowledge  ?"  "  Turn  ye 
at  his  reproof;  behold,  he  will  pour  out  his  Spirit  unto  you,  he  will 
make  known  his  words  to  you,"  he  will  give  you  "  an  understanding 
heart,"  and  "ye  shall  know  he  is  the  Lord."1 

§  2. — To  bring  men  to  favor  witli  God. 

A  second  view  of  the  object  of  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  suf 
ferings  of  Christ  is,  that  they  were  designed  to  bring  men  from  a  state 
of  enmity  into  a  state  of  reconciliation  with  God.  The  original  state 
of  man,  in  reference  to  God,  was  one  of  cordial  friendship.  It  was 
the  state  of  a  dutiful  child  in  the  well-regulated  family  of  a  wise  and 
affectionate  parent ;  it  was  the  state  of  a  loyal  subject  under  the  gov 
ernment  of  a  wise  and  benevolent  prince;  the  happiness  of  the  child 
was  in  accordance  with,  and  secured  by,  the  good  order  of  the  fami 
ly  :  the  happiness  of  the  subject  was  accordant  with,  and  secured  by, 
the  good  government  of  the  state.  The  Father,  the  Sovereign, 
regarded  the  dutiful  child  and  subject  with  complacent  approbation 
and  kindness  ;  and  the  dutiful  child  and  subject  regarded  the  wise, 
and  righteous,  and  benignant,  Father  and  Sovereign  with  veneration, 
love,  and  confidence. 

The  introduction  of  sin  necessarily  revolutionized  all  this.  The 
order  of  the  family  made  it  necessary  that  the  undutiful  child's  con 
duct  should  be  distinctly  marked  with  the  Father's  displeasure.  The 
well-being  of  the  community  made  it  necessary  that  the  rebel  subject 
should  be  adequately  punished.  Man,  when  he  became  a  sinner,  be 
came,  necessarily  became,  the  object  of  the  judicial  displeasure,  and 
of  the  moral  disapprobation  of  God.  His  happiness  became  opposed 
to  the  honor  of  the  Divine  character,  and  to  the  stability  and  well- 
being  of  the  Divine  government.  No  change  took  place  in  God. 
He  is  Jehovah ;  he  cannot  change.  He  is  "  the  Father  of  lights ; 
with  whom  there  is  no  variableness,  neither  shadow  of  turning." 
The  change  had  taken  place  in  man ;  and  his  changed,  moral  state, 
necessarily  produced  a  change  in  his  moral  relations  to  the  unchanged 
One;  produced  such  a  change  just  because  He  was  the  unchanged, 
the  unchangeable,  One.  Had  there  been  no  such  change,  God  must 
have  changed  ;  he  must  have  ceased  to  be  holy  arid  just,  to  love 
righteousness,  and  to  hate  iniquity.  Man,  the  safe,  happy  child  and 
subject,  has  thus  become  the  disowned  outcast,  the  condemned  rebel; 
and  dislike,  suspicion,  and  fear,  have  in  his  heart  taken  the  place 
of  affectionate  esteem  and  humble  confidence. 

Thus  man,  the  sinner,  in  both  these  respects,  is  far  from  God;  and 
the  natural  course  of  things  is,  that  he  should  go  farther  and  farther 
from  God,  sink  deeper  and  deeper  in  guilt,  become  more  and  more 
hardened  in  alienation  and  enmity.  "God  is,"  and  cannot  but  be, 
"  angry  with  the  wicked  every  day."  "He  will,"  he  can,  "by  no 
means  clear  the  guilty."  2  If  the  sinner  will  continue  to  break  the 
holy,  just,  and  good  law,  that  holy,  just,  and  good  law  must  continue 

1  Job  xxii.  21.     John  i.  18  ;  xiv.  9.     Prov.  i.  22,  23.     Jer.  xxir.  7. 
3  PsaL  vii.  11.     Exod.  xxxiv.  6. 


PART  IV.]  THEIR    DESIGN.  495 

to  sentence  him  to  merited  adequate  punishment.  God  cannot  deny 
himself.  His  will,  his  nature,  cannot  change  with  man's  wayward 
inclinations.  And  the  sinner  becomes  every  day,  by  the  indulgence 
of  forbidden  dispositions,  and  the  perpetration  of  forbidden  crimes, 
more  and  more  an  alien  and  an  enemy.  He  knows  God  is  displeased 
with  him,  and  that  He  has  reason  to  be  so.  He  hates  the  law,  which 
he  cannot  but  abstractly  approve  ;  and  he  regards  the  Author  and 
Executor  of  that  law  with  mingled  fear  and  aversion.  "  The  carnal 
mind  is  enmity  against  God ;  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God,  neither 
indeed  can  be."  1 

The  inquiry,  Is  it  a  possible  thing  that  man,  in  this  aspect  of  his 
moral  state  and  religious  relations,  as  far  from  God,  should  be  brought 
near  to  him  ?  is  a  question  which,  if  proposed  to  the  unfallen  angels, 
would  certainly  not  have  been  answered  in  the  affirmative.  WiU* 
their  high  adoring  sentiments  of  the  unfathomable  wisdom,  and  in- 
bounded  power,  and  infinite  benignity,  of  God,  they  would  not  have, 
with  the  rashness  men  often  manifest  in  treating  similar  questions, 
pronounced  such  a  consummation  absolutely  impossible.  But  the 
probabilities  must  have  appeared  to  them  fearfully  against  it.  The 
angels  who  sinned  perished  irremediably.  Would  he  who  spared  not 
sinning  angels,  ministers  of  light,  spare  sinning  men,  the  children  of 
the  dust  ?  And  how  could  he  spare  them,  without  tampering  with 
justice,  and  violating  faithfulness  ?  If  it  be  possible,  it  must  be  in  some 
way  which  reconciles  apparent  incompatibilities  ;  for  God  cannot  deny 
himself.  Had  the  question  been  proposed  to  those  wise  and  holy 
beings,  their  reply  would  probably  have  been,  "  O  Lord,  THOU  knowest :" 
and  had  it  then  been  announced  to  them  that  the  event  was  not  only 
possible,  but  certain ;  and  that  in  the  depth  of  the  Divine  councils  lay 
a  plan  for  its  accomplishment ;  and  had  they  been  called  to  conjecture 
what  were  the  means  which  God  had  devised,  that  "his  banished 
should  not  be  expelled  from  him,"  2  they  would  have  been  as  much  at 
a  loss  as  ever.  They  would  have  answered,  "  Such  knowledge  is  too 
wonderful  for  us  :  it  is  high,  we  cannot  attain  to  it."  Most  certain  it 
is  that  the  truth  could  never  have  entered  into  their  mind,  that  this 
end  was  to  be  gained  by  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings  of 
the  Only-Begotten  of  God,  "  the  brightness  of  his  Father's  glory,  and 
the  express  image  of  his  person."  Yet  so  it  is  ;  and  though  this 
method  of  bringing  God  and  man  into  a  state  of  reconciliation,  could 
never  have  suggested  itself  to  the  mind  of  man  or  angel,  yet  now  that 
it  has  been  developed  in  the  incarnation,  and  life,  and  death,  and  resur 
rection,  and  exaltation,  of  the  divine  Saviour,  as  described  in  the  word 
of  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  we  cannot  help  perceiving  how  admirably 
fitted  it  is  to  accomplish  its  mighty  purposes,  in  making  the  pardon 
and  salvation  of  man  consistent  with  the  perfections  of  the  Divine 
character,  and  the  principles  of  the  Divine  government  in  destroying 
the  natural  enmity  of  the  depraved  human  heart,  and  in  again  making 
God  and  man  the  objects  of  most  complacent  mutual  regards. 

We  do  not  here  ask  what  was  necessary  to  make  God  willing  that 
self-ruined  man  should  be  ultimately  happy.  Nothing  was  necessary 
to  this  but  his  essential  infinite  benignity.  He  has  "  no  pleasure  in 

1  Rom.  viil  7.  a  2  Sam.  xiv.  14. 


496  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

the  death  of  him  that  dieth."  *  Should  the  whole  sinning  universe 
perish,  it  is  not  for  want  of  love  in  him  who  is  love.  The  question 
here  is,  what  could  reconcile  the  exercise  of  mercy  to  man  with  the 
claims  of  the  Divine  justice,  with  the  declarations  of  the  Divine  law, 
with  the  stability  of  the  Divine  government,  with  the  well-being  of  the 
great  moral  family  of  God  ?  It  was  necessary  that  something  should 
be  done  which  would  place  the  excellence  of  the  Divine  law  which 
had  been  violated,  in  a  point  of  view,  at  all  events,  no  less  clear  than 
the  unswerving  obedience  of  the  human  race  as  unfallen,  or  the  ever 
lasting  destruction  of  the  human  race  as  fallen,  would  have  done.  To 
all  created  wisdom,  it  must  have  appeared  a  hopeless  inquiry,  What 
can  do  this  ? 

Yet  this  has  been  accomplished,  fully  accomplished,  by  the  penal, 
vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings  of  the  incarnate  Son  of  God.  He  who 
was  "  in  the  form  of  God"  became  a  man  ;  was  "  made  under  the  law" 
which  man  had  violated  ;  had  the  iniquities  of  man  laid  on  him  by  the 
Supreme  Judge;  yielded  an  obedience  to  the  law,  absolutely  perfect 
as  to  principle,  extent,  and  continuance  ;  "  was  made  a  curse"  for 
man  ;  endured  the  very  evils  which  are  the  manifestation  of  the  dis 
pleasure  of  God  against  man's  sin,  the  result  of  his  violation  of  the 
holy,  just,  and  good  law  ;  and  became  obedient  unto  death,  even  to  the 
death  of  the  cross.  The  law  was  more  honored  in  the  obedience  of 
its  precepts,  and  endurance  of  its  sanctions  by  him,  who  is  "  God 
manifest  in  the  flesh,"  than  it  had  been  dishonored  by  the  sin  of  man. 
"  The  Lord  was  well  pleased  for  his  righteousness'  sake,"  because  by 
it  "  he  magnified  the  law,  and  made  it  honorable."  He  "  put  away 
sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself."  He  "  finished  transgression,  made 
an  end  of  sin,  and  brought  in  an  everlasting  righteousness."  2  On  the 
ground  of  what  he  has  done  and  suffered,  the  just  in  the  room  of  the 
unjust,  the  just  God  is  the  justifier  of  the  ungodly  believing  in  him. 
It  has  become  a  righteous  thing  with  God  to  forgive  the  sin  and  save 
the  sinner.3  Thus  we  see  how  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  suffer 
ings  of  our  Lord,  make  the  pardon  of  sin  and  the  salvation  of  sinners 
consistent  with  the  perfection  of  the  Divine  character,  and  the  prin 
ciples  of  the  Divine  government. 

But  the  atonement  is  intended  and  fitted  not  only  to  remove  the 
judicial  displeasure,  but  the  moral  disapprobation,  of  God  from  those 
who  are  interested  in  its  saving  efficacy.  By  the  atonement,  accord 
ing  to  the  arrangements  of  the  "  covenant  ordered  in  all  things  and 
sure,"  is  secured  to  the  chosen  of  God  the  communication  of  that 
Divine  influence  which  is  necessary  to  transform  the  character,  and 
make  him,  who  is  the  proper  object  of  God's  moral  disapprobation,  the 
object  of  his  holy  complacency.  "  Christ  hath  redeemed  us  from  the 
curse  of  the  law,  that  \ve  might  receive  not  only  '  the  blessing  of 
Abraham/  a  free  and  full  justification  by  faith,  but  also  that  we  might 
receive  the  promised  Spirit  by  believing."  *  And  still  farther,  it  is  the 
exhibition  of  the  Divine  character,  made  in  the  penal,  vicarious,  ex 
piatory  sufferings  of  Christ,  as  this  is  brought  before  the  mind  in  a 
plain,  well-accredited  revelation,  that  is  the  grand  instrument,  in  the 

1   Ezek.  xxxiii.  11.  *  Isa.  x]ii.  21.     Heb.  ix.  26.     Dan.  ix.  24. 

•  1  John  i.  9.  «  GaL  ill  14.  15. 


PART  IV.]  THEIR    DESIGN.  497 

hand  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  in  creating  men  anew  in  Christ  Jesus  unto 
good  works ;  in  bringing  them  into  a  mode  of  thinking,  and  feeling, 
and  acting,  that  is  in  accordance  with  his  mind  and  will,  and  there 
fore  the  object  of  his  complacent  approbation.  As  the  restoration  of 
man  to  the  friendship  of  God,  in  the  sense  of  his  becoming  the  object 
of  the  Divine  moral  complacency,  is  the  result  of  his  restoration  to 
the  image  of  God,  it  is  enough  to  have  generally  referred  to  the  sub 
ject  here.  Its  more  full  illustration  will  naturally  come  to  be  attended 
to  under  some  of  the  subsequent  divisions  of  our  subject. 

It  is  time  now  that  we  observe,  that  the  reconciliation  between  God 
and  man  must  be  mutual.  The  sinner's  enmity  against  God  must  be 
removed,  as  well  as  God's  judicial  displeasure,  against  the  sinner ;  and, 
while  God  regards  the  saved  sinner  with  complacent  approbation,  he 
must  be  made  to  cherish  reciprocal  affections  of  supreme  veneration, 
esteem,  love,  and  confidence,  towards  God.  The  penal,  vicarious, 
expiatory  sufferings  of  our  Lord  are  intended,  are  calculated,  and  are 
found  in  fact  to  be  effectual,  for  gaining  these  ends.  Man  was  led 
away  from  God  by  the  suspicion,  infused  into  his  mind  by  the  father 
of  lies,  that  God  did  not  wish  to  make  him  as  happy  as  he  might  be  ; 
that  by  the  commands  and  threatenings  of  his  law  he  threw  obstruc 
tions  in  the  way  of  his  being  free  and  happy  ;  and  now,  in  his  guilty 
and  depraved  state,  the  knowledge  that  God  condemns  him  on  account 
of  sin,  and  the  deep  feeling  that  the  requisitions  of  his  law,  though  just, 
are  in  direct  opposition  to  the  strongest  propensities  of  his  nature,  lead 
him  to  regard  God  with  settled  aversion.  Nothing  can  change  this 
state  of  mind  but  a  just  view  of  the  Divine  character,  especially  of 
the  holy  benignity  of  that  character.  I  must  know  and  believe  the 
love  of  God,  before  I  can  cordially  love  him.  I  must  see  him  to  be 
lovely,  I  must  see  him  to  be  kind.  No  manifestation  of  the  Divine 
character  will  serve  this  purpose,  but  that  which  is  made  in  the  atone 
ment  of  Christ.  There  is  no  power  but  the  power  of  Christ's  death 
which  can  bring  home  a  human  heart  to  God.  "  Common  mercies  of 
God,  though  they  have  a  leading  faculty  to  repentance,  yet  the  re 
bellious  heart  will  not  be  led  by  them.  The  judgments  of  God,  public 
or  personal,  though  they  should  drive  us  to  God,  yet  the  heart  un 
changed  runs  the  farther  from  him.  Do  we  not  see  it  by  ourselves 
and  other  sinners  about  us  ?  They  look  not  at  all  towards  him  that 
smites,  much  less  do  they  return ;  or  if  any  more  serious  thoughts  'of 
returning  arise  upon  the  surprise  of  an  affliction,  how  soon  do  they 
vanish  ;  either  the  stroke  abating,  or  the  heart  by  time  growing  hard 
and  senseless  under  it.  Indeed,  where  it  is  renewed  and  brought  in 
by  Christ,  then  all  other  things  have  a  sanctifying  influence,  accord 
ing  to  their  quality,  to  stir  up  a  Christian  to  seek  after  fuller  commun 
ion,  closer  walk,  and  nearer  access  to  God.  But  leave  out  Christ, 
Christ  crucified,  and  all  other  means  work  not  this  way  :  neither  the 
works  nor  the  word  of  God  sounded  in  his  ear, '  Return,  return/  will 
bring  him  near.  Let  the  rod  speak  too,  to  make  the  cry  louder,  still 
the  wicked  will  do  wickedly ;  will  not  hearken  to  the  voice  of  God ; 
will  not  see  the  hand  of  God,  though  lifted  up  ;  will  not  be  persuaded 
to  lay  aside  enmity,  or  seek  for  reconciliation."  l  No,  till  they  are 

1  Lcighton. 
32 


498  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVL 

made  to  SQC  HIM  on  the  cross  as  a  high  altar,  "  lifted  up,"  as  the  victim 
of  human  guilt,  bearing  and  bearing  away  the  sins  of  the  world, 
they  will  never  be  drawn  to  God.  Whenever  they  are  made  in  the 
faith  of  the  truth  to  see,  that  "  in  this  was  manifested  the  love  of  God, 
in  that  God  sent  his  only-begotten  Son  into  the  world,  that,"  through 
his  being  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  "  we  should  live  through  him/5 
then,  and  not  till  then,  they  learn  to  "love  him  who  first  loved  them," 
who  thus  loved  them.1  They  cannot  doubt  the  kindness  of  Him,  who 
"spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  him"  up  as  a  sacrifice  in  their 
room.  The  weapons  of  rebellion  drop  out  of  their  hand,  the  jealousies 
of  guilt  are  banished  from  their  heart ;  and  as  enmity  is  destroyed  by 
the  view  of  the  Divine  character  given  in  the  atonement,  when  appre 
hended  in  the  faith  of  the  truth :  so  it  is  principally  by  the  same  exhi 
bition  of  the  Divine  character,  being  brought  more  fully  and  kept 
habitually  before  the  mind,  that  all  the  holy  affections  of  Divine 
friendship  on  the  part  of  the  reconciled  sinner,  are  excited  and  strength 
ened  so  as  to  become  leading  constituents  of  the  character,  every 
day  principles  of  action. 

Our  illustration  of  this  part  of  the  subject  would  be  defective,  did 
we  not  add  that  the  destruction  of  the  enmity,  and  the  cultivation 
of  this  holy  friendship,  is  not  only  effected  chiefly  by  the  instrumen 
tality  of  the  faith  of  the  truth  respecting  the  penal,  vicarious,  expia 
tory  death  of  Christ;  but  as  we  have  already  had  occasion  to  re- 
mark,  that  that  Divine  influence  which  gives  to  this  instrumentality 
all  its  efficacy,  is  an  influence  which  never  could  have  found  its  way 
to  the  corrupted  human  heart,  but  for  the  atonement  of  Christ,  and 
the  communication  of  which  to  all  the  chosen  of  God  is  secured  by 
that  atonement. 

Let  us1  here  again  pause  for  a  little,  and  inquire,  Have  we  thus 
been  brought  to  God  ?  Have  we  from  a  state  of  hostility  been 
brought  into  a  state  of  reconciliation  ?  The  question  is  not,  has  an 
atonement  which  lies  at  the  foundation  of  a  reconciliation  been 
made  ?  That  is  beyond  all  question.  The  substance  of  all  the  typ 
ical  shadows  of  the  legal  atonement  is  to  be  found  in  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ:  " Christ,  our  paschal  lamb,"  "  the  lamb  of  God,"  "has  been 
sacrificed  for  us."  There  is  no  need  of  asking  if  that  sacrifice  of 
atonement  be  an  adequate  one.  "  If  the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats,  and 
the'  ashes  of  an  heifer  sprinkling  the  unclean,  sanctified  to  the  puri 
fying  of  the  flesh  ;  how  much  more  shall  the  blood  of  Christ,  who 
through  the  eternal  Spirit  offered  himself  to  God  without  spot,  purge 
the  conscience  from  dead  works,  to  serve  the  living  God  ?"  The  only 
fit  judge  of  its  adequacy  has  most  explicitly  declared  his  satisfaction 
with  it,  by  raising  the  self-devoted  victim  from  the  dust  of  earth,  and 
setting  him  on  the  throne  of  the  universe,  "giving  him  glory,  that  our 
faith  and  hope  might  be  in  God."  2  The  seventy  weeks  have  long  ago 
been  accomplished  ;  and  reconciliation  has  been  made  for  iniquity,  by 
full  satisfaction  being  yielded  to  the  requisitions  of  the  offended  justice 
and  violated  law  of  God. 

There  is  no  need  of  asking  if  this  reconciliation  be  intended  for 
me.  Who  shall  enjoy  the  saving  results  of  this  reconciliation  is 

1  1  John  iv.  9,  19.  2  1  Cor.  v.  7.     Heb.  ix.  13,  14.     1  Pet.  i.  21. 


PART  IV.]  THEIR    DESIGN.  499 

known  only  to  God,  can  be  known  only  to  God,  except  in  the  case 
of  those  who  make  their  election  sure  by  making  sure  their  calling, 
who  by  accepting  the  reconciliation,  obtain  experimental  evidence 
that  they  are  reconciled.  But  nothing  is  plainer  than  that  this  rec 
onciliation,  and  the  blessings  flowing  from  it,  were  intended  to  be, 
and  are  in  fact,  freely  offered  to  all  who  hear  the  gospel ;  and  who 
that  knows  anything  of  the  character  of  him  who  makes  the  offer, 
dare  express  or  even  harbor  a  doubt  as  to  that  offer  being  a  most 
sincere  and  unequivocal  one  ?  The  satisfaction  made  was  perfect 
satisfaction.  The  law  could  demand  no  more.  The  atonement  is 
an  infinite  atonement :  Christ,  the  incarnate,  only  begotten,  suffered 
for  sin,  the  just  One  in  the  room  of  the  unjust.  For  every  human 
being,  then,  however  guilty  and  depraved,  to  whom  the  gospel  comes, 
there  is  reconciliation  through  Christ,  if  he  will  but  gladly  and  grate 
fully  receive  what  is  freely  given  him  of  God. 

Men  have  foolishly  and  impiously  made  questions  on  these  points , 
but  there  is  no  room,  blessed  be  God  that  it  is  so  !  no  room  for  ra 
tional  doubts  here.  If  there  were,  where,  O  where,  were  the  hopes 
of  any  of  the  children  of  men  ?  Were  not  an  all-perfect  atonement, 
a  complete  reconciliation  in  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  held 
out  for  the  acceptance  of  "  mankind-sinners  as  such,"  as  our  fathers 
of  the  Secession  loved  to  say,  that  gospel  would  be  anything  rather 
than  "  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  to  all  people."  Yes,  "  God  is  in  Christ 
reconciling  the  world  to  himself,  not  imputing  their  trespasses  to  them  ; 
for  he  hath  made  him  to  be  sin  for  us  who  knew  no  sin,  that  we  might 
be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him."  l 

But  it  is  a  question,  and  a  most  important  one. — let  us,  every  one 
of  us,  endeavor  to  resolve  it  in  reference  to  himself, — Have  we  "  re 
ceived  the  reconciliation  ?" 2  It  is  absolutely  certain  that  Christ  has 
"  made  peace  by  the  blood  of  his  cross ;"  but  have  we  through  this 
pacification,  as  individuals,  been  brought  into  a  state  of  peace  with 
God  ?  Have  we  reason  to  believe  that  the  blood  of  our  paschal  Lamb 
has  been  so  sprinkled  on  us,  as  that  the  destroying  angel  shall  not 
touch  us  ?  Have  we  reason  to  believe  that  we  are  delivered  from  the 
curse  through  him  having  been  made  a  curse  for  us  ?  We  are,  ques 
tionless,  in  this  most  desirable  state,  if  we  have  believed  the  truth  as 
it  is  in  Jesus.  And  with  equal  certainty  may  it  be  affirmed,  we  are 
not  in  this  state  if  we  have  not  believed  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus : 
"  He  that  believeth  in  him  is  not  condemned  ;  he  shall  never  come 
into  condemnation  :  he  that  believeth  not  is  condemned  already,"  and, 
continuing  an  unbeliever,  "  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him."  3 

But  how  am  I  to  know,  if  I  believe  the  truth,  the  faith  of  which 
savingly  interests  me  in  the  reconciling  efficacy  of  the  penal,  vicarious, 
expiatory  sufferings  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  To  this  question  many  satis 
factory  answers  might  be  given,  affording  the  individual  the  means  of 
resolving  the  awfully  important  question;  but  I  content  myself  with 
that  which  grows  out  of  our  subject.  If  you  are  in  your  minds  no 
more  enemies  to  God  through  wicked  works,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
have  his  love  shed  abroad  in  your  hearts ;  if  you  love  God.  and  love 
him  just  because  he  is  God — that  is,  holy  love,  infinitely  excellent, 

1  2  Cor.  v.  21.  3  Col.  i.  20.  '  John  iii.  18,  36 


500  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHEIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

infinitely  kind  ;  if  you  cordially  acquiesce  in,  if  you  supremely  approve 
and  admire,  the  Divine  method  of  salvation,  "  grace  reigning  through 
righteousness  unto  eternal  life ;"  1  if  you  are  reconciled  to  the  Divine 
law,  accounting  it  in  all  things  to  be  right,  "  holy,  just,  and  good ;" 
esteeming  entire  conformity  to  it,  as  exemplified  in  the  character  and 
conduct  of  our  Lord,  as  your  highest  honor  and  happiness,  as  well  as 
duty  ;  if  you  are  reconciled  to  the  Divine  providential  arrangements, 
however  opposite  to  your  natural  inclinations,  saying,  "  Good  is  the 
will  of  the  Lord,"  Lord,  what  thou  wilt,  when  thou  wilt,  how  thou 
wilt ;  if  there  is  a  distinctly  begun  and  steadily  progressive  conformity 
of  your  mind  and  will  to  the  mind  and  will  of  God,  then  have  you 
reason  to  conclude,  not  only  that  reconciliation  has  been  made  for 
iniquity,  but  that  you  have  received  that  reconciliation. 

And  if  we  have  thus  received  the  reconciliation,  what  a  debt  of 
gratitude  do  we  owe  to  Him  who  has  reconciled  us  to  himself  by 
Christ  Jesus — to  Christ  Jesus  who  hath  thus  brought  us  to  God — and 
to  the  good  Spirit,  who  in  our  case  has  rendered  the  ministration  of 
reconciliation  effectual,  and  has  saved  us  from  the  fearful  consequences 
of  receiving  this  grace  of  God  in  vain.  Let  this  gratitude  manifest 
itself  in  leading  us  habitually  to  cherish  the  sentiments  and  pursue  the 
conduct  which  becomes  us  as  restored  prodigal  children,  pardoned 
rebel  subjects.  Let  us,  constrained  "  by  the  mercies  of  God,  present 
ourselves  to  Him  as  living  sacrifices,  holy  and  acceptable,  which  is  our 
reasonable  service,  our  rational  worship."  Let  us  serve  him  without 
fear,  "  in  righteousness  and  holiness,  all  the  days  of  our  lives  ;"  "  walk 
ing  at  liberty,  keeping  his  commandments ;"  serving  him  in  the  new 
ness  of  the  Spirit,  and  "  not  in  the  oldness  of  the  letter  ;"  making  it 
evident,  from  the  manner  in  which  we  do  and  suffer  his  will,  that  we 
are  not  slaves,  but  sons ;  that  "  we  have  not  received  the  spirit  of 
bondage  again  to  fear,  but  the  spirit  of  adoption,  making  us  cry  Abba, 
Father."  Let  us  show  that  we  really  do  "  know  the  joyful  sound,  by 
walking  in  the  light  of  the  Divine  countenance,  rejoicing  in  God's- 
name  all  the  day,  being  exalted  in  his  righteousness."  8 

If  there  be  any  here  who  have  not  received  the  reconciliation, 
what  shall  I  say  to  them  ?  I  cannot  bid  them  hope,  remaining  in  their 
present  circumstances.  No ;  there  is,  there  can  be,  neither  happiness 
nor  hope  in  a  state  of  enmity  with  God.  I  might  represent  to  them 
the  horrors  of  their  condition,  the  still  greater  horrors  of  their  pros 
pects,  and  expostulate  with  them  on  the  shocking  unnaturalness  as 
well  as  inconceivable  sinfulness  of  their  conduct,  in  being  enemies  of 
the  most  excellent  and  amiable  and  benignant  of  beings.  But,  instead 
of  doing  this,  I  shall  at  once  urge  them  to  "lay  hold  on  the  hope  that 
is  set  before,  even  them,  in  the  gospel."  To  the  human  being  within 
these  walls  most  characterized  by  enmity  against  God,  most  under  the 
influence  of  the  carnal  mind,  God  is  now  proclaiming,  "Acquaint 
thyself  with  ME,  and  be  at  peace ;  so  shall  good  come  to  thee."  Be 
hold  me !  Behold  me !  I  am  glorious  in  holiness  ;  but  I  am  rich  in 
mercy.  I  can  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty ;  but  I  have  set  forth 

1  Rom.  v.  21. 

*  Rom.  xii.  1.     Luke  L  74,  75.      Psal.  cxix.  45.    Rom.  vii.  6  ;  viii.  15.     Psal.  Ixxxix 
15.  16. 


PART  IV.]  THEIR    DESIGN.  501 

Christ  Jesus  a  propitiation,  through  faith  in  his  blood.  J  am  a  just 
God ;  but  I  am  the  Saviour.  I  am  just ;  but  I  am  the  justifier  of  him 
who  believes  in  Jesus.  As  I  live,  1  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of 
him  who  dieth.  Return  to  me ;  I  nave  redeemed  you.  Return,  re 
turn.  I,  even  I,  am  he  who  blotteth  out  your  transgression  for  my 
own  sake,  and  I  will  not  remember  your  sin.  Be  reconciled  to  God. 
Oh,  be  persuaded,  that  remaining  far  from  him  you  must  perish !  Oh, 
be  persuaded,  that  it  is  good  for  you  to  draw  near  to  God !  * 

And  say  not,  Wherewith  shall  I  come  before  the  Lord?  Who 
shall  bring  me  near  before  him  ?  How  can  I  stand  before  thee,  Holy 
Lord  God  ?  Behold  one  like  the  Son  of  Man,  but  in  reality  the  Son 
of  God ;  yet  your  brother,  your  kinsman-Redeemer.  He  has  "  en 
gaged  his  heart  to  approach  to  Jehovah"  in  your  name,  and  has 
opened  a  way  by  which  you  may  come  into  his  favorable  presence. 
Hear  him  proclaiming,  "  I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life  :  no  man 
can  come  to  the  Father  but  by  me."  "  His  blood  cleanseth  us  from 
all  sin."  He  is  "  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  come  to  God 
by  him ;"  and  "  him  that  comes  to  him  he  will  in  nowise  cast  out." 
He  is  "  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation."  He  is  "  the  arm,"  "  the 
strength  of  Jehovah."  Lay  hold  of  him,  and  "make  peace  with 
Jehovah,  and  he  will  make  peace  with  you."  Receive  the  message 
of  mercy,  and  you  will  find  that  he  is  "  pacified  towards  you  for  all 
the  iniquities  which  you  have  done ;"  that  he  is  waiting  to  be  gra 
cious,  and  ready  to  bless  you  "with  all  heavenly  and  spiritual  blessings 
in  Christ  Jesus."2  Persist  in  your  enmity,  and  you  are  undone, 
utterly  undone,  undone  forever. 

§  3. — To  bring  men  to  likeness  to  God. 

I  proceed  now  to  remark,  in  the  third  place,  that  it  was  a  design  of 
the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings  of  Christ  to  bring  men  from 
a  state  of  moral  dissimilarity  into  a  state  of  moral  resemblance  to 
God.  Man  in  his  primeval  state,  as  he  had  just  views  of  the  Divine 
character  and  will,  and  enjoyed  the  favor  of  God,  regarding  him  with 
sentiments  of  supreme  veneration,  confidence,  and  love ;  was  also,  in 
the  great  lineaments  of  his  moral  character,  assimilated  to  God. 
"  God  created  man  in  his  own  image,  in  the  likeness  of  God  created 
he  him ;"  and  we  know  that  image  consists  "  in  knowledge,  righteous 
ness,  and  holiness."  3  His  mind  was  in  -entire  accordance  with  the 
mind  of  God ;  his  will  with  the  will  of  Gpd.  so  far  as  they  were  made 
known  to  him.  He  had  no  views  inconsistent  with  the  mind  of  God, 
which  is  truth ;  no  inclinations  opposed  to  the  will  of  God;  which  is 
righteousness. 

It  is  altogether  otherwise  with  man  the  sinner.  He  is  not  only  ig 
norant  of  God,  and  in  a  state  of  enmity  with  him ;  but  the  whole 
frame  of  his  sentiments  and  feelings  is  in  direct  contrariety  to  the 

1  Heb.  vi  18.  Job  xxii.  21.  Exod.  xv.  11.  Eph.  ii.  4.  Exod.  xxxiv.  7.  Rom.  iii.  25. 
Isa.  xlv.  21.  Rom.  iii.  27.  Ezek.  xviii.  32;  xxxiii.  11.  Isa.  xliv.  22  ;  xliii.  25.  2  Cor. 
V.  20.  Psal.  Ixxiii.  27,  28. 

a  Micah  vL  6.  1  Sam.  vi.  20.  Jer.  xxx.  21.  John  xiv.  6.  1  John  i.  7.  Heb.  vii.  25. 
John  vi.  37.  Isa.  xxvii.  5.  Ezek.  xvi.  63.  Eph.  i.  3. 

3  Gen.  i.  27.    Eph,  iv.  24.     Col,  iii.  10. 


602  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

Divine  mind  and  will ;  he  being  the  image,  not  of  his  Father  in  heaven, 
but  of  his  fallen  earthly  father.  "  God  is  light,  and  in  him  there  is  no 
darkness  at  all ;''  but  "  the  eyes  of  the  understanding"  of  uriregene- 
rate  man  "are  darkened" — nay,  he  is  "darkness,"  by  ignorance  alien • 
ated  from,  opposed  to,  God.  "God  is  love,"  but  mankind  are 
"  hateful,"  "full  of  hatred,"  hating  God,  and  hating  each  other.  God 
is  holv,  but  they  are  unholy.  God  is  true  and  faithful,  but  they  are 
the  children  of  him  who  is  a  liar  as  well  as  a  murderer  from  the  be-. 
ginning.1  And  this  opposition  of  character  is  manifested  in  the  con 
duct  of  unregenerate  men.  They  are  continually  engaged  in  an 
attempt  to  counterwork  God,  following  a  rule,  seeking  an  end,  entirely 
different  from,  entirely  irreconcilable  with,  the  rule  and  end  of  him, 
"  of  whom,  and  through  whom,  and  to  whom  are  all  things." 

It  is  the  purpose  of  God  from  among  the  ruins  of  the  fall  to  create 
anew  a  "peculiar  people,"  to  form  a  people  for  himself,  that  they  may 
show  forth  his  praise.  It  is  his  design  to  restore  in  them  that  moral 
image  of  himself  which  sin  has  defaced ;  and  the  grand  means  for 
gaining  this  end  are  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings  of 
his  own  Son. 

That  the  atonement  was  intended  to  secure,  and  has  indeed  secured, 
to  all  who  are  by  faith  interested  in  its  saving  efficacy,  sanctification 
as  well  as  justification,  restoration  to  the  Divine  image  as  well  as  to 
the  Divine  favor,  is  a  doctrine  very  clearly  revealed  in  Scripture. 
"  God  condemned  sin  in  the  ilesh,  by  sending  his  Son  in  the  likeness 
of  sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin" — that  is,  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  God  thus 
condemned  sin,  "  which  the  law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak 
through  the  flesh;"  and  the  consequence  is,  "the  righteousness  of  the 
law  is  fulfilled  in  us  believers,  walking  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the 
Spirit."  2  "  Our  old  man  was  crucified  with  Christ,  that  we  should  no 
longer  be  the  slaves  of  sin."  3  "For  this  cause,"  says  the  Saviour,  "I 
sanctify  myself,  that  they  also  may  be  sanctified  through  the  truth."  4 
"  He  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity, 
and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works."  * 
"  Christ  loved  the  church,  and  gave  himself  for  her ;  that  he  might 
sanctify  and  cleanse  her  by  the  washing  of  water  through  the  word ; 
that  he  might  present  her  to  himself  a  glorious  church,  without  spot, 
or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing."  6  "  Ye  know  that  ye  were  not  re 
deemed  by  such  corruptible  things  as  silver  and  gold,  from  your  vain 
conversation  received  by  tradition  from  your  fathers ;  but  with  the 
precious  blood  of  Christ,  as  §  lamb  without  blemish  and  without  spot. 
He  his  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on,  or  rather  to,  the  tree, 
that  we,  being  dead  to  sin,  might  live  to  righteousness."  7  There  can 
be  no  doubt  of  the  fact,  then  :  but  how  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory 
sufferings  of  Christ  were  necessary  for,  how  they  are  effectual  to,  the 
gaming  this  end,  is  an  important  and  interesting  subject  of  inquiry. 
To  understand  in  theory  the  influence  of  the  atonement  on  sanctifi 
cation,  is  no  inconsiderable  attainment  in  Christian  theology;  to  know 
it  in  experience,  is  the  very  essence  of  Christian  godliness. 

1  1  John,!.  5.    Rom.  i.  21.     Eph.  iy.  18  ;  v.  8.    John  viii.  44.  a  Rom.  viii.  3, 4. 

1  Rom.  vi.  6.  «  John  xvii.  19.  '  Tit  ii.  14. 

•  Eph.  iv.  25-27.  T  1  Pet.  i.  18,  19  ;  ii.  24. 


PART  IV.]  THEIR    DESIGN.  503 

III  the  few  observations  I  am  about  to  make  on  the  subject,  I  shall 
endeavor  equally  to  avoid  rash  speculation  as  to  the  mode  of  the  effi 
cacy  of  the  atonement,  an  "  intruding  into  those  things  which  men 
have  not  seen,"  cannot  see,  for  God  has  not  revealed  them ;  and  that 
"voluntary  humility"  which  prevents  an  explicit  avowal  of  what 
Scripture  does  reveal,  from  a  fear  of  opposing  the  prejudices,  or  ex 
citing  the  dislike,  of  the  wise  men  of  this  world.  The  whole  truth, 
we  apprehend,  on  the  subject  may  be  stated  in  the  three  following 
propositions.  By  the  atonement,  as  satisfaction  to  Divine  justice  for 
sin,  and  the  meritorious  ground  of  the  Redeemer's  exaltation,  obsta 
cles,  otherwise  insurmountable,  are  removed  out  of  the  way  of  the 
sinner  being  restored  to  the  Divine  image ;  by  the  atonement,  in  con 
nection  with  covenant  engagements,  or  the  purpose  of  mercy,  the 
communication  of  a  Divine  influence,  necessary  and  sufficient  for  this 
purpose,  is  secured ;  and  by  the  atonement,  as  the  subject  of  a  Divine 
revelation,  an  appropriate  instrumentality  is  furnished  for  accomplish 
ing  this  end. 

The  condemning  sentence  of  the  Divine  law  was  one  obstacle  in 
the  way  of  the  restoration  of  the  Divine  image,  insurmountable  by 
all  human,  all  created  means.  No  man,  no  angel,  could  make  satis 
faction  to  Divine  justice  for  sinful  man.  Till  this  is  made,  it  consists 
not  with  the  wisdom,  holiness,  justice,  and  faithfulness  of  God,  to 
bestow  on  the  sinner  that  sanctifying  influence,  the  communication 
of  which  to  any  created  being,  is  the  highest  proof  that  he  is  the 
object  of  the  kind  regard  of  Him  who  confers  it.  Christ  giving  him 
self  for  us  as  a  sacrifice,  according  to  the  benignant  will  of  his  Father, 
by  which  the  law  was  magnified  and  made  honorable,  makes  it  a 
righteous  thing  for  God  to  give  us,  through  him  and  for  his  sake,  all 
good  things ;  and  among  these  good  things,  that  greatest  of  all  spir 
itual  blessings,  being  indeed  the  sum  and  substance  of  them  all,  the 
good,  sanctifying,  transforming  Spirit. 

The  power  of  Satan  is  another  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  restora 
tion  of  the  sinner  to  holiness,  in  restoration  to  the  image  of  God,  an 
obstacle  which  no  created  agency  could  have  removed.  That 
power  is  destroyed,  and  could  only  have  been  destroyed,  by  our  Lord, 
the  stronger  Man,  who  "enters  the  house  of  the  strong  man  and 
spoils  him  of  his  goods."  This  work  is  accomplished  in  the  exercise 
of  Christ's  mediatorial  power  and  authority.  That  power  and  au 
thority  were  conferred  on  him  as  the  reward  of  that  obedience  unto 
death,  in  which  he  accomplished  the  work  of  atonement.  Christ,  the 
just  One,  having  suffered  to  death  for  sins  in  the  room  of  sinners, 
went  to  heaven,  sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  principalities 
and  powers,  fallen  and  unfallen,  being  put  under  him,  so  that  the  prey 
may  now  be  taken  from  the  mighty,  and  the  captive  of  the  terrible 
one  be  delivered. 

But  this  is  not  all.  By  the  atonement,  in  connection  with  the  pur 
pose  of  mercy,  is  secured,  to  all  the  chosen  of  God,  the  communica 
tion  of  that  Divine  influence  which  is  at  once  absolutely  necessary, 
and  completely  sufficient,  to  restore  man  to  the  Divine  image.  Such 
an  influence  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the  production  of  true  holi 
ness  in  the  human  heart.  il  It  is  the  Spirit  that  quickeneth."  "  We 


504  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

are  sanctified  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God."  l     The  connection  of  the 
communication  of  the  Spirit  with  the  atonement,  is  stated  in  such 


passages  as  the  following : — "  The  Spirit  was  not  yet  given,  for  Jesus 
was  not  yet  glorified."  "  It  is  expedient  that  I  go  away ;  for  if  I  go 
not  away  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you,  but  if  I  go  away  I 
will  send  him."  "  "  Christ  hath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the 
law,  by  being  made  a  curse  for  us,  that  we  might  receive  the  promise 
of  the  Spirit  by  faith."  The  Spirit  is  the  Spirit  of  faith,  and  "  it  is 
given"  to  men  "  on  the  behalf  of  Christ,  to  believe  in  his  name."  It 
belongs  to  him  as  the  perfected  Captain  of  our  salvation,  the  Prince 
and  the  Saviour,  in  virtue  of  the  promises  made  before  the  world 
began,  to  "  give"  to  his  redeemed  ones  "  repentance,"  the  new  mind, 
just  another  word  for  the  restored  image  of  God,  as  well  as  "the  re 
mission  of  sins."  2 

Finally,  by  the  atonement  securing  the  scriptural  revelation  of  the 
Divine  character  and  will,  and  being  itself,  indeed,  the  great  subject 
of  that  revelation,  an  appropriate  instrumentality  is  furnished  for  the 
sanctification  of  man,  or,  in  other  words,  bringing  him  to  God,  by 
restoring  him  to  the  Divine  image.  It  is  by  the  truth  about  God, 
known  and  believed,  that  men  are  conformed  to  God's  image.  They 
are  "  sanctified  by  the  truth."  They  "  are  transformed  by  the  renew 
ing  of  the  mind."'  In  a  former  part  of  this  discourse,  I  showed 
how,  without  the  atonement,  no  such  revelation  of  the  Divine  char 
acter  as  would  transform  man  could  have  been  given  to  man.  The 
view  given  us  of  the  character  and  will  of  God  in  the  atonement, 
the  great  subject  of  Divine  revelation,  is  such  as,  just  in  the  degree 
in  which  it  is  apprehended  in  its  meaning  and  evidence,  just  in  the 
degree  in  which  it  is  understood  and  believed,  must  conform  us  to 
God.  "  He  gave  himself  for  his  church,  that  he  might  purify  and 
cleanse  her  by  the  word;"4  of  which  word,  his  giving  himself  is  the 
great  subject ;  and  it  is  this  which  gives  it  its  aptitude  for  cleansing 
and  renewing  the  human  heart.  "  Let  any  person,"  it  has  been  justly 
said,  "be  brought  to  understand  correctly,  and  to  believe  cordially, 
that  part  of  the  Divine  testimony ;  as  a  necessary  consequence  his 
soul  must  experience  a  most  momentous  moral  transformation.  He 
will  learn  to  love  God,  and  to  confide  in  him,  as  his  reconciled  Father; 
he  will  feel  emotions  of  unfeigned  and  fervent  gratitude  for  such  a 
marvellous  manifestation  of  kindness ;  and  he  will  feel  sincerely  de 
sirous  to  testify  his  gratitude,  by  putting  on  that  moral  image  of  God, 
which  in  absolute  perfection  was  manifested  in  his  incarnate  Son, 
now  seen  and  felt  to  be  the  beauty  and  dignity  of  the  soul,  and  by 
obeying  the  Divine  law,  which  he  .now  sees  and  feels  to  be  indeed 
'  holy,  just,  and  good/  ' 

§  4. — To  bring  men  to  fellowship  with  God. 

^  I  proceed  now  to  remark,  in  the  fourth  place,  that  the  penal,  vica 
rious,  expiatory  sufferings  of  Christ,  were  designed  to  bring  men 

1  John  vi.  63.     1  Oor.  vi.  11. 

2  John  vii.  39 ;  xvi.  7.     Gal.  iu.  13, 14.     PhiL  i.  29.     Acts  T.  31. 
*  John  xvii.  17.     Rom.  xil  2.  *  Eph.  v.  26. 


PART  IV.]  THEIR    DESIGN.  505 

from  a  state  of  alienation  and  non-intercourse,  into  a  state  of  habitual, 
favorable  fellowship  with  God.  Fellowship  with  God  is  a  phrase  to 
which,  I  am  afraid,  many  attach  very  indefinite,  confused,  incorrect 
ideas.  The  term  fellowship  indicates  either  common  possession  or 
mutual  intercourse.  In  the  first  sense,  fellowship  with  God  means 
the  thinking,  willing,  choosing,  and  enjoying  in  common  with  God, 
and  is  in  fact  just  what  we  have  been  speaking  of  under  the  name 
of  conformity  to  God's  image.  In  the  second  sense,  fellowship  with 
God  means  intercourse  with  God ;  interchange  of  thoughts  and  sen 
timents  ;  intercourse  maintained  on  his  part  by  his  communication 
of  gracious  influence  and  saving  blessings ;  and,  on  the  part  of  man, 
by  the  exercise  of  devout  affections. 

When  the  Christian  is  enabled  firmly  to  believe  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus,  confidently  to  rely  on  the  Saviour,  humbly  to  hope  for  the 
grace  that  is  to  be  brought  to  him  at  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus, 
patiently  to  bear  affliction,  triumphantly  to  conquer  temptation,  it  is 
in  consequence  of  Divine  communications.  Good  and  perfect  gifts 
come  down  to  him  from  above;  and  the  reception  of  these  gifts 
draws  out  from  the  heart  of  the  Christian  holy  aspirations  of  grati 
tude  and  desire,  which  find  their  expression  in  thanksgiving  and 
prayer.  These  bring  down  new  supplies  of  celestial  influence  ;  and 
these  influences,  in  their  turn,  excite  more  enlarged  wishes  for  spir 
itual  blessings,  stimulating  the  very  appetite  which  they  gratify 
There  is  thus  an  ever-growing  interchange  of  influences  and  desires, 
and  of  prayers  and  blessings.1  This  is  the  sense  in  which  we  use 
the  word  fellowship  with  God  in  the  present  remarks. 

Man,  in  his  original  condition,  lived  in  this  state  of  intercourse 
with  God.  Adam,  as  well  as  Enoch,  "walked  with  God;"  and 
though  we  have  but  a  few  fragments  of  paradisaical  history,  we  can 
not  doubt  that,  still  more  than  in  the  case  of  Moses,  God  spake  to 
Adam  "  as  a  man  to  his  friend."  Sin  interrupted  this  intercourse. 
Man's  guilt  made  it  inconsistent  with  God's  holiness,  and  justice,  and 
truth,  to  have  intercourse  with  man  as  his  friend ;  and  man's  deprav 
ity  equally  unfitted  and  indisposed  him  for  acceptable  intercourse 
with  God.  The  language  of  the  human  heart  in  its  unchanged 
state  is,  "  Depart  from  me,  I  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways." 
"  What  have  I  to  do  with  thee,  thou  Holy  One  ?" 

To  re-open  this  intercourse,  and  to  lay  a  foundation  for  its  perma 
nent  maintenance,  is  one  great  purpose  of  the  atonement  of  our 
Lord.  And  it  is  obviously  well  fitted  to  gain  this  object.  It  has 
gained  it  in  the  case  of  all  who,  through  believing,  have  obtained  a 
personal  interest  in  its  saving  effects. 

We  have  already,  in  effect,  shown  how  this  is  accomplished.  It  is 
by  producing  reconciliation  and  resemblance  that  the  atonement 
opens  up  the  way  for  communion.  "  Between  parties  at  variance, 
there  can  be  no  agreeable  or  affectionate  intercourse  without  recoiv 
ciliation.  Between  persons  whose  principles  and  tastes,  whose  dis 
positions  and  pursuits,  have  no  congeniality,  there  cannot  exist  an 
intimate  or  permanent  friendship,  and  even  their  casual  intercourse 
must  be  comparatively  heartless  and  joyless.  'Can  two  walk  to- 

1  Balmer. 


506  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI* 

gether  except  they  be  agreed  ?'  " l  We  have  seen  how  "  God  is  in 
Christ,  reconciling  the  world  to  himself,  not  imputing  to  them  their 
trespasses ;  seeing  that  he  has  made  him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew 
no  sin,  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him ;" 
how  he  brings  men,  naturally  afar  off,  nigh  by  the  blood  of  the  cross ; 
how  he  "  abolishes  the  enmity  thereby ;"  how  the  sprinkling  of  the 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ  on  the  conscience  purifies  the  heart,  and  sheds 
abroad  there  the  love  of  God,  and  all  its  blessed  holy  fruits.2 

Our  heavenly  Father,  regarding  his  adopted,  regenerated  children 
with  ineffable,  complacential  delight,  cannot  but  take  pleasure  in  giving 
them  tokens  of  his  love;  and  they,  on  the  other  hand,  cannot  be 
happy  if  their  fellowship  be  not  with  the  Father,  and  with  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ.  He  comes  to  them  through  the  mediation  of  his  Son. 
They  go  to  him  through  the  same  mediation.  He,  "  for  the  great  love 
wherewith  he  loves  them,  blesses  them  with  heavenly  and  spiritual 
blessings  in  Christ  Jesus  ;"  and  they,  "  by  one  Spirit  through  him,  have 
access  to  the  Father/'  in  the  full  assured  belief  that  "  his  blood 
cleanseth  from  all  sin,"  and  that  "  he,  ever  living  to  make  intercession 
for  them,  is  able  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost."  Knowing  that  they 
"  have  a  great  High  Priest  for  them  passed  into  the  heavens,"  they 
habitually  "  come  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace,  that  they  may  obtain 
mercy,  and  find  grace  to  help  in  the  time  of  need."  3 

This  intercourse  is  chiefly  maintained  through  the  instituted  means 
of  Christian  worship,  secret,  private,  and  public.  It  is  in  reference 
to  these  that  Jehovah  promises  to  come  to  his  people,  and  bless  them, 
and  supply  their  need ;  and  it  is  in  reference  to  these  that  they  say, 
"  We  will  go  into  his  tabernacles,  we  will  worship  at  his  footstool ;" 
"then  will  I  go  to  the  altar  of  God,  to  God  my  exceeding  joy ;"  in 
Bethel,  in  his  own  house,  God  Almighty  met  with  me  and  blessed  me ; 
"  it  is  good  for  me  to  draw  near  to  God'." 4 

We  have  thus  seen,  that  the  great  design  of  the  penal,  vicarious, 
expiatory  sufferings  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  to  bring  men  to  God ;  from  a 
state  of  ignorance  and  error  into  a  state  of  true  knowledge;  from  a 
state  of  enmity  into  a  state  of  friendship  ;  from  a  state  of  dissimilarity 
into  a  state  of  resemblance;  from  a  state  of  non-intercourse  into  a 
state  of  fellowship.  We  have  seen  that  the  atonement  actually  does 
all  this ;  and  we  have  seen  too,  in  some  measure,  how  it  does  all  this. 

This  glorious  design  it  gains  to  a  certain  extent,  in  the  case  of  every 
believer,  even  in  the  present  world.  This  glorious  design  it  will  gain 
in  absolute  perfection,  with  regard  to  every  believer,  with  regard  to 
the  whole  company  of  believers,  in  the  heavenly  state.  Having  given 
himself  for  them,  and  having  purified  them  by  his  Spirit,  through  his 
word  and  providential  dispensations,  he  will  collect  them  all  together 
(there  is  to  be  "  a  gathering  together  at  his  coming"),  and  present 
them  to  God,  his  Father  and  their  Father,  his  God  and  their  God,  "  a 
glorious  church,  without  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing ;"  saying, 
"  Behold  me  and  the  children  thou  hast  given  me ;"  "  not  one  of  them 
is  lost."  Then  will  it  appear  how  careful  the  good  Shepherd  has  been 

1  Balmer.  2  2  Cor.  v.  19,  21.     Col.  i.  20.    Eph.  iL  15.    Heb.  ix  14. 

8  Eph.  ii.  18.     John  i.  7.     Heb.  ii.  25  ;  iv.  15,  16. 
4  Psal.  cxxxii.  7  ;  xliii.  4 ;  Ixxiii.  28.     Gen.  xiviii.  3. 


PART  IV.]  THEIR    DESIGN.  507 

of  his  charge  ;  "how  faithful  to  Him  who  appointed  him."  They  are 
all  raised  up  at  the  last  day,  near,  very  near  to  God ;  so  far  as  the 
difference  of  nature  admits,  "holy  as  he  is  holy,  perfect  as  he  is  per 
fect;"  even  their  bodies  fashioned  like  unto  the  glorious  body  of  him 
who  is  God  manifest  in  flesh.  Then  shall  be  fulfilled,  in  all  its  extent 
of  meaning,  that  promise,  which  cheered  the  heart  of  the  Saviour 
amid  the  toils  and  sorrows,  the  agony  and  blood,  of  the  great  work 
of  expiation.  "  Since  he  has  made  his  soul  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  he  shall 
see  his  seed,  he  shall  prolong  his  days,  and  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord 
shall  prosper  in  his  hand.  He  shalf  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and 
shall  be  satisfied  :  by  his  knowledge  shall  my  righteous  servant  justify 
many,  for  he  has  borne  their  iniquities.  Therefore,  will  I  give  him 
the  great  for  his  portion,  and  he  shall  have  the  strong  for  his  spoil, 
because  he  poured  out  his  soul  to  death,  and  was  numbered  with  the 
transgressors ;  and  he  bare  the  sin  of  many,  and  made  intercession 
for  the  transgressors."  With  gladness  and  rejoicing  shall  his  redeemed 
ones  be  brought;  they  shall  enter  into  the  King's  palace,  "and  there 
they  shall  abide."  They  shall  be  forever  with  the  Lord ;  like  him, 
seeing  him  as  he  is;  beholding,  and,  as  far  as  it  is  possible,  sharing 
his  glory  and  his  blessedness.  And  all  this  is  the  result  of  Christ,  the 
just  One,  suffering  'for  sins  in  the  room  of  sinners. l 

And  now  let  us  once  more,  each  for  himself,  seriously  propose  the 
question,  Have  I  thus,  through  the  atoning  death  of  Christ,  been 
brought  to  God  ?  Have  I  been  conformed  to  his  image  ?  Have  I 
been  introduced  into  his  fellowship?  Have  I  been  delivered  from 
this  present  evil  world  through  Christ  giving  himself  for  me  ?  Have 
I  been  redeemed  from  my  vain  conversation  received  by  tradition 
from  my  fathers  ?  Have  I  indeed  been  born  again  ?  Have  I  received 
"a  divine  nature?"  Have  I  become  "a  new  creature?"  Is  my 
mind  conformed  to  God's  mind — my  will  to  God's  will  ?  And  is  my 
conformity  to  God  increasing?  Am  I  growing  in  knowledge,  and 
purity,  and  love  ?  Am  I  becoming  more  and  more  a  partaker  of  his 
holiness  ?  Am  I  daily  receiving  spiritual  benefits  from  God,  and  ren 
dering  daily  to  Him  the  expressions  of  a  grateful  mind,  a  loving  heart  ? 
And  can  I  say,  "  Truly,  my  fellowship  is  with  the  Father,  and  with 
his  Son  Jesus  Christ ;  my  conversation  is  in  heaven ;  my  affections 
are  set  on  things  above  ?" 

The  person  who  is  a  stranger  to  the  state  and  exercises  of  mind 
described  in  these  expressions,  whatever  profession  he  may  make,  has 
not  received  the  atonement.  As  yet  Christ  has  died  in  vain,  so  far  as 
he  is  concerned.  He  is  not  yet  brought  to  God.  Let  all  of  us  be 
ware  of  resting  short  of  this  conformity  to,  this  fellowship  with,  God. 
Let  us  beware  of  resting  in  speculation,  in  profession,  in  formal  wor 
ship,  in  external  obedience.  Let  us  especially  put  far  away  from  us 
the  monstrous  thought,  that  we  can  be  enjoying  the  Divine  favor  and 
fellowship  through  the  atonement  of  Christ,  while  living  in  sin.  To 
expect  this  is  to  expect  an  utter  impossibility ;  is  to  impose  on  ourselves 
by  a  damnable  delusion.  "  What  fellowship  hath  righteousness  with 
unrighteousness?  What  communion  hath  light  with  darkness? 
What  concord  hath  Christ  with  Belial  ?"  "  If  we  say  that  we  have 

1  Eph.  v.  27.    Isa.  viii.  18.    Heb.  il  13.    Isa.  liii,  10-12. 


508  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST  [DISC.  XVI. 

fellowship  with  God,  and  walk  in  darkness,  we  lie,  and  do  not  the 
truth  ;  but  if  we  walk  in  the  light,  as  he  is  in  the  light,  we  have  fel 
lowship  one  with  another ;"  that  is,  he  and  we  have  indeed  communion, 
"and  the  blood  of  Jesus  G'-rist,  his  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  l 

Let  the  conviction  be  every  day  deepened,  that  coming  to  God  in 
the  way  of  assimilation  and  fellowship  is  absolutely  necessary  to  our 
true  and  final  happiness ;  and  that  this  conformity  to,  this  communion 
with,  God  can  be  obtained  only  "  through  the  redemption  that  is  in 
Christ  Jesus."  Yes,  my  brethren,  it  is  in  the  faith  of  the  truth,  re 
specting  the  great  atonement,  that  the  sinner  finds  "  redemption  from 
all  his  iniquities."  There  is  no  possibility  of  being  conformed  to  God 
till  we  are  reconciled  to  God ;  it  is  at  the  cross  that  the  pilgrim  loses 
his  burden  ;  and  there  is  no  being  reconciled  to  God  without  being 
.conformed  to  Him. 

Let  all  those  who,  through  the  power  of  the  atonement,  and  by  the 
faith  of  the  truth,  have  obtained  some  measure  of  conformity  to  God, 
and  of  favorable  intercourse  with  him,  seek  larger,  and  still  larger 
measures  of  those  spiritual  blessings  from  the  same  source,  through 
the  same  channel.  Let  them  never  forget  that  they  must  owe  their 
sanctification  as  well  as  their  justification,  their  new  character  as  well 
as  their  new  state,  to  God  sending  his  Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful 
flesh,  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  to  Christ  the  just  One  suffering  for  sins  in  the 
room  of  the  unjust.  Christ,  "  Christ  crucified,"  is  all  in  all.  "  All 
things  are  of  God,"  through  his  Son.  "  Of  God  are  we  in  Christ 
Jesus,  who  of  God  is  made  to  us  wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and  sanc 
tification,  and  redemption."  2  To  him  be  all  the  glory. 


V.— THE  CONSEQUENCES  OF  HIS  SUFFERINGS. 

The  consequences  of  our  Lord's  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  suffer 
ings  come  now  to  be  considered.  They  are  thus  stated  by  the  apostle  : 
"  Christ  the  just  One,  having  suffered  for  sins  in  the  room  of  the  un 
just,  that  he  might  bring  them  to  God,"  was  "put  to  death  in  the  flesh, 
but  quickened  by  the  Spirit :  by  which  also  he  went  and  preached  to 
the  spirits  in  prison,  who  sometime  were  disobedient ;  and  having 
risen  from  the  dead,  he  went  into  heaven,  where  he  is  on  the  right 
hand  of  God ;  angels,  and  authorities,  and  powers,  being  made  subject 
to  him." 

The  Bible  has  often  been  represented  as  a  book  full  of  obscurities 
and  difficulties ;  by  infidels,  who  wish  to  disprove  its  Divine  origin ; 
by  Roman  Catholics,  who  need  an  argument  to  prove  the  necessity 
of  tradition,  on  which  their  system  rests,  and  an  apology  for  their  ap 
parently  impious  and  paradoxical  conduct,  in  withholding  a  confessedly 
Divine  revelation  from  the  unrestrained  perusal  of  the  common  people, 
and  endeavoring  to  keep  it  covered  by  the  veil  of  a  dead  language ; 
and  by  mere  nominal  Christians  among  Protestants,  who  equally  need 
an  excuse  for  their  habitual  neglect  of  a  volume  which  they  admit  to 
be  of  Divine  authority,  and  profess  to  regard  as  the  ultimate  rule  of 
religious  faith  and  moral  duty.  And  if  the  Bible  were  really  so  full 

1  2  Cor.  vi.  14,  15.     1  Join  i.  6,  7.  a  Col.  iii.  11.     2  Cor.  r.  18.     1  Cor.  i.  30. 


PART  V.]  THEIR    CONSECiUENCES.  509 

of  obscurity  and  difficulty,  if  it  were  the  ambiguous  and  unintelligible 
-book  it  has  been  represented,  neither  the  careless  Protestant  nor  the 
cautious  Catholic  would  be  much  to  be  blamed,  except  for  inconsis 
tency  ;  and  even  with  this  minor  fault  the  infidel  would  not  be  justly 
chargeable ;  for  if  he  can  make  out  his  premises,  that  the  Bible  is  an 
unintelligible  book,  there  can  be  little  difficulty  in  admitting  his  con 
clusion,  that  it  is  not  a  Divine  one.  A  book  full  of  darkness  cannot 
come  from  Him  who  "is  light,  and  in  whom  there  is  no  darkness  at 
all ;"  and  it  is  certainly  useless  to  read  what  it  is  impossible  to  under 
stand. 

But  it  is  not  true  that  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  full  of  obscurities 
and  difficulties.  The  Bible,  generally  speaking,  is  a  very  plain  book. 
It  would  not  be  easy  to  find  a  book  of  its  size  on  its  subjects,  where 
there  is  so  much  level  to  the  apprehension  of  ordinary  understand 
ings.  No  person  who  sits  down  to  the  study  of  it  with  an  honest 
wish  to  apprehend  its  statements,  will  find  any  great  difficulty  in  dis 
covering  what  are  the  doctrines  it  unfolds,  or  what  are  the  duties  it 
enjoins.  "  The  commandment  of  the  Lord  is  pure,"  l  that  is,  clear 
as  the  light  of  heaven,  "and  it  enlightens  the  eyes."  But  though  the 
Bible  is  not  full  of  obscurities  and  difficulties,  there  are  obscurities 
and  difficulties  in  it.  It  is  with  the  great  light  of  the  moral,  as  of  the 
natural,  world,  the  whole  of  its  disc  is  not  equally  lustrous.  There 
are  spots  in  the  sun ;  but  he  must  be  very  blind  or  very  perverse,  who 
should  on  that  account  maintain  that  the  sun  is  not  a  luminous  body 
at  all ;  and  insist  that  it  gives  no  light,  and  that,  if  it  rays  forth  any 
thing,  it  rays  forth  darkness. 

On  the  other  hand,  he  who  insists  that  there  are  no  spots  on  the 
sun,  and  he  who  insists  that  there  are  no  difficulties  in  the  Bible, 
equally  prove  that  they  are  very  superficial  observers,  or  very  preju 
diced  judges.  That  in  writings  so  ancient  as  the  Hebrew  Scrip 
tures,  published  originally  in  a  state  of  society  so  different  from  that 
which  at  present  prevails,  among  a  people  whose  language  has  long 
ceased  to  be  spoken,  and  whose  laws,  and  customs,  and  manners  have 
little  resemblance  to  ours,  there  should  be  difficulties,  was  naturally  to 
be  expected,  and,  indeed,  this  could  not  have  been  prevented  without 
a  miracle.  But  these  obscurities  attach  themselves  to  comparatively 
tut  few  passages;  and  the  difficulties  to  which  they  give  origin  are 
gradually  diminishing  and  disappearing  as  the  knowledge  of  the  sacred 
languages,  antiquities,  and  criticism  makes  progress ;  and  with  regard 
to  those  which  remain,  there  are  two  considerations  that  deserve  re 
mark  :  the  first,  that  in  no  case  is  there  uncertainty  cast  on  any  of 
the  leading  facts  or  doctrines  or  laws  of  revelation  by  these  obscuri 
ties  and  difficulties  ;  and  the  second,  that  in  almost  every  case,  though 
in  some  passages  there  may  be  words  or  phrases,  the  precise  import 
or  reference  of  which  it  may  be  difficult  or  impossible  to  determine 
with  certainty,  these  passages  are  found  notwithstanding  replete  with 
important  instruction. 

These  remarks  are  applicable  to  the  passage  of  Scripture  to  which 
our  attention  has  for  some  time  been  directed.  The  observation  of 
the  Apostle  Peter,  respecting  his  beloved  brother  Paul,  is  applicable 

1  Psal.  xix.  8.    "  Clarum,  dilucidum." — ROSENMULLER, 


510  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

to  himself.  In  his  epistles  "  there  are  some  things  hard  to  be  under 
stood,  which  the  unlearned  and  the  unstable  wrest  to  their  own  de-  - 
struction,"  l  and  this  is  one  of  them.  Few  passages  have  received  a 
greater  variety  of  interpretations ;  and  he  would  prove  more  satis 
factorily  his  self-confidence  than  his  wisdom,  who  should  assert  that 
his  interpretation  was  undoubtedly  the  true  one.  Yet,  though  we 
should  not  be  able  to  determine  with  absolute  certainty  who  those 
spirits  in  prison  are,  and  when,  and  where,  aneT  how,  and  for  what 
purpose,  Christ  went  and  preached  to  them ;  and  whatever  opinion 
we  may  adopt  as  most  probable  on  these  subjects,  no  Christian  doc 
trine,  no  Christian  duty,  is  affected  by  our  uncertainty  or  by  our 
opinion.  Even  were  we  holding  what  appears  to  us  the  least  probable 
one,  that  the  words  teach  us,  that  our  Lord,  during  his  disembodied 
state,  went  to  the  region  of  separate  souls,  and  made  a  communica 
tion  of  some'kind  to  its  inhabitants,  either  to  such  of  them  as  were 
"  in  safe  keeping,"  in  paradise,  or  "  in  prison,"  in  Gehenna,  they  would 
give  no  countenance  to  the  delusive  dreams  either  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  respecting  purgatory,  or  of  the  Universalist  concerning  the 
possibility  of  favorably  altering  the  condition  of  men  after  they  have 
left  the  present  state ;  they  would  merely  state  an  insulated  fact,  no 
where  else  referred  to  in  Scripture,  and  from  which  no  legitimate 
consequence  can  be  deduced  at  all  inconsistent  with  any  other  por 
tion  of  revealed  truth ;  and,  though  we  should  never  obtain  satisfac 
tory  information  on  the  points  referred  to,  how  replete  with  truth  and 
holy  influence  is  the  sentence  (v.  18-22),  of  which  one  or  two  clauses, 
are,  to  us,  obscure,  perhaps  unintelligible,  "  how  profitable  for  doc 
trine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness !"  It 
would  be  very  presumptuous  to  expect  that  I  should  be  able  to  re 
move  entirely  difficulties  which  have  baffled  the  attempts  of  the  ablest 
interpreters.  Yet  I  believe  that  patient,  careful,  honest,  persevering, 
prayerful  study  of  any  portion  of  God's  word,  is  never  unproductive 
of  some  good  effect ;  and  I  must  say,  after  the  experience  of  forty 
years'  study  of  the  Bible,  that  in  inquiring  into  the  meaning  of  Scrip 
ture,  "  darkness  has  often  been  made  light  before  me,  crooked  things 
straight,  rough  places  plain."3 

The  consequences  of  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings  of 
our  Lord,  plainly  divide  themselves  into  two  classes.  First,  such  as 
took  place  not  in  heaven  ;  for  that  is  all  that  we  yet  consider  ourselves 
as  warranted  to  say  of  them ;  whether  on  the  earth,  or  under  the 
earth,  may  perhaps  appear  in  the  course  of  our  illustrations ;  "  He 
was  put  to  death  in  the  flesh,  but  quickened  by  the  Spirit;  he  by  it 
went  and  preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  who  sometime  were  diso 
bedient  ;"  and,  secondly,  such  as  took  place  in  heaven.  "  Having 
risen  from  the  dead,  he  went  into  heaven,  and  is  on  the  right  hand 
of  God ;  angels,  and  authorities,  and  powers,  being  made  subject  to 
him." 

§  1. — He  became  dead  in  the  flesh,  quickened  in  the  Spirit,  and  went 
and  preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison. 

Let  us  attend  to  these  two  classes  of  the  consequences  of  our 

1  '2  Pet.  iii.  15,  16.  a  See  note  C. 


PART  V.]  THEIR    CONSEQUENCES.  511 

Lord's  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings  in  their  order;  and,  first, 
Of  those  which  took  place  not  in  heaven. 

Some  interpreters  consider  only  the  words  rendered  "  put  to  death 
in  the  flesh,  but  quickened  by  the  Spirit,"  as  descriptive  of  the  conse 
quences  of  our  Lord's  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings.  What 
follows  they  consider  as  referring  to  something  which  he  did  in  or  by 
the  same  Spirit  by  which  he  was  quickened,  on  another  occasion  alto 
gether,  at  a  former  period,  so  long  gone  by  as  the  antediluvian  times. 
They  interpret  the  words  descriptive  of  the  consequences  of  our 
Lord's  sufferings  for  sins  in  the  room  of  sinners  thus,  He  was  violently 
put  to  death,  in  his  body,  or  in  his  human  nature,  but  he  was  quick 
ened,  restored  to  life,  by  the  Spirit ;  that  is,  either  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
the  third  person  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  or  by  his  Divine  nature,  the 
spirit  of  holiness,  according  to  which  he  is  the  Son  of  God,  in  con 
tradistinction  to  his  being  the  son  of  David  according  to  the  flesh ; 
that  Spirit  by  which  he  was  justified ;  that  eternal  Spirit  through 
which  he  offered  himself  to  God,  a  sacrifice  without  spot  or  blemish  ; 
and  the  remaining  part  of  the  statement  they  consider  as  equivalent 
to,  By  the  Holy  Spirit  inspiring  Noah  as  a  preacher  of  righteousness, 
or  in  his  Divine  nature,  through  the  same  instrumentality,  he  in  the 
antediluvian  times  ''  went  and  preached,"  either  a  pleonastic  expres 
sion  for  preached,  or  intimating  that  he  came  from  heaven  in  his  Di 
vine  influence  and  operation,  as  he  came  to  paradise  in  the  cool  of 
the  day,  came  down  to  see  the  tower  of  Babel,  came  down  on  Mount 
Sinai  at  the  giving  of  the  law;  made  known  the  will  of  God  to  the 
men  of  that  generation,  who  were  then  "  spirits  in  prison,"  condemned 
men,  doomed  to  punishment  for  their  sins,  and  kept  as  in  a  prison  till 
the  time  of  execution,  when  the  flood  came  ;  or  who  are  now  spirits 
in  the  prison  of  hell,  kept  alon<r  with  the  evil  angels,  "  under  chains 
of  darkness,  to  the  judgment  of  the  great  day." 

The  sense  thus  brought  out  of  the  words  is  self-consistent,  and  not 
incompatible  with  any  of  the  facts  or  doctrines  of  revelation ;  but 
this  mode  of  interpretation  seems  to  us  liable  to  great,  and  indeed 
insurmountable,  objections.  The  words  flesh  and  spirit  are  plainly 
opposed  to  one  another.  The  prepositions  in  and  by  are  not  in  the 
original.  The  opposed  words1  are  in  the  same  case;  they  stand 
plainly  in  the  same  relation  respectively  to  the  words  rendered  put  to 
death  and  quickened,2  and  that  relation  should  have  been  expressed 
in  English  by  the  same  particle.3  If  you  give  the  rendering,  "put  to 
death  in  the  flesh,"  you  must  give  the  corresponding  rendering, 
"quickened  in  the  spirit,"  which  would  bring  out  the  sense,  either 
1  quickened  in  his  human  spirit  or  soul  ;'  a  statement  to  which  it  is 
difficult  to  attach  a  distinct  meaning,  for  the  soul  is  not  mortal; 
Christ's  spirit  did  not  die;  and  to  continue  alive  is  not  the  meaning 
of  the  original  word  ;  or  'quickened  in  his  Divine  nature/ a  state 
ment  obviously  absurd  and  false,  as  implying  that  He  who  is  "  the 
life,"  the  living  one,  can  be  quickened,  either  in  the  sense  of  restored 
from  a  state  of  death,  or  endowed  with  a  larger  measure  of  vitality. 

1  S-ipvi — TrvsvfifiTt.  Hsec  verba  pro  iv  woti  l»  irvEvpan  et  quidera  pro  adjectivis  (ad- 
verbiis  ?)  posita  videntur. — Sxoaa. 

*  QavnTw'Jf.is.     ZuiTunOeti  *  See  note  D. 


512  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  you  adopt  the  rendering  of  our  translators  in 
the  second  clause,  "  quickened  by  the  Spirit,"  then  you  must  render  in 
accordance  with  it  the  first  clause,  'put  to  death  by  thejlesh.'  If,  by 
the  Spirit,  you  understand  the  Divine  nature  of  our  Lord,  by  the 
flesh  you  must  understand  the  human  nature,  which  makes  the  ex 
pression  an  absurdity.  On  the  other  hand,  if  you  understand  by  the 
Spirit  the  Holy  Ghost,  then  by  flesh  you  must  understand  "  mankind," 
put  to  death  by  men,  but  restored  to  life  by  God  the  Spirit.  This  in 
terpretation,  though  giving  a  consistent  and  true  sense,  the  sense  so 
forcibly  expressed  in  Peter's  words  to  the  Jews,  "  whom  ye  crucified ; 
whom  God  raised  from  the  dead,"  is  forbidden  by  the  usage  of  the 
language.  Then  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  there  does  appear  some 
thing  very  unnatural  in  introducing  our  Lord,  in  the  midst  of  what 
is  plainly  a  description  of  the  results  of  his  atoning  sufferings,  as  hav 
ing  in  the  Spirit,  by  which  he  was  quickened  after  he  had  been  put 
to  death,  gone  many  centuries  before,  in  the  antediluvian  age,  to 
preach  to  an  ungodly  world ;  and  there  is  just  as  little  doubt  that  the 
only  meaning  that  the  words  will  bear,  without  violence  being  done 
them,  is,  that  it  was,  when  he  had  been  put  to  death  in  the  flesh  and 
quickened  in  the  Spirit,  or  by  the  Spirit,  whatever  that  may  mean, 
he  went  and  preached ;  and  that  "  the  spirits,"  whoever  they  be, 
were  "  in  prison,"  whatever  that  may  mean,  when  he  preached  to 
them. 

These  are  not  all  the  difficulties  connected  with  this  interpretation, 
which  may  be  termed  the  common  Protestant  interpretation  of  the 
passage  ;  but  they  are  quite  sufficient  to  convince  us  that  it  is  untena 
ble,  and  to  induce  the  apprehension,  that  it  would  never  have  been 
resorted  to  but  from  its  supposed  necessity  to  destroy  the  shadow  of 
support  which  another  mode  of  interpretation  gives  to  some  of  the 
errors  of  Popery,  which  have,  by  that  "  deceivableness  of  unrighteous 
ness"  which  characterizes  the  system,  been  turned  to  great  account 
in  fettering  the  minds  and  plundering  the  property  of  the  unhappy 
victims  of  that  masterpiece  of  imposture  and  superstition ;  or  to  the 
soul-endangering  dream  of  Universalism,  that  there  are  means  of 
grace  of  which  those  who  die  unforgiven  may  avail  themselves  in  the 
separate  state,  so  as  to  avert  the  natural  results  of  their  living  and 
dying  in  unbelief  and  impenitence. 

Another  class  of  interpreters  consider  the  whole  statement  before 
us  as  referring  to  "what  Happened  subsequent  to,  and  consequent  on,, 
our  Lord's  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings.1  Some  of  these 
consider  the  event  referred  to  in  the  words, "  He  went  and  preach 
ed  to  the  spirits  in  prison,"  as  having  taken  place  during  the  inter 
val  between  our  Lord's  death  and  resurrection ;  others  as  having 
taken  place  after  his  resurrection.  The  first  consider  the  words  ren 
dered  "  having  been  put  to  death  in  the  flesh,  but  quickened  by  the 
Spirit,"  as  equivalent  to  "  having  become  dead  as  to  his  body  (a  very 
fair  rendering  of  the  words),  but  continuing  alive  as  to  his  soul  (a 
sense  which  the  original  words  will  not  bear),  he  in  that  soul  went  to 
the  region  of  separate  souls,  Hades,  the  invisible  state,  and  there 
preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  who  before  were  disobedient."  The 

1   See  note  E. 


PART  V.J  THEIR    CONSEQUENCES.  513 

second  consider  the  words  referred  to  as  equivalent  to,  "  Being  put  to 
death  in  his  human  nature,  but  restored  to  life  by  his  Divine  nature, 
or  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  in  his  resurrection  body,  which  they  con 
ceive  was  not  subject  to  the  ordinary  laws  of  matter,  in  his  new  life, 
went  down  to  the  region  of  separate  souls,  and  there  preached  to  the 
spirits  in  prison." 

These  two  classes  of  interpreters,  holding  in  common  that  our 
Lord  went  down  to  Hades,  are  considerably  divided  as  to  what  was 
his  object  in  going  there,  as  described  or  hinted  at  in  the  passage  be 
fore  us ;  one  class  holding  that  he  went  to  hell  (Gehenna),  the  place 
of  torment,  to  proclaim  to  the  fallen  angels,  who  are  kept  there  under 
chains  of  darkness,  as  the  spirits  in  prison  (though  how  they  could  be 
said  to  be  disobedient  in  the  days  of  Noah,  does  not  appear,  and  be 
sides  these  spirits  seem  plainly  to  belong  to  the  same  class  of  beings 
as  "the  souls"  that  were  saved,  verse  20),  to  proclaim  throughout  that 
dismal  region  his  triumph  over  them  and  their  apostate  chief;  another 
class  holding  that  he  went  to  this  place  of  torment  to  announce  his 
triumph  over  the  powers  of  darkness,  and  to  offer  salvation  through 
his  death  to  those  human  spirits  who  had  died  in  their  sins ;  a  third 
class  holding  that  he  went  to  purgatory  to  release  those  who  had  been 
sufficiently  improved  by  their  disciplinary  sufferings,  and  to  remove 
them  to  paradise ;  and  a  fourth  class  who  translate  the  "  spirits  in 
prison,"  >  "  the  spirits  in  safe  keeping,"  holding  that  he  went  to  para 
dise,  the  residence  of  the  separate  spirits  of  good  men,  to  announce  to 
them  the  glad  tidings,  that  the  great  salvation,  which  had  been  the 
object  of  their  faith  and  hope,  was  now  completed. 

Each  of  these  varieties  of  interpretation  is  attended  with  its  own 
difficulties,  which  appear  to  me  insuperable.  Some  of  them  go  upon 
principles  obviously  and  demonstratively  false;  and  all  of  them 
attempt  to  bring  much  out  of  the  words  which  plainly  is  not  in  them. 
To  state  particularly  the  objections  against  them,  would  occupy  a 
good  deal  of  time,  and  I  am  afraid  would  afford  little  satisfaction  and 
less  edification  to  my  hearers.  There  are,  however,  common  diffi 
culties  bearing  on  them  all  which  seem  quite  sufficient  to  warrant  us 
to  set  them  all  aside,  and  which  may  be  stated  in  a  sentence  or  two. 
It  seems  incredible,  if  such  events  as  are  darkly  hinted  at  rather  than 
distinctly  described  in  these  words  thus  interpreted,  had  taken  place, 
that  we  should  have  no  account  of  them,  indeed,  no  certain  allusion  to 
them  in  any  other  part  of  Scripture.2  It  seems  quite  unaccountable 
why  the  separate  spirits  of  those  who  had  lived  in  the  days  of  Noah, 
and  perished  in  the  deluge,  are  specially  mentioned  as  those,  among 
the  inhabitants  of  the  unseen  world,  to  whom  the  quickened  Redeemer 
went  and  preached,  the  much  greater  multitude  who,  before  that  time, 
and  since  that  time,  had  gone  down  to  the  land  of  darkness,  being 
passed  by  without  notice.  And  what  will  weigh  much  with  a  judi 
cious  student  of  Scripture  is,  that  it  is  impossible  to  perceive  how 
these  events,  supposing  them  to  have  taken  place,  were,  as  they  are 

1   ToTj  iv  (j>v\aKy  -rrvcvfiaffi. 

8  "  They  that  think  Christ's  soul  and  godhead  preached  to  spirits  while  his  body  lay 
in  the  grave,  suppose  that  those  spirits  knew  it  whom  it  concerned :  but  if  it  had  been 
necessary  for  us  to  know  not  only  Christ's  preaching  to  ourselves  but  to  them,  he  would 
surely  have  more  clearly  told  it  us." — RICHARD  BAXTER. 

33 


514  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVL 

represented  by  the  construction  of  the  language  to  be,  the  effects  of 
Christ's  suffering  for  sins  in  the  room  of  sinners,  and  how  these  state 
ments  at  all  serve  to  promote  the  apostle's  practical  object,  which  was 
to  persuade  persecuted  Christians  patiently  and  cheerfully  to  submit 
to  sufferings  for  righteousness'  sake,  from  the  consideration,  exempli 
fied  in  the  case  of  our  Lord,  that  suffering  in  a  good  cause,  and  in  a 
right  spirit,  however  severe,  was  calculated  to  lead  to  the  happiest 
results.  No  interpretation,  we  apprehend,  can  be  the  right  one, 
which  does  not  correspond  with  the  obvious  construction  of  the  pas 
sage,  and  with  the  avowed  design  of  the  writer. 

Keeping  these  general  principles  steadily  in  view,  I  proceed  now  to 
state,  as  briefly,  and  as  plainly  as  I  can,  what  appears  to  me  the  prob 
able  meaning  of  this  difficult  passage:  "A  passage,"  as  Leighton  says, 
"somewhat  obscure  in  itself,  but  as  it  usually  falls,  made  more  so  by 
the  various  fancies  and  contests  of  interpreters  aiming  or  pretending 
to  clear  it." 

The  first  consequence  of  those  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  suffer 
ings  which  Christ,  the  just  One,  endured  by  the  appointment  of  his 
Father,  the  righteous  Judge,  for  sins,  in  the  room  of  the  unjust,  noticed 
here  is,  that  he,  "  was  put  to  death  in  the  flesh."  l  The  unjust,  in 
whose  room  he  stood,  were  doomed  to  death,  and  he,  in  bearing  their 
sins,  submitted  to  death,  to  a  violent  death,  to  a  form  of  violent  death 
which,  by  a  Divine  appointment,  marked  him  as  the  victim  of  public 
justice.8  He  was  with  wicked  hands  crucified,  hanged  on  a  tree ; 
and  he  that  was  hanged  on  a  tree  was  declared  to  be  accursed,  or  to 
have  died  as  a  victim  of  sin  by  the  hand  of  public  justice.  The  idea 
here,  however,  seems  not  to  be  so  much  the  violent  nature  of  the  in 
fliction,  as  its  effect,  the  entire  privation  of  life,  and  consequently  of 
power.  The  word  seems  used  as  in  Rom.  vii.  4,  "  Ye  are  become 
dead."  3  He  became  dead  in  the  flesh,  he  became  bodily  dead.4  He 
lay  an  inanimate,  powerless  corpse  in  the  sepulchre. 

But  his  becoming  thus  bodily  dead  and  powerless  was  not  more 
certainly  the  effect  of  his  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings,  than 
the  second  circumstance  here  mentioned,  his  "  being  quickened  in  the 
Spirit."  If  this  refer  to  his  resurrection,  we  must  render  it  quick 
ened  by  the  Spirit ;  but  we  have  already  seen  that,  without  misinter 
pretation,  it  cannot  be  so  rendered.  Besides,  the  resurrection  is  ex 
pressly  mentioned  in  the  21st  verse,  in  connection  with  the  ascension 
to  heaven.  To  be  quickened  in  the  Spirit  is  to  be  quickened  spirit 
ually,  as  to  be  put  to  death  in  the  flesh  is  to  become  dead  bodily. 
This  interpretation  is  quite  warranted.5  The  word  rendered  to  be 
quickened,0  literally  signifies  to  be  made  alive  or  living.  It  is  used 
to  signify  the  original  communication  of  life,  the  restoration  of  life  to 
the  dead,  and  the  communication  of  a  larger  measure  of  life  to  the 
living.  A  consequence  of  our  Lord's  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  suf- 

1  G.n'arwSeij  /dv  <rap*i.     Morte  affectus,  quoad  corpus. — KUTTNER. 

3  Deut.  xxi.  23.     Gal.  iii.  13. 

8  'EBavaruQjirs  TM  v6yu — not  "ye  have  been  put  to  death  by  the  law."          4  Sap^uwj. 

6  Thus,  poor  in  spirit,  m-w^oi  rw  Trvev^an  ;  i.  e.  wsv/ianicwf. — Matt.  v.  3.     "Waxed  strong 
inspirit,  iKparatovro  ™£v/*ar«  ;   i.  e.  Trvcu^aru-wj. — Luke  L  80.      Rejoiced  in  spirit, 
T&>  Jrvcr^an;   i.  e.  nvevparixti;,  <tc. — Luke  X.  21. 


PART  V.J  THEIR    CONSEQUENCES.  515 

ferings  was,  that  he  became  spiritually  alive  and  powerful,  in  a  sense, 
and  to  a  degree,  in  which  he  was  not  previously ;  and  in  which,  but 
for  these  sufferings,  he  never  could  have  become — full  of  life  to  be 
communicated  to  dead  souls,  mighty  to  save.  He  was  thus  spirit 
ually  quickened.  "The  Father  gave  him  to  have  life  in  himself,  that 
he  might  give  eternal  life,  to  as  many  as  the  Father  had  given  him, 
to  all  coming  to  the  Father  through  him."  "All  power,"  even  the 
power  of  God,  "  was  given  to  HIM,"  who  had  been  crucified  in  weak 
ness  ;  and  by  this  power  he  lives  and  gives  life.  "  The  second  Adam" 
thus  became  "a  quickening  spirit."  He  became,  as  it  were,  the  re 
ceptacle  of  life  and  spiritual  influence,  out  of  which  men  were  to 
"receive,  and  grace  for  grace."  As  a  Divine  person,  all  life,  all 
power  necessarily  inhered  in  his  nature ;  but  as  Mediator,  that 
spiritual  life  and  energy  which  make  him  powerful  to  save,  are  gifts 
bestowed  on  him  by  the  Father,  as  rewards  of  his  obedience  to  death, 
and  as  the  means  of  gaining  the  ultimate  object  of  his  atoning  suffer 
ings.  He  asked  of  the  Father  this  life,  and  he  gave  it  him.  It  was 
the  consequence  of  his  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings,  on  which 
his  intercession  is  based.  It  is  to  this  that  he  refers  when  he  says, 
"  Except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall  to  the  ground  and  die,"  or  rather,  fall 
into  the  ground,  being  dead,  "it  abideth  alone;  but  if  it  die,"  if  it  be 
dead,  "it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit."  Had  Christ  not  died  as  the 
victim  of  sin  bodily,  he  could  never  have  "lived  forever"  as  an  all- 
successful  Intercessor,  "able  to  save  us  to  the  uttermost" — forever.1 
"  If  I,"  said  he,  "  be  lifted  up,"  lifted  up  on  the  cross  ("  for  this  he  said 
signifying  what  death  he  should  die"),  "I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw 
all  men  to  me.3'2  "  The  Captain  of  Salvation  was  perfected  by  suf 
fering."  "  Because  he  humbled  himself,  God  highly  exalted  him,  and 
gave  him"  all  "power  over  all  flesh,"  all  "power  in  heaven  and 
earth." 

The  spiritual  life  and  power  conferred  on  the  Saviour  as  the  reward 
of  his  disinterested  labors  in  the  cause  of  God's  honor  and  man's  sal 
vation,  were  illustriously  manifested  in  that  wonderful  quickening 
of  his  apostles  by  the  communication  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost ;  and  in  communicating  through  the  instrumentality  of  their 
ministry  spiritual  life,  and  all  its  concomitant  and  following  blessings, 
to  multitudes  of  souls  dead  in  sins.3 

It  is  to  this,  I  apprehend,  that  the  apostle  refers,  when  he  says  by 
which,  or  whereby,  by  this  spiritual  quickening,  or  wherefore,4  being 
thus  spiritually  quickened,  "he  went  and  preached  to  the  spirits  in 
prison,  who  beforetime  were  disobedient."  If  our  general  scheme  of 
interpretation  is  well  founded,  there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  who  those 
"  spirits  in  prison  are."  They  are  not  human  spirits,  confined  in  bodies 
like  so  many  prisons,  as  a  punishment  for  sin  in  some  previous  state 
of  being;  that  is  a  heathenish  doctrine,  to  which  Scripture,  rightly 
interpreted,  gives  no  sanction  ;  but  sinful  men  righteously  condemned, 
the  slaves  and  captives  of  Satan,  shackled  with  the  fetters  of  sin. 

1  EI'J  TO  TravTc\es.    Heb.  vii.  25.  2  John  xii.  24,  32. 

8  TloptvOds  postquam  in  ccelum  ascendit  ut  mox,  com.  12. — John  xiv.  2,  3,  12,  28  ;  xvi 
7,  28.  Dicitur  Christua  predicasse  gentibus,  quia  Apostoli  id  ejus  nomine  et  virtute 
fecerunt.— -2  Cor.  v.  20.  Acts  xiii.  47.  Rom.  xv.  16.  Gal.  ii.  8.  Eph.  ii.  17. — Gaoxiui. 

*  'Ej/  w.  Tovro  EN  'Oi  cirri  TOV  AIO  /ccirat  ainoXoyi/ccjj.      (EcUMEXIUS. 


516  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

These  are  the  captives  to  whona  Messiah,  "  anointed  by  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord,"  that  is,  just  in  other  words,  "  quickened  in  the  Spirit/' 
was  to  proclaim  liberty,  the  bound  ones  to  whom  he  was  to  announce 
the  opening  of  the  prison.  This  is  no  uncommon  mode  of  represent 
ing  the  work  of  the  Messiah.  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  he  that 
created  the  heavens,  and  stretched  them  out ;  he  that  spread  forth  the 
earth,  and  that  which  cometh  out  of  it ;  he  that  giveth  breath  unto 
the  people  upon  it,  and  spirit  to  them  that  walk  therein :  I  the  Lord 
have  called  thee  in  righteousness,  and  will  hold  thy  hand,  and  will 
keep  thee,  and  will  give  thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people,  for  a  light 
to  the  Gentiles ;  to  open  the  blind  eyes ;  to  bring  out  the  prisoners 
from  the  prison,  and  them  that  sit  in  darkness  out  of  the  prison- 
house."  l  "  He  said  unto  me,  Thou  art  my  servant,  O  Israel,  in  whom 
I  will  be  glorified.  Then  I  said,  I  have  labored  in  vain,  I  have  spent 
my  strength  for  naught,  and  in  vain ;  yet  surely  my  judgment  is  with 
the  Lord,  and  my  work  with  my  God.  And  now,  saith  the  Lord  that 
formed  me  from  the  womb  to  be  his  servant,  to  bring  Jacob  again  to 
him.  Though  Israel  be  not  gathered,  yet  shall  I  be  glorious  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Lord,  and  my  God  shall  be  my  strength.  And  he  said,  It  is  a 
light  thing  that  thou  shouldest  be  my  servant,  to  raise  up  the  tribes  of 
Jacob,  and  to  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel ;  I  will  also  give  thee  for 
a  light  to  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  be  my  salvation  unto  the  end 
of  the  earth.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  Redeemer  of  Israel,  and  his 
Holy  One,  to  him  whom  man  despiseth,  to  him  whom  the  nation  ab- 
horreth,  to  a  servant  of  rulers,  kings  shall  see  and  arise,  princes  also 
shall  worship,  because  of  the  Lord  that  is  faithful,  and  the  Holy  One 
of  Israel,  and  he  shall  choose  thee.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  In  an  ac 
ceptable  time  have  I  heard  thee,  and  in  a  day  of  salvation  have  I 
helped  thee :  and  I  will  preserve  thee,  and  give  thee  for  a  covenant 
of  the  people,  to  establish  the  earth,  to  cause  to  inherit  the  desolate 
heritages  :  That  thou  mayest  say  to  the  prisoners,  Go  forth ;  to  them 
that  are  in  darkness,  Show  yourselves :  they  shall  feed  in  the  ways, 
and  their  pastures  shall  be  in  all  high  places.  They  shall  not  hunger 
nor  thirst ;  neither  shall  the  heat  nor  sun  smite  them :  for  he  that  hath 
mercy  on  them  shall  lead  them,  even  by  the  springs  of  water  shall  he 
guide  them.  And  I  will  make  all  my  mountains  a  way,  and  my  high 
ways  shall  be  exalted.  Behold,  these  shall  come  from  far ;  and,  lo, 
these  from  the  north  and  from  the  west ;  and  these  from  the  land  of 
Sinim."  * 

It  is  not  unnatural,  then,  that  guilty  and  depraved  men  should  be 
represented  as  captives  in  prison ;  but  the  phrase  "  spirits  in  prison," 
seems  a  strange  one  for  spiritually  captive  men.  It  is  so ;  but  the  use 
of  it,  rather  than  the  word,  men  in  prison,  or  prisoners,  seems  to  have 
grown  out  of  the  previous  phrase,  quickened  in  spirit.3  He  who  was 
quickened  in  the  Spirit  had  to  do  with  the  spirits  of  men,  with  men 
as  spiritual  beings.  This  seems  to  have  given  a  color  to  the  whole 
passage :  the  eight  persons  saved  from  the  deluge  are  termed  eight 
souls.* 

*  Isa.xlii.  6,  7.  a  Isa.  xlix.  3,  12.  3  "  Congruens  sermo."— BENGEL. 

Tlvcv/iara  hie  in  genere  denotant  homines  quemadmodum  paullo  post  ^v^al  h  0oA<m. 
Judcei  sub  jugo  legis— Gentiles  sub  potestate  Diaboli — Illos  omnes  Christus  liberavit, 
prffldicationem  verbi  sui  ad  ipsos  mittens,  et  continuans,  et  Apostolos  divina  virtute 
u^struens — SOIKETGENII.  Horce  Heb.  p.  1043. 


PART  V.]  THEIR    CONSECIUENCES.  517 

But  then  it  seems  as  if  the  spirits  in  prison,  to  whom  our  Lord, 
quickened  in  spirit,  is  represented  as  coming  and  preaching,  were  the 
unbelieving  generation  who  lived  before  the  flood,  "the  spirits  in 
prison,  who  aforetime  were  disobedient,  when  once  the  long-suffering 
of  God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah."  This  difficulty  is  not  a  formi 
dable  one.  This  stumbling-block  may  easily  be  removed.  "  Spirits 
in  prison,"  is  a  phrase  characteristic  of  men  in  all  ages.  We  see 
nothing  perplexing  in  the  statement,  '  God  sent  the  gospel  to  the  Brit 
ons,  who,  in  the  days  of  Caesar,  were  painted  savages :'  the  persons 
to  whom  God  sent  the  gospel  were  not  the  same  individuals  who  were 
painted  savages  in  the  days  of  Ca3sar ;  but  they  belonged  to  the  same 
race.  Neither  should  we  find  anything  perplexing  in  the  statement, 
Jesus  Christ  came  and  preached  to  spiritually  captive  men,  who  were 
hard  to  be  convinced  in  former  times,  especially  in  the  days  of  Noah.1 
The  reason  why  there  is  reference  to  the  disobedience  of  men  in  for 
mer  times,  and  especially  in  the  days  of  Noah,  will  probably  come  out 
in  the  course  of  our  future  illustrations. 

Having  endeavored  to  dispose  of  these  verbal  difficulties,  let  us  now 
attend  to  the  sentiment  contained  in  the  words  '  Jesus  Christ,  spiritu 
ally  quickened,  came  and  preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  who  in 
time  past  were  disobedient.'  The  coming  and  preaching  describe  not 
what  our  Lord  did  bodily?  but  what  he  did  spiritually ; 3  not  what 
he  did  personally,  but  what  he  did  by  the  instrumentality  of  others. 
The  Apostle  Paul  has  explained  the  meaning  of  the  Apostle  Peter, 
when,  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  he  repre 
sents  Christ  as,  after  "having  abolished  in  his  flesh  the  enmity,  com 
ing  and  preaching  peace  to  them  who  were  afar  off,  and  to  them  who 
were  nigh,"  that  is,  both  to  Gentiles  and  to  Jews.  Another  very 
satisfactory  commentary  may  be  found  in  the  gospels.  "  All  power 
is  given  unto  me,"  said  our  Saviour  after  being  quickened  in  the 
spirit,  "  All  power  is  given  to  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  Go  ye, 
therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  them  to 
observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you :  and,  lo,  I  am 
with  you  always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world.  So,  then,  after  the 
Lord  had  thus  spoken  to  them,  he  was  received  into  heaven,  and  sat 
on  the  right  hand  of  God.  And  they  went  forth,  and  preached  every 
where,  the  Lord  working  with  them,  and  confirming  the  word  with 
signs  following."  4  To  the  apostle,  who  was  born  as  one  out  of  due 
time,  the  commission  was,  "  I  send  thee  to  the  Gentiles,  to  open  their 
eyes,  to  turn  them  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan 
to  God,  that  they  may  receive  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  an  inheri 
tance  among  them  which  are  sanctified  by  faith  that  is  in  Christ ;" 
and  whatever  Paul  did  effectually,  in  the  discharge  of  that  commis 
sion,  it  was  not  he,  but  Christ  by  him.5  Thus,  then,  is  Christ,  quick- 

1  Grotius's  note  is  worth  quoting: — Quales  animi  olim  Noae  teraporibus  non  obtem- 
perarunt.  Loquitur  quasi  iidem  fuisent :  et  fuerunt  iidem,  spiritus,  sive  animi — iidem 
non  apifyai,  ut  Aristoteles  loquitur,  sed  genere." 

a  ErtjJfifwj,  or  ffotyiarivw?.  *   HvevpartKus* 

4  Eph.  ii.  13-17.     Matt,  xxviii.  18,  19.    Mark  xvi.  19,  20. 
*  Acts  xxvi.  16-18.    Horn.  xv.  18 


518  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

ened  in  consequence  of  his  suffering,  the  just  one  in  the  room  of  the 
unjust,  going  and  preaching  to  the  spirits  in  prison. 

There  are  two  subsidiary  ideas  in  reference  to  this  preaching  of 
Christ,  quickened  in  the  Spirit,  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  that  are  sug 
gested  by  the  words  of  the  apostle,  and  these  are, — the  success  of  his 
preaching,  and  the  extent  of  that  success.  These  spirits  in  prison  had 
"aforetime  been  disobedient."  Christ  had  preached  to  them  not  only 
by  Noah,  but  by  all  the  prophets,  for  the  spirit  in  the  prophets  was 
"the  Spirit  of  Christ;"  but  he  had  preached  in  a  great  measure  in 
vain.  He  had  to  complain  in  reference  to  his  preaching  by  his  pro 
phets,  and  in  reference  to  his  own  personal  preaching,  previously  to 
his  suffering  the  just  in  the  room  of  the  unjust,  "I  have  labored  in 
vain,  I  have  spent  my  strength  for  naught,  and  in  vain.  All  day  long, 
I  have  stretched  out  my  hands  to  a  stiff-necked  and  rebellious  people." 
"  Who  hath  believed  our  report  ?"  But  now,  Jesus  Christ  being  quick 
ened  by  the  Spirit,  and  quickening  others  by  the  Spirit,  the  conse 
quence  was,  "the  disobedient  were  turned  to  the  wisdom  of  the  just," 
and  "  the  spirits  in  prison"  appeared  "  a  people  made  ready,  prepared 
for  the  Lord."  The  word,  attended  by  the  Spirit,  in  consequence  of 
the  shedding  of  the  blood  of  the  covenant,  had  free  course  and  was 
glorified,  and  "the  prisoners  were  sent  forth  out  of  the  pit  wherein 
there  was  no  water."  The  prey  was  taken  from  the  mighty,  the 
captive  of  the  terrible  one  was  delivered.  The  sealed  among  the 
tribes  of  Israel  were  a  hundred  forty  and  four  thousand,  and  the  con 
verted  from  among  the  nations,  the  people  taken  out  from  among  the 
Gentiles,  to  the  name  of  Jehovah,  formed  an  innumerable  company, 
"  a  multitude  which  no  man  could  number,  out  of  every  kindred,  and 
people,  and  tribe,  and  nation."  It  was  not  then,  "  as  in  the  days  of 
Noah,  when  few,  that  is,  eight  souls  were  saved."  Multitudes  heard 
and  knew  the  joyful  sound  ;  the  shackles  dropped  from  their  limbs, 
and  they  walked  at  liberty,  keeping  God's  commandments.  And  still 
does  the  fountain  of  life  spring  up  in  the  quickened  Redeemer's  heart, 
and  well  forth,  giving  life  to  the  world.  Still  does  the  great  Deliverer 
prosecute  his  glorious  work  of  spiritual  emancipation.  Still  is  he 
going  and  preaching  to  the  "spirits  in  prison  ;"  and  though  all  have 
not  obeyed,  yet  many  already  have  obeyed,  many  are  obeying,  many 
more  will  yet  obey. 

The  connection  of  Christ's  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings, 
with  this  increased  spiritual  life  and  vigor  in  Him,  as  the  Redeemer 
and  Saviour  of  men,  and  its  blessed  consequences,  in  the  extensive 
and  effectual  administration  of  the  word  of  his  grace,  is  stated  here, 
but  not  here  only?  It  is  often,  as  I  have  already  had  occasion  to  re 
mark,  brought  forward  in  Scripture  :  "  Christ  has  redeemed  men  from 
the  curse  of  the  law,  having  become  a  curse  in  their  room,  that  the 
blessing  of  Abraham,"  a  free  and  full  justification,  "  might  come  upon 
the  Gentiles,  and  that  men  might  receive  the  promised  Spirit  through 
believing.''  "  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away  ;  for  if  I  go  not 
away  the  Comforter  will  not  come ;  but  if  I  go  away  I  will  send  him 
to  you."  The  Spirit  is  given  because  Jesus  is  glorified  ;  and  Jesus 
is  glorified  for  he  has  "finished  the  work  which  the  Father  had  given 


PART  V.]  THEIR    CONSEQUENCES.  519 

him  to  do,"  in  laying  down  his  life  for  his  sheep,  and  in  giving  his  flesh 
for  the  life  of  the  world. 

This  connection  between  the  atoning  death  of  Christ,  and  his  being 
quickened,  and  the  quickening  of  men  by  him,  may  be  easily  under 
stood.  The  truth  respecting  it  may  be  stated  in  a  sentence  or  two. 
The  power  of  dispensing  Divine  influence  formed  an  important  part 
of  our  Lord's  mediatorial  reward;  and  it  was  impossible  to  conceive 
of  any  reward  more  suitable  to  his  holy,  benevolent  character:  and 
there  was  an  obvious  propriety  that  the  work  should  be  accomplished 
before  the  reward  was  conferred.  Besides,  the  truth  respecting  Christ 
suffering  and  dying,  the  just  in  the  room  of  the  unjust,  is  the  grand 
instrument  which  the  Holy  Spirit  employs  for  converting  men,  for 
quickening  dead  souls.  This  is  the  great  subject  of  efficient  preach 
ing.  Till  the  atonement  was  made,  the  revelation  of  it  could  be  but 
obscure.  It  was  meet  that  the  great  Preacher  should  have  a  clear,  full 
message  to  proclaim,  before  he  came  and  preached  to  every  nation 
under  heaven  ;  and  that  the  great  spiritual  agent  should  be  furnished 
with  the  fittest  instrumentality  for  performing  all  the  moral  miracles 
of  the  new  creation.  Such  appears  to  me  the  probable  meaning  of 
this  much  disputed  passage. 

This  view  of  the  subject  has  this  additional  advantage,  that  it  pre 
serves  the  connection  of  the  passage,  both  grammatical  and  logical. 
The  words  of  the  apostle,  thus  explained,  plainly  bear  on  his  great 
practical  object.  '  Be  not  afraid,  be  not  ashamed  of  suffering  in  a 
good  cause,  in  a  right  spirit.  No  damage  comes  from  well-doing,  or 
from  suffering  in  well-doing.  Christ,  in  suffering,  the  just  for  the  un 
just,  that  he  might  bring  us  to  God,  suffered  for  well-doing :  and, 
though  his  sufferings  ended  in  his  dying  bodily,  they  ended  also  in  his 
being  spiritually  quickened;  and,  through  the  effectual  manifestation 
of  the  truth,  becoming  the  "  Author  of  eternal  salvation  to  all  who 
obey  him."  Nor  is  this  all.  Even  his  mortal  body  has,  in  conse 
quence  of  these  sufferings,  been  raised  from  the  grave,  and  in  that 
body  he  is  "gone  into  heaven,  and  has  sat  down  on  the  right  hand 
of  God ;  angels,  and  authorities,  and  powers,  being  made  subject  to 
him."  ; 

I  am  farther  confirmed  in  this  view  of  the  passage,  by  observing 
that  in  one  very  important  part  of  it  I  have  the  support  of  Archbishop 
Leighton.  In  the  text  of  his  commentary,  he  interprets  the  passage 
according  to  the  usual  Protestant  mode  of  exposition;  but  in  a  note 
he  observes — "  Thus  I  then  thought,  but  do  now  apprehend  another 
sense  as  more  probable.  The  mission  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  by  it,  after  his  resurrection :  preaching  to  sinners,  and 
converting  them  according  to  the  prophecy  which  he  first  fulfilled  in 
person,  and  after,  more  amply,  in  his  apostles ;  that  prophecy,  I  mean 
Isa.  Ixi.:  The  Spirit  was  upon  him,  and  was  sent  from  him  to  his 
apostles,  to  preach  to  spirits  in  prison,  to  preach  liberty  to  the  captives, 
captive  spirits,  and  therefore  called  spirits  in  prison,  to  illustrate  the 
thing  the  more  by  opposition  to  that  Spirit  of  Christ,  the  Spirit  of 
liberty,  setting  them  free ;  and  this  to  show  the  greater  efficacy  of 
Christ's  preaching  than  of  Noah's,  though  he  was  a  signal  preacher  of 
righteousness,  yet  only  himself  and  his  family,  eight  persons,  were 


520  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI 

saved  by  him,  but  multitudes  of  all  nations  by  the  Spirit  and  preach 
ing  of  Christ  in  the  gospel." 

What  a  striking  light  does  this  representation  cast  on  the  deplorable 
condition  of  fallen  men !  "  Spirits  in  prison  ;"  "  dead  souls."  There 
is  something  monstrous  here.  Nothing  naturally  so  free  as  spirit ; 
nothing  so  full  of  life  as  souls.  How  deplorable  to  see  bondage  and 
death,  where  there  originally  was  nothing  but  liberty  and  life !  We 
may  be  disgusted,  but  we  are  not  surprised  at  seeing  a  loathsome  rep 
tile  crawling  on  the  earth.  But  we  are  at  once  amazed  and  shocked, 
when  we  see  the  bird  of  the  sun,  with  blinded  eyes,  and  broken  pinions, 
and  soiled  feathers,  moving  with  awkward  difficulty  along  the  ground, 
instead  of  "  sailing  with  supreme  dominion  through  the  azure  deep  of 
air,"  1  "  unsealing  his  sight  at  the  fountain  of  radiance."  2  Alas,  what 
a  captivity ! — condemned — waiting  the  hour  of  the  execution  of  the 
sentence — no  possibility  of  effecting  their  escape.  Nor  man  nor  angel 
can  open  the  door  of  their  prison-house.  Yet  are  they,  blessed  be  God, 
prisoners  of  hope.  There  is  a  Saviour,  and  a  great  one  :  Jesus,  who 
"  saves  his  people  from  their  sins,"  and  who,  in  doing  so,  "  delivers 
them  from  the  wrath  to  come." 

How  well  fitted  is  He  for  performing  all  the  functions  of  a  deliverer ! 
This  is  a  second  reflection  suggested  by  our  subject.  He  has  become 
perfect  through  sufferings.  He  has  all  the  merit ;  all  the  power,  both 
as  to  external  event  and  internal  influence ;  all  the  authority  ;  all  the 
sympathy  that  is  necessary  to  enable  him,  effectually  to  liberate  the 
prisoners  of  divine  justice,  the  captives  of  infernal  power.  He  has 
suffered  for  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  so  as  to  become  dead,  as  the 
victim  of  human  transgression ;  and  the  atonement  made  by  these 
sufferings  is  an  atonement  of  infinite  value.  And  he  has  been  spirit 
ually  quickened ;  endowed  with  such  a  superabundance  of  life  as  to 
enable  him  to  give  eternal  life  to  innumerable  dead  souls  ;  and  en 
dowed  with  an  infinity  of  energy,  so  that  he  can  vanquish  the  en 
slavers,  level  the  prison  walls,  loose  the  fetters  of  innumerable  "spirits 
in  prison." 

Prisoners  of  hope,  turn  the  eye  of  faith  and  desire  towards  your 
all-accomplished  Deliverer.  Remember,  now  is  the  accepted  time. 
Yet  a  little  longer  and  you  will  be  prisoners  more  than  ever ;  but  no 
longer  prisoners  of  hope.  To  borrow  the  earnest  expostulations  of 
a  pious  divine,  "  Oh,  do  not  destroy  yourselves !  You  are  in  prison  ; 
he  proclaims  your  liberty.  Christ  proclaims  your  liberty  ;  and  will 
you  not  accept  it  ?  Think,  though  you  may  be  pleased  with  your 
present  thraldom  and  prison,  it  reserves  you  (if  you  come  not  forth) 
to  another  prison,  which  will  not  please  you.  These  chains  of  spir 
itual  darkness  in  which  you  now  are,  unless  ye  be  by  him  freed,  will 
be  exchanged,  not  for  freedom,  but  for  the  chains  of  everlasting 
darkness,  wherein  the  hopeless  prisoners  are  kept  to  the  judgment  of 
the  great  day." 3  Accept  his  offer  of  deliverance,  life,  liberty.  The 
eternal  life  which  was  with  the  Father  gives  you  life ;  receive  it,  and 
you  have  life  ;  you  have  it  abundantly.  Blessedness  is  yours,  yours 
forever.  "  The  Son  makes  you  free,  and  ye  are  free  indeed." 

In  what  a  dignified  light  does  this  passage  represent  the  ministry 

1  Gray.  '  Milton.  *  Leighton. 


PART  V.J  THEIR    CONSEQUENCES.  521 

of  Divine  truth!  It  is  the  work  of  the  perfected  Saviour.  Having 
suffered  to  the  death  for  sins,  in  the  room  of  the  unjust,  and  having 
been  spiritually  quickened,  he  comes  and  preaches  to  the  spirits  in 
prison.  He  preaches  peace  to  those  who  are  afar  off,  and  to  them 
who  are  nigh.  The  voice  is  on  earth,  the  speaker  is  in  heaven. 
"  God,  who  at  sundry  times  and  in  divers  manners,  spake  to.  the 
fathers  by  the  prophets,  hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  unto  us  by  his 
Son,  whom  he  hath  appointed  heir  of  all  things,  by  whom  also  he 
made  the  worlds ;  who,  being  the  brightness  of  his  glory,  and  the  ex 
press  image  of  his  person,  and  upholding  all  things  by  the  word  of 
his  power,  when  he  had  by  himself  purged  our  sins,  sat  down  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  High,  being  made  so  much  better  than 
the  angels,  as  he  hath  received  by  inheritance  a  more  excellent  name 
than  they/'  He  that  neglecteth  and  despiseth  the  word  of  reconcil 
iation,  despiseth  not  man  but  God — God  in  Christ,  reconciling  the 
world  to  himself:  wonderful,  most  wonderful !  beseeching  men  to  be 
reconciled  to  Him.  Surely  we  should  see  that  we  "  refuse  not  Him 
that  speaketh  thus  to  us  from  Heaven."  Surely  we  should  "give 
the  more  earnest  heed  to  things  which  we  have  heard,  which  we  now 
hear  from  him,  lest  at  any  time  we  should  let  them  slip;  for  if  the 
word  spoken  byangels  was  steadfast,and  every  transgression  and  dis 
obedience  received  a  just  recompense  of  reward,  how  shall  we  escape 
if  we  neglect  so  great  a  salvation  ?  Which  at  the  first  began  to  be 
spoken  by  the  Lord,  and  was  confirmed  unto  us  by  them  who  heard 
him  ;  God  also  bearing  witness,  both  with  signs  and  wonders,  and  with 
divers  miracles  and  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  according  to  his  own 
will." 

The  exalted  Redeemer  is  the  great,  the  only  effectual,  preacher. 
His  ministers  preach  with  effect  only  when  he  speaks  and  works  in 
them  and  by  them.  It  is  an  advice  full  of  wisdom,  as  well  as  of  piety, 
which  the  good  archbishop  gives  to  those  who  are  anxious  to  derive 
saving  advantage  from  the  ministry  of  the  word :  "  Ye  that  are  for 
your  own  interest,  be  earnest  with  this  Lord  of  life,  this  fountain  of 
spirit,  to  let  forth  more  of  it  upon  his  messengers  in  these  times. 
You  would  receive  back  the  fruit  of  your  prayer.  Were  ye  living 
this  way,  you  would  find  more  life  and  refreshing  sweetness  in  the 
word  of  life,  how  weak  and  worthless  soever  they  were  that  brought 
it.  It  would  descend  as  sweet  showers  upon  the  valleys,  and  make 
them  fruitful." 

"  Brethren,  for  your  own  sakes,  as  well  as  ours,  pray  for  us,  that 
the  word  of  the  LORD  may  have  free  course  and  be  glorified."  His 
word  is  quick  and  powerful.  It  is  "  spirit  and  life ;"  it  "  converts  the 
soul ;  it  makes  wise  the  simple ;  it  rejoices  the  heart ;  it  enlightens 
the  eyes ;  it  endureth  forever."  It  is  as  powerful  now  as  in  the 
primitive  age.  It  still  "  brings  down  high  imaginations  ;"  and  while 
it  emancipates  the  imprisoned  spirit  from  the  thraldom  of  depraved 
principle,  satanic  power,  and  human  authority,  "  it  brings  into  cap 
tivity  every  thought  to  the  obedience  of  Christ."  Oh !  that  through 
his  preaching  many  may  be  thus  at  once  emancipated  and  made  cap 
tive,  freed  from  the  fetters  of  earthliness  and  sin,  bound  in  the  chains 
of  holy  principle  and  divine  love;  may  at  once  cease  to  be  "spirits  in 


522  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

prison,"  and  become  inhabiters  of  that  "high  tower,  that  impregnable 
fortress,"  in  which  all  obedient  to  his  call  are  "kept  by  the  power  of 
God,  through  faith  unto  salvation." 

The  subject  we  have  been  considering  in  this  section  of  the  dis 
course,  brings  also  before  the  mind,  in  a  very  striking  form,  some  of 
the  great  motives  and  encouragements  to  missionary  exertion.  The 
state  of  the  unenlightened  part  of  mankind,  as  spirits  in  prison,  calls 
for  our  sympathy ;  and,  since  their  imprisonment  is  not  hopeless,  it 
calls  for  our  exertions  to  procure  their  emancipation.  Had  there 
been  no  atoning  sacrifice,  no  quickening  Spirit,  it  would  have  been 
godlike  to  mourn  their  servitude  and  condemnation,  but  it  would 
have  been  madness  to  have  attempted  their  deliverance. 

But  there  has  been  an  all-perfect,  an  infinitely  valuable,  atoning 
sacrifice  offered  up;  Christ,  the  just  One,  has  died  in  the  room  of  the 
unjust,  for  the  express  purpose  that  enslaved,  condemned  man  may 
be  brought  to  forgiveness  and  liberty,  by  being  brought  to  God.  No 
legal  bar  lies  in  the  way  of  the  emancipation  of  the  spirits  in  prison, 
for  the  offered  sacrifice  has  been  accepted.  The  righteous  Judge  is 
well  pleased  with  it,  and  is  ready  to  demonstrate  that  he  is  just  in 
justifying  the  ungodly  who  believe  in  Jesus.  He  has  shown  this,  by 
bringing  from  the  dust  of  death,  and  seating  on  his  right  hand,  Him 
who  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  many.  And  as  there  is  a  law-satis 
fying  atonement,  so  there  is  a  powerful  quickening  Spirit,  who  gives 
life  and  liberty.  He  who  was  put  to  death  in  the  flesh,  is  spiritually 
quickened  by  that  Spirit.  And  having  that  Spirit  given  him  without 
measure,  he,  in  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  not  only  pro 
claims  liberty  to  the  captive,  but,  going  forth  by  the  Spirit,  he  actu 
ally  unlooses  their  fetters,  and  gives  them  at  once  that  power  and 
the  disposition  to  walk  at  liberty,  keeping  the  commandments  of  God. 
Yes,  He  who  died,  the  just  in  the  room  of  the  unjust,  He  who,  to 
make  atonement  for  sin,  was  "crucified  in  weakness,"  and  "became 
dead  in  the  flesh,"  having  been  "quickened  in  the  Spirit,"  lives  by 
the  power  of  God,  and  has  come  preaching  to  the  spirits  in  prison, 
making  the  perverse  willing  in  the  day  of  his  power,  and  "  turning 
the  disobedient  to  the  wisdom  of  the  just." 

The  great  work  of  the  emancipation  of  the  spirits  in  prison  is  not, 
then,  a  hopeless  one.  Many  have  been  delivered,  multitudes  more 
will  be  delivered.  Jesus  Christ  has  not  died  in  vain.  The  life  which 
the  Father  has  given  him  to  have  in  himself  shall  not  remain  dor 
mant  and  inoperative.  It  was  so  ordained  that  he  might  be  a  foun 
tain  of  life  to  spiritually  dead  man,  and  might  quicken  whom  he 
would.  This  great  work  of  the  emancipation  of  spirits  in  prison  is, 
strictly  speaking,  the  work  of  the  Divine  deliverer.  He  only  could 
make  atonement ;  He  only  can  give  the  Spirit. 

But  he  has  most  kindly  and  wisely  so  arranged  the  method  of 
emancipation,  that  a  place  is  afforded  for  the  active  willing  services 
of  those  whom  he  has  delivered,  in  accomplishing  the  actual  enfran 
chisement  of  their  brethren  who  still  remain  "  spirits  in  prison."  The 
gospel  which  announces  the  atonement,  and  in  connection  with  which 
the  Spirit  is  given,  is  to  be  diffused,  not  by  miraculous  means,  not  by 
angelic  agency,  but  by  the  voluntary  exertions  of  spiritually  emanci- 


PART  V.]  THEIR    CONSEQUENCES.  523 

paterl  men.  It  is  by  their  exertions,  as  the  helpers  of  the  Lord,  that 
the  chariot  in  which  the  Redeemer  rides  forth  prosperously,  because 
of  truth  and  meekness  and  righteousness,  taking  captive  captivity, 
wresting  his  slave  from  the  mighty,  his  prey  from  the  terrible  one, 
moves  on.  They  are  that  angel  by  which  the  everlasting  gospel  is 
to  be  preached  to  them  who  dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation, 
and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people.  It  is  in  the  gospel  thus  propa 
gated,  that  we  are  to  look  for  him  who  is  quickened  in  the  Spirit  to 
preach  effectually  to  the  spirits  in  prison.  Let,  then,  the  considera 
tions,  that  mankind,  the  great  body  of  our  race,  are  in  a  state  of  con 
demnation  and  spiritual  slavery;  that  an  alKperfect  atoning  sacrifice 
has  been  offered  up,  suited  to  them  all,  sufficient  for  them  all,  offered 
to  them  all;  that  by  that  sacrifice  an  honorable  channel  has  been 
opened  for  the  life-giving,  liberty-giving  spirit;  that  a  plain,  well- 
accredited  record  has  been  given  into  our  hands,  a  record  fitted  and 
intended  to  be  the  Spirit's  instrument  of  putting  the  individual  sin 
ner  in  possession  of  the  saving  results  of  the  atonement,  arid  of  filling 
his  heart  with  the  energies  and  joys  of  spiritual  life  and  liberty,  and 
that  this  record  is  put  into  our  hands  for  the  purpose  of  being  uni 
versally  made  known,  that  wherever  there  are  spirits  in  prison,  lib 
erty  may  be  proclaimed  to  them  ; — let  these  considerations  make  their 
due  impression  on  us;  and  then,  instead  of  wearying  in  well-doing, 
allowing  our  zeal  to  abate,  or  our  exertions  to  diminish,  we  shall  be 
"steadfast  and  immovable,  always  abounding  in  this  work  of  the 
Lord,"  counting  it  a  high  honor  that  we  are  permitted  to  take  a  part, 
however  humble,  in  carrying  forward  towards  complete  accomplish 
ment  the  mighty  enterprise  in  which  God  makes  known  the  depth 
of  his  wisdom,  the  greatness  of  his  power,  and  the  riches  of  his 
grace,  and  for  which  His  incarnate  Son  died  on  earth,  and  reigns  in 
heaven. 

§  2. — He  rose  from  the  dead,  ascended  to  heaven,  sits  at  the  right 
hand  of  God;  angels,  and  authorities,  and  powers,  being  made 
subject  to  him. 

The  second  statement  in  reference  to  the  consequences  of  our 
Lord's  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings,  comes  now  to  be  con 
sidered.  "  Having  been  raised  from  the  dead,  he  went  into  heaven, 
where  he  is  on  the  right  hand  of  God ;  angels,  and  authorities,  and 
powers,  being  made  subject  to  him."  Our  Lord's  resurrection ;  his 
ascension  or  entrance  into  heaven ;  his  session  at  the  right  hand  of 
God ;  and  the  subjection  of  angels,  and  authorities,  and  powers,  to 
him ;  all  viewed  as  the  consequences  of  his  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory 
sufferings ;  these  are  the  interesting  topics  to  which  your  attention  is 
now  to  be  directed. 

(1.)  His  resurrect' on. 

I  remark,  then,  that  as  the  result  of  his  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory, 
sufferings,  our  Lord  was  raised  from  the  dead.  He  not  only,  by  lay 
ing  down,  as  the  victim  of  human  guilt,  his  natural  life  as  a  man,  ob- 


524  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVL 

tained  for  himself  that  spiritual  life  and  vigor,  in  the  exercise  of  which 
he  subdued  multitudes  of  the  hardened  race  which  had  stood  out 
against  former  attempts  to  reclaim  them ;  but  he  also,  after  a  short 
season,  resumed  the  life  which  he  had  laid  down.  The  body  of  Jesus, 
after  he  had,  on  the  cross,  given  up  the  ghost,  was  taken  down,  and 
laid  in  a  sepulchre,  and*  his  parted  spirit  went  to  paradise.1  The  two 
constituent  parts  of  his  human  nature  were  completely  separated,  dis 
joined  from  each  other,  though  neither  of  them  was  disunited  from  his 
divinity,  and  remained  in  a  state  of  separation  for  a  season,  from  the 
evening  of  the  sixth  to  the  morning  of  the  first  day  of  the  week ;  a 
season  sufficiently  long,  in  connection  with  the  circumstances  of  his 
crucifixion,  to  prove  that  his  death  was  not  seeming,  but  real. 

Our  Lord  had  repeatedly  assured  his  disciples  that  he  would  rise 
again,  rise  again  on  the  third  day,  though  it  seems  plain  they  attached 
very  indistinct  ideas  to  these  words  till  events  made  them  plain. 
Rumors  respecting  these  statements  had  got  abroad,  and  the  Jewish 
authorities  thinking,  or  pretending  to  think,  that  his  disciples  would 
attempt  to  steal  his  body,  and  turn  his  empty  grave  in  connection 
with  these  statements  to  account,  in  support  of  their  Master's  claim 
to  Messiahship,  took  every  precaution  to  secure  the  sepulchre  from 
violation  till  after  the  specified  period  had  elapsed.  But  how  vain 
these  counsels,  how  fruitless  these  attempts  to  defeat  the  purposes  of 
God,  to  falsify  the  declarations  of  his  Son !  He  that  sat  in  the  heavens 
laughed  at  them.  Jehovah  held  them  and  their  endeavors  in  derision. 
These  endeavors  to  render  impossible  the  proof  of  Jesus'  Messiah- 
ship,  ended  in  furnishing  the  most  convincing  demonstration  of  that 
great  fact,  on  which,  above  all  others,  the  evidence  of  that  truth 
rests. 

"In  the  end  of  the  Sabbath,"  we  are  informed  by  the  sacred  histo 
rian,  "  as  it  began  to  dawn  towards  the  first  day  of  the  week,  there 
was  a  great  earthquake :  for  the  angel  of  the  Lord  descended  from 
heaven,  and  came  and  rolled  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the 
sepulchre,  and  sat  upon  it.  His  countenance  was  like  lightning,  and 
his  raiment  white  as  snow :  and  for  fear  of  him  the  keepers  did  shake, 
became  as  dead  men,"  and  precipitately  retreated  from  a  scene  so  full 
of  terror.2  It  was  amid  these  awful  appearances  of  nature,  meet  ac 
companiments  of  a  transaction  so  inappreciably  important,  that  the 
Son  of  God  exercised  his  power,  in  taking  up  again  that  life  which  no 
man  could  have  taken  from  him,  but  which  he  had  laid  down  of  him 
self;  and  that  the  Father,  "  according  to  the  working  of  his  mighty 
power,"  fulfilled  his  ancient  promise,  that  the  soul  of  his  Holy  One 
should  not  be  left  in  the  separate  state,  and  that  his  body  should  not 
see  corruption.5 

The  resurrection  of  our  Lord  in  the  body  in  which  he  lived  and 
died,  as  it  is  the  fact  on  which,  above  all  others,  rests  his  claims  and 
our  hopes,  is  established  by  the  most  infallible  proofs,  the  most  abun 
dant  evidence.  The  sepulchre  was  found  empty  on  the  morning  of 
the  third  day.  That  is  an  indubitable  fact ;  and  the  only  satisfactory, 
the  only  plausible  account  that  ever  has  been  given  of  that  fact,  is  the 

1  Luke  xxiii.  43.  3  Matt,  xxviii.  1-4. 

»  John  x.  17,  18.     Eph.  i.  19.     Psal.  xvi.  10. 


PART  V.]  THEIR    CONSEQUENCES.  525 

resurrection.  The  only  other  account  of  it  which  the  ingenuity  of 
ancient  and  modern  infidels  has  been  able  to  devise,  is  the  self- contra 
dictory  story — a  story  which  bears  collusion  on  the  face  of  it,  which 
was  put  into  the  mouths  of  the  Roman  soldiers,  "that  the  disciples 
came  by  night  and  stole  him  away  while  they  slept/' l 

The  resurrection  makes  all  things  plain.  It  suits  with  all  that  went 
before  and  all  that  followed.  On  the  supposition  that  it  did  not  take 
place,  the  history  of  the  life  and  death  of  Jesus,  and  the  history  of 
his  religion,  are  alike  riddles  and  mysteries,  involved  in  inextricable 
difficulties.  No  human  ingenuity  can  in  this  case  reconcile  the  au 
thenticated  facts  with  the  ordinary  principles  of  human  nature,  and 
the  established  laws  of  the  moral  world. 

Nobody  can  doubt  that .  the  resurrection  of  Christ  was  taught  by 
his  original  followers ;  "  Jesus  and  the  resurrection"  were  their  great 
themes.  This,  supposing  that  he  had  not  risen  from  the  dead,  could 
only  originate  either  in  fraud  or  in  enthusiasm.  If  fraud  had  existed, 
it  must  have  been  detected.  There  was  no  want  of  power,  or  dispo 
sition,  or  opportunity,  to  detect  it.  Besides,  the  character  of  the 
apostles ;  their  previous  views  and  conduct ;  their  personal  toils,  haz 
ards,  and  sufferings,  in  a  cause  which,  if  not  the  cause  of  truth,  could 
do  nothing  for  them,  but,  on  the  contrary,  entail  ruin  on  them  in  both 
worlds ;  their  making  the  propagation*  of  this  fact,  and  of  others  con 
nected  with  it,  their  great  business  through  life,  and  then  cheerfully 
sealing  their  testimony  by  their  blood  ;  all  these  make  it  as  certain  as 
anything  of  the  kind  can  be,  that  there  was  no  imposture  in  the  case. 
And  if  they  did  not  deceive,  it  is  just  as  *plain  they  were  not,  they 
could  not  be  deceived.  They  were  intimately  acquainted  with  Jesus 
previously  to  his  death  ;  they  often  saw  him  during  the  six  weeks  he 
continued  on  earth  after  his  resurrection.  "It  was  not  one  person, 
but  many,  that  saw  him ;  they  saw  him,  not  only  separately,  but  to 
gether  ;  not  only  at  night,  but  by  day ;  not  at  a  distance,  but  near ; 
not  once,  but  several  times.  They  not  only  saw  him,  but  touched 
him,  conversed  with  him,  ate  with  him,  and  examined  his  person  to 
satisfy  their  doubts."  2  Well  might  the  evangelical  historian  say,  that 
"  to  the  apostles  whom  he  had  chosen,  he  showed  himself  alive  after 
his  passion,  by  many  infallible  proofs."  3 

The  proofs  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ  should  be  most  familiar  to 
our  minds ;  for  it  is  the  very  corner-stone  of  Christian  evidence. 
"  If  Christ  be  not  risen,  our  preaching  is  vain,  our  faith  is  vain ;"  the 
apostolic  testimony  is  falsehood ;  "  we  are  yet  in  our  sins ;"  and  all 
our  hopes  of  pardon  and  eternal  life  are  delusive  dreams.  And  viewed 
in  connection  with  the  doctrine,  that  "  Christ  died  for  our  sins,  accord 
ing  to  the  Scriptures,"  the  statement,  that  He  "  rose  again  on  the  third 
day,  according  to  the  Scriptures,"  forms  an  essential  part  of  that  gos 
pel  which  has  been  preached  to  us  by  the  apostles,  which  we  also 
have  received,  and  wherein  we  stand,  by  which  we  shall  be  saved,  if 
we  keep  in  memory  what  has  been  preached  to  us ;  for  "  this  is  the 
word  of  faith  which  we  preach,"  says  the  apostle,  "  that  if  thou  con 
fess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt  believe  in  thy  heart 
that  God  hath  raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved."  4 
1  Matt,  xxviii.  13.  3  Paley.  8  Acts  i.  3.  4  1  Cor.  xv.  1-4,  14-17.  Rom.  x.  8-1  (X 


526  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI 

The  resurrection  of  our  Lord  owes  its  peculiar  importance  to  the 
fact  of  its  being  the  result  of  his  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings. 
It  is  the  evidence  that  the  supreme  Judge  is  satisfied  with  these  suffer 
ings,  as  an  adequate  compensation  for  the  injuries  done  to  his  law  and 
government  by  the  sins  of  men.  "  It  is  finished,"  said  the  Saviour 
from  the  cross ;  and  from  out  the  empty  sepulchre  cornes,  to  the  ear 
of  enlightened  faith,  the  echo  of  these  words,' "  It  is  finished  ;"  for  God, 
as  "  the  God  of  peace,"  the  reconciled  Divinity,  he  who  was  angry  at 
the  sins  of  men,  but  whose  anger  is  turned  away,  "  has  brought  again 
from  the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus,  that  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep, 
through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant/' l  Because  that  blood, 
by  which  the  everlasting  covenant  was  to  be  ratified,  has  been  shed, 
therefore  "hath  God  raised  him  up  from  the  dead,  and  given  him 
glory,  that  our  faith  and  hope  might  be  in  God,"  2  as  well  pleased 
with  Him,  well  pleased  with  us  in  Him.  Having  fully  answered  all 
the  demands  of  that  law  under  which  he  was  made,  "  for  the  unjust," 
having  fulfilled  all  righteousness,  having  become  a  curse  for  them, 
having  become  obedient  to  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross,  it  was 
not  possible  that  he  should  continue  bound  by  the  bands  of  death. 
The  only  reason  which  ever  existed  for  his  dying — to  wit,  that  human 
guilt  might  be  expiated,  existed  no  longer.  Human  guilt  is  expiated ; 
the  great  atonement  has  been  made ;  and  it  is  meet  that  He  who  was 
"given,"  devoted  to  death  as  a  victim  "for  our  offences,"  on  account 
of  our  sins,  should  be  "raised  again  for  our  justification  ;"  3  that  is,  I 
apprehend,  on  account  of  that  which  avails  to  our  justification,  his 
finished  work,  called  our  justification,  as  it  is  that  which  justifies  us.4 

(2.)  His  ascension  to  heaven. 

I  now  proceed  to  remark,  in  the  next  place,  that  as  the  result  of  his 
penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings,  our  Lord  ascended  to  heaven. 
"  He  is  gone  into  heaven,"  says  the  apostle.  When  our  Lord  wag 
raised  from  the  dead,  it  was  not  that  he  might  continue  to  be  an  in 
habitant  of  this  lower  world.  It  was,  that  in  the  nature  in  which  he 
had  obtained  eternal  redemption  for  all  who  obey  him,  he  might,  on 
the  throne  of  the  universe,  preside  over  the  whole  train  of  events  by 
which  this  everlasting  deliverance,  in  all  the  variety  of  its  blessings, 
should  be  bestowed  on  those  for  whom  it  was  procured.  He  remained 
on  earth  long  enough  to  give  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  reality  of 
his  resurrection,  and  "  to  give  commandments  to  the  apostles  whom 
he  had  chosen"  to  wait  for  the  communication  of  the  promised 
Spirit,  and  then,  in  his  name,  to  "go  into  all  the  world,"  and  proclaim 
to  mankind  his  doctrine  and  law. 

When  the  forty  days  appointed  for  these  purposes  had  elapsed,  and 
the  time  of  his  being  taken  up  had  come,  "He  led  his  disciples  out 
from  Jerusalem  as  far  as  Bethany,  and  lifted  up  his  hands,  and  blessed 
them  ;  and  it  came  to  pass,  while  he  blessed  them,  he  was  parted  from 

1  Heb.  xiii.  20.  2  1  Pet.  i.  21.  3  Rom.  iv.  25. 

4  "  Oar  offences" — the  ground  of  our  condemnation — were  the  procuring  cause  of  his 
death;  "  our  justification,"  that  which  justifies  us — his  "  obedience  unto  death" — is  the  pro 
curing  cause  of  his  resurrection.  This  interpretation  secures  to  <5<u  with  the  accusative 
the  same  sense  in  both  clauses,  and  that  sense  its  proper  sense. 


PART  V.]  THEIR    CONSEQUENCES.  527 

them,  and  carried  up  into  heaven."  They  eagerly  gazed  after  him  as 
he  majestically  rose,  with  extended  blessing  hands,  till  a  cloud  re 
ceived  him  out  of  their  sight;  and,  "while  they  stood  looking  stead 
fastly  toward  heaven  as  he  went  up,  behold,  two  men  stood  by  them 
in  white  apparel ;  who  also  said,  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye 
gazing  up  to  heaven?  this  same  Jesus,  which  is  taken  up  from  you 
into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go 
into  heaven/'1 

Such  is  the  sublimely  simple  account  of  our  Lord's  going  into 
heaven ;  but  from  the  intimations  of  ancient  prediction  in  reference 
to  this  event,  we  cannot  doubt  that  it  was  accompanied  with  circum 
stances  of  grandeur,  too  glorious  to  be  made  the  subject  of  contem 
plation  to  men  dwelling  in  flesh.  Beholding  it  in  prophetic  vision, 
at  the  distance  of  many  centuries,  we  find  the  inspired  bard  exclaim 
ing,  "  The  chariots  of  God  are  twenty  thousand,  even  thousands  of 
angels  :  the  Lord  is  among  them,  as  in  Sinai,  in  the  holy  place.  Thou 
hast  ascended  on  high,  thou  hast  led  captivity  captive."2  "It  would 
seem,"  as  has  been  remarked,3  "  that  the  two  radiant  messengers  who 
appeared  to  the  disciples  as  they  were  gazing  after  their  Master  with 
ardent  eyes,  formed  only  a  small  part  of  his  celestial  retinue.  It 
would  seem  that  in  his  train  there  were  thousands  and  myriads  of  the 
chariots  or  cavalry  of  God :  that  legions  of  the  heavenly  hierarchies, 
and  a  countless  multitude  of  the  noblest  of  created  beings,  tuned 
their  harps,  or  sounded  their  trumpets,  in  his  praise."  It  is  not  an 
improbable  conjecture,  though  it  is  nothing  more,  that  "the  many 
saints"  who  came  out  of  their  graves  after  his  resurrection  joined  him 
as  he  ascended,  and  went  with  him  into  heaven,  as  a  proof  that  he 
had  vanquished  sin  and  death,  and  become  the  first  fruits  of  them 
that  sleep." 

We  cannot  help  attempting  to  follow  him  in  thought.  As  he  draws 
near  to  the  heavenly  Zion,  the  perfection  of  beauty,  the  city  of  the 
great  King,  the  habitation  of  the  heavenly  Majesty,  the  tabernacle 
which  God,  not  man,  has  pitched ;  the  whole  celestial  city  is  moved 
at  his  coming,  the  everlasting  gates  are  flung  open  for  his  reception, 
and  "  with  gladness  and  rejoicing  he  is  brought  and  enters  into  the 
King's  palace."  "God  is  gone  up  with  a  shout,  the  Lord  with  the 
sound  of  a  trumpet.  Sing  praises  to  God,  sing  praises  ;  sing  praises 
to  our  King,  sing  praises."  "  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates ;  and 
be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  everlasting  doors  :  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come 
in.  Who  is  this  King  of  glory?  The  Lord  strong  and  mighty,  the 
Lord  mighty  in  battle.  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates ;  even  lift 
them  up,  ye  everlasting  doors ;  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in. 
Who  is  this  King  of  glory?  The  Lord  of  hosts,  he  is  the  King  of 
glory."4 

Where  that  heaven  is  which  has  received  our  Lord,  and  which 
must  retain  him  during  "  the  times  of  restitution  of  all  things,"5  where 
"he  must  reign  till  all  his  enemies  become  his  footstool,"6  we  need 

1  Luke  xxiv.  50,  51.     Acts  i.  9-11.  2  Psal.  Ixviii.  17,  18. 

3  Balmcr.  *  Psal.  xlvii.  5,  G  ;  xxiv.  7,  10. 

6  Acts  lit.  21.     "A^pi    X96vuv  drroKaTatrTdffEws  Travrwi: — Luke  iv.  13.      Acts  xiii.  11.      Rom. 
v.  13.     Gal.  iv.  2.     In  all  these  passages,  a^i  seems  to  signify  "  during" — uot  "  until." 
c  1  Cor.  xv.  25. 


528  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

not  inquire,  for  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  know ;  but  we  are  warranted 
in  asserting,  that  it  is  a  place  where  all  the  perfections  of  the  Deity, 
which  can  be  manifested  by  means  of  material  grandeur  and  beauty, 
are  displayed  in  a  degree  of  which  we  can  form  no  adequate  concep 
tion  ;  and  that  whatever  can  render  a  place  desirable  as  a  residence 
to  a  perfectly  holy  embodied  human  mind,  with  its  intellectual  facul 
ties  and  moral  dispositions  and  sensibilities  in  the  highest  state  of 
perfection,  is  to  be  found  there  in  absolute  completeness.  The  best 
notion  we  can  form  of  it  is  the  general  one,  that  it  is  the  place  which 
the  eternal  Father,  the  God  of  infinite  power,  and  wisdom,  and  right 
eousness,  and  love,  has  prepared  as  a  meet  residence  for  his  incarnate 
Only-Begotten,  in  whom  he  is  well  pleased,  after  he  had  on  earth  fin 
ished  the  work  which  he  had  given  him  to  do. 

The  body  in  which  our  Lord  rose  and  ascended  was  the  body  in 
which  he  had  lived  and  died.  It  was  flesh  and  blood,  as  he  himself 
very  explicitly  states.  But  "  flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the  king 
dom  of  God."  A  change  seems  to  have  taken  place  on  it  on  the  oc 
casion,  similar  to  that  which  "in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye,  is  to  pass  on  the  saints  who  are  found  alive  on  the  earth  at  the 
coming  of  our  Lord,  and  which  also  shall  take  place  on  them  when 
they  are  "  caught  up  in  the  clouds  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air."  l 

This  ascension  to  heaven,  like  the  resurrection  which  preceded  it, 
is  a  result  of  the  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings  of  our  Lord. 
"  He  that  ascended  is  the  same  as  he  that  descended ;"  and  it  is  be 
cause  he  descended  to  the  lowest  depths  of  suffering  as  our  appointed 
victim,  that  he  ascends  to  the  sublimest  heights  of  celestial  honor  and 
felicity  as  our  perfected  Redeemer.  The  entrance  within  the  veil 
into  the  holy  of  holies  was  closely  connected  with  the  offering  of  the 
sacrifice  for  the  atonement  of  the  sins  of  the  whole  congregation  of 
Israel.  The  High  Priest  entered  there,  to  present  the  blood  of  the 
sacrifice  before  God.  He  could  not  enter  there  without  having  made 
ceremonial  expiation  for  them  by  that  blood  ;  and  it  was  in  conse 
quence  of  our  great  High  Priest  having,  by  his  own  sacrifice,  "  for 
ever  perfected  all  those  who  are  sanctified," 2  that  he  passed  through 
these  visible  heavens,  the  antitype  of  the  veil  under  the  Mosaic  econ 
omy,  to  appear  in  the  true  Holy  of  Holies,  in  the  presence  of  the 
Divine  majesty,  with  the  tokens  of  his  completed  sacrifice,  and  to 
plead  for  the  communication  of  those  blessings  for  which  he  had  paid 
the  price,  even  his  own  blood. 

(3.)  He  is  "on  the  right  hand  of  God." 

Another  result  of  our  Lord's  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings 
is,  His  being  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  in  that  heaven  into  which  he 
entered.  The  phrase,  in  its  complete  form,  ig,  "  He  sitteth  on  the 
right  hand  of  God."  This  phrase,  which  occurs  frequently  in  the 
New  Testament,  is  plainly  borrowed  from  Psalm  -ex.,  where  Jehovah 
is  represented  as  saying  to  Messiah,  the  Prince,  David's  Lord,  "  Sit  on 
my  right  hand,  till  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool." 3  The  lan 
guage  is  plainly  figurative.  Neither  "the  right  hand  of  God,"  nor 

1  1  Cor.  xv.  50,  52.     1  Thess.  iv.  17.  •  Heb.  ix.  12;  x.  14.  '  Psal.  ex.  1. 


PART  V.J  THEIR    CONSEQUENCE^  529 

"  sitting"  at  his  right  hand,  can  be  literally  understood.  The  figure 
is,  a  person  sitting  on  the  throne,  on  the  right  hand  of  the  sovereign. 

Some  have  strangely  held  that  this  is  intended  to  betoken  the  in 
feriority  of  Christ  to  the  Father.  It  has  been  said,  a  person,  whom 
it  was  intended  very  highly  to  honor,  was  placed  on  the  left  hand  of 
the  person  intending  to  honor  him.  But,  whatever  might  be  the 
practice  among  other  nations,  the  right  hand  was,  among  the  Jews, 
undoubtedly,  the  place  of  honor,  and  by  their  customs  must  their 
writings  be  expounded.  Others,  still  more  strangely,  have  held,  that 
it  indicates  that,  in  a  certain  sense,  Christ  is  superior  to  the  Father. 
This  assertion  is  absurd  and  blasphemous.  For  what  saith  the  Scrip 
ture  ?  "  The  Father  hath  put  all  things  under  his  feet.  But  when 
he  saith  all  things  are  put  under  him,  it  is  manifest  that  he  is  excepted 
who  did  put  all  things  under  him." 

The  leading  idea  is  common  possession,  with  his  Father,  of  the 
power  and  authority  and  glory  of  supreme  Governor.  Paul  expounds 
it  to  us.  Having  quoted  the  text  in  Psalm  ex.,  "  Sit  thou  at  my  right 
hand,  till  I  have  made  thine  enemies  thy  footstool/'  he  draws  the  con 
clusion,  "  He  must  reign  till  all  his  enemies  are  put  under  his  feet."1 
To  use  the  language  of  Daniel :  "  One  like  the  Son  of  man  came 
with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  came  to  the  Ancient  of  days,  and 
they  brought  him  near  before  Him.  And  there  was  given  to  him  do 
minion,  and  glory,  and  a  kingdom,  that  all  people,  nations,  and  lan 
guages  should  serve  him ;  his  dominion  is  an  everlasting  dominion, 
which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  his  kingdom  that  which  shall  not  be 
destroyed. "  "The  Father  judgeth  no  man;  he  hath  given  all  judg 
ment  to  the  Son.'5  "  He  hath  put  all  things  under  his  feet,"  in  giving 
him  a  seat  at  his  right  hand,  on  his  throne.2 

While  this  is  undoubtedly  the  primary  idea,  there  are  other,  and  not 
unimportant,  secondary  ones,  indicated  by  this  phrase.  There  is  the 
glory  and  dignity  connected  with  such  power  and  authority.  Sitting 
on  the  right  hand  of  God,  amid  the  splendors  of  the  burning  throne, 
he  is  "  crowned  with  glory  and  honor."  All  human,  all  created  glory, 
when  compared  with  this,  grows  dim  and  disappears.  And  there  is 
alsoflthe  idea  of  supreme  blessedness,  "  At  thy  right  hand  are  pleasures 
for  evermore;"  "The  King,"  sitting  on  Jehovah's  right  hand,  "joys 
in  his  strength,  and  greatly  rejoices  in  his  salvation.  He  hath  given 
him  his  heart's  desire,  and  hath  not  withholden  the  request  of  his  lips. 
He  hath  prevented  him  with  the  blessings  of  his  goodness  ;  and  set  a 
crown  of  pure  gold  on  his  head.  His  glory  is  great  in  his  salvation ; 
honor  and  majesty  has  he  laid  on  him.  For  he  has  made  him  most 
blessed  forever;  he  has  made  him  exceeding  glad  with  his  coun 
tenance."  3 

There  seems,  too,  in  the  words,  an  intended  tacit  contrast  to  the 
posture  of  the  priests,  even  when  in  the  Holy  of  Holies.  They 
"stood  ministering,"  at  a  humble  distance  before  the  emblematical 
throne  of  God,  the  mercy-seat.  He  "  sits  down  on  the  throne,  on  the 
right  hand"  of  him  that  sits  thereon.4 


1  i  Cor.  x.  25. 

a  Dan.  vii.  13,  11.     John  v.  22.     Psal.  viii.  6.     Comp.  1  Cor.  xv.  27  and  Pleb.  ii.  8,  9. 
»  Psal.  xvi.  11  ;  xxi.  1-6.  *  Heb.  x.  11,  12. 

O/l 


530  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

This,  like  the  other  things  mentioned  in  the  text,  is  the  result  of  our 
Lord's  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings.  These  dignities  are  the 
purchase  of  his  sufferings,  the  reward  of  his  toils.  It  was  "  for  the 
suffering  of  death  that  he  was  crowned  with  glory  and  honor."  It 
was  by  giving  himself  a  sacrifice  that  he  overcame  the  enemies  of 
man's  salvation ;  and  it  was  because  "  he  overcame  that  he  sat  down 
on  his  Father's  throne."  And  in  the  Apocalypse,  when  represented 
in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  and  of  the  four  living  creatures,  he  is  said 
to  be  a  Lamb  as  it  had  been  slain ;  and  the  song  of  worship  by  the 
redeemed  to  him  is,  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  who  was  slain,  and  hath 
redeemed  us  to  God  by  his  own  blood."  l 

(4.) — Angels,  authorities,  and  powers,  are  made  subject  to  Him. 

I  have  only  further  to  remark,  that  "  the  having  angels,  authorities, 
and  powers,  made  subject  to  Him,"  is  the  result  of  the  penal,  vica 
rious,  expiatory  sufferings  of  our  Lord.  These  words  are  not  perhaps 
so  much  the  expression  of  a  new  thought,  as  the  expansion  of  the 
primary  idea  contained  in  "  is  at  the  right  hand  of  God,"  which  is,  as 
we  have  seen,  supreme  dominion.  The  three  words,  "  angels,  author 
ities,  and  powers,"  may  either  be  considered  as  all  descriptive  of  an 
gelic  beings,  and  as  equivalent  to  all  orders  of  angels,  angels  both 
authorities  and  powers,  the  same  orders  that  are  elsewhere  styled 
"principalities  and  powers ;"  «*•  authorities  and  powers  may  be  viewed 
as  intended  to  denote  the  various  forms  of  human  authority  and  power. 
We  are  rather  disposed  to  take  the  first  view  of  the  words,  a  view 
which  by  implication  contains  the  second  ;  for  certainly  if  the  highest 
orders  of  creatures  are  ma<ta  subject  to  him,  all  inferior  orders  must 
be  subjected  to  him  also. 

The  exalted  Mediator,  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  is  the  Lord  of  angels. 
The  command  given  to  them  "when  the  Father  is  bringing  in  the 
first-begotten  into  the  world,"  that  is,  putting  him  in  possession  of  his 
inheritance  as  "  heir  of  all  things,"  is,  "  Let  all  the  angels  of  God  wor 
ship  him  ;"  2  a  command  which  we  find  from  the  Apocalypse  they  joy 
fully  obey.  "  He  is  their  king,  and  they  acknowledge  him  to  be  so,  and  do 
incessantly  admire  and  adore  him.  They  rejoice  in  his  glory,  and  in  the 
glory  and  happiness  of  men  through  him.  They  yield  him  most  cheerful 
obedience  and  serve  him  readily,  in  the  good  of  his  church  and  every 
individual  believer,  as  he  deputes  and  employs  them.  There  are  two 
things  intended  in  these  words ;  Christ's  dignity  above  the  angels,  and 
Christ's  authority  over  the  angels."  3  He  has  an  essential  dignity 
above  the  angels.  He  has  received  by  inheritance  a  more  excellent 
name  than  they.  "  Created  spirits"  is  their  name ;  "  the  only-begotten 
Son"  is  his.  To  which  of  the  angels  did  he  ever  say,  "  Thou  art  my 
Son.  this  day  I  have  begotten  thee  ?"  He  has  also  a  mediatorial  dig 
nity  above  them.  As  God-Man,  he  has  been  "  made  much  better 
than  the  angels."  "  He  is  Lord  of  all ;"  they  are  servants.  Human 
nature  in  him  is  exalted  above  all  angelic  nature.  "  That  nature 

1  Heb.  it.  9.'    Rev.  iii.  21 ;  v.  6,  12. 

Heb.  i.  6  ;  comp.  Psal.  xcvii.  9.     For  illustration  of  the  phrase  curayJyj;  efv  rrjv  oiVou^f/jjjri  . 
see  Exod.  vi.  8  ;  xv.  17  ;  xxiii.  23. 
8  Leighton. 


PART  V.]  THEIR    CONSEQUENCES.  531 

which  he  stooped  below  them  to  take  on,  "being  made  lower  than  the 
angels."  he  has  carried  up  and  raised  above  them.  The  very  earth, 
the  flesh  of  man,  is  exalted  in  his  person  above  all  those  heavenly 
spirits,  who  are  of  so  excellent  and  pure  a  being  in  their  nature,  and 
have  been  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  clothed  with  so  transcendent 
glory.  A  parcel  of  clay  is  made  so  bright  and  set  so  high  as  to  out 
shine  those  bright  flaming  spirits,  those  "sons  of  the  morning,"  by 
being  united  to  the  Fountain  of  Light,  the  blessed  Deity  in  the  person 
of  the  Son.  In  coming  to  fetch  and  put  on  this  garment,  he  made 
himself  lower  than  the  angels :  but  carrying  it  with  him,  at  his  return 
to  his  eternal  throne,  and  sitting  down  with  it  there,  it  is  high  above 
them.  This  they  look  upon  with  perpetual  wonder,  but  not  with  envy 
or  repining.  No !  Among  all  these  eyes  no  such  evil  eye  is  to  be 
found.  Yea,  they  rejoice  in  the  infinite  wisdom  of  God  in  this  de 
sign,  and  his  infinite  love  to  poor  lost  mankind.  It  is  wonderful  to 
see  him  filling  the  room  of  their  fallen  brethren  with  new  guests  from 
earth,  yea,  such  as  were  born  heirs  of  hell ;  thrice  wonderful  to  see 
not  only  sinful  men  thus  raised  to  a  participance  of  glory  with  them 
who  are  spotless,  sinless  spirits,  but  their  flesh  in  their  Redeemer,  dig 
nified  with  a  glory  so  far  beyond  them.  This  is  that  mystery  which 
they  are  intent  in  looking  and  prying  into,  and  cannot,  nor  ever  shall, 
see  the  bottom  of  it,  for  it  hath  none.  The  words  intimate  not  only 
Christ's  dignity  above,  but  his  authority  over,  his  angels.  They  are 
not  only  servants,  but  his  servants.  He  is  their  Lord,  and  they  wor 
ship  him.  They  are  under  his  command  for  all  services  in  which  it 
pleases  him  to  employ  them ;  and  the  great  employment  he  assigns 
them  is  the  attending  on  his  church,  and  his  particular  elect  ones. 
"Are  they  not  all  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister  to  them 
who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation  ?"  l  He  who  commands  angels  must 
control  devils.  He  who  is  the  Lord  of  angels  must  be  the  Lord  of  all 
inferior  orders  of  beings,  "King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords,"  "having 
all  power  over  all  flesh,"  "  all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth," 

That  this  possession  of  unlimited  power  and  authority,  like  the 
resurrection  and  ascension,  is  the  result  of  the  penal,  vicarious,  expia 
tory  sufferings  of  our  Lord,  is  very  explicitly  stated  in  scripture.  I 
shall  content  myself  with  quoting  two  passages.  The  first  is  that 
very  remarkable  statement  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians,  ii.  5-11 : 
"  Christ  Jesus,  being  in  the  form  of  God,  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be 
equal  with  God ;  but  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  and  humbled 
himself,  and  became  obedient  to  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross. 
Wherefore  God  also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name 
which  is  above  every  name :  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee 
should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in  earth,  and  things  under 
the  earth ;  and  that  every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father."  The  other  passage  I  referred 
to  is  in  the  book  of  Revelation,  v.  8-10.  It  is  the  song  of  the  re 
deemed  in  heaven.  Falling  down  before  the  Lamb,  they  exclaim, 
"  Thou  art  worthy  to  take  the  book,  and  to  open  the  seals  thereof," 
that  is,  to  unfold,  by  accomplishment,  the  decrees  of  the  Eternal,  "  to 
receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor,  and 

1  Leighton.    Heb.  i  14. 


532  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI 

glory,  and  blessing ;  for  thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God 
by  thy  blood  out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation ; 
and  hast  made  us  to  our  God  kings  and  priests ;  and  we  shall  reign 
on  the  earth/'  Thus  have  I  completed  my  illustrations  of  the  five 
great  topics  suggested  in  this  very  fruitful  passage  of  scripture. .  The 
illustrious  sufferer,  Jesus  Christ  the  just  One,  His  sufferings,  and  the 
nature,  the  design,  and  the  results  of  these  sufferings. 


VI— THE  TENDENCY  OF  THESE  TRUTHS  RESPECTING  THE  SUFFERINGS 
OF  CHRIST  TO  SUPPORT  AND  ENCOURAGE  CHRISTIANS  SUFFERING 
FOR  HIS  CAUSE. 

It  only  remains  that  I,  in  a  very  few  words,  endeavor  to  show  how 
these  topics,  as  treated  by  the  apostle,  are  fitted  to  serve  the  purpose 
for  which  they  are  brought  forward  here ;  that  is,  to  reconcile  Chris 
tians  to  sufferings  in  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  to  give  them  support 
and  direction  under  such  sufferings. 

The  subject  is  a  wide  and  interesting  one,  but  I  must  confine  my 
self  to  a  hurried  sketch  of  leading  thoughts,  which  you  will  do  well 
to  follow  out  in  your  private  meditations.  My  object  as  a  Christian 
teacher  now  and  at  all  times  should  be,  not  to  save  my  hearers  the 
trouble  of  thinking,  but  if  possible  to  compel  them  to  think,  and  to 
furnish  them  with  some  helps  for  thinking  rightly  and  usefully. 

When  involved  in  suffering,  support  and  direction  are  obtained  by 
turning  the  mind  to  the  contemplation  of  the  great  and  good  who 
have  been  placed  in  similar  circumstances.  It  is  on  this  principle 
that  the  apostle  puts  those  to  whom  he  wrote,  in  mind,  that  "  the  same 
afflictions  to  \vhich  they  were  exposed  had  been  accomplished  in  their 
brethren  who  had  been  in  the  world ;"  and  that  his  beloved  brother 
Paul,  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  turns  the  attention  of  those  to 
whom  he  wrote  to  "  the  great  cloud  of  witnesses"  to  the  power  of 
faith  in  the  hour  of  trial,  with  which  they  were  surrounded.  There 
is  no  example,  however,  so  fraught  with  instruction  and  comfort  as 
that  of  "  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith ;"  and  the  points 
in  which  that  example  is  instructive  and  consolatory,  are  finely 
brought  out  in  the  passage  before  us.1 

"Even  Christ,  the  just  One,  suffered."  If  Christ  suffered,  should 
Christians  think  it  unreasonable  that  they  should  be  called  to  suffer  ? 
"  Is  it  not  enough  that  the  disciple  be  as  his  teacher,  the  servant  as 
his  Lord?"2 

And  they  need  not  count  it  strange,  though  they  be  harmless  and 
blameless,  that  they  yet  suffer.  "  The  just  One  suffered" — suffered 
not  only  though  he  was  just,  but  because  he  was  just.  If  they  are 
like  Him,  they  may  expect  to  be  treated  as  he  was  treated,  to  "  be  in 
the  world  as  he  was  in  the  world."  If  it  were  otherwise,  they  would 
have  reason  to  doubt  their  discipleship.  If  the  world  loved  them,  it 
would  be  strong  presumption  at  least  that  they  were  the  world's  own. 
The  hatred  of  the  world  and  its  consequences  are  among  the  proofs 
that  Christ  has  "  chosen  us  out  of  the  world/'3 

To  suffer  for  Christ,  to  suffer  like  Christ,  is  an  honorable  thing.     It 

1  1  Pet  v.  9.     Heb.  xii.  1,2.  a  Matt.  x.  24,  25.  *  John  xv.  18, 19. 


PART  VI.J  THEIR    PRACTICAL    TENDENCY.  533 

is  to  have  fellowship  with  Christ,  the  Lord  of  glory,  in  that  in  which 
his  glory  was  very  remarkably  displayed. 

Christ,  the  just  One,  suffered  for  sins,  for  sinners,  for  our  sins,  for 
us  sinners.  If  he  suffered  to  obtain  our  salvation,  should  we  grudge 
to  suffer  to  uphold  and  extend  his  glory  and  cause  ? 

If  we  are  in  him,  his  sufferings  are  ours  as  to  their  effects ;  they 
have  expiated  our  guilt,  so  that  all  our  sufferings  are  not  penal,  but 
disciplinary ;  are  fatherly  chastisements,  not  wrathful  inflictions. 
Christ  has  made  all  sufferings  safe  and  pleasant  to  his  disciples  by 
this  one  thing,  that  he  suffered  once  for  sins.  He  has  stripped  the 
cross  of  its  worst  terrors ;  he  has  taken  the  curse  out  of  it ;  and 
made  it  light  to  carry,  and  easy  to  endure.  He  has  taken  the  poison 
out  of  the  cup  of  affliction ;  and  we  can  take  the  cup,  however  bit 
ter,  and  bless  the  name  of  the  Lord.  He  enables  us  to  say,  'Since 
he  has  expiated  my  sin ;  since  He  has  secured  my  salvation,  deal 
with  me  as  thou  wilt;  afflict  me  how,  when,  as  heavily  as  it  shall 
please  thee  ;  all  is  well/ 

As  to  sufferings  for  Christ,  they  are  a  privilege  and  honor.  "It  is 
given  us  on  Christ's  behalf  to  suffer  for  his  sake." I 

He  suffered  "  that  he  might  bring  us  to  God."  Surely  that  is  a 
blessing  so  great,  that,  in  token  of  gratitude  for  it,  we  should  cheer 
fully  do  whatever  he  commands,  cheerfully  submit  to  whatever  he 
appoints. 

And  these  our  sufferings  are,  under  the  influence  of  his  Spirit,  one 
of  the  means,  one  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  means,  which  he 
is  employing,  that  in  our  case  the  design  of  his  death  may  be  real 
ized  ;  that  we  may  be  brought  to  God,  made  to  know  him,  to  enjoy 
the  sweets  of  his  favor  and  fellowship,  "  made  partakers  oi\  his  holi 
ness."2 

His  sufferings  were  severe  sufferings — sufferings  even  to  death. 
Let  us  not,  then,  think  even  "  fiery  trials"  strange.  What  are  the 
severest  of  our  sufferings  when  compared  with  his?  Let  us  not 
wonder,  if  we  be  conformed  to  our  Lord,  in  continuing  to  suffer  in 
some  form  or  other  while  we  continue  to  live. 

If  we  are  his,  death,  as  in  his  case,  will  put  an  end  to  all  our  suffer 
ings.  When  he  became  dead  bodily,  he  was  quickened  spiritually ; 
and  is  it  not  so  with  his  people  ?  Is  it  not,  "  when  they  are  weak, 
that  they  are  strong  ?"  Out  of  weakness,  do  they  not  often  wax 
strong  ?  and,  "  when  the  outward  man  perisheth,  is  not  the  inward 
man  strengthened  day  by  day  ?" 

As  to  individual  Christian  experience,  personal  suffering  is  very 
generally  connected  with  the  acquisition  of  spiritual  strength.  And 
in  reference  to  power  to  do  good,  to  promote  the  cause  of  Christ, 
have  not  the  sufferings  of  Christians  been  fully  as  efficient  as  their 
exertions  ?  "  The  blood  of  the  martyrs  was  the  seed  of  the  church;" 
and  Christianity,  as  well  as  Christ,  may  say  to  her  enemies,  "  Rejoice 
not  against  me;  when  I  fall,  I  shall  arise."3 

Christ's  sufferings  ended  in  his  resurrection,  his  ascension,  and  his 
celestial  dignity,  power,  and  glory.  And  so  will  ours,  if  we  be  his, 
and  follow  in  the  steps  of  the  example  he  has  left  us  in  suffering  for 

1  Phil,  i  29.  a  Heb.  xii.  10.  3  2  Cor.  iv.  16.    Micah.  viL  8. 


534  THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST.  [DISC.  XVI. 

us.  "  If  we  suffer  with  him  we  shall  also  reign  with  him."  It  is  the 
purpose  of  the  Father  to  conform  all  his  children  to  the  image  of 
"the  First-Born  among  many  brethren;"  first  as  suffering,  then  as 
glorified.  "If  we  suffer  with  him,  it  is  that  we  also  may  be  glorified 
with  him."  "To  him  that  overcometh  he  will  give  to  sit  with  him 
on  his  throne,  even  as  he  overcame,  and  has  sat  down  on  his  Father's 
throne." 

And  are  these  sufferings  of  the  present  time,  however  severe  and 
protracted,  "  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be 
revealed  in  us"  when  we  shall  enter  into  his  joy,  see  and  share  his 
glory,  and  have  even  these  "vile  bodies  fashioned  like  unto  his  glori 
ous  body  ?"  Are  they  not  light,  however  heavy  ?  Are  they  not  but 
for  a  moment,  however  long  continued,  when  looked  at  in  contrast 
with  the  "exceeding  great  and  eternal  weight  of  glory;"  implied  in 
being  "with  Christ,"  being  "like  Christ,"  in  holiness,  in  felicity,  and 
in  glory,  forever  and  ever  ?  l  Surely,  surely  it  is  better,  since  such  is 
the  will  of  God,  that  we  should  suffer  for  Christ,  like  Christ,  than 
that  we  should  not  suffer.  Paradoxical  as  they  may  appear  to  a 
worldly  mind,  strangely  as  they  may  sound  to  a  worldly  ear,  the 
apostle's  judgment  was  wise,  and  his  exhortation  reasonable :  "  We 
count  them  happy  who  endure,  suffering  wrongfully."  "Count  it  all 
joy  when  ye  are  brought  into  divers  trials.  Yes,  blessed  is  the  man 
that  endureth  such  trials."2  Here,  as  in  everything  else,  "Good  is 
the  will  of  the  Lord" — Christ.  So  rich  in  instruction  and  comfort  is 
the  example  of  Christ  to  the  suffering  Christian. 

"  The  example  and  company  of  the  saints  in  suffering  is  very  con 
siderable,  both  for  guidance  and  consolation  ;  but  that  of  Christ  is 
more  than  any  other,  yea,  than  all  the  rest  put  together.  Therefore, 
the  apostle  having,  in  the  llth  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
represented  the  former  at  large,  ends  on  this  as  the  top  of  them  all : 
c  Looking  to  Jesus.'  There  is  a  race  set  before  us  :  it  is  to  be  a  race 
with  patience,"  or  rather  perseverance,  "  and  without  fainting.  Now 
he  tells  us  of  a  cloud  of  witnesses,  a  cloud  made  up  of  the  instances 
of  believers  who  have  suffered  before  us ;  and  the  heat  of  the  day 
wherein  we  run  is  somewhat  cooled  even  by  that  cloud  compassing 
us;  but  the  main  strength  of  the  comfort  here  lies  in  beholding 
Christ,  eyeing  his  sufferings,  and  their  issue.  The  considering  and 
contemplating  of  Him  will  be  the  strongest  cordial,  will  keep  you 
from  wearying  and  fainting  by  the  way."  : 

It  is  only  Christians,  in  the  true  sense  of  that  word,  that  can  derive 
from  the  sufferings  of  Christ  the  advantages  which  we  have  now 
been  illustrating.  Men,  while  they  continue  in  their  sins,  can  have 
neither  part  nor  lot  in  this  matter.  They  must  suffer,  for  they  are 
men  ;  and  "  man  is  born  to  trouble  as  the  sparks  fly  upward  ;"  "  Man 
born  of  a  woman  is  of  few  days  and  full  of  trouble  ;"  but  under  their 
afflictions  they  have  none  of  the  supports  and  consolations  which  the 
children  of  God,  the  disciples  of  Christ  derive,  from  the  consideration, 
that  "even  Christ  also  suffered  for  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  that 
he  might  bring  them  to  God."  Their  afflictions  are  indeed  intended 

1  2  Tim.  ii.  12.     Rom.  viiL  17,  29.    Rev.  ill  21.    Rom.  viii.  18.     2  Cor.  iv.  17. 
s  James  v.  11 ;  i  2,  12.  s  Leigh  ton. 


PART  Vl.J  THEIR    PRACTICAL    TENDENCY.  535 

to  rouse  them  to  serious  thought,  to  tell  them  they  are  sinners,  to 
show  them  what  an  evil  and  a  bitter  thing  sin  is,  and  to  make  them 
feel  how  much  they  need  a  Saviour;  but  if  these  afflictions  are 
not  improved  for  this  purpose,  they  will  turn  out  to  have  been  but 
the  first  prelusive  drops  of  the  overwhelming  storm  of  Divine  ven 
geance. 

But  why  should  men  continue  in  sin,  in  guilt,  in  depravity ;  why 
shut  themselves  out  of  all  solid  comfort  under  suffering  here,  as  well 
as  all  well-founded  hope  of  happiness  hereafter,  since  the  great  atone 
ment  has  been  made,  and  is  in  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel 
held  out  to  them  as  the  sure  ground  of  hope  for  eternity  ?  The 
statements  in  the  text,  as  a  source  of  direction  and  support  and  com 
fort  under  affliction,  can  be  of  no  use  to  the  unbelieving  sinner. 
But  he  has  a  very  deep  interest  in  these  statements,  forming  as  they 
do,  the  very  essence  of  that  gospel,  those  glad  tidings  of  great  joy 
which  are  to  be  made  known  to  all  nations,  "preached  to  every  crea 
ture  under  heaven."  "Christ  died,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  that  he 
might  bring  men  to  God."  We  proclaim  this  as  the  ground  of  hope 
to  the  perishing  sinner,  as  well  as  the  source  of  comfort  to  the  suffer 
ing  saint.  "  He  who  knew  no  sin  was  made  sin,  that  we  might  be 
made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him."  This  is  the  very  truth 
most  sure,  "  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation."  Let 
the  greatest  sinner  believe  this  testimony  of  God  concerning  his 
Son,  and  in  the  faith  of  that  truth,  he  obtains  a  saving  interest  in 
those  penal,  vicarious,  expiatory  sufferings.  He  obtains  "  the  re 
demption  that  is  in  Christ  through  his  blood,  according  to  the  riches 
of  the  Divine  grace ;"  he  is  brought  to  God.  And  then  he  will  find, 
that  the  atoning  sufferings  and  death  of  the  Son  of  God  are  not  only 
the  price  of  his  justification  and  the  ground  of  his  hope,  but  that  they 
are  to  him  an  exhaustless  source  of  powerful  and  persuasive  motive 
to  all  the  duties  of  the  Christian  life,  and  of  abundant  and  suitable 
consolation  and  support  amid  all  the  privations  and  sufferings,  the 
bereavements  and  sorrows,  the  struggles  and  persecutions,  in  which 
he  may  be  involved ;  while  he  is  "  in  a  constant  continuance  in  well 
doing,"  doing  and  suffering  the  will  of  God,  seeking  to  be  a  follower 
of  those  who,  through  much  tribulation,  have  entered  into  the  king 
dom — "  who,  through  faith  and  patience,  have  become  inheritors  of 
the  promises ;"  and  seeking  especially  to  tread  in  the  steps  of  Him 
who  is  our  pattern  as  well  as  our  sacrifice — "  who,  for  the  joy  that 
was  set  before  him,  endured  the  cross  and  despised  the  shame,  and  is 
set  down  at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God." 

1  Heb.  xil  2. 


APPENDIX  TO  DISCOURSE  XVI.— PART  V. 


FACTS  IN  ANTEDILUVIAN  HISTORY  REFERRED  TO  BY  THE  APOS 
TLE,  AND  THEIR  BEARING  ON  HIS  OBJECT. 

1  PET.  iii.  20,  21. — Which  sometime  were  disobedient,  when  once  the  long-suffering  of 
God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah,  while  the  ark  was  a  preparing,  wherein  few,  that  is, 
eight  souls  were  saved  by  water.  The  like  figure  whereunto  even  baptism  doth  also  now 
save  us  (not  to  the  putting  away  of  the  filth  of  the  flesh,  but  the  answer  of  a  good  con 
science  toward  God),  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ. 

THE  Jewish  Scriptures  form  an  important  and  valuable  portion 
of  the  volume  of  inspired  truth.  To  those  who  lived  previously  to 
the  Gospel  revelation,  they  contained  the  only  authentic  and  satisfac 
tory  account  of  the  Divine  character  and  will,  in  reference  to  man  as 
a  fallen  creature ;  they  were  their  sole  trustworthy  guide  to  truth, 
duty,  and  happiness.  They  were,  accordingly,  highly  valued  by  the 
wise  and  pious  under  the  ancient  economy.  "  The  law  of  thy 
mouth,"  said  the  Psalmist,  and  he  expressed  the  common  sentiments 
and  feelings  of  the  body  of  the  faithful,  "  The  law  of  thy  mouth  is  bet 
ter  to  me  than  thousands  of  gold  and  silver ;"  "  More  to  be  desired 
than  gold,  yea,  than  much  fine  gold ;  sweeter  also  than  honey,  yea, 
than  the  honey-comb."  l  Even  to  us,  to  whom  "  the  mystery  which 
had  been  kept  secret  from  former  ages  and  generations  has  been 
made  manifest/'  the  Jewish  Scriptures  are  calculated  to  answer  many 
important  purposes.  Though  the  Mosaic  dispensation  "  has  waxed 
old  and  vanished  away,"  2  the  writings  of  the  prophets  have  not  be 
come  obsolete.  The  pure  radiance  of  apostolical  doctrine  has  not 
extinguished  the  dimmer  light  of  ancient  history  and  prophecy.  On 
the  contrary,  as  if  borrowing  new  splendor  from  the  full-risen  Sun  of 
righteousness,  they  cheer  us  with  a  brighter  and  warmer  beam  than 
they  ever  reflected  on  those  who,  but  for  them,  must  have  walked  in 
darkness.  In  the  great  edifice  of  revealed  truth,  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures  are  not  the  scaffolding  which,  when  the  building  is  finish 
ed,  ceases  to  be  useful,  and  is  removed  as  an  unsightly  incumbrance  • 
they  are  the  foundation  and  lower  part  of  the  fabric,  forming  an  im 
portant  constituent  part  of  "  the  building  of  God,"  and  are  essentially 
necessary  not  only  to  the  beauty,  but  to  the  safety,  of  the  superstruc 
ture. 

It  is  impossible,  indeed,  to  demonstrate  the  divinity  of  Christianity 
and  the  truth  of  New  Testament  doctrine  and  history,  on  principles 
which  have  no  direct  reference  to  any  former  revelation  of  the  Divine 

1  Psal.  cxix.  12  •  six.  10.  8  Krm.  xvi.  25,  26.    Heb.  viii.  13. 


APPENDIX.]  FACTS    IN    ANTEDILUVIAN    HISTORY.  537 

will ;  but  it  is  at  the  same  time  true,  that  one  of  the  most  satisfactory 
proofs  of  these  truths  is  founded  on  the  admission  of  the  divinity  of 
the  Jewish  sacred  books,  and  consists  in  the  minute  harmony  of  Old 
Testament  prediction  with  New  Testament  history  and  doctrine. 
"  The  testimony  of  Jesus  is  the  spirit  of  prophecy." 

Few  exercises  are  better  fitted  at  once  to  enlarge  the  information 
and  strengthen  the  faith  of  the  Christian,  than  a  careful  perusal  of  the 
Old  Testament  Scriptures,  with  a  constant  reference  to  Him  who  is 
"  the  end  of  the  law,"  the  substance  of  all  its  shadowy  ceremonies,  to 
Him  of  whom  "  Moses  in  the  law  and  the  prophets  did  write." 

This,  however,  is  by  no  means  the  only  way  in  which  the  Old  Tes 
tament  Scriptures  are  calculated  to  minister  to  our  improvement. 
They  contain  in  them  an  extensive  collection  of  instructions  and 
warnings,  counsels  and  consolations,  suited  to  mankind  in  every 
country  and  age.  The  man  of  piety,  wherever  or  whenever  he  may 
live,  finds,  in  the  sacred  odes  of  David,  at  once  a  fit  vehicle  for  his 
devotional  feelings,  and  a  perfect  pattern  for  his  devotional  exer 
cises  ;  the  maxims  of  Solomon  are  found  equally  suitable  for  the 
guidance  of  our  conduct,  as  of  that  of  his  contemporaries  ;  and, 
though  many  of  the  writings  of  the  prophets  bear  plain  marks  of  be 
ing  occasional  in  their  origin  and  reference,  relating  to  events  which, 
at  the  time  of  their  publication,  excited  general  interest  among  the 
people  to  whom  they  were  given,  yet  it  is  amazing  how  few  passages 
are  not  obviously  calculated  to  convey  instruction,  universal  and  per 
manent,  fitted  to  be  useful  to  all  men  in  all  time. 

Even  the  historical  books  of  the  Old  Testament  are  fitted,  in  a  va 
riety  of  ways,  to  promote  the  improvement  of  the  Christian,  and  on 
this  account  have  strong  claims  on  our  attentive  study.  Like  every 
true  history,  and  indeed  in  a  much  higher  degree  than  any  other  his 
tory,  they  convey  to  us  in  the  most  engaging  form,  much  information 
regarding  the  character  and  government  of  God,  and  respecting  the 
state  and  dispositions  and  duty  of  man.  They  contain  an  account 
of  the  origin  and  progress  of  that  system  of  Divine  dispensations 
which  found  its  accomplishment  in  the  redemption  of  mankind  by  the 
death  of  the  incarnate*Son  of  God;  an  account  without  which  much 
of  the  Christian  revelation  would  have  been  obscure,  if  not  unintelli 
gible.  They  suggest  numerous  proofs  and  illustrations  of  the  charac 
teristic  principles  of  the  Christian  revelation,  and  thus  at  once  enable 
us  more  fully  to  understand  and  more  firmly  to  believe  them.  The 
minds  of  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament  were  full  of  the  facts  and 
imagery  of  the  earlier  revelation,  and  they  can  be  but  very  imper 
fectly  understood — they  are  constantly  in  danger  of  being  misunder 
stood  by  those  readers  who  have  not,  by  carefully  studying  the  Old 
Testament  Scriptures,  acquired  a  somewhat  similar  familiarity  with 
them. 

Of  the  manner  in  which  the  New  Testament  writers  employ  then 
familiarity  with  the  Old  Testament  for  the  illustration  of  the  subjects 
which  come  before  them,  we  have  a  striking  instance  in  that  portion 
of  the  interesting  paragraph  just  read,  to  which  your  attention  is  now 
about  to  be  more  closely  directed.  The  paragraph  is  a  statement  of 
the  truth  with  regard  to  the  sufferings  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  their  nature 


538  FACTS    IN    ANTEDILUVIAN    HISTORY.  [DISC.   XVI 

design,  and  consequences,  made  for  the  purpose  of  affording  instruc 
tion  and  support  to  his  followers  when  exposed  to  suffering  in  his 
cause.  In  the  course  of  this  statement  the  apostle  refers  to  certain 
facts  in  antediluvian  history,  recorded  in  the  Old  Testament  Scrip 
tures,  as  having  a  bearing  on  the  facts  respecting  Jesus  Christ  which 
he  states,  or  on  the  object  for  which  he  states  these  facts.  To  ascertain 
distinctly  what  are  the  facts  in  antediluvian  history  to  which  the 
apostle  refers,  and  to  show  if  possible  what  is  his  design  in  referring 
to  them,  what  bearing  they  have  on  the  obvious  general  purpose  of 
the  whole  paragraph — are  the  two  objects  which  I  shall  endeavor  to 
gain  in  the  remaining  portion  of  these  remarks. 

The  passage  which  is  to  form  the  subject  of  exposition,  though  not 
formally,  is  plainly,  substantially,  parenthetical,  and  is  contained  in 
these  words  :  "  The  spirits  in  prison  sometime  were  disobedient,  when 
once  the  long-suffering  of  God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah,  while  the 
ark  was  a  preparing,  wherein  few,  that  is,  eight  souls,  were  saved  by 
water.  The  like  figure  whereunto  even  baptism  doth  also  now  save 
us  (not  the  putting  away  of  the  filth  of  the  flesh,  but  the  answer  of  a 
good  conscience  toward  God),  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ." 


I— FACTS  IN  ANTEDILUVIAN  HISTORY  REFERRED  TO  BY  THE 

APOSTLE. 

The  first  thing  we  have  to  do,  then,  is  to  bring  before  your  minds 
the  facts,  in  the  history  of  the  antediluvian  world,  to  which  the  apostle 
here  refers.  "  The  spirits  in  prison  sometime  were  disobedient,  when 
once  the  lono;-suffering  of  God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah,  while  the 
ark  was  a  preparing,  wherein  a  few,  that  is,  eight  souls,  were  saved 
by  water."  I  have  already  endeavored  to  show,  that  the  most  prob 
able  interpretation  which  has  been  given  to  the  somewhat  remarkable 
phrase,  "  spirits  in  prison,"  is  that  which  considers  it  as  a  descriptive 
appellation  of  mankind  in  their  fallen  state.  "Captives"  and  "pris 
oners"  are  figurative  expressions,  not  unfrequently  used  in  Scripture, 
to  denote  the  condemned  state,  miserable  circumstances,  and  degraded 
character  of  fallen  men.  Our  Lord  having  obtained,  by  his  atoning 
death,  a  mighty  accession,  in  his  official  character,  to  his  spiritual  life 
and  energy,  went,  and,  through  the  instrumentality  of  his  apostles, 
preached  with  remarkable  success  to  those  miserable  captives,  those 
spirits  in  prison,  vast  multitudes  of  them  becoming  obedient  to  his  call. 

It  had  not  always  been  so.  Communications  of  the  Divine  will 
had  often  been  made  in  former  ages  to  fallen  men,  without  such  effects. 
In  particular,  in  a  very  remote  age,  at  a  period  preceding  the  general 
deluge,  those  "spirits  in  prison,"  those  condemned  criminals,  those 
willing  captives  of  Satan  and  sin — not,  indeed,  the  same  individuals  to 
whom  our  Lord  "  came  and  preached,"  but  individuals  of  the  same  race, 
and  therefore  properly  enough  designated  by  the  same  name,  had 
a  Divine  message  sent  them,  and  were  the  subjects  of  a  remarkable 
manifestation  of  the  Divine  forbearance  ;  they  were  almost  universally 
disobedient  to  this  message  ;  and,  in  consequence  of  their  disobedience, 
they  were  destroyed  in  the  deluge.  A  very  small  minority  were  obe 
dient,  and  in  consequence  of  their  obedience  were  saved  in  the  ark, 


APPENDIX.]  THE  FACTS  ILLUSTRATED.  539 

"saved  by  water."     These  are  the  facts  respecting  the  antediluvians, 
either  explicitly  stated,  or  necessarily  implied,  in  the  words  before  us. 

We  have  but  detached  fragments  of  the  history  of  mankind  during 
the  antediluvian  period — a  period  of  nearly  seventeen  centuries.  This 
we  know,  however,  that  at  the  time  which  our  text  refers  to,  they 
had,  with  very  few  exceptions,  become  decidedly  irreligious  and  ex 
cessively  depraved.  The  language  of  the  sacred  historian  is  very 
striking:  "God  saw  that  the  wickedness  of  man  was  great  in  the 
earth,  and  that  every  imagination  of  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  was  only 
evil  continually."  "The  earth  was  corrupt,"  putrid,  "before  God, 
and  the  earth  was  filled  with  violence  ;"  and  "  God  looked  on  the  earth, 
and,  behold,  it  was  corrupt :  for  all  flesh  had  corrupted  his  way  on  the 
earth."  l 

If  men  were  thus  irreligious  and  corrupt,  it  was  not  because  they 
had  not  the  means  of  being  otherwise.  If  the  primitive  revelation, 
through  the  faith  of  which  Abel  obtained  salvation,  was  forgotten, 
disregarded,  or  perverted,  the  fault  was  with  mankind.  Besides,  God 
never  "left  himself  without  a  witness,  in  that  he  gave  them  rain  from 
heaven,  and  fruitful  seasons,  filling  their  hearts  with  food  and  glad 
ness."  This  goodness  was  calculated,  was  intended,  to  bring  them  to 
repentance,  to  change  their  minds  respecting  God,  whom  they  had 
learned  to  think  of  as  "  such  an  one  as  themselves."  "  The  heavens," 
before  the  flood  as  well  as  afterwards,  "declared  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  firmament  showed  forth  his  handy-work."  "  The  invisible 
things  of  God  were  from  the  creation  of  the  world  clearly  seen,  being 
understood  by  the  things  that  are  made,  even  his  eternal  power  and 
Godhead;"  so  that,  when  the  antediluvians,  haying  the  means  of 
knowing  God,  "glorified  him  not  as  God,  neither  were  thankful,"  but 
gave  themselves  up  to  work  wickedness  with  all  greediness,  they 
"  were  without  excuse."  2 

Nor  was  this  all.  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that,  during  these 
seventeen  centuries,  direct  Divine  communications  were  made  to  the 
fallen  race.  It  is  certain  that  "Enoch,  the  seventh  from  Adam,  pro 
phesied,"  warning  his  contemporaries  of  the  destruction  which  will 
ultimately  overtake  the  ungodly,  saying,  "Behold  the  Lord  cometh 
with  ten  thousand  of  his  saints,"  or  holy  ones,  "to  execute  judgment 
on  all,  and  to  convince  all  that  are  ungodly  among  them  of  all  their 
ungodly  deeds  which  they  have  ungodly  committed,  and  of  all  their 
hard  speeches  which  ungodly  sinners  have  spoken  against  him." * 
Thus  had  God,  by  his  Spirit,  striven  with  men  for  more  than  fifteen 
hundred  years.  Sentence  against  men's  evil  works  was  not  executed 
speedily,  and  the  hearts  of  men  were  fully  set  in  them  to  do  evil. 

Yet  was  he  not  "  slack  concerning  his  declaration,  as  some  men 
count  slackness."  His  wrath  loses  nothing  by  sleeping.  It  becomes 
fresher  by  repose.  "  The  impenitent  abusers  of  his  patience,  pay  in 
terest  for  all  the  time  of  their  forbearance,  in  the  increased  weight  of 
the  judgment  when  it  comes  on  them."  The  end  of  all  flesh  was  now- 
come  before  God,  and  he  was  about  to  destroy  them  "  with,"  or  from, 
"  the  earth."  * 

1  Gen.  vi.  5,  11,  12.  8  Acts  xiv.  17.     Psal.  xix.  1,  2.     Rom.  i.  19,  20. 

•  Jude  14,  15.  *  Gen.  vi.  13. 


540  FACTS    IN    ANTEDILUVIAN    HISTORY.  [DISC.  XVI. 

But  "  surely  the  Lord  God  will  do  nothing  without  revealing  his 
secret  to  his  servants  the  prophets."  There  was  but  one  in  that  gen 
eration  to  whom  that  name  could  be  given.  "Noah  had  found  grace 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  ;"  Noah,  "by  faith,  had  become  an  heir  of  the 
justification  by  faith;"  he  was  "a  just  man,  and  perfect  in  his  gen 
eration,  and  walked  with  God."  This  is  the  good  report  he  has  ob 
tained.  "  THEE,"  said  Jehovah,  that  is,  thee  alone,  "  have  I  seen  right 
eous  before  me  in  this  generation."  L  As  he  testified  his  regard  to 
Abraham,  by  telling  him  of  the  approaching  overthrow  of  Sodom  ;  so 
he  showed  his  peculiar  favor  to  Noah,  by  announcing  to  him  the 
coming  destruction  of  his  contemporaries.  He  said,  "  My  Spirit  shall 
not  always  strive  with  man ;  yet  his  days  shall  be  an  hundred  and 
twenty  years." 2  He  shall  have  an  hundred  and  twenty  years  of 
striving  with  him  still.  It  would  seem  that  Noah  was  commissioned, 
not  only  to  build  the  ark,  but  during  its  building  to  announce  the  ap 
proaching  deluge,  and  to  call  men  to  repentance.  We  know  that  he 
was  "  a  preacher  of  righteousness,"  and  that  he  not  only  practically  by 
his  conduct,  but  verbally  by  his  preaching,  "  condemned  the  world ;" a 
told  them  of  their  sins,  and  warned  them  of  their  danger. 

This  is  the  revelation  of  the  Divine  will  referred  to  in  the  text ;  and, 
as  the  spirit  in  the  Prophets  was  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  THE  WORD  from 
the  beginning  being  the  great  revealer  of  God,  and  making  his  revela 
tions  by  his  Spirit,  Christ,  who  went  in  spirit  to  the  spirits  in  prison 
by  his  apostles,  may  be  considered  as  having  gone  to  the  same  class 
of  persons  in  spirit  by  his  servant  Noah.  For  one  hundred  and 
twenty  years  Noah  proclaimed  to  a  doomed  world,  "  Repent ;"  as 
Jonah  in  after  ages  proclaimed  to  the  doomed  city,  "  Yet  forty  days, 
and  Nineveh  shall  be  destroyed."  Had  Noah's  preaching  been  as 
successful  as  Jonah's,  we  have  no  reason  to  doubt  but  that,  as  in  that 
case,  God  "  seeing  their  works,  that  they  turned  from  their  evil  way, 
would  have  repented  of  the  evil  he  had  said  he  would  do  to  them,  and 
would  not  have  done  it."  4  These  hundred  and  twenty  years  were 
years  of  further,  years  of  peculiar,  trial ;  the  last  opportunity  to  be 
afforded  to  that  race  for  escape  from  final  ruin.  They  were  a  period 
during  which  "  God's  long-suffering  waited  ;"  that  is,  God  waited  in 
the  exercise  of  long-suffering.  It  was  long-suffering,  it  was  patience, 
which  prevented  the  immediate  infliction  of  the  threatened  vengeance ; 
for  the  iniquities  of  that  generation  were  full.  Come  the  vengeance 
when  it  might,  it  could  not  come  undeserved.  But  judgment  is  his 
"  strange  work."  They  shall  have  one  warning  more.  He  is  not 
willing  that  they  should  perish. 

And  there  is  something  in  this  warning,  especially  during  the 
closing  period  of  forbearance,  peculiarly  striking.  "  Noah,  by  faith 
being  instructed  of  the  Divine  oracle  concerning  things  not  yet  s-aen, 
moved  with  fear,  prepared  an  ark."  When  we  consider  the  size  of 
the  ark,  and  the  time  and  labor  necessary  for  collecting  the  animals 
which  were  to  be  saved  in  it  (for  we  have  no  reason  to  think  that 
their  gathering  together  was  entirely  miraculous),  it  is  obvious  that  it 
must  have  afforded  him  employment  for  a  considerable  period.  It 

1  Gen.  vi.  8.     Hob.  xi.  7.     Gen.  vii.  1.  3  Gen.  vi.  3. 

»  2  Pet.  ii.  5.     Heb.  xi.  7.  *  Jonah  iii.  10. 


APPENDIX.]  THE    FACTS    ILLUSTRATED.  541 

was  a  striking  proof  that  Noah  believed  his  own  denunciation.  It 
was  an  appeal  thus,  through  the  eye  as  well  as  through  the  ear,  to  that 
wicked,  rebellious  generation.  But  they  looked  on  with  a  thought 
less  eye,  as  well  as  listened  with  a  careless  ear.  They  were  "  diso 
bedient."  Noah  to  the  men  of  his  generation,  like  Lot  to  his  sons-in- 
law,  was  "as  one  who  mocked."  They  believed  him  not.  When 
they  saw  the  ark  building,  their  sentiments  probably  found  language 
in  such  words  as  these  :  '  What  does  the  old  dotard  mean  ?  Where 
does  he  intend  to  sail  in  this  strange  hulk  ?  He  will  find  some  diffi 
culty  to  launch  it.'  And  when  he  told  them  of  the  coming  ruin  at  the 
end  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  years,  they  were  likely  to  say,  '  You 
look  far  before  you  ?  And  shall  we  perish  and  you  only  escape  ? 
We  will  take  our  chance.' 

But  God  will  not  be  mocked.  His  established  law,  "  whatsoever  a 
man  soweth  that  shall  he  also  reap,"  shall,  at  the  appointed  time,  take 
effect.  He  is  not  slack  concerning  his  threatenings  any  more  than 
his  promises,  as  men  count  slackness,  though  he  is  long-suffering,  O, 
how  long-suffering!  Down  to  the  period  of  the  execution  of  his 
threatening,  these  doomed  men  seem  to  have  been  saying,  "  Where  is 
the  declaration  of  his  coming  ?  All  things  continue  as  they  were." 
"  They  ate  and  drank  ;  they  married  and  were  given  in  marriage." 

The  season  of  forbearance,  long  as  it  was,  at  last  passed  away. 
The  ark  was  finished,  and  Noah  and  his  family  entered  into  it.  "  In 
that  same  day  all  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep,"  the  abyss  of  sub 
terranean  waters,  '-'were  broken  up,  and  the  windows  of  heaven  were 
opened"  to  discharge  the  immense  body  of  water  held  in  solution  by 
the  atmosphere.  The  rains  continued  without  intermission  for  forty 
entire  days,  and  the  eruption  of  subterraneous  waters  for  one  hundred 
and  fifty  days,  until  at  length  the  inundation  came  to  its  height,  and 
covered  all  the  high  hills  which  were  under  the  whole  heavens,  fifteen 
cubits  upwards  above  the  highest.  "  And  all  flesh  died  that  moved 
upon  the  earth,  both  of  fowl,  and  of  cattle,  and  of  beast,  and  of  every 
creeping  thing  that  creepeth  on  the  earth,  and  every  man."  All, 
with  the  exception  of  Noah  and  his  family,  had  been  disobedient,  and, 
with  that  exception,  all  perished.  "  The  waters  covered  the  enemies 
of  God ;  not  one  of  them  was  left." l 

We  pronounce  no  judgment  as  to  the  eternal  state  of  all  the  ante 
diluvians.  It  is  possible  that  some  of  them  in  a  right  spirit,  amid  the 
rising  waters  of  the  deluge,  sought  mercy ;  and  if  they  did,  who  dare 
say,  who  dare  think,  that  it  was  refused  them  ?  but  whether  we  look 
on  earth  or  beyond  it,  without  doubt  that  day  was  "  a  day  of  the  per 
dition  of  ungodly  men." 

While  the  great  body  of  the  spirits  in  prison,  in  the  days  of  Noah, 
were  disobedient,  and  reaped  the  fruits  of  their  disobedience,  all  were 
not  impenitent  and  unbelieving.  Noah  was  at  once  believing  and 
obedient.  His  family  were  so  far  obedient  that  they  availed  them 
selves  of  the  appointed  means  of  deliverance.  We  have  but  too 
good  reason  to  conclude  that,  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word,  all  of 
them  were  not  obedient.  They,  to  the  amount  of  "  eight  souls,"  that 
is,  persons, — Noah  and  his  wife,  and  his  three  sons  and  their  wives, 

1  Gen.  vii.  11,  12,  17-24.     Psal.  cvi.  11. 


542  FACTS    IN    ANTEDILUVIAN    HISTORY.  [DISC.  XVI 

* 

entered  into  the  ark.  and  were  saved  by  water.  "  The  Lord  said  to 
Noah,  Come  thou,  and  all  thy  house,  that  is,  thy  family,  into  the  ark. 
And  Noah  went  in,  and  his  sons,  and  his  wife,  and  his  sons'  wives 
with  him,  into  the  ark:  and  the  Lord  shut  them  in.  And  when  the 
waters  increased  they  bare  up  the  ark,  and  it  was  lift  above  the  earth ; 
and  when  the  waters  prevailed,  and  were  increased  greatly  on  the 
earth,  the  ark  went  on  the  face  of  the  waters.  And  God  remembered 
Noah,  and  those  who  were  in  the  ark  with  him."  1  After  five  months' 
floating  on  a  shoreless  ocean,  it  rested  on  the  mountain  of  Ararat ; 
and  after  having  been  tenants  of  this  strange  mansion  for  a  year  and 
ten  days,  they,  at  the  command  of  God,  went  forth  to  take  possession 
of  a  world  already  smiling  in  vegetable  beauty,  whose  solitudes  were 
soon  again  to  be  peopled  by  the  various  animal  tribes  whose  lives  had 
been  so  strangely  preserved  amid  the  general  destruction. 

These  "  few,  that  is,  eight  souls,"  ar«  said  to  have  been  "  saved 
by  water."  Various  meanings  have  been  attached  to  these  words ; 
some  considering  them  as  equivalent  to  'saved  amid  the  waters;' 
others  '  saved  notwithstanding  the  waters  ;'  '  saved  by  being  conducted 
through  the  waters.'  The  meaning  that  the  words  most  naturally 
suggest  seems  the  true  one.  They  were  saved  by  means  of  the  water. 
The  water  which  drowned  those  out  of  the  ark,  saved  those  who  were 
in  it.  The  words  of  the  sacred  historian  are  the  best  commentary 
on  the  apostle's  words :  "  The  waters  bore  up  the  ark,  and  it  was  lift 
up  above  the  earth,  and  it  went  on  the  face  of  the  waters."  2  As,  in 
consequence  of  the  art  of  navigation,  the  ocean,  which  seemed  calcu 
lated  to  separate  completely  the  inhabitants  of  distant  countries,  unites 
them,  becoming  the  great  highway  of  nations ;  so  the  waters  of  the 
deluge,  which  were  in  their  own  nature  fitted  to  destroy  them,  by 
means  of  the  ark  saved  Noah  and  his  family.  Such,  then,  are  the 
facts  of  antediluvian  history  which  this  passage  brings  before  us. 


II.-OBJECT  OF  THE  APOSTLE  IN  REFERRING  TO  THESE  FACTS. 

Let  us  now  inquire  into  the  object  of  the  apostle  in  referring  to 
these  facts,  and  show  how  they  gain  that  object.  It  must  be  acknowl 
edged  that  the  design  of  the  reference  is  by  no  means  self-evident,  or 
even  very  readily  discernible.  It  does  seem  strange,  that  in  the  midst 
of  a  description  of  the  results  of  our  Lord's  penal,  vicarious,  expia 
tory  sufferings,  there  should  be  introduced  a  statement  of  what  took 
place  more  than  two  thousand  years  before.  It  is  plain,  however,  to 
the  careful  student  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  that  he  was  accustomed  to 
think  of  the  antediluvian  world  and  the  postdiluvian  world,  as  of  two 
orders  of  things  which  had  such  strong  analogies  of  resemblance  and 
contrast,  as  that  events  in  the  one  naturally  suggested  to  his  mind 
what  may  be  called  the  corresponding  events  in  the  other. 

Thus,  in  the  third  chapter  of  his  Second  Epistle,  he  contrasts  the 
two  worlds.  Of  the  one  he  says,  "  By  the  word  of  God,  the  heavens 
were  of  old,  and  the  earth  standing  out  of  the  water  and  in  the  water : 
whereby  the  world  that  then  was,  being  overflowed  with  water, 

1  Gen.  vii.  1.  15,  16 ;  viil  1,  4.  2  Gen.  vii.  17,  18. 


APPENDIX.]  OBJECT    IN    REFERRING    TO    THEM.  543 

perished  ;"  and  of  the  other  he  says,  "  The  heavens  and  the  earth 
which  are  now,  by  the  same  word  are  kept  in  store,  reserved  unto 
fire  against  the  day  of  judgment  and  perdition  of  ungodly  men/' 
And  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  same  Epistle,  we  find  him  saying, 
"God  who  spared  not  the  old  world,  but  saved  Noah,  the  eighth  per 
son,  a  preacher  of  righteousness,  bringing  in  the  flood  on  the  world 
of  the  ungodly,  knoweth"  (in  this  new  world)  "  how  to  deliver  the 
godly  out  of  temptation,  and  to  reserve  the  unjust  unto  the  day  of 
judgment  to  be  punished."  l  Both  worlds  appeared  to  him  peopled 
by  fallen  men  doomed  to  punishment,  "spirits  in  prison;"  both  privi 
leged  with  a  Divine  revelation,  proclaiming  danger,  and  offering  de 
liverance  to  those  spirits  in  prison;  both  destined  to  be  destroyed,  as  a 
manifestation  of  the  Divine  displeasure  ;  the  first  by  a  deluge  of  water, 
the  second  by  a  deluge  of  fire.  Taking  this  view  of  the  subject,  it 
does  not  seem  strange  that  the  mention  of  Christ,  quickened  in  the 
Spirit,  going  and  preaching  to  the  spirits  in  prison  by  his  apostles,  as 
one  result  of  his  atoning  sufferings,  should  have  suggested  to  Peter's 
mind,  his  having  in  his  pre-existent  state  gone  in  spirit  by  the  ministry 
of  Noah  to  the  same  class  of  persons  in  the  antediluvian  world. 

But  what  is  the  apostle's  object  in  this  reference  ?  His  primary 
object  is,  if  we  mistake  not,  that  to  which  we  have  already  alluded ; 
to  illustrate  by  contrast  the  blessed  effects  of  our  Lord's  going  and 
preaching  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  after  being  quickened  in  spirit. 
When  in  the  days  of  Noah  he  went  and  preached  to  them,  "  they 
were  disobedient."  all  but  universally  disobedient,  and  "  few,  that  is, 
eight  souls,"  out,  it  is  probable,  of  many  millions,  "  were  saved ;"  but 
now,  though  many  are  unbelieving  and  impenitent,  still  multitudes 
both  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  have  become  obedient  to  the  faith  ;  and, 
before  he  finishes  his  preaching  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  much  greater 
multitudes  will  yet  become  obedient.  "  All  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall 
remember,  and  turn  to  the  Lord;  and  all  the  kindreds  of  the  people 
shall  worship  before  him.  For  the  kingdom  is  the  Lord's ;  and  he  is 
the  governor  among  the  nations."  "  The  kingdoms  of  the  world  shall 
become  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  his  Christ,  and  he  shall  reign 
forever  and  ever."  And,  though  many  shall  perish  in  the  deluge  of 
fire,  yet  still  the  saved  shall  not  be  counted  by  human  numbers. 
There  will  be  "nations  of  the  saved ;"  and  those  set  free  from  among 
the  spirits  in  prison  by  the  \vord  of  God,  the  truth  which  makes  free 
indeed,  shall  be  "a  multitude  which  no  man  can  number,  out  of  every 
kindred  and  people,  tribe  and  nation."  2 

A  subsidiary,  yet  still  an  important,  object  in  making  the  reference, 
seems  to  have  been  to  bring  these  truths  before  the  mind  ;  first,  that 
if  Christ's  preaching,  when  "quickened  by  the  Spirit"  lie  comes  by 
the  apostolic  ministry,  is  disregarded  and  disobeyed,  a  more  dreadful 
destruction  will  befall  the  unbelieving  and  impenitent  than  over 
whelmed  the  antediluvians,  who  were  disobedient  to  the  revelation 
made  by  Noah:  and  secondly,  that  there  is  no  escape  from  the  de 
struction  to  which  we  are  already  doomed,  but  by  availing  ourselves 
now,  as  then,  of  the  pnly  .divinely-appointed  mode  of  deliverance. 
"  If  they  who  despised"  the  preaching  of  Noah,  who  was  a  mere  man, 

1  2  Pet.  iii.  5-7  ;  ii.  5,  9.  a  Psal.  xxii.  27.     Rev.  xi.  15-  xxi.  24  ;  vii.  9. 


544  FACTS    IN    ANTEDILUVIAN    HISTORY.  [DISC.  XVI 

and  who  does  not  seem  to  have  been  a  worker  of  miracles,  "  died 
without  mercy,"  receiving  in  the  waters  of  the  deluge  "a  just  recom 
pense  of  reward,"  "of  how  much  sorer  punishment  shall  they  be 
counted  worthy  who  trample  on  the  Son  of  God,  and  do  despite  to  the 
Spirit"  in  whom  he  comes  to  them ;  "  neglecting  so  great  salvation, 
which  at  the  first  began  to  be  spoken  to  us  by  the  Son  of  God,  and 
was  confirmed  to  us  by  them  that  heard  him,  God  also  bearing  wit 
ness,  both  with  signs  and  wonders,  and  with  divers  miracles,  and  gifts 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  according  to  his  own  will  ?" l 

There  was  no  mode  of  escape  from  the  deluge  of  water  but  the 
divinely-appointed  ark.  It  is  not  improbable  that  in  the  day  of  Di 
vine  visitation  various  plans  were  resorted  to.  Trees  were  climbed, 
no  doubt ;  mountains  ascended  ;  possibly  boats  of  some  kind  or  other 
taken  to :  all  in  vain.  The  whole,  with  the  exception  of  the  eight 
in  the  ark,  were  engulfed  in  the  deep  and  wide-spreading  inundation, 
agitated  with  fearful  tempest  from  the  air,  and  heaved  up  into  tremen 
dous  billows,  by  internal  commotions  shaking  the  earth.  And  there 
is  no  mode  of  escape  for  men  from  the  coming  fiery  deluge  which  is 
to  destroy  the  wicked,  but  in  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ.  "  There 
is  no  name  given  under  heaven  among  men,  whereby  we  must  be 
saved,  but  the  name  of  Jesus."  He,  and  He  only,  saves  from  the 
wrath  to  come.  To  those  who  reject  him,  "  there  remains  no  more 
sacrifice  for  sin,  but  a  certain  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment,  to  de 
stroy  them  as  the  adversaries  of  God."  2 

It  only  remains  now  that  we  endeavor  to  ascertain  the  object  of 
the  apostle's  reference  in  noticing  the  particular  manner  in  which 
Noah  and  his  family  were  saved;  they  were  "saved  by  water." 
The  water  .of  the  deluge  was,  as  we  have  already  explained  it,  the 
means  of  their  deliverance.  The  apostle  himself  has,  in  the  21st 
verse,  informed  us  what  is  the  point  he  meant  to  illustrate  by  this 
reference,  though  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  it  is  not  very  easy 
to  extract  a  clear  and  definite  explanation  from  his  words  :  "  The  like 
figure  whereunto  even  baptism  doth  also  now  save  us  (not  the  putting 
away  of  the  filth  of  the  flesh,  but  the  answer  of  a  good  conscience 
towards  God),  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ." 

It  is  rather  remarkable  that  both  those  who  deny  the  perpetuity  of 
water-baptism  as  an  ordinance,  like  that  denomination  of  Christians 
so  estimable  on  many  accounts,  the  Friends,  and  those  who,  like  the 
Papists  and  Puseyites,  insist  on  the  necessity  and  efficiency  of  water- 
baptism  for  salvation,  if  administered  by  properly  qualified  persons, 
equally  seek  in  this  passage  for  support  to  their  opposite  views ;  the 
one  class  insisting  that  it  teaches  that  the  baptism  that  saves — Chris 
tian  baptism — is  not  that  which  removes  external  pollution,  that  it  is, 
not  the  application  of  water  to  the  body — not  an  external  rite  at  all; 
the  other,  that  it  teaches  that  baptism,  which  means  here  just  what  it 
means  elsewhere — the  religious  rite  known  by  that  name,  does  save, 
is  necessary,  is  effectual,  to  salvation.  We  shall  find  that  the  passage, 
rightly  interpreted,  gives  no  support  to  either  of  these  equally  errone 
ous,  though  by  no  means  equally  dangerous,  opinions. 

It  has  been  doubted  whether  the  apostle  meant  to  compare  baptism 

1   Heb  ii.  3.  4.  a  Acts  iv.  12.     Heb.  x  20,  Ac. 


APPENDIX.]  OBJECT    IN    REFERRING    TO    THEM  545 

with  the  water  of  the  deluge,  or  with  the  ark,  or  to  compare  generally 
the  way  in  which  Christians  are  saved  with  the  way  in  which  Noah 
and  his  family  were  saved ;  but,  when  the  words  are  carefully  exam 
ined,  there  is  no  room  for  these  doubts.  The  translation  of  the  words 
in  our  version  is  strictly  literal  according  to  the  reading  adopted,  but 
it  is  not  very  intelligible.  To  the  question,  what  does  the  expression, 
"the  like  figure  whereunto  even  baptism"  mean?  I  can  give  no 
answer.  The  words  may  be  rendered  with  perfect  accuracy,  "  which 
was  a  type  or  figure  of  the  baptism  which  saves  us ;"  that  is,  which 
water  of  the  deluge  is  a  type,  or  significant  resemblance  of  baptism 
which  saves  us ;  for  that  it  was  a  type,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word, 
as  foreshowing  dimly  to  the  antediluvians  Christian  baptism,  or  its 
meaning,  is  a  notion  utterly  without  support. 

It  is,  however,  right  to  say,  that  there  is  another  reading  which, 
since  the  manuscripts  of  the  New  Testament  have  been  more  care 
fully  collated  than  they  had  been  when  our  excellent  version  was 
made,  has  been  generally  preferred  by  the  most  learned  and  judicious 
scholars,  and  which  gives  this  rendering,1  "which,"  referring  to  water, 
"  which  also  saves  us,  baptism  which  corresponds  to,  or  is  figuratively 
represented  by,  the  water  of  the  deluge."  It  is  as  if  the  apostle  had 
said,  '  Water  saved  the  family  of  Noah,  and,  it  may  be  said,  water 
also  saves  us ;  I  refer  to  baptism,  which  in  this  respect  resembles  the 
waters  of  the  deluge,  both  being  connected,  by  Divine  appointment, 
with  salvation  or  deliverance/ 

How  the  water  of  the  deluge  was  connected  with  the  salvation  of 
Noah's  family  we  have  already  seen ;  how  baptism  is  connected  with 
our  salvation  we  are  now  to  inquire ;  and  the  apostle  has  answered 
the  question  both  negatively  and  positively.  But  before  entering  on 
the  consideration  of  his  answer,  it  deserves  remark,  that  the  very 
oomparison  shows  that  baptism  has  but  an  indirect  influence  on  our 
salvation,  an  influence  which  is  emblematized  not  by  the  ark,  but  by 
the  water,  which,  in  itself,  was  rather  fitted  to  destroy  than  to  save. 

Let  us  now  hear  the  apostle.  He  first  tells  us  how  baptism  does 
not  save ;  it  does  not  save  us,  as  it  is  a  "putting  away  of  the  filth  of 
the  flesh."  That  is  the  physical  effect  of  the  application  of  water  to 
the  body.  It  removes  whatever  soils  the  body,  and  produces  cleanli 
ness  ;  this  is  all  it  can  do  as  an  external  application.  This  does  not, 
this  cannot,  save  us.  The  idea  that  the  external  rite  of  baptism  can 
save,  can  communicate  spiritual  life,  can  justify  and  regenerate,  is 
equally  absurd,  unscriptural,  and  mischievous.  Moral  effects  must 
have  moral  causes.  It  has  been  justly  said,  "  Even  the  life  of  a  plant 
or  an  animal,  far  more  the  life  of  thought,  taste,  affection,  and  con 
science,  cannot  be  produced  by  the  use  of  mere  lifeless  matter.  He 
who  should  assert  this  would  be  considered  as  little  better  than  a, 
madman ;  but  is  not  the  statement  still  more  irrational  and  unintelli 
gible,  that  the  life  of  the  soul,  by  which  it  is  united  to  God  and  se 
cured  of  salvation,  is  produced  by  sprinkling  or  pouring  water  on  an 
individual,  or  by  immersing  him  in  it  ?"  A  man  must  be  "given  up 
to  strong  delusions,"  before  he  can  "believe  a  lie  like  this." 

The  positive  part  of  the  apostle's  answer  is,  however,  the  most  im- 

1  The  Textus  Receptus  gives  o>;  Griesbach,  Scholz,  Lachmann,  <fec.,  give  5. 


546  FACTS    IN    ANTEDILUVIAN    HISTORX.  [DISC.  XVI- 

portant  part  of  it.  Baptism  saves  us,  as  it  is  "the  answer  of  a  good 
conscience  towards  God,  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ."  Be 
fore  entering  on  the  exposition  of  this  statement,  which  is  encumbered 
with  some  verbal  difficulties,  it  will,  I  am  persuaded,  serve  a  good 
purpose  to  state  in  the  fewest  words,  to  whom,  and  to  what,  in  the 
New  Testament,  salvation  is  attributed.  God  is  said  to  save  us. 
"  All  things  are  of  him,"  in  the  new  creation.  He  "  is  the  Saviour 
of  all  men,  specially  of  them  who  believe."1  We  are  said  to  be 
saved  "  by  grace,"  by  "  God's  grace."2  Christ  is  said  to  save  us. 
"  All  things"  in  the  new  creation  "  are  by  him."  One  of  his  most 
common  names  is  "our  Saviour."  The  blood  of  Christ  is  said  to 
save  us.  "  Redemption  is  through  his  blood."  The  resurrection  of 
Christ  is  said  to  save  us.  "  We  are  saved  by  his  life."  3  The  Holy 
Spirit  is  said  to  save  us.  "We  are  saved  by  the  renewing  of  the 
Holy  Ghost."  4  The  gospel  is  said  to  save  men.  The  words  which 
Peter  was  to  speak  to  Cornelius,  were  words  which  were  to  "  save 
him  and  his  family."  We  are  said  to  be  saved  by  faith.  "  By  grace 
are  ye  saved,  through  faith."  "  Thy  faith,"  said  our  Lord,  on  a  num 
ber  of  occasions,  "  has  saved  thee."  "  He  that  believeth  shall  be 
saved." 5  Men  are  said  to  be  saved  by  confession  of  the  truth  in 
connection  with  faith.  "  With  the  heart  man  believes  to  righteous 
ness,"  that  is,  justification ;  "  and  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made 
to  salvation." 6  Men  are  said  to  be  saved  by  baptism  in  connection 
with  faith.  "  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved  ;"  and 
here  "  baptism  saves  us."  7 

Now,  these  statements  are  all  perfectly  consistent  with  each  other ; 
and  he  only  understands  how  sinful  men  are  saved,  who  sees  the 
meaning,  and  apprehends  the  consistency,  of  these  statements.  Here 
they  are  in  one  sentence — God,  in  the  exercise  of  sovereign  grace, 
saves  men  through  the  mediation  of  his  Son,  who  died  as  an  atoning 
victim,  and  rose  again  to  the  possession  of  all  power  in  heaven  and 
earth,  that  he  might  save  all  coming  to  the  Father  by  him,  all  who, 
being  led  by  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  believe  the  gospel  of 
salvation,  become  personally  interested  in  the  blessings  procured 
through  the  mediation  of  the  Son ;  and,  wherever  men  are  made 
really  to  believe  the  gospel,  they,  as  the  natural  result  of  that  faith, 
and  in  obedience  to  the  Divine  command,  make  a  profession  of  that 
faith;  and  in  the  case  of  those  who  in  mature  life  are  brought  from  a 
false  religion  to  the  knowledge  and  belief  of  the  gospel,  ^the  com 
mencement  of  this  profession  is  baptism,  or  "the  being  washed  with 
pure  water." 

If  this  statement  is  understood,  there  is  little  difficulty  in  answering 
the  question,  How  does  baptism  save  ?  It  is  an  emblematical  repre 
sentation  of  what  saves  us, — the  expiatory,  justifying  blood  of  Christ ; 
the  regenerating,  sanctifying  influence  of  the  Spirit ;  and  a  corres 
ponding  confession  of  the  truth  thus  represented. 

Let  us  look  at  the  apostle's  answer,  and  see  if  it  be  not  substantial 
ly  the  same  as  that  to  which  we  have  been  led.     I  stated  to  you  thai 

1  1  Tim.  iv.  10.  a  Epk  ii.  4,  5.  3  Eph.  i.  7.     Rom.  v.  10. 

*  Tit.  iii.  5.  •  Eph.  ii.  8.     Luke  vii.  50  ;  xviii.  42.    Mark  xvi.  16. 

•  Rom.  x.  10.  T  Mark  xvi.  16. 


APPENDIX.]  OBJECT    IN    REFERRING    TO    THEM.  547 

there  were  verbal  difficulties.  The  principal  of  these  are  two  : — the 
first  referring  to  the  meaning  of  the  word  rendered  "  answer  ;"  and 
the  other  referring  to  the  connection  of  the  concluding  clause,  "  by 
the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ."  The  word  rendered  "  answer"1 
occurs  nowhere  else,  either  in  the  New  Testament  or  in  the  Greek 
translation  of  the  Old  Testament.  From  its  etymology,  and  its  use  in 
classic  writers,  we  should  say  its  meaning  is  "question,"  not  "an 
swer."  Many  interpreters  suppose  that  there  is  a  reference  to  an 
ancient  custom  of  making  the  baptismal  profession  in  reply  to  ques 
tions  put  by  the  administrator,  but  we  have  no  evidence  that  this 
practice  existed  in  the  apostle's  time ;  and,  though  it  had,  the  fact 
would  not  account  for  a  word  meaning  "question"  being  used  to 
signify  " answer."  Others  have  rendered  it  "inquiry,"  "application 
to,"  the  application  of  a  good  conscience  to  God  for  salvation,  the 
sincerely  seeking  salvation  from  God.  I  am  persuaded  that  the  word 
is  here  employed,  as  a  word  of  very  nearly  the  same  meaning  is,  oc 
casionally,  in  Greek  writers,  who  use  a  similar  dialect  with  the  apos 
tle, — as  equivalent  to  expression,  confession,  or  declaration.2 

Some  interpreters  connect  the  concluding  clause  with  the  word 
save,  "  baptism  saves  us  through  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ ;" 
others  with  the  phrase,  "  good  conscience  towards  God  ;"  others  with 
the  whole  expression,  "answer  of  a  good  conscience  towards  God." 
The  second  appears  to  me  the  most  natural  mode  of  connection. 
What  the  apostle's  words  bring  before  the  mind  is  this :  A  man  has  a 
good  conscience ;  he  has  obtained  this  good  conscience  by  the  resur 
rection  of  Christ ;  he  makes  a  declaration  of  this  good  conscience 
in  his  baptism ;  and  it  is  in  this  way  that  the  apostle  declares  that 
baptism  saves. 

I  had  an  opportunity  some  time  ago  of  explaining  to  you,  at  some 
length,  what  it  is  to  have  a  good  conscience  towards  God.  I  stated 
that  a  good  conscience  is  just  a  right  and  happy  state  of  thought  and 
feeling  in  reference  to  our  relations  and  duties  to  God,  confidence  in 
God,  love  to  God ;  and  I  showed  you  that  this  is  obtained  by  the 
man's  conscience  being  sprinkled  with  the  atoning  blood  of  Jesus,  or, 
in  other  wrords,  by  his  experiencing  the  power  of  Christ's  atoning 
blood  to  pacify  the  conscience  and  purify  the  heart,  through  the  faith 
of  the  truth  respecting  it ;  and  by  his  being  transformed  through  "  the 
renewing  of  the  mind,"  produced  by  "the  Holy  Ghost  shed  forth 
abundantly  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour." 

This  good  conscience  is  said  to  be  "  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ."  The  resurrection  of  Christ  is  the  grand  proof  of  the  divinity 
of  his  mission,  and  the  truth  of  his  doctrine,  especially  respecting  the 
efficacy  of  his  atoning  sacrifice.  It  is  truth  regarding  these,  appre 
hended  in  its  meaning  and  evidence  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  which  produces  the  good  conscience  towards  God.  "  I  trust 
in  God,  seeing  he  has  brought  again  from  the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus.  I 
love  him  who  gave  his  Son  for  my  offences,  and  who  raised  him  again 
for  my  justification." 

Of  this  good  conscience,  of  a  mind  at  peace  with  God,  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  a  heart  with  the  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  it,  the 

1  'ETT'-wriia.  a  See  note  F. 


548  FACTS    IN    ANTEDILUVIAN    HISTORY.  [DISC.  XVI. 

converted  Jew  or  Pagan  made  a  profession  when,  in  obedience  to  the 
command  of  Christ,  he  submitted  to  baptism.  Thus  confessing,  by  an 
external  act,  what  he  believed  in  his  heart,  that  God  had  raised  Christ 
from  the  dead,  he  was  saved.  In  this  way,  in  this  way  alone,  can  it 
be  said  that  "  baptism  saves  us."  l 

Much  ingenuity  has  been  discovered  in  attempting  to  trace  the 
analogy  between  the  waters  of  the  deluge  saving  Noah's  family,  and 
the  water  of  baptism  saving  those  who  in  it  make  an  enlightened  pro 
fession  of  "  a  good  conscience  towards  God,  through  the  resurrection 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  I  apprehend  we  are  not  to  seek  anything 
more  than  that  general  analogy  which  we  have  already  illustrated. 
The  following  illustration  is  at  any  rate  ingenious,  and  the  sentiment 
it  conveys  indubitably  true  and  awfully  important.  "  The  flood  of 
waters  displayed  the  Divine  indignation,  and  executed  the  threatened 
vengeance  against  the  wickedness  of  an  ungodly  world,  while  they 
yet  bore  up  in  safety  the  eight  persons  enclosed  in  the  ark ;  so  the 
blood  of  Christ  shed  for  sin,  emblematically  represented  in  baptism, 
while  it  has  effected  the  eternal  redemption  and  salvation  of  all  in 
him,  the  remnant  according  to  the  election  of  grace,  is  at  the  same 
time  the  most  awful  manifestation  of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God, 
as  well  as  the  surest  pledge  of  its  execution  against  the  world  which 
lieth  under  the  wicked  one."  2  I  have  thus  concluded  my  illustra 
tions  of  this  interesting  and  somewhat  difficult  passage. 

Though  I  do  not  think  we  have  been  able  to  clear  the  difficult  pas 
sage  we  have  been  considering  of  all  its  obscurity,  I  think  we  have 
succeeded  to  a  considerable  extent ;  and  I  am  sure  we  have  made  it 
plain  enough,  that  what  Paul  says  of  all  scripture  given  by  Divine 
inspiration,  is  true  of  this.  It  is  "  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof, 
for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness."  I  have  left  myself 
little  time  to  show  you  the  practical  use  we  should  make  of  it.  I 
shall  only  notice  one'very  important  practical  conclusion  to  which  it 
very  directly  leads  us, — the  folly  and  danger  of  trusting  in  the  mere 
external  rite  of  baptism,  or  in  anything  that  is  external.  Happily  we 
are  not  taught  the  soul-deluding  doctrine  of  the  intrinsic  efficacy  of 
the  sacraments,  as  they  are  called,  and  of  baptismal  regeneration,  as 
part  of  that  general  dogma.  On  the  contrary,  we  are  taught  that 
"  the  sacraments  become  effectual  to  salvation,  not  from  any  virtue 
in  themselves,  or  in  those  who  administer  them,  but  only  by  the  bless 
ing  of  Christ,  and  the  working  of  his  Spirit  in  those  who  by  faith  re 
ceive  them ;"  and  that  no  baptism  saves,  except  that  which  is  con 
nected  with  "  engrafting  into  Christ,  and  partaking  of  the  covenant 
of  grace,  and  is  an  engagement  to  be  the  Lord's." 2 

But  though  we  are  thus  taught,  and  I  believe  few  of  us  would  call 
this  teaching  in  question,  yet  there  is  a  natural  tendency  in  the  hu 
man  mind  to  rest  on  what  is  external.  Let  us  beware,  then,  of  sup 
posing  that  we  are  safe  because  we  have  been  baptized,  whether  in 
infancy  or  on  our  personal  profession  of  faith.  The  apostle's  doctrine 
respecting  circumcision  and  Judaism  is  equally  true  of  baptism  and 
Christianity.  He  is  not  a  true  Christian  who  is  one  outwardly  ;  nei- 

1  See  note  G.  2  John  Walker.     Essays  and  Correspondence.     Vol.  ii.  p.  107. 

*  Westminster  Shorter  Catechism. 


APPENDIX  ]  OBJECT    IN    REFERRING    TO    THEM.  549 

ther  is  that  saving  baptism  which  consists  merely  in  the  application 
of  water  to  the  body.  He  is  a  Christian  who  is  one  inwardly,  who 
has  the  good  conscience  towards  God ;  and  saving  baptism  is  the 
washing  of  regeneration,  and  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Let 
all  remember  that  if  they  would  be  saved — enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  God,  they  "  must  be  born  again,"  "  born  not  of  water  only,  but  of 
the  Spirit."1  And  let  all  who  have  made  profession  of  a  good  con 
science  remember,  that  where  there  is  a  good  conscience  there  will 
be  a  good  conversation ;  and  that,  if  "  a  man  be  in  Christ  a  new 
creature,"  he  will  "  put  off  the  old  man,  who  is  corrupt  in  his  deeds, 
and  put  on  the  new  man,  who,  after  Christ  Jesus,  is  renewed  in 
knowledge  and  in  true  holiness."  Professing  to  be  saved,  from  the 
fiery  deluge  which  is  coming  on  the  unbelieving,  disobedient,  world, 
by  the  blood  of  Christ  represented  in  baptism,  he  will  show  that,  by 
the  same  precious  blood,  he  is  delivered  from  that  world's  power ;  re 
deemed  from  "  the  vain  conversation  received  by  tradition  from  his 
fathers."  Freed  from  spiritual  captivity,  he  will  walk  at  liberty ; 
and,  brought  into  a  new  world,  all  old  things  will  pass  away,  and  "  all 
things  become  new." 

I  cannot  persuade  myself  to  close  this  discourse,  without  dropping 
a  word  or  two  of  warning  to  those  "spirits  in  prison,"  of  whom  there 
are  so  many  in  our  world,  of  whom  I  am  afraid  there  may  be  some  in 
this  assembly,  who,  though  the  great  Emancipator  is  present  preach 
ing  peace  and  liberty,  are  yet  disobedient,  clinging  to  their  chains, 
and  refusing  to  come  forth  from  their  prison-house.  I  beseech  them 
to  consider  that  the  long-suffering  of  God  will  not  always  wait  for 
them,  and  that  the  deluge  of  fire  will  as,  certainly  come  as  the  deluge 
of  water  has  come. 

Oh !  think,  what  must  be  the  issue  of  this  course  of  yours  ?  "  Is  it 
a  light  matter  to  you  to  die  in  your  sins,  and  to  have  the  wrath  of  God 
forever  abiding  in  you?  Think  you  that  it  is  a  light  matter  to  have 
refused  Christ  so  often,  and  that  after  you  have  been  so  often  request 
ed  to  receive  salvation  ?  after  the  Lord  has  followed  you  with  entrea 
ties,  hath  called  so  often,  '  Why  will  ye  die  ?'  yet  wilfully  to  perish  ? 
Would  you  willingly  die  in  this  state  ?  Oh !  think,  then,  he  is  yet 
speaking  peace ;  yet  waiting,  if  at  length  you  will  return.  This  is 
one  day  more  of  his  waiting  and  of  his  speaking  to  you  here  ;  but  it 
may  be  the  last  day.  For  you  the  flood  of  fire  may  come  to-morrow. 
You  may  die  to-night,  and,  as  death  leaves  you,  judgment  will  find 
you.  Oh  !  that  ye  were  wise,  and  would  consider  your  latter  end. 
Why  wear  out  the  day  of  grace,  as  careless  about  Christ,  as  uncertain 
about  salvation,  as  ever  ?  As  you  love  your  souls,  be  serious  in  this 
matter.  This  was  the  undoing  of  the  spirits  in  prison  in  the  days  of 
Noah.  They  were  all  for  present  things ;  they  ate  and  drank,  mar 
ried  and  were  given  in  marriage ;  they  were  exclusively  occupied 
with  things  seen  and  temporal,  drowned  in  them,  and  that  drowned 
in  a  flood.  Noah  ate  and  drank,  too;  but  his  main  work  was  the 
preparation  of  the  ark.  The  necessities  of  life,  the  children  of  God 
are  tied  to.  They  must  give  some  time  and  attention  to  them ;  but 
the  thing  that  takes  up  their  hearts,  that  which  the  bent  of  their  souls 

1  John  iii.  1-8. 


550  NOTES.  [DISC.  xvi. 

is  set  on,  is  an  interest  in  Jesus  Christ.  All  your  wise  designs  are 
but  pleasing  madness,  till  this  becomes  you  chief  concern  also.  Oth 
ers  have  had  your  privileges,  and  abused  them;  they  might  have 
obeyed  the  gospel,  and  obtained  salvation  ;  but  they  were  disobedient, 
and  are  lost,  lost  forever.  And  all  they  set  their  heart  on  has  passed 
away  as  a  shadow  ;  they  have  nothing  of  it  but  the  bitter  reflection, 
that'they  sold  their  souls  for  a  thing  of  naught."1 

Will  you  follow  them?  You  must  to  the  grave,  and  that  soon; 
but  will  you  follow  them  to  hell?  Stop!  Consider!  Believe,  obey 
the  gospel.  Now,  now  is  the  accepted  time.  He  who  listens  to 
this  call  shall  find,  amidst  the  overflowing  flood  of  Divine  vengeance, 
in  the  blessed  GOD-MAN,  "  a  hiding-place  from  the  storm,  a  covert 
from  the  tempest,"  and  "shall  be  safe  in  that  day  of  evil." 


NOTE  A.  p.  479. 

From  the  Talmudical  writers,  it  appears  that  the  dead  body  was  not  hung  by  the 
neck,  but  by  the  hands;  and  that  it  was  hung,  not  on  "a  tree"  properly  called,  but  M 
£iiXoi»,  on  a  piece  of  timber  or  stake, — Mischna,  c.  vi. ;  Gem.  Babyl.  Sanhed.  c.  vi.  fol.  45 
col.  2 ;  edit.  Amstel.  The  manner  of  hanging  is  thus  described  by  one  of  these  writers : — 
"  They  fix  a  stake  in  the  earth,  and  out  of  that  stake  comes  a  piece  of  timber ;  and  both 
the  hands  placed  together  are  tied,  and  by  them  the  executioner  hangs  the  body  up." — 
THEOD.  DASSOVIUS.  Dissertatio  de  suspendio  hominis  lapidibus  obruti  ad,  Gal.  iil  13;  Deut 
xxi.  22. 


NOTE  B.  p.  490. 

In  bringing  about  the  change  referred  to,  the  chief  agent  employed  by  Providence  has 
been  the  Rev.  ADAM  THOMSON,  D.D.,  of  Coldstream.  Few  men  have  been  honored  in  a 
higher  degree  than  this  public-spirited  minister  of  Christ.  Through  his  instrumentality, 
that  Word  of  God,  which  its  Author  glorifies  above  all  his  name ;  that  Word  which  is 
able  to  make  men  wise  unto  salvation — which  was,  to  a  certain  extent  in  this  country, 
"  bound" — now  runs,  has  free  course,  and  is  glorified.  May  nothing  henceforth  stop  its 
course ! 


NOTE  C.  p.  510. 

These  are  well-weighed  words  of  the  candid  and  learned  Joachim  Camerarius,  a  man 
every  way  worthy  of  being  Melancthon's  friend : — "Est  hie  unus  ex  its  locis  sacrarum  lit- 
erarum,  de  quibus  pietas  religiosa  quserere  amplius  et  dubitare  quid  clicatur,  sine  repre 
hension?  :  et  de  quibus  diversse  etiam  seritentiae  admitti  posse  videantur,  dummodo  non 
detorqueatur  Kav&o  roti  rd  ai>rd  fypai'tiv,  id  est,  religiosa  de  fide  consensio,  neque  aberretur, 
dird  rr/j  dvuAiyiaj  rfjf  Triarsu;"  Luther's  remarks,  characteristic  as  they  are,  do  not  merit 
the  same  eulogium : — "Hac  tarn  horribili  poena  Petrus  Apostolus  quoque  motus  videtur, 
ut  non  aliter  quam  fanaticus  loquatur  talia  verba,  qua3  ne  hodie  quidem,  a  nobis  intelligi 
possunt." — 1  Pet.  iii.  19,  20.  "Mirabile  profecto  judicium,  et  vox  psene  fanalica." — LUTH, 
Exeg.  Opp.  Latt.  torn.  ii.  p.  221.  I  do  not  know  that  we  can  make  any  better  apology 
for  the  rashness  of  the  great  reformer,  than  to  confess  with  Lange,  the  worthy  father-in 
law  of  the  learned  and  judicious  Rambach,  "  virura  optimum  aliquid  humani  passum  esse  ;' 
and  that  what  he  says,  "  ex  affectu  potius,  quam  verbis  jestimauduin  esse." 

1  Leighton, 


DISC.  XVI.]  NOTES.  551 


NOTE  D.  p.  511. 

Wiclif  is  uniform  in  his  rendering  "  made  dede  in  fleisch,  but  made  quyk  in  spirit ;  he 
cam  in  spirit,"  &c.  So  is  Tyndale,  so  far  as  the  repeated  mention  of  spirit  is  concerned: 
"  Was  kylled  as  pertayning  to  the  flesshe ;  but  was  quykened  in  the  sprete,  in  which 
sprete  lie  also  went,"  &c.  Cranmer  repeats  Tyndale,  as  does  the  Genevan,  with  some 
slight  orthographical  changes.  The  Rhemists,  in  the  first  part  of  the  rendering,  are 
nearer  the  truth  than  any  of  them:  "Mortified  certes  in  flesh,  but  quickened  in  spirit; 
in  the  which  spirit,"  <tc. 


NOTE  E.  p.  512. 

A  pretty  full  account  of  the  diversified  opinions  referred  to  in  this  and  the  following 
paragraph,  is  to  be  found  in  the  third  excursus  appended  to  the  second  fasciculus  of  Pott's 
"Commentary  on  the  Catholic  Epistles,"  forming  the  ninth  volume  of  the  "  Editio  Kop- 
piana"  of  the  Greek  New  Testament.  It  is  entitled,  "Variae  interpretum,  de  descensu 
Jesu  Christ!  ad  inferos,  sentential  secundum  temporum  ordinem  enumerantur,  et  breviter 
dijudicantur  :  nostraque  interpretatio,  copiosius  explicatur."  Bishop  Horsley  belongs  to 
the  more  reasonable  portion  of  this  class.  His  defence  of  his  view  of  the  passage,  like 
everything  he  did,  bears  the  mark  of  power,  both  imaginative  and  ratiocinative ;  but,  like 
many  things  he  did,  it  is  lamentably  deficient  in  sober  thinking  and  conclusive  argument. 
It  is  a  happy  thing  that  Priestley  had  other  confute rs,  and  the  divinity  of  Christ  other  de 
fenders,  than  the  Bishop  of  Rochester. 

"Christus  dum.  in  terris  vixit  paucos  Judaeoa  convertit:  at  post  mortem  et  resurrec- 
tionem  suam,  per  spiritum  profectus  praedicavit  spiritibus  qui  erant  in  carcere,  1  Pet.  iii. 
19  ;  id  est  gentibus  quae  sedebant  in  umbra  mortis  constricts  compedibus,  atque  catenis 
tcnebrarum  et  ignorantise,  easque  imperio  ac  regimini  suo  subjecit." — WOLZOGENIUS,  Com. 
in  Evang.  Joan.  ch.  xiv.  12.  Bib.  Pol.  Frat.  torn.  viii.  p.  963. 

"  Quaistio  quam  mihi  proposuisti  ex  Epistola  Apostoli  Petri  solet  nos,  ut  te  latere  non 
arbitror,  vehementissime  commovere,  quomodo  ilia  verba  accipienda  sint,  tanquam  de 
inferis  dicta.  Replico  ergo  tibi  eandem  qurestionem,  ut  sive  ipse  potueris,  eive  aliquem 
qui  possit  inveneris,  auferas  de  ilia  atque  rinias  dubitationem  meam.  Multa  millia  homi- 
num  qui  Deum  ignorantes,  et  dsemonum  vel  simulachrorum  cultui  dediti  a  temporibus 
Noe  usque  ad  passionem  Christi,  ex  hac  vita  emigrarunt  quos  apud  inferos  Christus 
inveniens,  quomodo  illis  non  praedicavit  sed  illis  tantum.  q[ui  in  diebus  Noe  increduli 
fuerunt,  cum  fabricaretur  area?  Aut  si  omnibus  praedicavit  cur  illos  solos  Petrus  com- 
memoravit,  praetermissa  multitudine  tarn  innumerabili  caeterorum  ?  Quinam  isti  (spiritus 
in  carcere)  sint  tcmerarium  est  definire.  Cur  Petrus  eos  tantum  commemorare  voluerit 
quibus  in  carcere  inclusis  evangelium  prffidicatum  est,  qui  in  diebus  Noe  cum  fabricaretur 
area  increduli  fuerunt  vides  quam  latebrosum  sit — et  qute  me  moveant,  ne  afnrmare  hinc 
aliquid  audeam.  His  dictis  subnectit.  '  Proper  hoc  enim  et  mortuis  Evangelizatum  est,' 
<fcc.  Quern  non  moveat  ista  profunditas  ?  .  .  .  .  Considera  tamen  ne  forte  totum 
illud  quod  de  conclusis  in  carcere  spiritibus  qui  in  diebus  Noe  non  crediderant,  Petrua 
Apostolus  dicit,  omnino  ad  inferos  non  pertineat,  sed  ad  ilia  potius  tempora,  quorum 
forma m  ad  haec  tempora  transtulit.  Ilia  quippc  res  gesta  forma  fuerat  futurorum,  ut  ii 
qui  modo  non  credunt  Evangelio,  dum  in  omnibus  gentibus  sedificatur  ecclesia,  illis  intel- 
ligantur  esse  similes  qui  tune  non  crediderunt  cum  fabricaretur  area.  Illi  autem  qui 
crediderunt  et  per  baptismum  salvi  fiunt,  illis  comparentur  qui  tune  in  eadem  area  salvi 
facti  sunt  per  aquam.  Fieri  potest  ut  mortuos  dixerit  infideles,  hoc  est,  in  anima  mortuos. 
Proinde  etiam  quod  sequitur  '  propter  hoc  et  mortuis  Evangelizatum  est,  ut  judicentur 
quidem  secundum  homines  in  came,  vivant  autem  secundum  Deum  spiritu'  non  cogit 
apud  inferos  intelligi.  Propterea  enim  in  hac  vita,  et  mortuis,  Evangelizatum  est,  id  est, 
infidclibus  et  iniquis,  ut  cum  crediderunt  judicentur  quidem  secundum  homines  in  came; 
hoc  est  in  diversis  tribulationibus  et  in  ipsa  morte  carnis.  Hayc  expositio  verborum  Petri 
cui  displicet,  vcl  cui  etiam  si  non  displicet  non  tamen  eufHcit,  quadrat  ea  secundum 
inferos  intelligere  :  qui  si  valuerit,  ilia  quibus  me  mover!  supra  commemoravi  ita  solvere 
ut  eorum  auferat  dubitationem,  impertiat  et  mihi." — AUGUSTINI,  Epistolae.  Ep.  xcix.  p. 
600-511.  8vo.  Ludg.  1561. 

The  article  in  roi  Tmfyart,  ch.  iii.  18,  according  to  the  textus  receptus,  is  rejected  from 
the  text  by  Wetstein,  Griesbach,  Matthaei,  Scholz,  and  Lachrnann.  Bishop  Middleton 
considers  the  true  rendering  of  OnvaruOd^  o-<ip/d,  gwmratriQtig  Si  rviv^an,  as  "  dead  carnally, 
i  but  alive  spiritually." — Doctrine  of  the  Greek  Article,  p.  618. 


552  NOTES.  [DISC.  xvi. 


NOTE  F.  p.  547. 

Beausobre's  note  is  -worth  quoting.  'Err^r^a,  "  L'Arae,"  dit  Tertullian,  "  n'est  sancti- 
fiee  par  le  lavement,  mais  par  la  confession." — "  Anima  enim  non  lavatione  sed  respon- 
sione  sancitur"  pro  sanctificatur.  Je  soup9onne  que  Tertullien  a  bien  reconte.  En  effect, 
on  trouve  ce  mot  (Epwr^u)  dans  cette  signification.  Kat  6  v6po$  durw  niaras  wj  cp^r^a 
cfyAcoj'.  Eccles.  xxxiii.  3.  "  La  loi  de  Dieu  sera  pour  un  homme  qui  le  craint,  aussi  fidele 
que  la  response  de  1'Oracle." 

The  opinion  of  the  learned  and  judicious  "Winer  deserves  also  to  be  cited : — "  'Errepwr3>r 
can  signify  stipulari,  but  errrpwrdaflat  is  necessarily  promittere,  as  also  the  glossaries  teach. 
The  answer  to  the  question  proposed  (formally  or  implicitly)  would  be  here  the  principal 
subject.  'ETTtourjin,  derived  from  the  active  voice,  would  here  be  altogether  without 
meaning.  The  proposed  question  was  not  that  which  brings  felicity :  it  must  be  taken 
passively,  and  be  derived  from  ianrrpuraffQai,  promittere.  More  simply,  and  in  accordance 
with  biblical  usage,  we  may  translate  or.  a.  c.  e.  6.  the  inquiry  of  a  good  conscience  after 
God — comp.  2  Sam.  xi.  7."  This  more  simple  mode  of  exegesis  does  not  commend  itself 
to  my  mind.  Neander,  after  stating  that  the  confession  of  faith  made  by  catechumens  at 
baptism  was  in  answer  to  distinct  questions,  remarks  in  a  note,  "  According  to  the  most 
natural  interpretation,  1  Pet.  iii.  21,  has  reference  to  the  question  proposed  at  baptism, — 
'ETtp&jrmta.  metonymice,  for  the  pledge  in  answer  to  the  question." — Gen.  Ch.  Hist.  voL 
L  p.  421. 

NOTE  G.  p.  548. 

From  this  declaration  the  conclusion  has  been  drawn,  that  none  are  fit  subjects  of  bap 
tism  but  such  as  have  "  the  good  conscience,''  and  can  give  the  corresponding  "  answer" 
or  profession.  The  conclusion,  though  plausible,  is  not  warranted.  The  Apostle  Paul  states, 
that, '  the  true  circumcision  before  God,  is  not  the  outward  circumcision  of  the  flesh,  but 
the  inward  circumcision  of  the  heart  and  spirit.' — Rom.  ii.  29.  But  it  would  be  a  false 
conclusion,  '  therefore  Jewish  infants,  who  are  not  capable  of  that  spiritual  circumcision, 
or  of  the  profession  of  it,  ought  not  to  be  circumcised.'  The  fair  conclusion  from  Paul's 
statement  is,  no  uncircumcised  adult  should  be  admitted  to  circumcision  who  does  not  seem 
to  have  the  circumcision  of  the  heart.  The  fair  conclusion  from  Peter's  is,  no  unbaptized 
adult  should  be  admitted  to  baptism  without  seeming  to  have  the  good  conscience,  and 
making  profession  of  it.  "Whether  any  infants,  and  if  any,  what  infants  may  be  baptized, 
is  a  question  which  must  be  determined  by  its  own  evidence.  "We  know  that  the  infants 
of  Jews  were  the  proper  subjects  of  circumcision,  notwithstanding  the  declaration  in 
Rom.  ii.  29 :  And  the  infants  of  Christians  may  be  proper  subjects  of  baptism,  notwith 
standing  the  declaration  made  here.  Whether  they  are  so,  is  a  question  on  which  good 
men  are  divided ;  and  everything  is  a  step  towards  their  agreement,  which  distinctly 
marks  what  has,  and  what  has  not,  a  bearing  on  its  determination.  If  the  irrelevant 
arguments  on  both  sides  were  put  aside,  the  satisfactory  decision  of  this  question,  which 
has  causelessly  divided  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  produced  a  great  deal  of  unchristian 
feeling,  would"  be  greatly  facilitated. 


DISCOURSE   XVIL 


EXHORTATION  TO  HOLINESS  BASED  ON  THE  ATONEMENT. 

1  PET.  iv.  1-6. — Forasmuch  then  as  Christ  hath  suffered  for  us*  in  the  flesh,  arm  your 
selves  likewise  with  the  same  mind :  for  lie  that  hath  suffered  in  the  flesh  hath  ceased 
from  sin ;  that  he  no  longer  should  live  the  rest  of  his  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men, 
but  to  the  will  of  God.  For  the  time  past  of  our  life  may  suffice  us  to  have  wrought  the 
will  of  the  Gentiles,  when  we  walked  in  lasciviousness,  lusts,  excess  of  wine,  rerellings, 
banqueting-?,  and  abominable  idolatries :  wherein  they  think  it  strange  that  ye  run  not 
with  them  to  the  same  excess  of  riot,  speaking  evil  of  you :  who  shall  give  account  to 
him  that  is  ready  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead.  For,  for  this  cause  was  the  gospel 
preached  also  to  them  that  are  dead,  that  they  might  be  judged  according  to  men  in  the 
flesh,  but  li ve  according  to  God  in  the  spirit. 

THE  paragraph  now  read  presents  us  with  a  very  important  theme 
of  consideration.  It  directs  us  to  the  practical  use  which  we  should 
habitually  make  of  that  great  fundamental  principle  of  Christianity, 
"  that  Christ,  the  just  One,  suffered  in  the  room  of  the  unjust,  that  he 
might  bring  them  to  God."  It  teaches  us  to  use  it  as  the  most  ser 
viceable  piece  of  armor,  whether  defensive  or  offensive,  that  we  can 
employ  in  the  spiritual  conflict,  oirwhich,  as  Christians,  we  profess  to 
have  entered  ;  that  which,  in  the  preceding  context,  is  represented  as 
the  expiation  of  our  guilt,  the  price  of  our  pardon,  the  ground  of  our 
hope,  being  here  exhibited  as  also  the  means  of  our  sanctification,  the 
strongest  motive,  the  most  cheering  encouragement,  to  "  cleanse  our 
selves  from  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  and  to  perfect  holiness 
in  the  fear  of  God ;"  to  "  put  off  the  old  man,  who  is  corrupt,  and  put 
on  the  new  man,  which,  after  God/'  that  is,  in  the  image  of  God,  "  is 
created  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness ;"  *  or,  as  the  apostle  has  it 
here,  "  to  live  no  longer  the  rest  of  our  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts 
of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God." 

The  words  of  the  text  are  so  obviously  and  so  intimately  related 
to  those  which  immediately  precede  them,  that  we  cannot  help  con 
sidering  the  commencement  of  a  new  chapter  here  as  injudicious,  and 
as  fitted  rather  to  obscure  the  sense :  the  natural  place  for  a  division 
being  plainly  the  close  of  the  eleventh  verse.  The  long,  and  some 
what  involved,  sentence,  which  I  have  read  (for  it  is  one  sentence), 
is  a  following  up  of  the  statement  which  had  been  made  respecting 
the  sufferings  of  Christ,  in  their  nature,  design,  and  consequences,  by 
an  exhortation  enforced  by  two  appropriate  motives.  The  exhortation 
is  contained  in  the  second  part  of  the  first  verse,  and  in  the  whole  of 
the  second ;  and  the  first  motive  is  adduced  in  the  third,  fourth,  and 

1  Eph.  iv.  24.     Kara  OtoV. 


554  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII. 

fifth  verses,  and  the  second  in  the  sixth  verse.  This  is  clearly  the 
general  division  of  the  passage ;  and  even  this  general  view  of  the 
construction  of  the  passage  will  be  found  useful  in  guiding  our  inquiries 
into  its  meaning. 

Interpreters  have  been  a  good  deal  perplexed,  both  as  to  the  manner 
in  which  the  various  clauses  are  connected  with  each  other,  and  as  to 
the  meaning  which  severally  and  conjointly  they  are  intended  to  ex 
press.  I  have  never  conversed  with  an  intelligent  Christian,  ac 
quainted  merely  with  our  English  version  of  the  passage,  who  has  not 
complained  of  its  obscurity,  and  acknowledged,  that  while  most, 
though  by  no  means  all,  of  the  expressions,  seemed  clear  enough  when 
taken  singly,  and  many  of  the  clauses  viewed  separately  had  an  ob 
vious  meaning,  he  had  failed  in  his  attempts  to  obtain  a  consistent  and 
satisfactory  view  of  the  whole ;  and  I  could  not  very  readily  point 
such  a  person  to  any  interpretation  of  the  passage  where  he  would 
find  a  complete  solution  of  his  doubts  and  difficulties. 

I  have  no  doubt  the  passage  has  often  been  read  without  the  per 
ception  of  any  difficulty ;  but  that  is  only  a  proof  how  inattentive 
many  readers  of  the  Bible  are  to  the  command  of  its  Author,  "  He 
that  readeth  let  him  understand."  It  is  good  to  observe  difficulties  ; 
it  is  the  first  step  towards  having  them  removed.  It  may  be  said,  I 
believe  it  is  often  thought,  an  unobserved  difficulty  can  do  no  harm ; 
but  this  is  a  mistake,  for  it  may  lead  into  error;  at  any  rate,  it  must 
prevent  us  from  apprehending  the  truth,  and  from  obtaining  from  it 
the  practical  advantages  it  is  intended  to  communicate. 

There  is  no  difficulty  in  the  first  clause,  "  Forasmuch  as  Christ  hath 
suffered  for  us  in  the  flesh/'  bearing,  as  it  plainly  does,  on  the  state 
ments  respecting  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  in  their  nature,  design,  and 
results,  contained  in  the  five  concluding  verses  of  the  preceding  chap 
ter  :  "  That  He  once  suffered  for  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  that  he 
might  bring  us  to  God ;  and  that  having  become  dead  in  the  flesh  he 
was  quickened  in  the  Spirit,  and  came  and  preached  to  the  spirits  who 
were  in  prison ;  and  being  raised  from  the  dead  is  gone  into  heaven, 
and,  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  has  angels,  and  principalities, 
and  powers  subjected  to  him ;"  and  referring  to  that  statement  as  the 
basis  on  which  the  apostle  is  about  to  place  the  following  exhortation. 
This  is  sufficiently  plain ;  but  the  difficulties  immediately  commence, 
and  they  come  in  considerable  number  and  close  succession. 

"  Arm  yourselves  with  the  same  mind."  With  what  mind  ?  If  it 
be  answered,  with  the  mind  or  disposition  of  Christ,  the  question  re 
turns,  But  what  is  said  about  his  mind  or  disposition  in  the  context? 
Absolutely  nothing.  His  sufferings  are  spoken  of;  their  nature,  their 
design,  their  results  are  particularly  referred  to,  but  there  is  nothing 
said  of  his  mind,  his  temper,  or  disposition.  Had  the  words  "Arm 
yourselves  with  the  same  mind,"  followed  the  very  similar  passage  in 
chapter  ii.  21-24:  "Christ  suffered  for  us,  leaving  us  an  example, 
that  we  should  follow  his  steps ;  who  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile 
found  in  his  mouth ;  who,  when  he  was  reviled,  reviled  not  again ; 
when  he  suffered,  he  threatened  not,  but  committed  himself  to  him 
who  judgeth  righteously,"  we  should  at  once  have  seen  the  connection. 
The  exhortation  would  have  seemed  to  rise  naturally  out  of  the 


DISC.  XVII. J  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  555 

statement,  "  Forasmuch  as  Christ  has  thus  suffered,  arm  yourselves  with 
the  same  mind"  when  ye  are  called  to  suffer.  But  here  the  exhorta 
tion  is  not  to  imitate  Christ  in  suffering,  but  to  make  the  fact  of  his 
having  suffered,  a  piece  of  armor,  offensive  and  defensive,  in  our 
conflicts  with  our  spiritual  adversaries. 

Then  come  the  words,  "  For  he  that  suffered  in  the  flesh  has  ceased 
from  sin;  that  he  no  longer  should  live  the  rest  of  the  time  in  the 
flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God."  Here  are  a  host 
of  perplexities.  Who  is  this  that  has  "  suffered  in  the  flesh  and  ceased 
from  sin  ?"  Is  it  Christ,  who  in  the  beginning  of  the  verse  is  said  to 
have  "suffered  for  us  in  the  flesh?"  That  certainly  is  the  meaning 
naturally  suggested  by  the  construction ;  but  what  can  be  meant  by 
Christ's  ceasing  from  sin?  and,  more  extraordinary  still,  what  can  be 
meant  by  his  ceasing  from  sin,  "  that  he  should  no  longer  live  the  rest 
of  his  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God." 
How  could  he  cease  from  sin  who  never  began  to  sin  ?  He  never 
lived  any  part  "  of  his  time  in  the  flesh,  to  the  lusts  of  men."  He 
was  always  "holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and  separate  from  sinners  ;"  l 
he  always  "lived  to  the  will  of  God."  It  was  "his  meat  to  do  the 
will  of  him  who  sent  him,  and  to  finish  his  work."  2  And  if  "he  who 
suffers  in  the  flesh"  be  any  one  who  suffers  bodily  affliction,  or  any 
Christian  who  suffers  bodily  affliction  for  Christ's  cause — and  it  has 
been  supposed  to  mean  all  these  by  different  interpreters — still,  we 
ask,  how  do  any  or  all  of  these  "  cease  from  sin  ?"  Is  bodily  affliction 
a  furnace,  which  uniformly  and  entirely  separates  the  dross  from  the 
precious  metal  in  the  human  character  ?  Does  a  man  need  only  to 
be  made  sufficiently  miserable  in  order  to  his  becoming  sufficiently 
holy  ?  And,  were  this  insuperable  difficulty  got  over,  what  is  meant 
by  a  man  ceasing  from  sin,  "  that  he  may  no  longer  live  to  the  lusts 
of  men  ?"  Is  not  that  very  like  an  assertion,  that  he  ceases  from  sin 
that  he  may  cease  from  sin  ?  And  then,  what  bearing  has  this  strange 
declaration  on  the  exhortation,  "  Arm  yourselves  with  the  same  mind ;" 
of  which  it  seems  brought  forward  as  an  enforcement? 

And  then,  looking  forward  to  the  conclusion  of  this  sentence,  the 
darkness  becomes  darkness  that  may  be  felt.  What  is  the  meaning 
of"  the  gospel  being  preached  to  them  who  are  dead  ?"  what  is  meant 
by  those  dead  being  "judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh?"  what 
by  their  "living  according  to  God  in  the  Spirit?"  And  what  con 
nection  have  these  two  things  with  what  they  seem  to  be  assigned  as 
the  reason  for ;  either  the  general  judgment,  or  Christians  avoiding 
sin  and  cultivating  holiness  ? 

I  readily  acknowledge  that  to  some  of  these  questions  I  cannot 
give  a  satisfactory  answer;  and  from  the  whole  sentence,  as  it  stands 
in  our  version,  it  does  not  seem  possible  to  extract  a  consistent  and 
pertinent  meaning.  It  is  not  wonderful  that  some  of  the  most  learned 
and  acute  interpreters  have  honestly  confessed  that  they  did  not  un 
derstand  it.  It  is  more  wonderful  and  less  creditable  that  many  ex 
positors  slur  over  the  matter,  and  leave  their  readers  equally  unin 
formed,  so  far  as  they  are  concerned,  as  to.  the  existence  of  difficulties, 

1  Heb.  vii.  26.  a  John  iv.  34. 


556  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII. 

or  the  means  of  lessening  or  removing  them.  I  do  not  know  that 
they  can  all  be  removed.  I  am  persuaded  many  of  them  may. 

A  few  remarks  on  the  meaning  of  a  word  or  two,  and  on  the  con 
struction  of  one  or  two  clauses,  will,  I  am  persuaded,  go  far  to  remove 
all  difficulty  from  the  first  and  second  verses,  and  to  make  them  a 
clear  expression  of  an  obviously  just  and  important  thought,  of  a  con 
sistent  and  pertinent  sentiment.  The  first  remark  as  to  the  meaning 
of  a  word  is  this — that  the  term  rendered  "  mind"  l  which  is,  to  say  the 
least,  not  its  usual  meaning,  should  have  been  translated  in  a  sense 
which  it  very  commonly  bears — "  thought."  "  Arm  yourselves  with 
this  same  thought ;"  and  if  you  ask  what  same  thought,  the  first  re 
mark  as  to  the  construction  of  the  clauses  will  give  a  satisfactory  an 
swer;  the  words  that  immediately  follow  contain  the  thought:  "He 
that  hath  suffered  in  the  flesh  hath  ceased,  or  rather,  has  been  made 
to  rest  from  sin  ;"  2  the  particle  rendered  for3  being  translated,  as  it 
very  frequently  is,  that — thus,  "  Arm  yourselves  with  this  same 
thought,  that  He  who  hath  suffered  in  the  flesh,  has  been  made  to  rest 
from  sin."  4  This  is  the  same  thought  referred  to  in  the  commence 
ment  of  the  verse,  and  more  fully  brought  out  in  the  concluding  verses 
of  the  preceding  chapter. 

As  to  the  construction  of  the  words,  we  have  to  remark  that  the 
second  verse  is  not  to  be  considered  as  connected  directly  with  the 
words  which  immediately  precede  it,  but  with  the  exhortation,  "Arm 
yourselves  with  this  same  thought ;"  and  expresses  the  end  to  be  sought 
by  that  means.  It  is  the  reply  to  the  inquiry,  For  what  purpose  are 
we  to  arm  ourselves  with  this  same  thought  ?  It  deserves  notice,  that 
there  is  nothing  in  the  words  themselves  restricting  them  either  to  the 
first,  second,  or  third  person.*  They  are  literally,  "  in  order  to  the  no 
longer  living  the  rest  of  the  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but 
to  the  will  of  God."  There  follow  in  the  next  four  verses  two  motives, 
urging  compliance  with  the  exhortation, — the  first  contained  in  the 
third,  fourth,  and  fifth  verses ;  the  second  contained  in  the  sixth. 

The  whole  passage,  then,  stands  thus :  "  Forasmuch  as  Christ  hath 
suffered  for  us  in  the  flesh,  arm  yourselves  with  this  same  thought, 
that  He  who  hath  suffered  in  the  flesh  has  been  made  to  rest  from 
sin."  And  why  arm  yourselves  with  this  thought  ?  "  that  ye  may  no 
longer  live  the  rest  of  your  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but 
to  the  will  of  God."  And  why  not  live  the  rest  of  your  time  to  the 
lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God  ?  (1.)  "  Because  the  time  passed 
of  our  life  may  suffice  us  to  have  wrought  the  will  of  the  Gentiles, 
when  we  walked  in.  lasciviousness,  lusts,  excess  of  wine,  revellings, 
banquetings,  and  abominable  idolatries ;  wherein  they  think  it  strange 
that  ye  run  not  with  them  to  the  same  excess  of  riot,  speaking  evil 
of  you,  who  shall  give  account  to  him  who  is  ready  to  judge  the 
quick  and  the  dead ;  and  (2.)  Because  for  this  cause  was  the  gospel 
preached  to  them  who  are  dead,  that  they  might  be  judged  accord 
ing  to  men  in  the  flesh,  but  live  according  to  God  in  the  spirit." 

Viewed  in  this  way,  the  sentence  hangs  well  together,  and  exhibits 
a  clear,  consistent,  and  important  meaning.  Its  general  plan  and 

*  'Ei^.a.  a  neVavro..  »  'On.  4  See  note  A. 

Eif  rd  [iriKirt  dvOpaJTTUit  ETTidv^inis  d\\a  Qt\fi^nLTi  OEOV  TOV  itri\otirov  iv  oapK\  fiiuaai  %p6vav. 


DISC.  XVII.]  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  557 

object  thus  become  apparent,  and  much  of  the  obscurity  resting  on 
particular  words  and  phrases  is  dispersed. 

There  is,  first,  the  brief  recapitulatory  statement  of  what  had  just 
been  stated  at  greater  length,  which  was  required  to  lay  a  foundation 
for  the  exhortation  which  the  apostle  is  just  about  to  give  forth : 
"  Forasmuch  as  Christ  hath  suffered  for  us  in  the  flesh,  so  suffered  as 
to  have  died,  and  been  raised  from  the  dead,  and  placed  at  God's  right 
hand ;  seeing  Christ  hath  thus  suffered  in  the  flesh  for  us" — 

Then  comes,  secondly,  the  exhortation  itself,  "  Arm  yourselves  with 
this  same  thought,  that  he  who  has  suffered  in  the  flesh  has  been  made 
to  rest  from  sin,  in  order  that  ye  may  no  longer  live  your  time  in  the 
flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God/'  The  exhortation 
calls  on  them  to  seek  a  particular  end  by  a  particular  means  ;  to  engage 
in  a  particular  course  of  conduct,  which  is  described  both  negatively 
and  positively  ;  negatively  as  not  living  to  the  lusts  of  men,  positively 
as  living  to  the  will  of  God ;  and  to  cultivate  a  particular  mode  of 
thinking,  in  order  to  their  successfully  following  out  this  mode  of 
acting,  "arming  themselves  with  this  thought,  he  that  hath  suffered  in 
the  flesh  has  been  made  to  rest  from  sin."  The  first  exhortation  is — 
"  No  longer  live  your  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the 
will  of  God  ;"  the  second — "Arm  yourselves  with  this  same  thought, 
that  he  who  has  suffered  in  the  flesh  has  been  made  to  rest  from  sin," 
in  order  that  you  may  avoid  the  one,  and  follow  the  other  of  these  two 
modes  of  conduct. 

Then  there  are,  thirdly,  the  motives  which  the  apostle  urges  on 
them  to  induce  them  to  comply  with  this  exhortation.  The  first 
refers,  chiefly,  to  the  course  they  should  abandon,  and  brings  forward 
its  criminal  and  disgraceful  character,  the  strange  infatuation  and 
waywardness  of  those  who  walk  in  it,  and  the  awful  responsibility  in 
which  they  are  involved.  It  is  the  "  way  of  the  Gentiles  ;"  it  consists 
in  "  lasciviousness,  lusts,  excess  of  wine,  revellings,  banquetings,  and 
abominable  idolatries ;"  then  they  who  walk  in  it,  are  so  infatuated  as 
to  "  wonder  that  you  do  not  run  with  them  into  the  same  excess  of 
riot,"  and  "  speak  evil  of  you  on  that  account ;"  and,  finally,  "  they 
must  give  account  of  themselves  to  him  who  is  ready  to  judge  the 
quick  and  the  dead."  Surely  this  is  not  a  way  to  walk  in.  We 
should  never  have  walked  in  it ;  we  have  walked  in  it  too  long ;  we 
must  walk  in  it  no  longer.  The  second  motive  refers,  principally,  to 
the  way  that  they  should  follow.  To  bring  men  into  this  way,  and 
keep  them  in  this  way,  is  the  great  design  of  preaching  the  gospel. 
"  For,  for  this  cause  was  the  gospel  preached  to  them  who  are  dead, 
that  they  may  be  judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh,  but  live  ac 
cording  to  God  in  the  spirit."  Some  of  the  phraseology  in  which  this 
motive  is  couched,  is  by  no  means  easy  of  explication ;  but  that  it 
does  express  a  motive  to  the  duty  enjoined,  and  that  that  motive  is, 
substantially,  that  the  great  design  why  the  gospel  is  preached  is,  to 
lead  men  to  the  discharge  of  that  duty,  cannot  reasonably  be  ques 
tioned.  This,  then,  is  the  general  division  of  the  subject,  according 
to  which  I  mean  to  arrange  my  subsequent  illustrative  remarks. 

These  preliminary  observations  have  been  longer  than  I  could 
have  wished ;  but  if  they  have,  in  any  measure,  gained  their  object, 


558  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII, 

of  enabling  us  better  to  understand  a  confessedly  difficult,  and  an 
obviously  important,  passage  of  Scripture,  neither  you  nor  I  will  have 
cause  to  regret  their  length.  That  man  does  not  rightly  estimate  the 
value  of  the  pure  ore  of  divine  truth,  who  grudges  the  labor  that  is 
necessary  to  dig  out  of  the  mine,  and  separate  it  from  rubbish ;  and 
who,  when  he  in  any  good  measure  succeeds,  does  not  "  rejoice  as  one 
who  findeth  great  spoil."  I  am  not  without  hope  that  we  shall  find 
this  passage,  though  at  first  sight  beset  with  so  many  difficulties,  in  no 
ordinary  decree  rich  in  Christian  doctrine,  and  law,  and  motive; 
"  profitable  for  doctrine,  and  for  rtfproof,  for  correction  and  instruc 
tion  in  righteousness." 


I— THE  BASIS  OF  THE  EXHORTATION. 

The  first  branch  of  the  subject — THE  GREAT  PRINCIPLE  OF  CHRISTIAN 
TRUTH,  "  Christ  hath  suffered  for  us  in  the  flesh,"  which  the  apostle 
lays  down  as  the  basis  of  his  exhortation,  need  not  detain  us  long,  as 
we  have  in  our  last  discourse  considered,  at  great  length,  the  full  an 
nouncement  of  it,  in  the  close  of  the  last  chapter,  on  which  the  more 
abbreviated  statement  in  the  text  plainly  reduplicates.  It  is  a  sum 
mary  of  all  that  is  most  peculiar  and  important  in  the  religion  of  Christ, 
a  comprehensive  epitome  of  the  gospel  of  our  salvation.  It  is  that 
which  Paul  first  received  and  first  declared  to  the  churches,  assuring 
them  that  it  was  that  gospel,  which,  if  they  received  it,  and  kept  it 
in  memory,  would  certainly  save  the  soul.1  Its  import  may  be  thus 
briefly  stated. 

Christ,  the  long-promised,  divinely-appointed,  divinely-qualified,  di 
vinely-accredited,  divine  Saviour,  in  human  nature  has  endured  nu 
merous,  varied,  violent,  severe  sufferings,  terminating  in  death. 

These  sufferings  were  penal,  "  for  sins,"  being  the  execution  of  the 
penal  sanction  of  the  divine  law,  the  manifestation  of  the  displeasure 
of  God  against  sin.  He  was  made  sin,  he  became  a  cur.se. 

These  sufferings  were  vicarious.  They  were  not  for  his  own  sins, 
for  he  had  none,  but  for  the  sins  of  men.  "He  suffered,  the  just  in 
the  room  of  the  unjust."  He  "became  a  curse"  in  the  room  of  the 
accursed.  "  We  all  like  sheep  had  gone  astray ;  we  had  turned  every 
one  to  his  own  way  ;  and  the  Lord  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all." 
"  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  he  was  bruised  for  our  ini 
quities,  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  on  him." 

These  sufferings  were  expiatory.  In  them  the  penalty  was  not  only 
borne,  but  borne  away.  He  made  an  end  of  sin,  by  making  recon 
ciliation  for  iniquity.  "  He  took  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself." 
"He  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,"  and  he  is  "set  forth  a  propitia 
tion  ;"  and  the  righteousness  of  God,  in  the  remission  of  sins,  is  thus 
declared,  "  God  being  just  and  the  justifier  of  him  who  believes  in 
Jesus." 

The  design  of  these  penal,  vicarious,  and  expiatory  sufferings  of 
the  divinely-appointed,  divinely-qualified,  divinely-accredited,  divine 
Saviour,  is  to  bring  men  to  God ;  to  restore  ignorant  and  deluded 

1  i  Cor.  xv.  1,  2. 


PART  II.]  OBJECT  TO  BE  SOUGHT.  559 

man  to  the  true  knowledge  of  God,  guilty  man  to  the  favor  of  God, 
depraved  man  to  the  image  of  God,  and  miserable  man  to  the  enjoy 
ment  of  God,  thus  making  him  truly  wise,  truly  good,  and  truly  happy 
forever. 

Finally,  while  these  sufferings  terminated  in  the  death  of  the  incar 
nate  Saviour,  they  obtained  for  him,  as  their  merited  reward,  that 
spiritual  power  which  he  exerts  through  the  preaching  of  the  gospel, 
in  giving  liberty  to  the  spiritually  enslaved,  and  life  to  the  spiritually 
dead ;  and  a  seat  at  God's  right  hand  in  the  Heaven  of  heavens, 
angels,  and  principalities,  and  powers,  being  made  subject  to  him. 
Such  is  the  great  truth  referred  to  by  the  apostle  in  the  words  "  Christ 
has  suffered  lor  us  in  the  flesh/'  and  which  he  lays  down  as  the  basis 
on  which  he  builds  an  exhortation  to  universal  holiness,  "  holiness  in 
all  manner  of  conversation." 


II— THE  EXHORTATION. 

That  EXHORTATION  forms  the  second  division  of  our  subject,  to  the 
consideration  of  which  we  now  proceed.  It  is  contained  in  these 
words :  "  Arm  yourselves  with  this  same  thought,  that  He  who  hath 
suffered  in  the  flesh  has  been  made  to  rest  from  sin,  that  ye  no  longer 
should  live  the  rest  of  your  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but 
to  the  will  of  God."  The  exhortation,  as  I  have  already  had  occa 
sion  to  remark,  is  twofold  ;  the  apostle  calls  on  them  to  use  certain 
means  in  order  to  secure  a  certain  end ;  to  cultivate  a  particular  mode 
of  thinking  that  they  may  follow  a  particular  course  of  conduct;  to 
arm  themselves  with  an  influential  thought  that  they  may  perform  a 
difficult  work.  It  will,  I  believe,  subserve  the  purpose  of  clear  expo 
sition,  if  we  consider  the  two  parts  of  the  exhortation  in  the  inverse 
order  in  which  they  are  presented  to  us  in  the  text ;  that  we  first  con 
sider  the  course  of  conduct  which  the  apostle  would  have  Christians 
to  pursue,  and  then  the  means  he  would  have  them  to  employ  in  order 
that  they  may  follow  that  course  of  conduct. 

§  1. — The  particular  object  to  be  sought — negative — positive. 

The  course  of  conduct  which  the  apostle  would  have  Christians  to 
pursue,  is  described  in  these  words  :  "  No  longer  live  the  rest  of  your 
time  in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  live  l  the  rest  of  your  time 
in  the  flesh  to  the  will  of  God."  The  exhortation,  you  perceive,  is 
both  negative  and  positive.  It  forbids  one  course  of  conduct  and  en 
joins  another. 

(1.)  Negative. — "Not  to  live  to  the  lusts  of  men." 

The  negative  exhortation  plainly  proceeds  on  the  principle,  thaf  in 
the  former  part  of  their  lives,  previously  to  their  conversion,  they  had 
been  distinguished  by  a  mode  of  conduct  not  only  different  from, 
but  directly  opposite  to,  that  by  which  they  ought  henceforward  to 
be  characterized  ;  they  had  done  what  they  are  now  not  to  do ;  they 
had  not  done  what  they  are  now  to  do;  they  had  lived  the  former 
1  ijc/o-ui.  Aptum  vcrburn:  non  dicitur  de  brutis. — BENGEL. 


560  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII. 

part  of  their  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  and  not  to  the  will 
of  God.  It  is  of  great  importance  that  Christians  should  keep  habitu 
ally  in  mind  their  state  and  character  previous  to  conversion;  "that 
they  should  often  look  to  the  rock  whence  they  were  hewn,  and  to  the 
hole  of  the  pit  whence  they  were  dug.".1  It  is  fitted  to  hide  pride 
from  their  eyes,  to  excite  gratitude,  to  deepen  the  sense  of  obligation. 
To  gain  these  ends  God's  ancient  people  were  often  put  in  mind  of 
their  humble  origin,  and  their  enslaved  state  in  Egypt ;  and  Christians 
are  frequently,  directly  and  indirectly,  called  on  to  reflect  on  the  state 
of  error  and  guilt  and  condemnation  and  spiritual  enslavement  from 
which  they  have  been  delivered.  "  Once  were  ye  darkness,  but  now 
are  ye  light  in  the  Lord ;  walk  in  the  light." 

"  Such  were  some  of  you,"  says  the  apostle,  after  giving  a  list  of 
enormous  transgressors  ;  "  Such  were  some  of  you,  but  ye  are  wash 
ed,  but  ye  are  sanctified,  but  ye  are  justified,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  by  the  spirit  of  our  God."  "  In  time  past,"  says  he,  speak 
ing  to  those  who  had  been,  in  the  great  love  wherewith  the  God  who 
is  rich  in  mercy  had  loved  them,  quickened  together  with  Christ,  and 
made  to  sit  together  in  heavenly  places  in  him,  "  ye  were  dead  in  tres 
passes  and  sins ;  ye  walked  according  to  the  course  of  this  world, 
according  to  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  the  spirit  that  now 
worketh  in  the  children  of  disobedience ;  among  whom  also,  we  all 
had  our  conversation  in  time  past,  in  the  lusts  of  our  flesh  fulfilling 
the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind,  and  were  by  nature  the 
•  children  of  wrath,  even  as  others."  "  Remember,"  says  he,  "  that  at 
that  time  ye  were  without  Christ,  being  aliens  from  the  common 
wealth  of  Israel,  and  strangers  from  the  covenants  of  promise,  having 
no  hope  and  being  without  God  in  the  world."  2  And  here  the  apos 
tle,  not  the  less  impressively  because  indirectly,  reminds  the  Christians 
to  whom  he  wrote,  that  they  had  spent  the  former  part  of  their  lives 
in  rebellion  against  God,  and  in  base  subjection  to  his  and  their 
enemies. 

"  The  time  in  the  flesh"  is  an  expression  just  equivalent  to  the  peri 
od  of  our  mortal  life.  During  the  past  part  of  this  life,  previous  to 
their  conversion,  they  had  lived  "  not  to  the  will  of  God,  but  to  the 
lusts  of  men."  To  live  to  the  will  of  God,  is  to  live  according  to  the 
will  of  God,  to  make  the  will  of  God  the  supreme  rule  and  the  ulti 
mate  reason  of  our  sentiments  and  conduct.  In  his  unconverted  state 
no  man  does  this.  He  is  ignorant  and  misinformed  as  to  the  will  of 
God,  and  no  way  disposed  to  seek  after  more  extended  or  accurate 
information  on  this  subject:  He  does  "  not  like  to  retain  God  in  his 
knowledge  ;"  and  when  God  presses  the  truth  re  specting  his  will  on 
such  a  man's  notice,  he  turns  away,  saying  in  his  heart,  "  Let  me 
alone,"  "  depart  from  me,  I  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  will  or 
thy  ways."  In  most  cases,  in  forming  a  determination  as  to  a  course 
of  conduct,  the  question,  '  Is  the  course  resolved  on  agreeable  to,  or 
inconsistent  with,  the  will  of  God  ?'  is  never  put.  God  is  not  in  all 
the  thoughts.  Nor  is  this  the  worst  of  it ;  for  there  are  cases  in 
which  the  man  is,  from  circumstances,  compelled  to  admit  into  his 
calculations  the  element  of  conformity  or  disconformity  with  the  will 

1  Isa.  li.  1,  2.  a  Epli.  v.  8.     1  Oor.  vi.  11.     Eph.  ii.  1,  2,  11,  12. 


PART  II.]  OBJECT    TO    BE    SOUGHT.  561 

of  God ;  and  then,  instead  of  giving  it  its  proper  place,  which  is  that 
of  supreme  control,  he  deliberately  sets  it  aside,  and  proceeds  to 
choose  and  to  act  in  direct  opposition  to  what  he  knows  to  be  the 
Divine  will,  choosing  and  doing  what  he  knows  God  disapproves,  and 
rejecting  and  refusing  to  do  what  he  knows  God  approves. 

And  while  thus  not  living  to  the  will  of  God,  he  is  living  "  to  the 
lusts  of  men."  The  lusts  of  men  are  just  the  desires  whereby  man 
kind  in  their  fallen  state  are  characterized ;  some  of  them  sinful  in 
themselves,  others  of  them  innocent  in  themselves,  but  faulty  from 
excess  or  misdirection ;  all  of  them  unfitted  for  a  purpose  which  they 
were  never  meant  to  answer,  to  be  the  regulating  principle  of  con 
duct.  And  to  live  to  these  desires  is  just  to  make  them  the  rule  and 
reason  of  what  we  do ;  to  spend  life  in  endeavoring  to  obtain  the 
gratification  of  these  desires,  seeking  to  conform  ourselves  to  our  own 
natural  inclinations ;  "  fashioning  ourselves,"  as  the  apostle  phrases 
it  in  the  first  chapter  of  this  Epistle,  "  according  to  our  former  lusts 
in  our  ignorance ;"  forming  our  character  entirely  under  their  influ 
ence,  and  the  influence  of  their  objects,  present  and  sensible  things, 
"  things  seen  and  temporal ;"  or  seeking  to  conform  ourselves  to  those 
desires  as  reigning  in  and  manifested  by  others,  being  "  conformed  to 
this  world/'  embracing  commonly  prevalent  opinions,  regulating  our 
selves  by  commonly  prevalent  maxims,  just  because  they  are  com 
rnonly  prevalent,  "  walking  according  to  the  course  of  this  world ;  and, 
while  obstinately  refusing  to  be  servants  of  God  in  living  to  his  will, 
basely  becoming  the  slaves  of  men  by  living  to  their  lusts.  This  is  a 
true  account  of  the  mode  of  life  of  every  unrenewed  man.  It  was 
once  the  mode  of  life  of  those  to  whom  the  apostle  is  writing.  It 
was  once  the  mode  of  life  of  every  true  Christian.  It  is  the  mode  of 
life  of  vast  multitudes  of  professed  Christians  still. 

But,  says  the  apostle  to  the  strangers  scattered  abroad,  this  must  be 
your  mode  of  life  no  longer.  Now  that  ye  are  "  in  Christ,"  ye  must 
become  "  new  creatures ;  old  things  must  pass  away,  and  all  things 
must  become  new."  1  You  must  no  more  live  the  rest  of  your  time 
in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God.  "  Worldly 
desires,"  whether  in  yourselves  or  in  others,  are  not  to  be  the  guiding 
principles  of  your  conduct.  You  are  not,  because  you  desire,  or  other 
men  desire,  a  particular  object,  to  set  about  forthwith  to  endeavor  to 
obtain  it.  You  are  to  bring  all  your  own  desires,  and  all  the  desires 
of  others,  viewed  as  influencing  your  choice  and  conduct,  before  the 
tribunal  of  a  higher  principle  ;  and,  according  to  its  awards,  you  are  to 
refuse,  or  modify,  or  gratify  them.  Where  they  are  condemned,  they 
are,  as  existing  in  ourselves,  to  be  sought  to  be  weakened  and  destroy 
ed  ;  cut  off,  though  apparently  useful  as  a  right  hand ;  pulled  out, 
though  felt  to  be  dear  as  a  right  eye ;  and  cast  from  us  as  an  abomi 
nable  and  pernicious  thing ;  and,  as  existing  in  others,  they  are  not  to 
be  complied  with.,  but  steadily  resisted.  And  even  where  they  are 
not  sinful  in  their  nature,  but  merely  in  danger  of  becoming  exorbi 
tant  in  their  demands,  they  are  never  to  be  permitted  to  be  the  guide 
of  our  conduct,  the  controlling  power  of  action.  Christians  are  not 
to  "  obey  sin  by  the  desires  of  the  body,  yielding  their  members  to  it 

1  2  Cor.  v.  17. 
36 


562  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII. 

as  the  instruments  of  unrighteousness."  They  are  not  to  "  make 
provision  for  the  flesh  to  fulfil  its  desires ;"  on  the  contrary,  they  are 
to  "  mortify  their  members  that  are  on  the  earth ;"  they  are  to  "  cru 
cify  the  flesh  with  its  affections  and  lusts ;"  they  are  to  "  deny  them 
selves  ;"  they  are  not  to  be  "  conformed  to  this  present  world ;"  and 
they  are  to  turn  away  from  them  "  who  walk  after  their  own  ungodly 
desires ;"  they  are  to  "  have  no  fellowship  with  the  unfruitful  works 
of  darkness,  but  rather  to  reprove  them."  They  are  not  to  "  walk 
as  men,"  but  as  Christians ;  not  as  "  born  of  the  flesh,"  but  as  "  born 
of  the  Spirit."  l 

(2.)  Positive—"  To  live  to  the  will  of  God." 

The  principle  which  is  to  guide  their  conduct  and  fashion  their 
character,  and  which  is  to  control  and  direct  the  desires,  whether  in 
themselves  or  others,  as  principles  of  their  conduct,  is  "  the  will  of 
God."  They  are  to  live  the  rest  of  their  time  in  the  flesh,  "  to  the 


^<   j  )) 


will  of  God."  that  is,  according  to  the  will  of  God.  Not  human  de 
sire,  either  in  ourselves  or  others,  but  Divine  will,  is  to  be  the  rule  and 
reason  of  our  conduct. 

The  will  of  God  is  the  rule  of  his  own  conduct.  "  He  worketh  all 
things  according  to  the  counsel  of  his  own  will."  "  He  doeth  accord 
ing  to  his  will  in  the  armies  of  heaven,  and  among  the  inhabitants  of 
the  earth."  His  will  is  the  law  of  all  inanimate  and  irrational  being. 
"  He  has  established  the  earth,  and  it  abideth.  They  continue  this 
day  according  to  his  ordinance,  for  all  are  his  servants."  This  will  is 
the  rule  and  the  reason  of  the  conduct  of  all  holy,  intelligent  beings. 
The  angels  that  excel  in  strength,  "  do  his  commandments,  hearken 
ing  unto  the  voice  of  his  word ;  they  are  his  ministers  that  do  his 
pleasure."  2  This  will  should  be  the  rule  and  reason  of  the  conduct 
of  all  intelligent  beings. 

The  will  of  God  can  be  the  rule  and  reason  of  the  conduct  of  intel 
ligent  beings,  only  in  the  degree  in  which  it  is  revealed  to,  and  known 
by,  them.  The  secret  will  of  God,  or  what  we  ordinarily  term  his 
decrees,  so  far  as  unrevealed,  cannot  be  the  guide  of  our  conduct.  But 
when  his  will  becomes  apparent  in  his  providential  dispensations,  then 
it  is  our  duty  to  submit  to  it  with  unmurmuring  acquiescence,  how 
ever  opposed  to  our  natural  inclination,  saying,  "  It  is.  the  Lord ;  let 
him  do  with  us  what  seemeth  good  in  his  sight.  The  will  of  the 
Lord  be  done.  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven."3 

It  is  however  his  will,  as  made  known  in  his  word,  that  is  to  be  the 
chief,  the  paramount  rule  of  our  conduct.  He  has,  in  the  Scriptures 
of  truth,  "showed  us  what  is  good  and  what  he  requires  of  us  ;"  "his 
good,  and  acceptable,  and  perfect  will."  4  He  has  declared  to  us  what 
is  true,  and  what  is  right ;  and  it  ought  to  be  our  habitual  endeavor 
to  ascertain  what  he  has  declared  to  be  true,  that  we  may  believe  it ; 
what  he  has  declared  to  be  right,  that  we  may  do  it.  To  the  ques- 

\  Matt.  v.  29,  30;  xviti.  8.     Rom.  vi.  12,  13;  xiii.  14.     Col.  iii.  5.     Gal.  v.  24.     Matt 
xvi.  24.     Rom.  xii.  2.     2  Tim.  iii.  5.     Eph.  v.  11.     2  Cor.  iii.  3.     John  iii.  4. 
Eph.  i.  11.     Dan.  iv.  35.     Psal.  cxix.  90  ;  ciii.  20,  21. 
1  Sam.  iii.  18.    Acts  xxi.  14.    Matt.  vi.  10.  *  Micah  vi.  8.     Rom.  xii.  2. 


PART  II. J  OBJECT    TO    BE    SOUGHT.  563 

tion,  may  we  do  this  ?  we  should  reply  by  the  question,  does  the  rev 
elation  of  his  will  permit  it  ?  To  the  question,  must  we  do  this  ?  by 
the  question  does  the  revelation  of  his  will  require  it?  And  no  amount 
of  opposite  influence,  from  whatever  quarter  it  may  come,  whether 
from  inclination,  or  interest,  or  general  opinion,  must  be  permitted  to 
induce  us  to  do  what  that  revelation  says  we  may  not  do,  or  to  neglect 
what  it  says  we  must  do.  "  Whatsoever  we  do,  whether  in  word  or 
in  deed,  we  must  do  it  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not  as  to  men ;"  acknowl 
edging  his  authority,  seeking  his  approbation.  Regarding  ourselves 
as  his  property,  we  must  seek  to  dispose  of  that  property  according 
to  his  will.  Knowing  that  we  are  not  our  own,  and  therefore  not  to 
be  regulated  by  our  own  will ;  not  other  men's,  and  therefore  not  to 
be  regulated  by  their  will,  but  God's ;  originally  his,  and  anew 
made  his,  by  being  "  bought  with  a  price,"  we  are  to  "  glorify  him," 
by  working  that  which  is  well-pleasing  in  his  sight,  "  in  our  bodies 
and  in  our  spirits,  which  are  his/'  "  Whether  we  live,  we  are  to  live 
to  the  Lord ;  whether  we  die,  we  are  to  die  to  the  Lord ;  whether 
living  or  dying,  we  are  to  act  as  His."  "  Alive  unto  God,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  we  are  to  live  to  him ;  yielding  ourselves  to 
him  as  his  servants,  and  our  members  to  him  as  the  instruments  of 
holiness."  "For  this  is  the  will  of  God,  even  our  sanctification ;" 
our  entire  separation  in  temper,  and  spirit,  and  conduct,  from  "  the 
world  lying  under  the  wicked  one ;"  "  the  Gentiles  who  know  not 
God."  i 

This  view  of  Christian  duty  in  its  two  parts,  of  not  living  to  the 
lusts  of  men,  and  living  to  the  will  of  God,  is  quite  coincident  with 
many  other  representations  contained  in  the  New  Testament ;  as 
when  Christians  are  commanded  to  "  put  off  the  old  man,  and  to  put 
on  the  new  man ;"  to  "  cleanse  themselves  from  all  filthiness  of  the 
flesh  and  spirit,  and  to  perfect  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God  ;"  to  "  es 
cape  from  the  corruption  that  is  in  the  world  through  lust,"  and  to 
put  on  "a  Divine  nature;"  to  "be  not  conformed  to  this  world,  but 
so  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  the  mind,  as  to  prove  what  is  the 
good,  and  perfect,  and  acceptable  will  of  God ;"  "  to  deny  ungodliness 
and  worldly  lusts,  and  to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in  the 
present  world."  2 

It  deserves  to  be  noticed  in  conclusion  here,  that  the  phraseology, 
"to  live  the  rest  of  your  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  will  of  God,"  natu 
rally  intimates,  that  the  course  enjoined  is  to  be  a  persevering  one. 
There  is  to  be  no  returning  to  living  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  a  con 
tinuing  during  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  life  to  live  to  the  will  of  God ; 
a  constant  "  continuance  in  well-doing."  Christians  "  have  need  of 
patience," 3  that  is,  of  perseverance.  They  must  persevere,  that  hav 
ing  done  the  will  of  God  they  may  obtain  the  promise.  He  that 
turns  back,  turns  back  to  perdition.4 

Let  us,  my  brethren,  endeavor  to  reduce  to  practice  the  lesson 
which  has  now  been  given  us,  of  living  not  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but 

1  1  Cor.  vi.  20.     Rom.  xiv.  8 ;  vi.  11,  13.     1  Thess.  iv.  3. 

2  Eph.  iv.  22,  24.     2  Cor.  vii.  1.    2  Pet.  L  4.     Rom.  xii.  2.    Tit.  ii.  12. 

9  'Yrrofiovfj. — Luke  viii.  15.    Rom.  ii.  7 ;  viii.  25.    Heb.  xii.  1.    "  Perseverance"  is  the 
ordinary  meaning  of  this  word  in  the  New  Testament. 
4  Heb.  x.  36-39. 


564  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII 

to  the  will  of  God.  To  act  otherwise  is  folly  and  sin  in  all;  but  it  is 
doubly  sin  and  folly  in  those  who  profess  the  faith  of  Christ.  Do  you 
not,  brethren,  profess  to  have  been  delivered  from  the  present  evil 
world  by  Christ's  having  given  himself  for  you  by  the  will  of  God  ? 
Have  you  not  said  that  the  world  is  crucified  to  you  by  that  cross  of 
Christ  in  which  you  glory  ?  Have  you  not  said  that  ye  are  Christ's  ? 
And  is  it  not  written,  that  "  they  who  are  Christ's  have  crucified  the 
flesh,  with  the  affections  and  lusts  ?"1  And  while  you  have  denied 
that  you  are  the  world's,  ye  have  declared  that  ye  are  the  Lord's ; 
and  while  you  have  renounced  it,  ye  have  avouched  Him.  You  have 
said,  "  His  we  are,  and  Him  we  will  serve."  See,  then,  that  you  do 
not  live  to  the  lusts  of  men  who  know  not  God—"  worldly  lusts." 
See  that  you  do  not  make  the  gratification  of  your  own  natural  incli 
nations,  in  any  of  their  endlessly-diversified  forms,  the  object  of  life. 
Be  not  regulated  by  the  love  of  worldly  pleasure,  of  worldly  honor, 
of  worldly  power,  of  worldly  wealth.  In  one  word,  see  that  you 
"  love  not  the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in  the  world."  a  See 
that  you  do  not  make  present,  sensible,  apparent  good,  the  great  sub 
ject  of  your  thoughts,  the  great  object  of  your  affections. 

On  the  other  hand,  see  that  you  live  to  the  will  of  Him  whom  ye 
have  called  Master  and  Lord ;  and  that  you  may  do  so,  "  be  ye  not 
unwise,  but  understand  what  the  will  of  the  Lord  is."  3  Grow  in  the 
knowledge  of  his  will ;  and  that  you  may  do  so,  do  his  will  so  far  as 
you  know  it.  "  If  any  man  will  do,"  that  is,  is  disposed  to  do  his 
will,  he  shall  "know  of  the  doctrine  whether  it  be  of  God."  4  "  The 
meek,"  the  docile,  the  obedient,  "  he  will  lead  in  judgment,  and  the 
meek  will  he  teach  his  way."  Seek,  then,  to  stand  "  perfect  and 
complete  in  all  the  will  of  God."  Seek  to  be  like  Him  whose  name 
you  bear ;  who  said,  "  I  delight  to  do  thy  will ;  thy  law  is  in  my 
heart."  "  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven, 
and  to  finish  his  work."  Rest  not  in  profession.  Remember  the 
words  of  our  Lords  Jesus  :  "  Not  every  one  that  saith  Lord,  Lord, 
shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my 
Father  who  is  in  heaven."  5 

Guard  against  the  soul-destroying  delusion,  that  it  is  possible  to  live 
both  to  the  lusts  of  men,  and  to  the  will  of  God,  at  the  same  time. 
The  attempt  has  often  been  made;  but  the  thing  is  impossible.  Be 
fore  it  succeed,  truth  and  falsehood,  light  and  darkness,  good  and  evil, 
must  become  one.  "  No  man  can  serve  two  masters ;  for  either  he 
must  love  the  one  and  hate  the  other,  or  he  must  cleave  to  the  one 
and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon.  Love 
not  the  world,  nor  the  things  that  are  in  the  world ;  for  if  ye  do,  the 
love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  you.  The  friendship  of  the  world  is  en 
mity  with  God." 

The  wisdom  of  taking  the  course  recommended,  is  demonstrable 
already  to  all  whose  senses  are,  in  any  measure,  "  exercised  to  discern 
between  good  and  evil."  Yet  a  little  while,  and  it  will  be  made  pal 
pable  to  all  mankind.  "  All  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh, 
and  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life,  is  not  of  the  Father,  but 

1  Gal.  v.  24.  «  i  John  ii.  15.  s  Eph.  v.  17. 

4  John  vii.  17.  •  PsaL  xl.  8.    John  iv.  34.     Matt.  vii.  21. 


PART  II.]  MEANS    FOR    OBTAINING    THE    OBJECT.  565 

is  of  the  world.     And  the  world  passeth  away,  and  the  lust  thereof: 
but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  God  abideth  forever."  l 

Our  prayer  for  you,  brethren,  is  that  "  the  God  of  peace  who  brought 
again  from  the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus,  that  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep, 
by  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant,  may  make  you  perfect  in 
every  good  work,  working  in  you  that  which  is  pleasing  in  his  sight." 
And  let  this  be  the  prayer  of  each  of  you  for  himself:  "  Teach  me  to 
do  thy  will,  for  thou  art  my  God ;  thy  Spirit  is  good,  lead  me  to  the 
land  of  uprightness.  Quicken  me,  O  Lord,  for  thy  name's  sake  :  for 
thy  righteousness'  sake  bring  me  out  of  trouble :  And  of  thy  mercy 
cut  off*  my  enemies,  and  destroy  all  them  that  afflict  my  soul :  for  I 
am  thy  servant."  Yes,  say,  "  Truly,  O  Lord,  I  am  thy  servant,  the 
son  of  thy  handmaid  :  thou  hast  loosed  my  bonds,"  and  "  I  will  walk 
at  liberty ;  for  I  seek  thy  precepts."  "  Depart  from  me,  ye  evil-doers, 
for  I  will  keep  the  commandments  of  my  God."  2 

§  2. — The  means  for  obtaining  the  practical  object  ;  the  arming  them 
selves  with  the  thought,  "  He  that  hath  suffered  in  the  flesh  hath 
ceased  from  sin." 

Having  thus  shown  at  once  the  course  which  Christians  ought  to 
avoid,  and  the  course  which  they  ought  to  follow,  I  now  proceed  to 
consider  the  second  part  of  the  second  great  division  of  the  text — 
the  view  which  the  apostle  gives  us  of  the  means  which  Christians 
must  employ  to  enable  them  to  avoid  the  first  of  these  courses,  which 
is  natural  to  all  men,  and  to  which  the  Christian  is  strongly  solicited 
and  urged  both  from  within  and  without ;  and  to  follow  the  second, 
which  nothing  but  the  new  mind,  rising  out  of  the  belief  of  Christian 
truth  under  Divine  influence,  will  induce  any  man  to  follow,  and  to 
depart  from  which  the  Christian  is  exposed  to  many  and  powerful 
temptations,  both  internal  and  external.  "  Arm  yourselves  with  this 
thought,  that  he  who  has  suffered  in  the  flesh  has  been  made  to  rest 
from  sin."  Arm  yourselves  with  this  thought,  "  in  order  to  your  no 
longer  living  the  rest  of  your  time  in  the  flesh,  to  the  lusts  of  men, 
but  to  the-  will  of  God." 

The  language  here  is  figurative,  but  by  no  means  obscure.  It  very 
clearly  and  impressively  indicates  that  the  course  recommended  is  a 
course  full  of  difficulty  and  obstructions.  It  is  a  struggle,  a  conflict. 
There  are  powerful  influences,  both  from  within  and  from  without, 
constantly  put  forth  to  induce  the  Christian  to  "  live  his  time  in  the 
flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,"  and  to  prevent  him  from  living  his  time  in 
the  flesh  to  the  will  of  God.  This  is  the  great  object  which  his 
spiritual  enemies  are  constantly  endeavoring  to  gain.  "  The  flesh 
lusteth  against  the  spirit ;"  the  world,  by  its  allurements  and  terrors, 
endeavors  to  make  the  Christian  "  walk  according  to  its  course,"  to 
"  be  conformed  to  it,"  by  "  living  to  its  deceitful  lusts,"  and  to  pre 
vent  him  from  being  "  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  his  mind,  so  as 

1  Matt.  v.  24.  1  John  ii.  15-17.  "  Perdit  quod  vivit,  qui  te  Deum  non  diligit ;  qui 
curat  vivere,  non  propter  te,  Domine,  nihil  est  et  pro  nihilo  est ;  qui  tibi  vivere  recusat 
mortuus  est ;  qui  tibi  non  sapit,  desipit." — AUGUSTINUS. 

3  Heb.  xiii.  20,  21.     Psal.  cxliii.  10-12;  cxvi.  16  ;  cxix.  45,  115. 


566  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.   XVII. 

to  prove  the  good,  and  perfect,  and  acceptable  will  of  God ;"  and  this, 
too,  is  the  great  end  of  all  the  machinations  and  assaults,  "  the  wiles" 
and  "  the  fiery  darts"  of  that  powerful,  and  crafty,  and  malignant  ad 
versary,  the  Devil,  who  is  ever  seeking  to  bring  back  the  rescued 
captives  to  his  debasing  slavery,  or  to  retard  them  in;  disabling  them 
for,  the  service  of  their  new  Master — the  object  equally  of  his  terror 
and  his  hatred.  The  Christian  must  fight  his  way,  and  has  need  of 
"  the  armor  of  righteousness"  before  and  behind,  "  on  the  right  hand 
and  the  left."1 

The  combat  is  a  spiritual  one,  and  the  armor  must  correspond  with 
it.  Truth  lodged  in  the  mind,  by  being  understood  and  believed,  and 
meditated  on,  is  the  grand  means  of  warfare,  both  defensive  and 
offensive,  with  error  and  sin,  and  with  those  malignant  spiritual  agen 
cies  which  are  constantly  endeavoring  to  lead  us  into  error  and  sin. 
It  is  by  arming  ourselves  with  true  thoughts,  that  the  Christian  is  pre 
pared  with  determined  resolution  to  stand  and  to  withstand.  His 
"  good  fight"  is  the  "  fight  of  faith ;"  his  sword  the  word  of  God  ;  his 
shield  the  confidence,  and  his  helmet  the  hope,  which  that  word  be 
lieved  excites  in  the  soul.  "  The  word  of  truth"  is  "  the  armor  of 
righteousness." 

Every  part  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ  may  be  turned  to  account  in 
the  spiritual  warfare.  In  resisting  attempts  to  bring  him  again  into 
bondage,  and  in  fighting  his  way  forward  to  perfect  holiness  and  eter 
nal  life,  there  are  many  thoughts  which  the  Christian  will  find  avail 
able  for  armor,  both  for  attack  and  defence.  There  is,  indeed,  no 
scriptural  truth  which  may  not  be  turned  to  account  in  this  way ;  and 
our  blessed  Lord  has,  in  his  conflict  with  the  great  adversary,  as  re 
corded  in  the  gospel,  set  us  an  example  in  this  respect,  that  we  may 
follow  his  steps.  The  Captain  of  Salvation  has  there  shown  his  sol 
diers  what  their  weapons  are,  and  how  to  use  them.2 

But  there  is  ONE  thought  which  the  apostle  recommends  to  the 
Christians  to  whom  he  was  writing,  as  pre-eminently  useful  as  armor 
in  this  spiritual  conflict.  "  Arm  yourselves  with  this  same  thought, 
He  that  hath  suffered  in  the  flesh  has  been  made  to  rest  from  sin." 
Let  this  thought  sink  deep  into  your  hearts  by  being  well  understood 
and  firmly  believed ;  let  it  be  habitually  present  to  your  minds  by 
being  often  meditated  on,  arid  you  will  find  it  a  most  powerful  means 
of  enabling  you,  in  opposition  to  all  temptations  of  whatever  kind, 
during  the  rest  of  your  time  in  the  flesh,  to  live,  not  to  the  lusts  of 
men,  but  to  the  will  of  God.  This  truth  understood,  believed,  and 
reflected  on,  will  be  found  the  grand  instrumental  means,  so  far  as 
you  are  concerned,  of  Christian  sanctification. 

(1.)   The  thought  explained. 

To  illustrate  this  part  of  our  subject,  it  is  necessary  that  we  should 
satisfactorily  reply  to  two  questions :  What  is  this  thought  ?  And 
how  is  it  fitted  to  serve  its  purpose  ? 

There  is  the  greater  need  for  attending  to  the  first  of  these  ques 
tions,  as  the  language  is  so  general  as  that,  taken  by  itself,  it  is  some- 

1  Gal.  v.  17.    Rom.  xil.  2.    Eph.  vi.  11,  16.     2  Cor.  vi.  7.  a  Matt.  iv.  3-10. 


PART  II.]        MEANS  FOR  OBTAINING  THE  OBJECT.  567 

what  equivocal  and  even  enigmatical.  "  He  that  has  suffered  in  the 
flesh  has  been  made  to  rest  from  sin."  l  What  is  the  precise  mean 
ing  folded  up  in  these  words,  to  which  so  powerful  an  energy  is  as 
cribed  ? 

The  words  have  been  considered  by  some  interpreters  as  a  state 
ment  of  the  salutary  influence  of  bodily  affliction,  or  external  calamity 
generally,  in  promoting  moral  improvement.  In  their  most  general 
sense,  that  he  who  sustains  bodily  or  external  calamities  is  made  to 
cease  or  rest  from  sin,  it  is  plainly  not  true  without  very  great  limi 
tations.  In  many  cases  affliction,  instead  of  producing  cessation 
from  sin,  exasperates  the  depraved  principles.  The  case  of  Ahaz  is 
no  singular  one,  who,  "  in  the  time  of  his  distress,  trespassed  yet  more 
against  the  Lord."  When  the  wrath  of  God  came  upon  the  Israel 
ites,  "  for  all  this  they  sinned  still  the  more."  The  cessation  from 
sin  produced  merely  by  affliction,  is  but  partial  and  temporary.  On 
another  occasion,  besides  that  just  referred  to,  "  when  God  slew  the 
Israelites,"  it  is  said,  "  then  they  sought  him,  and  they  returned  and 
inquired  early  after  God;"  but  it  is  added,  "yet  their  heart  was  not 
right  with  him ;"  and  it  is  of  these  very  persons  that  it  is  said,  "  How 
often  did  they  provoke  him  in  the  wilderness,  and  tempt  him  in  the 
desert !"  Unaccompanied  by  Divine  teaching,  both  by  the  word 
and  the  Spirit,  mere  affliction  will  make  no  man  cease  from  sin. 
"  Blessed  is  the  man  whom  thou  chasteneth,  and  teachest  him  out  of 
thy  law ;"  this  is,  the  afflicted  man,  the  only  afflicted  man  to  whom 
God  gives  "  rest  from  the  days  of  adversity."  2  Even  limited  to  the 
sufferings  of  the  regenerate,  the  statement  is  at  once  exaggerated  and 
inapposite.  Afflictions  are  indeed  most  useful  to  true  Christians. 
They  "  try,  and  purify"  them,  and  "  make  them  white."  Their  de 
sign  is,  and  to  a  certain  extent  it  is  gained,  to  "  make  them  partakers 
of  the  Divine  holiness ;" 3  but  surely  it  cannot  be  said  of  every,  it 
cannot  be  said  of  any,  afflicted  Christian  in  the  present  state,  that  he 
has  "  ceased  from  sin :"  and  though  the  thought  that  affliction  is  de 
signed,  and  under  Divine  influence  is  calculated  to  mortify  sin,  is 
well  fitted  to  reconcile  a  Christian  to  suffering,  it  is  difficult  to  see 
how  it  is  pre-eminently  fitted  to  enable  him  to  "  live  the  rest  of  his 
time  not  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God." 

The  suffering  here  referred  to  is  not  suffering  in  the  flesh  generally, 
it  is  the  kind  of  suffering  that  the  apostle  is  speaking  of  in  the  text 
and  context:  "suffering  in  the  flesh  for  sin,"  even  unto  death.  It 
was  thus  that  Christ  suffered  in  the  flesh ;  he  "  suffered  for  sins,"  and 
he  so  suffered  as  to  be  put  to  death,  or  "  become  dead  in  the  flesh." 
I  have  no  doubt  the  expression,  "He  that  hath  suffered  in  the  flesh," 
refers  to  our  Lord ;  but  I  have  as  little,  that  it  does  not  refer  to  our 
Lord  alone.  It  is  said  that  He  suffered  in  the  flesh  "  for  us,"  that  is, 
for  believers,  not  only  for  our  benefit,  but  in  our  room.  He  suffered 
the  just  in  the  room  of  the  unjust.  When  he  suffered  "  for  sin,"  we 
suffered  in  him ;  his  flesh  was  as  it  were  our  flesh ;  and  his  sufferings 

1  Bengel  explains  ^nav-ai  as  equivalent  to  "  immunitateni  nactus  est ;"  and  "Winer  sayg, 
that  though  usually  translated  "  peccare  desiit,"  it  may  also  be  taken  passively,  "  he  has 
rest  from  sin." — Gram.  P.  iii.  §  40,  p.  207. 

2  Psal.  Ixxviii.  32,  34,  37,  40  ;  xciv.  12,  13.  s  Heb.  xii.  10. 


568  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII. 

in  that  flesh  were  as  it  were  our  sufferings.  If  he  died  in  our  room, 
then,  according  to  the  apostle's  reasoning,  we  died  too,  we  died  in 
in  him.1  "He  that,  has  suffered  in  the  flesh,"  is  descriptive  of  every 
man  who  by  the  faith  of  the  gospel  is  united  to  Christ  as  having  died, 
every  man  who  is  "  in  him." 

I  apprehend  that  the  apostle  intentionally  used  a  considerably  indefi 
nite  expression,  for  the  purpose  of  including  both  Christ,  and  those 
who  are  Christ's,  very  much  in  the  same  way  as  his  beloved  brother 
Paul,  when,  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  verse 
seventh,  illustrating  the  same  subject,  the  necessary  connection  be 
tween  the  atonement  and  the  sanctification  of  those  who  are  person 
ally  interested  in  the  atonement,  he  says,  "  He  that  is  dead,"  that  is, 
has  died,  died  for  sin,  "  is  free  from  sin."  *'  This  thing,"  to  allude  to 
the  words  of  the  Apostle  John,  "  is  true,  in  Him  and  in  us."  The 
declaration,  He  that  has  suffered  in  the  flesh  has,  in  consequence  of 
his  sufferings,  been  made  to  rest  from  sin,  is  one,  applicable,  and,  if 
we  do  not  much  mistake,  intended  to  be  applied  by  the  apostle,  both 
to  Christ  and  to  Christians.  It  is  true  of  them  both,  though  with 
some  points  of  diversity  of  meaning ;  and  the  thought,  whether  in 
reference  to  him  or  to  themselves,  is  one  which  is  well  fitted  to  pro 
mote  personal  holiness,  in  leading  Christians  to  avoid  all  sins,  and 
attend  to  all  duties ;  not  living  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  ol 
God. 

This  is  "  the  same  thought"  which  the  apostle  had  unfolded  largely 
in  the  close  of  the  third  chapter,  and  briefly  referred  to  in  the  first 
verse  of  this  chapter.  Christ  suffered  to  death  in  human  nature,  as 
the  expiatory  victim  of  our  sins,  in  our  room,  and  we  suffered  and 
died  in  him ;  we  Christians,  we  believers,  being,  in  consequence  of 
our  faith,  viewed  as  identified  with  him ;  as  having  done  what  he  did, 
as  having  suffered  what  he  suffered. 

Now  let  us  look  at  the  thought,  first  in  reference  to  Christ,  and 
then  in  reference  to  Christians,  and  let  us  see  how,  in  both  views  of 
it,  it  is  well  fitted  to  "  arm"  the  Christian  so  that  he  may  no  longer 
live  the  rest  of  his  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will 
of  God. 

(2.)     The  thought  mewed  as  referring  to  Christ. 

Let  us  look  at  the  thought  in  reference  to  Christ.  "  He  that  hath 
suffered  in  the  flesh,"  that  is,  for  sins,  "  has  been  made  to  rest  from 
sin."  Christ  suffered  in  the  flesh  for  sin  ;  he  has  been  made  to  rest 
from  sin ;  and  his  being  made  to  rest  from  sin,  is  the  consequence  of 
his  having  suffered  in  the  flesh  for  sin. 

We  have  had  an  opportunity,  in  aforegoing  discourse,  of  directing 
your  attention  to  our  Lord's  sufferings  in  human  nature.  They  be 
gan  with  his  birth,  and  ended  only  at  his  death.  All  these  sufferings 
were  sufferings  for  sin.  "  God  made  to  meet  on  him  the  iniquities 
of  us  all;"  exaction  was  made  for  these  iniquities,  and  He  the  ap 
pointed  victim  answered  the  exaction.  He  had  no  rest  after  being 
*  made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law,"  till,  in  his  obediential 

1  2  Cor.  v.  14. 


PART  II.]  MEANS    FOR    OBTAINING    THE   OBJECT.  569 

sufferings  to  the  death,  he  had  made  full  expiation  of  the  sins  laid 
on  him.1 

But  having  done  so,  he  has  obtained  rest  from  sin.  On  the  cross 
he  exclaimed,  "  It  is  finished ;"  and  so  it  was.  Sin,  armed  by  the 
sanction  of  the  law,  gave  him  no  rest  till  it  laid  him  in  a  bloody,  dis 
honored  grave ;  but  in  doing  this  it  utterly  and  forever  lost  all  power 
to  disquiet  him.  It  could  not  even  retain  him  in  the  grave  where 
it  had  laid  him.  The  debt  being  fully  paid,  the  surety  was  set  at 
liberty.  He  is  henceforward  a  stranger  to  suffering  in  all  its 
forms.  He  can  no  longer  suffer,  he  can  no  longer  die.  He  has 
entered  into  his  rest ;  and  that  "  rest  is  glorious."  He  is  "  sitting," 
the  posture  of  repose,  "  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on 
high ;  angels,  and  principalities,  and  powers,  being  subject  to  him." 
Instead  of  the  incessant  toils  of  his  humbled  life  on  earth  as  the  vic 
tim  of  sin,  there  is  the  uninterrupted  repose  of  eternity ;  to  the  pow- 
erlessness  of  death  to  which  sin  reduced  him,  has  succeeded  "  all 
power  over  all  flesh,  all  power  in  heaven  and  earth ;"  in  the  room  of 
the-  days  of  a  mortal  man,  few  and  full  of  trouble,  has  come  "  length 
of  days  forever  and  ever;"  he  who  was  the  man  of  sorrows  and  ac 
quainted  with  griefs,  has  become  "most  blessed  forever;"  and  the 
soul  which  was  exceeding  sorrowful  even  to  death,  is  "made  exceed 
ing  glad  with  Jehovah's  countenance."2 

This  rest  from  sin  not  only  followed  the  sufferings  for  sin,  but  was, 
properly  speaking,  their  effect.  It  was  by  his  suffering  for  sin  that 
he  obtained  rest  from  sin.  "  Having  died  for  sin  he  was  freed  from 
sin."  The  reason  why  death  can  have  no  more  dominion  over  him 
is,  that  he  died  for  sin  once,  and  by  that  one  death  completely  answer 
ed  all  the  demands  of  law  and  justice  on  him  as  the  surety  of  sinners. 
The  law  has  nothing  further  to  exact  from  him ;  and  the  immortal 
state  of  life,  and  rest,  and  power,  and  dominion,  and  glory,  and  bless 
edness,  is  to  be  considered  not  only  as  the  natural  expression  of  the 
infinite  complacency  of  Jehovah,  well  pleased  for  his  righteousness' 
sake,  delighted  with  that  love  of  righteousness  and  hatred  of  iniquity 
manifested  in  the  voluntary,  vicarious,  penal  sufferings  of  his  incar 
nate  Son,  for  the  vindication  of  his  holy,  just,  and  good  law,  and  the 
restoration  to  immortal  holy  happiness  of  an  innumerable  multitude 
of  otherwise  hopelessly  depraved  and  miserable  human  beings ;  it  is 
to  be  viewed  also  as  the  execution  of  the  stipulations  of  the  eternal 
covenant,  that  when  he  had  made  his  soul  an  offering  for  sin,  he 
should  see  his  seed,  prolong  his  days,  and  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord 
should  prosper  in  his  hand ;  he  should  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  so 
as  to  be  satisfied ;  he  should,  through  the  knowledge  of  himself,  justify 
many;  he  should  have  the  great  as  his  portion,  the  strong  for  his 
spoil ;  because  he  had  poured  out  his  soul  unto  death,  having  been 
numbered  with  the  transgressors,  and  having  borne  the  sin  of  many. 
He  who  suffered  to  death  in  the  flesh  for  sin  has  been  raised  from  the 
dead,  and  exalted  to  an  immortal  state  of  absolute  security  from  suf 
fering,  and  oi  the  highest  enjoyment,  and  a  station  of  the  highest 
honor  and  autnority ;  and  this  resurrection  and  this  exaltation  are  the 

1  Isa.  liii.  6,  Y.    Gal.  iii.  4.  3  1  Pet.  iii.  2.    John  xvii.  2.    Matt,  xxviii.  18. 

8  Isa.  liii.  10-12. 


570  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVIL 

results,  the  effects,  of  his  penal,  expiatory  sufferings.  Such  seems  tc 
me  the  import  of  the  thought,  "  He  that  hath  suffered  hath  been  made 
to  rest  from  sin,"  viewed  in  reference  to  our  Lord.1 

(3.)      The  thought  viewed  as  referring  to  Christians. 

Let  us  now  look  at  the  thought  in  reference  to  Christians.  When 
Christ  suffered  in  the  flesh  for  sins,  it  was  for  them,  in  their  room. 
They  of  course  suffered  in  him,  and  it  is  true,  in  a  very  important 
sense,  that  they,  having  thus  suffered  for  sin  in  him,  are  made  to  rest 
from  sin. 

Christians  are  very  frequently,  especially  by  the  Apostle  Paul,  rep 
resented  as  identified  with  Christ.  In  consequence  of  the  faith  of  the 
truth  respecting  his  person  and  work,  they  are  brought  into  so  inti 
mate  a  relation  to  him  that  they  are  said  to  be  "in  him,"  one  with 
him.  This  does  not  refer  to  that  union  of  mind  and  heart,  of  senti 
ment,  affection,  will,  and  operation,  which  subsists  between  Christians 
and  Christ,  and  which  is  produced  by  the  Spirit  through  the  instru 
mentality  of  the  word;  that  is  rather  Christ's  being  in  them,  than 
their  being  in  Christ ;  it  is  the  being  so  connected  with  Christ  as  that 
they  are  treated  by  God  as  if  what  he  did  and  suffered  had  been  done 
and  suffered  by  them  personally.  All  \vho  are  united  to  Christ,  by 
that  faith  of  which  profession  is  made  in  baptism,  are,  by  the  apostle, 
represented  as  united  to  him  in  his  death,  that  is,  as  having  died  in 
him;  in  his  burial,  that  is,  as  having  been  buried  in  him;  in  his  res 
urrection,  that  is,  a  shaving  risen  again  in  him  ;  in  his  life  and  glory, 
that  is,  as  living  and  reigning  in  him  with  God  in  heaven.  "  Ye  are," 
says  he  to  the  Colossians,  "  dead,"  or  have  died,  that  is,  in  Christ ; 
and  as,  if  you  live,  though  you  have  died,  "  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ 
in  God."  And  of  himself  he  says,  what  is  not  peculiar  to  him  as  an 
apostle,  but  common  to  him  with  all  Christians,  "lam  crucified  with 
Christ."  When  he  died,  he  died/or  them.  It  was  their  sins,  not  his 
own,  that  he  bore  to  the  tree.2 

When  we  say  then  of  Christians,  that  they  have  s'uffered  in  the 
flesh  for  sin,  we  mean  that  by  a  Divine  constitution  they  have  as  deep 
an  interest  in  Christ's  sufferings  in  the  flesh  for  sin,  as  if  they  them 
selves  had  undergone  them.  They  are  so  interested  in  them  as  to  be 
made  to  rest  from  sin  in  consequence  of  them.  They  are  delivered 
from  the  condemning  power  of  sin,  and  they  are  delivered  from  the 
reigning  power  of  sin ;  and  they  are  delivered  from  both,  not  in  con 
sequence  of  their  having  suffered  for  sin  in  the  flesh,  in  their  own 
persons,  but  in  consequence  of  their  having  become  by  faith  individ 
ually  interested  in  those  sufferings  for  sin  in  the  flesh  which  were  in 
flicted  on  the  person  of  their  divinely-appointed  substitute. 

Every  human  being  is  a  sinner,  and  every  sinner  is  condemned  on 
account  of  his  sin.  The  curse  of  God  lies  on  him,  and  must  forever 
rest  on  him,  till  he  become  personally  connected  with  Him  who  suf 
fered  the  just  in  the  room  of  the  unjust.  Till  then,  the  sinner  can 
obtain  no  rest,  no  security  from  sin  and  its  penal  consequences. 
Armed  with  the  power  of  the  law,  sin  keeps  fast  hold  of  him,  ready  at 

1  Sec  note  B.  a  Rom.  vl  3-5.    Col.  ill  3.    GaL  ii.  20. 


PART  II.]  MEANS    FOR    OBTAINING    TUB    OBJECT.  571 

any  moment  to  produce  death,  casting  the  body  into  the  grave,  plung 
ing  the  soul  into  the  abyss  of  perdition. 

From  this  tremendous  state  all  who  are  in  Christ  have  obtained  de 
liverance.  "  There  is  no  condemnation  to  them  who  are  in  Christ 
Jesus  ;"  and  the  reason  is  very  obvious.  They  are  in  him  who  was 
condemned  in  their  stead,  and  suffered  that  to  which  they  were  con 
demned  ;  they  are  redeemed  from  the  curse,  for  the  righteous  One, 
their  divinely-appointed  substitute,  has  become  a  curse  for  them. 
Who  can  lay  anything  to  their  charge  ?  Christ  died,  died  for  them. 
"  In  him  they  have  redemption  through  his  blood,  the  forgiveness  of 
sins  according  to  the  riches  of  God's  grace."  "  In  him,  the  beloved 
One,  they  are  accepted,  being  reconciled  in  the  body  of  his  flesh  by 
death."  "  His  blood  cleanseth  them  from  all  sin."  So  that  they  are 
"  dead  to  the  law,"  to  its  condemning  sentence,  "  through  the  body  of 
Christ ;"  they  are  "  in  him  made  the  righteousness  of  God,"  in  conse 
quence  of  "  Him  who  knew  no-  sin,  being  by  God  made  sin  in  their 
room;"  "sinners,  ungodly"  in  themselves,  they  are  "justified  freely 
by  God's  grace,  through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,"  who  is 
"set  forth  a  propitiation  through  faith  in  his  blood;"  having  been 
"given  for  their  offences,  and  raised  again  for  their  justification."  l 
The  unbeliever,  unconnected  with  Christ,  and  therefore  unpardoned, 
is  never  safe.  Guilt,  like  the  avenger  of  blood,  is  constantly  pursuing 
him,  and  at  any  moment  may  overtake  him  and  take  his  life.  There 
is  no  rest,  no  peace,  no  security,  to  the  sinner  who  is  not  "  in  him" 
who  has  suffered  and  been  made  to  rest.  But  he  who  by  faith  is  "  in 
Christ,"  has  entered  the  city  of  refuge  and  is  safe  within  its  walls ; 
and,  as  our  high  priest  never  dies,  to  secure  his  safety  he  must  remain 
within  its  walls  forever. 

But  he  who  by  faith  is  interested  in  Christ's  suffering  in  the  flesh 
for  sin,  as  if  it  had  been  his  own  suffering,  being  indeed  suffering  in 
his  room,  is  made  to  rest  from  sin,  not  only  in  its  condemning,  but  in 
its  reigning  power.  "  Sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  him"  who  is 
in  Christ  Jesus ;  for,  in  consequence  of  Christ's  suffering  in  the  flesh 
for  sin,  and  his  personal  interest  in  his  suffering,  he  is  "  not  under  the 
law  but  under  grace."  He  is  united  to  Christ  not  only  as  one  who 
was  the  victim  of  sin,  as  one  who  bore  his  sins,  but  to  him  as  one  who 
has  borne  away  his  sins ;  to  Christ  not  only  as  one  who  was  under  the 
curse,  but  to  Christ  as  now,  for  the  manner  in  which  he  sustained  that 
load,  the  object  of  the  highest  complacency  of  his  Father.  He  is  re 
garded  by  God  with  a  complacency  like  that  with  which  the  Saviour 
is  regarded ;  and  that  is  manifested  in  the  communication  of  "  the 
spirit  of  life  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,"  and  "  delivers  him  from  the  law 
of  sin  and  of  death."  And  this  spirit  comes  not,  as  a  wayfaring  man, 
to  tarry  for  a  night,  but  to  take  up  his  permanent  residence  in  a  temple 
appropriated  to  him,  and  which  he  will  in  due  time  make  every  way 
suitable  for  his  everlasting  dwelling-place.2 

There  is  thus  absolute  security  obtained  by  every  person  who  is  by 
faith  united  to  Christ,  and  thus  personally  interested  in  his  suffering  in 
the  flesh,  of  being  made  completely  to  rest  from  sin,  of  being  brought 

1  Rom.  viii.  1-34.     1  John  i.  7.     2  Cor.  v.  21.     Rom.  iii.  24;  iv.  25. 
3  Rom.  vi.  14  ;  viii.  2. 


572  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII, 

into  a  state  where  there  shall  be  no  law  in  the  members  to  war  against 
the  law  of  the  mind ;  where  there  shall  be  no  striving  of  the  flesh 
against  the  Spirit ;  where  the  Spirit  shall  rule  unopposed,  and  the  law 
of  the  mind  shall  have  free  course  and  be  glorified  ;  where  the  Chris 
tian  will  no  more  sigh  out  "  Wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  will  de 
liver  me  ?"  but  shall  forever  sing,  "  I  thank  God,"  who  hath  delivered 
me,  completely  delivered  me,  "  through  Christ  Jesus."  "  Thanks  be 
to  God  who  giveth  me  the  victory." l  Then  will  the  Christian  be  made 
completely  to  "rest  from  sin." 

That  this  second  kind  of  rest  fiom  sin  is  as  really  as  the  first  the 
fruit  of  the  atonement,  the  consequence  of  Christ  suffering  for  sin  in 
the  flesh,  and  our  being  united  to  him  as  our  surety  and  representa 
tive,  is  very  clearly  stated  by  the  Apostle  Paul  in  these  important, 
but  we  are  afraid  very  generally  misapprehended,  or  at  any  rate  very 
imperfectly  understood,  words,  "  Our  old  man  was  crucified  with  him, 
that  the  body  of  sin  might  be  destroyed,  that  henceforth  we  should 
not  serve  sin  ;" 2  that  is,  '  In  the  atoning  death  of  the  Son  of  God,  is 
laid  a  foundation  of  absolute  security  for  the  complete  sanctification 
of  all  who  are  interested  in  its  saving  power,  by  the  faith  of  the  gospel/ 

(4.)      The  thought  viewed  as  a  piece  of  Christian  armor — the 
instrumental  means  of  sanctification. 

Having  thus  attempted  to  explain  both  in  reference  to  Christ  and 
to  Christians,  the  thought,  "  He  that  hath  suffered  in  the  flesh  has  been 
made  to  rest  from  sin,"  it  only  remains  that  we  endeavor  to  show  how 
this  thought  is  fitted  to  serve  the  purpose  of  spiritual  armor  ;  or,  in 
other  words,  how  the  truth  as  to  the  Saviour's  accepted  atonement, 
and  the  interest  which  believers  have  in  it,  is  fitted  in  opposition  to  all 
opposing  influences,  to  be  a  prevailing  motive,  to  the  cultivation  of 
practical  holiness,  to  the  "  not  living  the  rest  of  their  time  in  the  flesh 
to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God."  The  subject  is  a  wide 
and  important  one.  It  is  not  a  particularly  difficult  one ;  but  from  its 
very  nature  it  requires  close  attention  of  mind  in  order  to  be  distinctly 
understood. 

The  thought  with  which  the  apostle  calls  Christians  to  arm  them 
selves,  shows  that  that  holiness  in  all  conversation,  that  living  not  ac 
cording  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God,  to  which  he  exhorts 
them,  is  not  an  impossible  thing.  Man  is  a  depraved  being ;  viewed 


thing."  3  What  God  requires 
able,  and  needs  no  physical  faculty,  either  intellectual  or  active,  to  its 
performance,  which  man  does  not  possess.  But  he  labors  under  a 
disinclination  to  yield  that  kind  and  measure  of  obedience  which  God 
requires,  most  criminal,  indeed,  but  still  by  all  but  Divine  influence 
invincible.  And  as  man  is  already  criminal,  has  already  incurred  the 
Divine  displeasure,  it  obviously  seems  impossible,  if  some  means  are 
not  employed  to  alter  man's  relations  to  the  Divine  government,  that 
God,  in  consistency  either  with  his  wisdom,  his  holiness,  his  justice, 

1  Rom.  vii.  24,  25.  »  Rom.  vi.  6.  »  Rom.  vii.  18. 


FART  II.]  MEANS    FOR    OBTAINING    THE    OBJECT.  573 

his  faithfulness,  ay,  or  his  goodness,  taking  a  wide  view  of  the  subject, 
can  put  forth  that  influence  on  the  sinner's  mind  that  is  necessary  to 
incline  him  to  true  holiness  ;  that  is,  in  other  words,  can  confer  on  the 
proper  object  of  his  judicial  displeasure  what  is  the  most  decided 
manifestation  that  a  person  is  an  object  of  his  peculiar  favor. 

The  united  wisdom  and  power  of  men  and  angels  could  never  have 
devised  and  executed  a  plan  for  removing  this  difficulty.  But  the 
thought,  '  Christ  has  suffered  in  the  flesh  for  sins,  in  the  room  of  sin 
ners,  and  has  been  made  to  rest  from  sin/  that  thought,  if  understood, 
will  be  found  to  contain  in  it  distinct  intimation,  that  the  apparently 
insurmountable  obstacles  in  the  way  of  man's  compliance  with  the 
will  of  God,  have  been  removed.  Christ,  the  only  begotten  of  God, 
standing  in  the  room  of  men,  has  done  what  they  were  bound  to  do, 
suffered  what  they  deserved  to  suffer,  has  done  more  to  magnify  and 
make  honorable  the  Divine  law,  than  either  their  unsinning  obedience, 
or  their  everlasting  destruction  in  consequence  of  their  having  sinned, 
could  have  done.  It  thus  becomes  a  just  thing  in  God  to  justify  the 
ungodly,  to  pardon  sinners,  to  accept  them,  and  treat  them  as  right 
eous,  and  to  give  them  his  Holy  Spirit  to  quicken  their  dead,  to  sanc 
tify  their  unholy,  hearts.  Christ's  becoming  a  curse  in  the  room  of 
men,  thus  lays  a  foundation  equally  for  "  the  blessing  of  Abraham," 
a  free  and  full  justification  being  conferred  on  men ;  and  their  receiv 
ing  "  the  promise  of  the  Spirit  through  faith,"  that  is,  the  promised 
Spirit  through  believing.  An  infinite  atonement  having  been  offered 
and  accepted,  God  can,  in  consistency  with  the  perfections  of  his  char 
acter  and  the  principles  of  his  government,  pardon  the  guilty,  justify 
the  unrighteous,  sanctify  the  unholy.  The  divinely-appointed  Saviour 
has  merit  enough  to  obtain  pardon  for  the  guiltiest ;  and,  on  the  ground 
of  this  merit,  he  is  in  possession  of  power  and  authority  enough  to 
send  that  into  the  heart  of  the  sinner,  which  will  overpower  all  his 
natural  indisposition  to  the  will  of  God,  and  lead  him,  in  opposition  to 
all  counteracting  influences,  to  "  prove  that  good,  and  perfect,  and  ac 
ceptable  will." 

But  this  is  not  all.  The  thought  with  which  the  apostle  exhorts 
Christians  to  arm  themselves,  conveys  to  the  mind  that  understands 
it,  the  assurance  not  only  that  the  conformity  to  the  Divine  will  en 
joined  is  something  that  may  be  attained,  but  that  it  is  something 
that  shall  most  certainly  be  attained  by  all  believers.  It  intimates 
that  every  believer  is  actually  so  interested  in  the  atonement  that  has 
been  made  in  his  room,  by  Christ  suffering  in  the  flesh  for  sin,  as  to 
have  been  made  to  rest  from  sin.  Having  suffered  in  Christ,  he  has 
entered  with  him  into  his  rest.  His  sins  are  forgiven.  He  has  re 
ceived  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  author  of  true  holiness ;  and  though  the 
powers  of  evil  with  which  he  has  to  struggle,  both  within  and  with 
out,  are  strong  as  well  as  numerous,  yet  "  greater  is  He"  in  whom  he 
is,  and  He  "  who  is  in  him,  than  he  who  is  in  the  world."  He  is 
"  washed,  he  is  sanctified,  he  is  justified,  in  the  name  of  our  Lord 
Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God."  The  condemning  power  of 
sin,  the  want  of  quickening,  sanctifying  influences  in  the  heart,  keep 
unbelieving  sinners,  as  it  were,  hopelessly  bound  in  the  fetters  of  de 
pravity  ;  but  to  the  believer  in  Christ  "  there  is  no  condemnation," 


574  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII, 

and  he  also  has  "  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus ;"  so  that  in  him, 
"  God,  by  sending  his  Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin," 
that  is,  as  a  sin-offering,  has  "  condemned  sin  in  the  flesh,"  has  de 
prived  sin  of  its  reigning  power  over  his  nature ;  and  thus  "  the  right 
eousness  of  the  law  is  fulfilled  in  him,  not  walking  after  the  flesh,  but 
after  the  Spirit,"  l  that  is,  "  not  living  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the 
will  of  God." 

From  the  nature  of  the  case,  the  security  referred  to  is  not  a  secu 
rity  without  reference  to  the  believer's  own  exertions  as  an  intelligent 
and  moral  agetit ;  it  is  a  security  that  he  shall,  by  Divine  influence, 
be  led  to  use  the  appropriate  means  of  sanctification,  and  a  security 
that  these  means  shall  not  be  used  by  him  in  vain. 

I  have  only  farther  to  remark  here,  that  the  thought  with  which  the 
apostle  calls  Christians  to  arm  themselves,  if  understood,  brings  be 
fore  the  mind  the  most  powerful  motives  to  that  disconformfty  to  the 
lusts  of  men,  and  conformity  to  the  will  of  God,  to  which  he  exhorts ; 
motives  appealing  to  all  our  strongest,  active  principles,  to  gratitude 
and  love,  to  hope  and  fear.  This  remark  admits  of  very  extended 
illustration.  I  must  confine  myself  to  one  or  two  examples. 

How  powerfully  does  "  this  thought"  dissuade  from  sin  in  all  its 
forms !  In  how  clear  a  light  does  it  place  the  excellence  and  obliga 
tion  of  the  Divine  law ;  and  the  malignant  nature,  the  destructire 
tendency,  and  the  dreadful  effects  of  moral  evil !  "  The  believer,"  as 
Archbishop  Leighton  says,  "  looking  on  his  Jesus  crucified  for  him, 
wounded  for  his  transgressions,  and  taking  in  deep  thoughts  of  his 
spotless  innocency  that  deserved  no  such  thing,  and  of  his  matchless 
love  that  yet  endured  it  all  for  him,  then  will  he  think,  Shall  I  be  a 
friend  to  that  which  was  his  deadly  enemy ;  shall  sin  be  sweet  to  me 
that  was  so  bitter  to  him,  and  that  for  my  sake  ?  Shall  I  ever  have 
a  favorable  thought  of,  or  lend  a  good  look  to,  them  which  shed  my 
Lord's  blood  ?  Shall  I  live  in  that  for  which  he  died,  and  died  to  kill 
it  in  me  ?" 

How  obviously  and  powerfully  is  "  this  thought"  calculated  to  ex 
cite  and  strengthen  the  love  of  God,  which  is  the  source  of  all  true 
living  to  his  will !  How  strikingly  are  the  venerable  and  amiable 
excellencies  of  the  Divine  character  exhibited  in  the  atonement  of 
Christ,  and  its  blessed  effects  both  to  Him  and  to  those  who  are 
united  to  Him !  How  great  the  display  of  Divine  love  in  Christ's 
suffering  for  sins  in  our  room,  and  in  the  rest  from  sin  that  is  thus 
secured  for  us  ? 

How  great  is  the  encouragement,  "  this  thought"  gives  to  the  per 
formance  of  duty !  To  borrow  again  the  words  of  the  good  Arch 
bishop  :  "  Our  burden  that  pressed  us  to  hell  is  taken  off;  our  chains 
that  bound  us  over  to  eternal  death  are  knocked  off.  Shall  we  not 
walk,  shall  we  not  run,  in  his  ways  ?  How  heavy,  how  unsufferable, 
the  burden  and  yoke  of  which  he  has  eased  us  !  His  yoke  is  easy,  his 
burden  is  light!  O  the  happy  change!  rescued  from  the  vilest 
slavery,  and  called  to  conformity  and  fellowship  with  the  Son  of 
God." 

The  thought  that  brings  all  this  before  the  mind  must  be  well  fitted 

1  Horn.  viii.  3,  4. 


PART  II. J  MEANS    FOR    OBTAINING    THE    OBJECT.  575 

to  arm  it  against  temptation ;  and  powerful  in  constraining  us  to  live 
not  to  ourselves,  not  to  other  men,  but  to  God,  who  hath  bought  us 
at  so  dear  a  price,  that  we  may  glorify  him  in  our  souls  and  in  our 
bodies,  which  are  his. 

"  This  thought"  being  in  our  mind,  habitually  in  our  mind,  is  essen 
tial  to  our  sanctification.  We  cannot  be  sanctified  if  it  be  not  in  our 
mind ;  and,  if  it  really  be  habitually  in  our  mind,  sanctification  is  a 
matter  of  course. 

The  Apostle  Paul,  in  the  first  part  of  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Epis 
tle  to  the  Romans,1  has  cast  a  flood  of  light  on  the  subject  which  we 
have  been  considering.  I  shall  give  ypu  a  summary  of  his  illustra 
tion.  '  All  true  Christians  are  united  to  Christ,  identified,  as  it  were, 
with  him;  united  to  him  both  in  his  death  and  his  resurrection; 
united  to  him  as  having  died,  and  as  having  risen  again  to  an  unend 
ing  life.  His  death  was  a  death  by  sin,  for  sin — a  death  penal,  vica 
rious,  expiatory.  We  are  united  to  him  in  that  death.  It  is  as  if  we 
ourselves  had  by  death  made  expiation  for  our  sins.  His  life  is  a  life 
conferred  on  him  by  God,  as  a  token  that  he  is  fully  satisfied  with  the 
expiation  of  sin  made  by  his  death.  We  are  united  to  him  in  that 
life ;  God  regards  us  as  he  regards  him.  He  who  is  dead,  or  who  has 
died,  that  is,  by  sin ;  he  who  in  death  has  expiated  sin,  is  free  from,  is 
justified  from,  sin.  Sin  can  no  longer  condemn  him.  Death,  the 
penalty  of  sin,  can  no  longer  reign  over  him.  It  cannot  be  exacted, 
for  it  has  been  already  paid.  This  is  the  case  with  Christ ;  this  is 
the  case  with  us  in  Christ. 

'  Let  this  thought,  then,  dwell  in  your  minds.  He  died  once  by  sin, 
as  the  victim  of  sin.  He  lives  forever,  raised  by  God  as  the  token 
of  his  satisfaction  with  the  sacrifice ;  and  we  are  united  to  him  both 
in  this  death  and  in  this  life.  We  have  in  him  died,  been  put  to 
death  by  sin ;  and  we  in  him  have  been  quickened,  and  made  to  sit 
with  him  in  the  heavenly  places,  made  partakers  of  the  favor  with 
which  God  regards  him.  And  taking  these  views  of  your  state  and 
relation  to  God,  in  consequence  of  your  being  by  faith  united  to  him 
as  your  representative,  both  in  dying  and  in  rising  again,  "  Let  not 
sin,  therefore,  reign  in  your  mortal  body,  that  ye  should  obey  it  in  the 
lusts  thereof.  Neither  yield  ye  your  members  as  instruments  of  un 
righteousness  to  sin ;  but  yield  yourselves  unto  God,  as  those  who  are 
alive  from  the  dead,  and  your  members  as  instruments  of  righteous 
ness  unto  God  ;  for  sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you."  It  reigned 
unto  death  over  you  in  the  person  of  your  Surety ;  but  it  has  done 
its  worst  to  him  and  to  you.  He  lives,  and  so  do  you,  with  a  life  of 
which  you  can  never  be  deprived,  a  holy,  happy  life,  never  to  be 
debased  by  the  slavery  of  sin,  but  entirely  devoted  to  the  service  of 
God.' 

Such,  if  we  mistake  not,  is  the  substance  of  the  Apostle  Paul's 
statement ;  and  what  is  it  but  a  somewhat  more  expanded  expression 
of  the  sentiment  in  the  passage  before  us  ?  "  Forasmuch  as  Christ 
has  suffered  for  us  in  the  flesh,  Arm  yourselves  with  this  same  thought, 
that  he  who  has  suffered  in  the  flesh  has  been  made  to  rest  from  sin, 

1  Rom.  vi.  1-14. 


576  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII. 

that  ye  may  no  longer  live  the  rest  of  your  time  in  the  flesh  to  the 
lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God." 

These  illustrations  have  failed  of  their  object,  if  they  have  not  led 
us  into  a  just  appreciation  of  Christianity  as  the  most  effectual  means 
of  morally  improving,  the  only  means  of  spiritually  transforming, 
depraved  man,  and  disclosed  to  us  the  secret  in  which  its  great 
strength  lies  to  make  men  truly  holy.  The  superior  efficacy  of 
Christianity,  as  an  instrument  of  ameliorating  the  moral  condition  of 
mankind,  to  every  other  means  employed  for  this  purpose,  will  not  be 
questioned  by  any  enlightened  and  unprejudiced  thinker;  but  the 
true  cause  of  this  efficacy,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  is  put  forth, 
are  overlooked  by  most,  misapprehended  by  many,  and  rightly  under 
stood  by  comparatively  few. 

The  efficacy  of  Christianity,  as  a  transformer  of  human  character, 
is  attributed  by  many  even  of  its  teachers  to  the  purity,  extent,  and 
spirituality  of  its  moral  requisitions ;  and  to  the  plainness  with  which 
these  are  stated,  and  the  energy  with  which  they  are  enforced,  in  the 
law,  and  by  the  example  of  Christ.  It  is  impossible  to  speak  too 
highly  of  the  Christian  morality,  unless  you  exalt  it,  as  has  often  been 
done,'  to  the  disparagement  of  the  atoning  sacrifice  and  quickening 
spirit  of  its  author ;  and  we  willingly  admit,  that  in  the  formation  of 
a  christianly  good  character,  the  law  of  Christ  occupies  an  important, 
though  still  a  subordinate  place. 

But  he  ill  understands  the  principles  of  human  nature,  who  expects 
that  a  being,  such  as  both  revelation  and  experience  tell  us  that  man 
is,  wholly  depraved,  alienated  from  the  life  of  God,  strongly  inclined 
to  forbidden  indulgence,  alike  strongly  disinclined  to  the  restraints  of 
religious  and  moral  obligation,  should  merely  by  a  statement  and  en 
forcement  of  duty,  however  clear  and  cogent,  be  made  to  undergo  a 
radical  change  in  his  principles  and  habits.  Who,  indeed,  does  not 
know,  that  the  attempt  to  urge  on  a  person  a  mode  of  conduct  to 
which  he  is  strongly  disinclined,  if  you  do  not  at  the  same  time  em 
ploy  appropriate  and  adequate  means  for  altering  the  inclination, 
usually  ends  in  increasing  the  indisposition  it  was  intended  to  remove, 
aggravating  the  disease  it  was  meant  to  cure?  The  morality  of 
Christianity  far  exceeds  any  other  morality  which  the  world  has  ever 
seen.  Where  is  to  be  found  anything  to  be  compared  with  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount,  or  the  moral  part  of  the  apostolical  epistles  ?  Yet 
the  transforming  power  of  the  system  does  not  lie  here.  The  morality 
of  Christianity  may  be  useful  in  convincing  a  bad  man  that  he  is  bad, 
and  in  helping  a  good  man  to  become  better ;  but,  constituted  as 
human  nature  is,  it  cannot  convert  a  bad  man  into  a  good  man. 

Another  class  of  Christian  teachers,  in  much  greater  harmony  with 
the  principles  both  of  the  scriptural  revelation  and  a  sound  mental 
philosophy,  have  held  that  the  power  of  Christianity  to  make  men  new 
creatures,  resides  in  its  peculiarities  as  a  doctrinal  system ;  that  the 
clear,  well-established  disclosures  it  makes  of  the  grandeur  and  the 
grace  of  the  Divine  character,  of  the  infinite  venerableness,  and  esti- 
mableness,  and  loveliness,  and  kindness,  of  the  Supreme  Being;  in 
the  accounts  it  gives  us  of  the  incarnation  and  sacrifice  of  his  only- 
begotten  Son,  and  of  the  inestimably  valuable  blessings  which,  through 


PART  II.]  MEANS    FOR    OBTAINING    THE    OBJECT.  577 

his  mediation,  are  bestowed  on  mankind ;  when  apprehended  in  their 
meaning  and  evidence,  that  is,  when  understood  and  believed,  naturally 
and  necessarily  produce  such  a  revolution  in  man's  mode  of  thinking 
and  feeling  in  reference  to  God,  as  naturally  and  necessarily  leads  to 
a  revolution  in  his  mode  of  conduct ;  and  that  then,  and  not  till  then, 
the  moral  or  preceptive  part  of  Christianity  begins  to  tell  on  the  ame 
lioration  of  the  character. 

These  sentiments,  especially  when  connected,  as  they  usually  are, 
with  a  persuasion  of  the  necessity  of  supernatural  influence,  the  in 
fluence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  bring  the  mind  and  to  keep  the  mind 
under  the  moral  influence  of  evangelical  truth,  appear  to  us  just,  so 
far  as  they  go ;  but  still  they  exhibit  but  an  imperfect  view  of  the 
manner  in  which  Christianity  produces — what  nothing  else  can — a 
radical,  permanent,  ever-progressive  improvement  of  the  human  char 
acter,  leading  a  man  to  "  live  the  rest  of  his  time  in  the  flesh  not  to 
the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God." 

Fully  to  understand  this  most  important  subject,  it  is  necessary  to 
recollect  that  Christianity,  in  the  most  extensive  sense  of  the  word,  is 
something  more  than  a  revelation  either  of  moral  or  religious  truth. 
It  is  the  development  of  a  Divine  economy,  a  system  of  Divine  dis 
pensations  in  reference  to  a  lost  world ;  and  it  is  in  these  dispensations, 
the  incarnation  and  sacrifice  of  the  Only-Begotten  of  God,  dispensa 
tions  having  for  their  direct  object  the  change  of  man,  the  sinner's 
relation  to  the  Supreme  Being  as  the  moral  governor  of  the  world, 
that  the  true  origin  of  man's  moral  transformation  is  to  be  found ;  and 
it  is  as  a  development  of  these  dispensations  that  the  Christian  reve 
lation  principally  conduces  to  the  sanctification  of  man. 

Nothing  is  more  obvious  than  that  a  man's  state,  relations,  and  cir 
cumstances  have  a  powerful  influence  on  the  formation  of  his  char 
acter.  The  same  individual,  if  placed  in  infancy  in  the  state  of 
slavery,  or  in  the  state  of  royalty,  would  in  mature  life  be  distinguished 
by  very  different,  and  in  many  points  directly  opposite,  dispositions 
and  habits.  A  certain  set  of  relations  and  circumstances  may  be 
quite  incongruous  with  a  certain  character ;  and  every  species  of 
moral  means  may  be  employed  in  vain  to  produce  that  character,  till 
these  relations  and  circumstances  are  changed.  Let  a  slave  receive 
every  advantage  of  the  most  accomplished  education,  if  he  is  not 
enfranchised  there  is  little  probability  of  his  being  formed  to  the  gene 
rous  character  of  a  freeman.  Let  me  know  a  man  to  be  my  enemy, 
or  even  suspect  him  to  be  so,  and  no  exhibition  of  his  good  qualities, 
though  I  should  be  brought  to  credit  them,  which  I  will  be  very  slow 
to  do,  can  induce  me  to  put  confidence  in  him.  Let  the  relation  of 
hostility  be  changed  into  one  of  friendship,  and  let  me  be  persuaded 
of  this,  and  the  same  moral  means  which  were  formerly  utterly  ineffi 
cacious,  will  produce  a  powerful  effect.  These  plain,  common  sense 
principles,  transferred  to  the  subject  before  us,  lead  us  into  the  truth 
respecting  the  origin  of  the  transforming,  sanctifying  influence  of 
Christianity. 

The  relations  of  man,  as  a  righteously-condemned  sinner,  are  incom 
patible  with  a  holy  character.  While  man  is  condemned,  and  knows 
that  he  is  condemned,  how  can  he  be  holy,  how  can  he  become  holy  ? 

37 


578  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII. 

How  can  God  consistently  bestow  the  highest  token  of  his  complacent 
regard,  the  Sanctifying  Spirit,  on  one  who  is  the  proper  object  of  his 
moral  disapprobation  and  judicial  displeasure  ;  and  how  can  man  love, 
or  trust,  or  affectionately  obey  him,  whom  he  knows  that  he  has 
offended,  whom  he  has  reason  to  consider  as  his  omnipotent  enemy  ? 
It  is  by  meeting  and  removing  these  difficulties  that  Christianity  se 
cures  *the  holiness  of  man.  It  is  in  securing,  by  a  set  of  Divine 
arrangements,  the  change  of  a  state  of  hostility  into  a  state  of  friend 
ship  ;  in  rendering  the  pardon  and  salvation  of  the  guilty  consistent 
with,  ay,  illustrative  of,  the  perfections  of  the  Divine  character  and 
the  principles  of  the  Divine  government,  that  Christianity  lays  deep, 
and  broad,  and  sure,  the  foundation  of  man's  deliverance,  not  only 
from  misery  but  from  sin ;  not  only  of  his  endless  happiness  but  of  his 
moral  perfection.  In  the  vicarious  sacrifice  of  the  incarnate  Son,  in 
his  suffering  for  us  in  the  flesh  for  sin,  the  just  in  the  room  of  the  un 
just,  so  suffering  as  that  he  found  rest  from  sin,  provision  is  made  for 
a  most  happy  change  in  our  relations.  We,  united  to  him,  suffering 
for  sin  in  our  room,  are  made  to  rest  from  sin.  And  in  this  change 
of  relations  is  necessarily  implied,  and  indubitably  secured,  a  complete 
change  of  moral  disposition  and  habits.  It  is  this  which  leads  to  no 
longer  living  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God.  It  is  this 
chief  of  the  works  of  God,  that,  like  the  main-spring  or  moving  power 
of  a  complicated  piece  of  machinery,  gives  resistless  energy  and  un 
failing  efficacy,  in  the  case  of  the  saved,  to  the  moral  influence  of  the 
doctrines  and  precepts  of  the  gospel.  The  better  the  connection 
between  the  atonement  and  sanctification  is  understood ;  the  more 
firmly  it  is  believed ;  the  more  habitually  it  is  meditated  on — the 
greater  progress  will  the  individual  Christian  make  in  practical  godli 
ness  ;  and  he  who  would  comply  with  the  apostle's  exhortation,  to 
"  live  no  longer  the  rest  of  his  time  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will 
of  God,"  must  arm  himself  with  this  thought,  "  He  that  hath  suffered 
in  the  flesh  is  made  to  rest  from  sin."  l 

The  sanctifying  efficacy  of  the  atonement  is  exerted  through  the 
faith  of  the  atonement.  It  is  only  as  known  and  believed  that  it  can 
either  pacify  the  conscience  or  purify  the  heart.  Let  all,  then,  who 
would  make  progress  in  holiness,  firmly  believe,  frequently  meditate 
on,  habitually  keep  in  memory,  the  great  topic  which  we  have  been 
attempting  to  illustrate :  the  grace  of  God  manifested  in  his  Son  suf 
fering  in  the  flesh  for  sin  in  our 'room.  That  grace  revealed  in  the 
gospel,  if  understood  and  believed,  and  meditated  on,  will  do  what 
nothing  else  can ;  it  will  effectually  "  teach  us  to  deny  ungodliness 
and  worldly  lusts,  and  to  live  soberly,  and  righteously,  and  godly,  in 
this  world ;  looking  for  the  blessed  hope,  even  the  glorious  appear 
ing  of  the  great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  who  gave  him 
self  for  us,  that  he  might  deliver  us  from  the  present  evil  world, 
redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people, 
zealous  of  good  works."  If  ministers  wish  to  make  men  holy,  let 
them  preach  the  cross  ;  if  Christians  wish  to  grow  in  holiness,  let  them 
look  to  the  cross,  and  to  him  who  hung  on  it.  It  is  ours  to  present 

These  thoughts  on  the  nature  of  the  sanctifying  power  of  Christianity,  are  more  fully 
illustrated  in  the  Preliminary  Essays  to  Collins'  edition  of  Maclaurin's  Works. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES.  579 

to  you  "  this  armor ;"  it  is  yours,  as  good  soldiers  of  Christ  Jesus,  to 
put  it  on  and  prove  it.  Ann  yourselves  with  this  thought,  and  you 
shall  assuredly  put  to  flight  all  the  armies  of  the  aliens,  and  be  in  due 
time  made  "  more  than  conquerors  through  him  who  loved  you." 


III.— MOTIVES  ENFORCING  THE  EXHORTATION, 

The  motives  to  comply  with  the  apostle's  exhortation  come  now  to 
be  considered.  The  duty  to  which  the  apostle  exhorts  Christians  is 
twofold :  the  no  longer  living  the  rest  of  the  time  in  the  flesh  to  the 
lusts  of  men ;  the  living  the  rest  of  the  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  will 
of  God.  And  he  enforces  this  twofold  duty  by  two  motives ;  the  first 
bearing  chiefly  on  the  negative  part  of  the  injunction,  drawn  from  a 
consideration  of  the  nature  of  that  course  which,  under  the  influence 
of  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  they  had  abandoned,  and  which  he  calls  on 
them  henceforward  carefully  to  avoid ;  the  second  bearing  equally  on 
the  negative  and  the  positive  part  of  the  injunction,  deduced  from  a 
consideration  of  the  great  design  of  the  gospel  revelation.  The  first 
of  these  motives  is  stated  in  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  verses.  The 
second  in  the  sixth.  Let  us  attend  to  them  in  their  order. 

§  1. — Motive  drawn  from  the  character  of  the  course  against  which 
the  exhortation  is  directed. 

This,  then,  is  the  first  motive  which  the  apostle  uses  to  urge  Chris 
tians  not  to  live  the  rest  of  the  time  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the 
will  of  God.  "  The  time  past  of  our  life  may  suffice  us  to  have 
wrought  the  will  of  the  Gentiles,  when  we  walked  in  lasciviousness, 
lusts,  excess  of  wine,  revellings,  banquetings,  and  abominable  idola 
tries  :  wherein  they  think  it  strange  that  you  run  not  with  them  to  the 
same  excess  of  riot,  speaking  evil  of  you ;  who  shall  give  account  to 
him  who  is  ready  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead."  The  whole  of 
this  statement  bears  on  one  point, — the  criminal,  disgraceful,  danger 
ous  character  of  that  course  which  the  apostle  calls  on  Christians 
studiously  to  avoid.  The  leading  ideas  are  these :  To  follow  that 
course  is  to  work  the  will  of  the  Gentiles,  the  unenlightened  heathen, 
the  nations  that  knew  not  God.  The  importance  of  avoiding  that 
course  is  manifest  from  the  practices  in  which  those  who  walk  in  it 
indulge,  the  infatuation  under  which  they  labor,  and  the  responsibility 
under  which  they  lie ;  and  additional  force  is  given  to  these  considera 
tions  from  the  circumstance,  that  this  is  a  course  which  Christians 
themselves  once  pursued,  but  which  they  have  through  the  faith  of 
the  truth  been  led  to  abandon.  Let  us  endeavor  a  little  more  fully  to 
bring  out  these  thoughts,  and  show  how  well  fitted  they  are  to  serve 
the  apostle's  purpose,  of  impressing  on  the  minds  of  those  to  whom 
he  wrote  a  sense  of  the  importance  of  their  not  living  the  rest  of  the 
time  in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God. 

(1.)  The  course  which  he  guards  them  against  is  that  which  is 
characteristic  of  the  Gentiles.  It  is  "the  will  of  the  Gentiles."  To 
make  "  the  lusts  of  men,"  that  is,  natural  inclination,  the  rule  and 
reason  of  conduct,  in  forgetfulness  of,  in  opposition  to,  "  the  will  of 


580  EXHORTATION    TO   HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII. 

God,"  is  that  which  formed  the  character  of  the  gentile  nations,  and 
made  them  in  a  religious  and  moral  point  of  view  the  very  reverse  of 
what  every  Christian  man  must  desire  to  be.  The  Gentiles  are  repre 
sented  in  the  New  Testament  as  by  way  of  eminence  "sinners,"  as 
"  not  knowing  God,"  as  "  not  following  after  righteousness."  The 
strongest  expression  for  an  enormous  and  uncommon  crime  is,  that  it 
was  "not  so  much  as  named  among  the  Gentiles;"1  a  phraseology 
intimating  that  they  were  familiar  with  crime  in  almost  every  con 
ceivable  form.  It  must  be  a  very  strange  crime  they  are  unacquainted 
with,  a  very  shocking  one  which  their  moral  feelings  are  revolted  by. 

We  have  a  few  specimens  given  us  here  of  the  kind  of  conduct  by 
which  the  gentiles  were  generally  characterized.  They  "  walked  in 
lasciviousness,  lusts,  excess  of  wine,  revellings,  banquetings,  and 
abominable  idolatries ;"  and  we  have  a  complete  portrait  of  gentile 
character  and  manners  given  us  in  the  close  of  the  first  chapter  of 
the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  where  they  are  represented  as  guilty  of  the 
most  shocking  and  unnatural  crimes,  "  filled  with  all  unrighteousness, 
fornication,  wickedness,  covetousness,  maliciousness;  full  of  envy, 
murder,  debate,  deceit,  malignity ;  whisperers,  backbiters,  haters  of 
God,  despiteful,  proud,  boasters,  inventors  of  evil  things,  disobedient 
to  parents,  without  understanding,  covenant-breakers,  without  natural 
affection,  implacable,  unmerciful :  knowing  the  judgment  of  God,  that 
they  who  commit  such  things  are  worthy  of  death,  yet  not  only  doing 
the  same,  but  taking  pleasure  in  those  who  do  them." 3  And  in  what 
did  this  fearful  depravity  of  character  and  conduct  originate  ?  just  in 
living  to  the  lusts  of  men,  and  not  to  the  will  of  God,  allowing  natural 
inclination,  unchecked  by  a  regard  to  the  will  of  God,  to  be  the  rule 
and  the  reason  of  action. 

In  the  very  fact  that  the  course  of  conduct  forbidden  is  that  by 
which  the  Gentiles  were  characterized,  there  is  couched  a  strong  dis 
suasive  from  it.  What  characterized  Gentiles,  could  not  be  becoming 
saints.  In  the  simple  phrase  "  working  the  will  of  the  Gentiles,"  you 
have  folded  up  the  principal  motive  which  the  Apostle  Paul,  in  his 
Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  so  finely  amplifies,  "  I  say  therefore,  and  tes 
tify  in  the  Lord,  that  ye  walk  not  as  other  Gentiles  walk,  in  the  vanity 
of  their  mind ;  having  the  understanding  darkened,  being  alienated 
from  the  life  of  God  through  the  ignorance  that  is  in  them,  because 
of  the  blindness  of  their  heart :  who,  being  past  feeling,  have  given 
themselves  over  to  lasciviousness,  to  work  wickedness  with  greedi 
ness.  But  ye  have  not  so  learned  Christ ;  if  so  be  ye  have  heard 
him,  and  been  taught  by  him,  as  the  truth  is  in  Jesus :  that  ye  put  off, 
concerning  the  former  conversation,  the  old  man,  who  is  corrupt  ac 
cording  to  the  deceitful  lusts ;  and  be  renewed  in  the  spirit  of  your 
minds ;  and  that  ye  put  on  the  new  man,  which  after  God  is  created 
in  righteousness  and  true  holiness."  3 

(2.)  The  motive  suggested  by  these  enormities  themselves,  to  guard 
against  the  depraved  principle,  of  which  all  these  enormities  of  the 
Gentiles  were  merely  the  development,  the  making  natural  inclination, 
not  the  will  of  God,  the  .rule  and  reason  of  conduct,  is  greatly 

1  Gal.  ii.  20.     1  Thess.  iv.  5.     Rom.  ix.  30.     1  Cor.  v.  1.  2  Rom.  i.  18-32. 

9  Eph.  iv.  17-24. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES.  581 

strengthened  by  the  view  which  the  apostle  takes,  in  the  4th  verse, 
of  the  infatuation  which  characterized  those  who  had  given  themselves 
up  to  its  guidance.  They  were  "  given  up  to  a  reprobate,"  a  wrong- 
judging,  "  mind."  l  The  very  faculty  of  discovering  truth  from  false 
hood,  and  right  from  wrong,  though  not  destroyed  so  as  that  they 
ceased  to  be  accountable  beings,  was  weakened  and  perverted.  They 
called,  and  to  a  considerable  degree  thought,  in  reference  to  religious 
and  moral  subjects,  "  darkness  light,  and  light  darkness,  evil  good,  and 
good  evil,  bitter  sweet,  and  sweet  bitter."  As  an  evidence  of  this, 
"  they  thought  it  strange"  that  they  who  had  "  escaped  the  pollutions 
of  the  world,  through  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus, 
did  not  run  with  them  to  the  same  excess  of  riot,"  2  and  "  spoke  evil 
of  them"  for  those  very  tempers  and  habits  which  ought  to  have 
drawn  forth  expressions  of  their  approbation.  They  accounted  the 
abandonment  of  those  courses, — in  which  they  sought,  in  which  they 
confidently,  though  vainly,  hoped  to  obtain,  happiness, — arrant  folly ! 
And  they  ran  down  as  irreligious,  and  despisers  of  the  gods,  those 
who  had  been  "turned  from  dead  idols  to  serve  the  living  God." 
They  mistook  their  licentious  indulgence  for  true  happiness,  and  their 
"  abominable  idolatries"  for  true  religion.  "  Their  foolish  hearts  were 
darkened."  What  fearful  delusion  was  this !  How  thankful  should 
Christians  be  for  having  been  awakened  from  such  a  delirious  dream, 
and  made  sober-minded,  sound-minded,  in  their  judgments  respecting 
the  most  important  and  interesting  of  all  subjects,  God's  character 
and  will,  and  their  own  duty  and  happiness !  How  carefully  should 
they  guard  against  being  in  any  degree  again  brought  under  the  in 
toxicating  influence  of  "  this  present  evil  world,"  operating  on  un 
bridled  natural  inclination ;  of  being  in  any  degree  "  entangled  or 
overcome"  by  these  deceitful  worldly  lusts,  from  which,  through  the 
Spirit  and  word  of  Christ,  they  have  almost  "  clean  escaped  !"  3 

(3.)  Another  consideration,  suggested  by  the  apostle  as  fitted  to 
warn  Christians  against  "  living  to  the  lusts  of  men,"  is  the  awful  re 
sponsibility  under  which  they  lie  who  follow  this  course.  "  They 
must  give  account  to  him  who  is  ready  to  judge  the  quick  and  the 
dead."  Men  may  act  as  if  they  were  irresponsible  ;  but  they  cannot 
make  themselves  irresponsible.  They  cannot  escape  the  judgment 
of  God ;  and,  though  they  make  their  lusts  or  their  will  the  rule  by 
which  their  actions  are  regulated,  the}^  cannot  make  them  the  rule 
by  which  their  actions  shall  be  judged.  Their  attempts  to  break  the 
bands  that  bind  them  to  God  are  unavailing,  except  to  convert  what 
might  have  been  a  silken  cord,  in  the  hand  of  God,  to  draw  them  up 
to  heaven,  into  an  iron  chain  to  drag  them  to  the  judgment-seat,  or 
adamantine  fetters  to  bind  them  in  the  prison  of  hell.  "  For  God  will 
bring  every  work  into  judgment,  with  every  secret  thing,  whether  it 

1  'AJo*j/,<oi>  vow.     Rom.  i.  29. 

2  JiovTjpe'xj&vTtov  vpuv  eis  TTJV  aiirw  atrurtav.     "What  a  striking  illustration  of  the  peculiar 
appropriateness  of  the  apostle's  terms  awrpexovruv  and  d<rwriav  do  the  following  lines  from 
a  Koman  poet,  in  reference  to  the  orgies  of  Bacchus,  afford  ! 

"  Turba  ruunt :  mixtasque  viris,  matresque  nurusque 
Vulgusque,  proceresque  igriota  ad  sacra  feruntur 
Quis  furor — 

Femineoe  voces,  et  mota  insania  vino 

Obscenique  greges,  et  inania  tympana —          OVID,  Met.  iii.  529,  &c, 
2  Pet.  ii.  19,  20. 


582  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  ^DISC.  XVII. 

be  good  or  whether  it  be  evil."  "  The  Lord  hath  prepared  his  throne 
for  "judgment.  And  he  shall  judge  the  world  in  righteousness;  he 
shall  minister  judgment  to  the  people  in  uprightness."  Before  that 
tribunal  all  must  stand,  and  "  God  will  render  to  every  man  according 
to  his  works :"  to  those  "  who  live  to  the  will  of  God,"  "  who,  in  a 
patient  continuance  in  well-doing,  seek  for  glory,  honor,  and  immor 
tality,  he  will  render  eternal  life ;"  but  to  those  "who  live  to  the  lusts 
of  men,  who  work  the  will  of  the  Gentiles,"  "  who  are  contentious, 
and  do  not  obey  the  truth,  but  obey  unrighteousness,  he  will  render 
indignation  and  wrath,  tribulation  and  anguish."  "  Behold,  the  Lord 
cometh  with  ten  thousand  of  his  saints  to  execute  judgment  upon 
all,  and  to  convince  all  that  are  ungodly  among  them  of  all  their  un 
godly  deeds  which  they  have  ungodly  committed,  and  of  all  their  hard 
speeches  which  ungodly  sinners  have  spoken  against  him."  l  Who, 
with  the  judgment-seat  before  him,  the  account  which  must  there  be 
given,  and  the  fearful  results  if  that  account  is,  that  the  time  in  the 
flesh  has  been  spent  in  obedience  to  the  lusts  of  men  and  the  will  of 
the  Gentiles,  instead  of  the  will  of  God,  would  not  tremble  at  the 
thought  of  allowing  natural  inclination,  or  common  custom,  to  take 
the  place  of  Divine  authority  as  the  controlling  and  guiding  power  of 
life  ?  Such  is,  I  apprehend,  the  force  of  the  statement  contained  in 
the  5th  verse  as  a  motive  to  Christians  to  avoid  living  to  the  lusts  of 
men,  working  the  will  of  the  Gentiles;  and  it  is  not  easy  to  estimate 
the  power  it  ought  to  have  on  every  mind. 

While  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  account  here  spoken  of  is 
the  last  account  at  the  final  judgment,  it  may  be  doubted,  whether 
that  is  the  judgment  which  God  is  here  represented  as  "ready," 
prepared,  just  about  to  execute,  on  the  living  and  the  dead.3  Eighteen 
hundred  years  have  nearly  elapsed  since  these  words  were  written, 
and  that. judgment  has  not  yet  taken  place.  The  whole  human  race 
are  sometimes  divided  into  the  living  and  the  dead,  meaning  by 
those  terms  all  who  have  died,  and  all  who  are  to  be  found  alive  at  the 
coming  of  the  Lord.  Thus  the  apostle  declares  that  "  Jesus  is  or 
dained  of  God  to  be  the  judge  of  the  quick,"  that  is,  the  living,  and 
"  the  dead ;"  and  Paul  orders  Timothy  to  do  his  official  duties  "  be 
fore  God  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick  and 
the  dead  at  his  appearance  and  kingdom."  ! 

But  it  is  difficult  to  perceive  any  reason  in  the  passage  before  us 
for  referring  to  this  division  of  all  mankind,  as  either  dead  or  living, 
at  the  day  of  judgment.  It  seems  highly  probable,  that  the  word 
"  dead,"  used  in  the  first  clause  of  the  next  verse  as  descriptive  of 
persons  to  whom  the  Gospel  is  preached,  preached  when  dead,  signi 
fies  those  who  are  spiritually  dead ;  as  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
they  who  live,  spoken  of  in  the  second  clause,  they  who  "  live  to  God  in 
the  spirit,"  are  those  who  are  spiritually  alive ;  and  there  cannot  be 
a  reasonable  doubt  that  the  living  and  the  dead  spoken  of  in  the  fifth 
verse,  are  the  dead  and  living  spoken  of  in  the  sixth  verse.  These 
remarks  would  go  far  to  prove  that,  in  the  verse  before  us,  the  divi 
sion  of  mankind  here  is  not  into  those  who  shall  be  naturally  dead 

1  Eccles.  xii.  14.     PsaL  ix.  7,  8.     Rom.  ii.  6-9.    Jude  14,  15. 
3  Tw  !roi>wj  IXOVTI.  3  Acts  x.  42.     2  Tica.  iv.  1. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES.  583 

and  those  who  shall  be  naturally  alive  at  the  coming  of  our  Lord, 
but  into  the  spiritually  dead  and  the  spiritually  alive. 

On  both  these  classes  God  was  ready,  just  about,  to  execute  judg 
ment,  in  the  sense  of  inflicting  severe  calamities.  When  we  look  a 
little  forward  in  the  chapter  (verse  12),  we  find  that  a  fiery  trial  was 
about  to  try  those  whom  the  apostle  calls  his  "  beloved" — that  is, 
"  the  living ;"  but  it  was  not  to  be  peculiar  to  them  to  be  thus  tried. 
Suffering  was  about  to  fall  with  still  more  crushing  weight  on  the 
"  ungodly,"  "  the  dead."  "  The  time  is  come,"  is  just  at  hand, 
"when  judgment  must  begin  at  the  house  of  God" — that  is,  just  in 
other  words,  "  He  is  ready  to  judge  the  quick,"  the  spiritually  alive ; 
but  he  is  ready  to  judge  the  spiritually  dead  too  ;  for  the  apostle  goes 
on,  "  if  it  first  begin  at  us,  what  shall  the  end  be  of  them  that  obey 
not  the  gospel  of  God ;  and  if  the  righteous,  '  the  living/  scarcely  be 
saved,",  are  to  be  all  but  destroyed  by  the  awful  infliction,  "where 
shall  the  ungodly  and  the  wicked,"  '  the  dead,'  "  appear  ?"  The  sense 
of  the  apostle  may,  we  apprehend,  be  thus  given  :  These  ungodly 
men,  who  persist  in  impenitence,  unbelief,  and  disobedience,  must  ap 
pear  before  the  judgment-seat  of  a  righteous  God,  who  even  here 
makes  it  evident  that  he  is  the  judge  of  the  world,  and  who  is  about 
to  inflict  calamities  which  will  fall  heavily  both  on  his  people  and 
his  enemies,  "  the  living  and  the  dead." 

What  the  judgment  referred  to  is,  it  is  impossible  to  say  with  cer 
tainty  ;  some  considering  it  as  referring  to  calamities  connected  with 
the  overthrow  of  the  ecclesiastical  and  civil  polity  of  the  Jewrs,  which 
was  at  hand,  and  which  was  the  occasion  of  suffering  not^only  to  the 
Jews  of  Palestine,  but  to  the  Jews  of  the  dispersion ;  and  others  con 
sidering  it  as  referring  to  a  severe  famine,  which  in  the  time  of  the 
Emperor  Claudius,  visited  the  region  in  which  the  Christians,  to  whom 
this  epistle  is  addressed,  resided.  To  meet  such  a  trial,  few  things 
were  better  fitted  to  prepare  Christians  than  habitually  living  to  the  will 
of  God  ;  and  nothing  more  calculated  to  make  it  difficult  to  bear,  than 
losing  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience  by  living  to  the  lusts  of  men. 

(4.)  We  have  not  yet,  however,  exhausted  the  force  of  the  motive 
contained  in  the  apostle's  statement.  In  this  evil  way  of  living  to  the 
lusts  of  men,  working  the  will  of  the  Gentiles,  they  had  "  once  walked." 
This  they  had  done  "  in  the  time  past  of  their  life" — that  is,  in  that 
part  of  their  life  which  preceded  their  conversion.  It  has  been  a 
question,  whether,  in  these  words,  the  apostle  refers  to  Christian  con 
verts  from  among  the  Jews,  or  from  among  the  Gentiles.  The 
churches  to  which  the  epistle  was  addressed  were  composed  of  per 
sons  belonging  to  both  classes ;  and  therefore  it  is  not  wonderful  that 
phrases  should  be  employed,  some  equally  applicable  to  both  classes, 
some  more  applicable  to  the  one  than  to  the  other.  All  of  them  had 
lived  to  the  lusts  of  men,  all  of  them  had  worked  the  will  of  the  Gen 
tiles.  With  all  of  them,  natural  inclination,  uncontrolled  by  the  will 
of  God,  had  been  the  rule  and  reason  of  their  conduct,  the  forming 
principle  of  their  character ;  and  in  some  of  them,  this  had  led  to 
open  and  shameless  violations  of  the  Divine  law,  which  manifested 
the  true  nature  and  tendency  of  the  principles  by  which  all  were  ani 
mated  and  guided. 


584  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [pISC.  XVII. 

The  passage  before  us  is  very  similar  to  the  two  following,  which 
show  us  how  it  is  to  be  understood.  After  giving  a  catalogue  of  some 
of  the  most  flagrant  violators  of  the  Divine  law,  the  apostle  says  to 
the  Corinthian  Christians,  "  Such  were  some  of  you ;  but  ye  are 
washed,  but  ye  are  sanctified,  but  ye  are  justified,  in  the  name  of  our 
Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God."  "  Ye  were  dead,"  says 
he  to  the  Ephesian  gentile  converts,  "in  trespasses  and  sins  ;  in  which 
in  time  past  ye  walked  according  to  the  course  of  this  world,  accord 
ing  to  the  prince  of  the  powers  of  the  air,  the  spirit  that  now  work- 
eth  in  the  children  of  disobedience  :  among  whom  also  we  all  had 
our  conversation  in  times  past  in  the  lusts  of  our  flesh,  fulfilling  the 
desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind."  l 

Now,  says  the  apostle,  "  the  time"  spent  under  such  influences,  in 
such  practices,  "  may  suffice."  We  surely  have  had  enough,  more 
than  enough,  of  this.  The  phraseology  is  peculiar  and  very  expres 
sive — probably  borrowed  from  the  Prophet  Ezekiel,  when  he  says,  in 
reference  to  the  enormities  of  the  people  of  Israel,  "  Let  it  suffice 
you  of  all  your  abominations."  2  It  is  a  way,  with  the  guilt  and  dis 
grace  and  misery  of  which  we  are  but  too  well  acquainted.  We 
should  never  have  walked  in  that  way  ;  we  have  walked  too  long  in 
it ;  we  have  been  led  to  abandon  it.  Surely  we  will  not  return  to  it ! 
Awakened  from  our  dream  of  delirium,  surely  we  will  not  again  put  to 
our  lips  the  narcotic  cup  which  occasioned  it !  Recovered  from  our 
wanderings  in  the  downward  road  of  ruin,  surely  we  will  not  again 
forsake  the  onward,  upward  path!  Surely  the  future  part  of  our  time 
should  be  as  exclusively  devoted  to  the  will  of  God,  as  the  former  part 
of  it  was  to  "  the  lusts  of  men !"  We  should  surely  serve  HIM  who  has 
the  highest  conceivable  claims  on  our  service,  as  devotedly  as  we  did 
those  who  had  no  claim  on  our  service  at  all !  "  We  are  not  debtors 
to  the  flesh  to  live  after  the  flesh."  We  have  greatly  overpaid  it, 
which  never  had  any  just  demand  on  us.  Let  us  spend  no  more  of 
our  money  for  what  is  not  bread,  but  poison  ;  no  more  of  our  labor 
for  that  which  does  not  profit,  but  ruins. 

The  import  of  the  whole  illustration  here,  seems  to  coincide  with 
the  striking  passage  with  which  the  Apostle  Paul  concludes  the  6th 
chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  of  which  chapter  the  passage 
before  us  is  just  a  compendium.  "  Know  ye  not,  that  to  whom  ye 
yield  yourselves  servants  to  obey,  his  servants  ye  are  to  whom  ye 
obey  ;  whether  of  sin  unto  death,  or  of  obedience  unto  righteousness  ? 
But  God  be  thanked,  ye  were  the  servants  of  sin ;  but  ye  have 
obeyed  from  the  heart  the  form  of  doctrine  delivered  to  you.  Being 
then  made  free  from  sin,  ye  became  the  servants  of  righteousness. 
I  speak  after  the  manner  of  men,  because  of  the  infirmity  of  your 
flesh:  for  as  ye  have  yielded  your  members  servants  to  unclean- 
ness  and  to  iniquity;  even  so  now  yield  your  members  servants  to 
righteousness  unto  holiness.  For  when  ye  were  the  servants  of  sin, 
ye  were  free  from  righteousness.  What  fruit  had  ye  then  in  those 
thingsjvhereof  ye  are  now  ashamed  ?  for  the  end  of  those  things  is 
death."  Surely  there  has  been  enough,  more  than  enough,  of  what 
is  so  full  of  guilt  and  degradation,  so  fruitful  of  remorse  and  shame, 
1  1  Cor.  vi.  11.  Eph.  ii.  1-3.  *  Ezek.  xliv.  6  ;  xlv.  9. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES.  585 

which  implies  such  infatuation,  and  incurs  such  responsibilities ! 
Surely  there  should  be  no  more  living  to  the  lusts  of  men,  working 
the  will  of  the  Gentiles  !  It  is  matter  of  deep  regret  that  any  of  our  past 
time,  that  so  much  of  our  past  time  should  have  been  so  unworthily 
spent.  It  will  be  tenfold  folly  and  sin  if  any  of  our  future  time  should 
be  so  squandered.  So  much  for  the  illustration  of  the  first  motive. 

§  2. — Motive  drawn  from  the  great  design  of  the  Gospel 
Revelation. 

The  second  motive  is  derived  from  the  great  design  of  the  gospei 
revelation,  and  is  brought  forward  in  the  sixth  verse  :  "  For  this  cause 
was  the  gospel  preached  also  to  them  that  are  dead,  or  even  to  the 
dead,  that  they  might  be  judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh,  but 
live  according  to  God  in  the  spirit." 

The  key  to  the  interpretation  of  this  passage,  certainly  among  the 
most  intricate  in  the  whole  book  of  God,  seems  to  lie  in  its  connec 
tion.  It  has  been  common  to  seek  a  connection  between  these  words 
and  those  which  immediately  precede  them.  I  have  done  so  with  all 
the  closeness  of  attention  I  am  capable  of,  but  I  have  not  been  able 
to  find  it.  The  statement  in  this  verse  is  plainly  a  reason  for  some 
thing  previously  stated ;  but  I  cannot  find  in  these  words  anything 
like  a  reason  why  God  is  ready  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead,  or 
why  ungodly,  impenitent  men,  must  give  account  to  God  for  their 
ungodly  deeds  and  hard  speeches. 

It  seems  to  me  that  they  present  another  great  motive  to  the  duty 
enjoined  in  the  second  verse.  Christians  are  not  to  live  the  rest  of 
the  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God ;  first, 
for  the  reason  contained  in  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  verses,  which 
we  have  already  illustrated ;  and  secondly,  for  that  contained  in  this 
verse,  they  are  not  "  to  live  the  rest  of  their  time  in  the  flesh  to  the 
lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God ;"  "  for,  for  this  cause,  the  gospel 
was  preached  to  them  who  were  dead;"  that  is,  the  great  design  of 
the  gospel  revelation  is  just  to  induce  men  to  make,  not  the  lusts  of 
men,  but  the  will  of  God,  the  rule  and  reason  of  their  conduct. 

I  have  already  stated  some  of  the  reasons  why  I  consider  them 
who  are  dead,  literally  "  the  dead,"  to  be  the  spiritually  dead,  those 
"  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins."  To  translate  it,  the  gospel  was  preached 
to  those  who  are  now  dead,  though  they  were  alive  when  the  gospel 
was  preached  to  them,  is  to  give  the  words  a  meaning  which  they 
will  not  bear ;  and  to  suppose  that  they  mean,  that  the  gospel  has 
been  preached  to  the  dead  in  the  separate  state,  the  only  meaning 
they  can,  consistently  with  the  usage  of  the  language,  have,  if  the 
term  dead  is  understood  in  its  literal  sense,  is  to  suppose  them  to  assert 
a  fact  which  seems  to  have  no  connection  with  what  the  apostle  is 
speaking  about,  and  a  fact  to  which  there  is  no  reference,  except  it 
be  in  the  nineteenth  verse  in  the  preceding  chapter,  in  the  whole 
Bible.  That  the  events  referred  to  in  the  two  passages  are  the  same, 
I  have  no  doubt.  "  The  spirits  in  prison"  there,  and  "  the  dead" 
here,  are  the  same  class  of  persons ;  and  Christ  by  the  Spirit  preach 
ing  to  the  former,  and  the  gospel  being  preached  to  the  latter,  are  de 
scriptions  of  the  same  event.  Both  the  expressions,  "spirits  in 


586  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII. 

prison"  and  "  the  dead,"  are  figurative  expressions.  A  state  of  un 
conversion  is  often  represented  as  a  state  of  death.  "  To  be  carnally- 
minded  js  death ;"  the  unconverted  man  "  abideth  in  death  :"  when  he 
is  converted  he  "  passes  from  death  to  life ;"  while  he  continues  in 
unregeneracy  he  is  "dead  in  trespasses  and  sins."  Unconverted 
Gentiles  are  represented  as  "dead  in  the  uncircumcision  of  their 
flesh."1 

Now  the  gospel  is  preached  to  men  thus  dead,  destitute  of  all 
spiritual  life,  utterly  incapable  of  spiritual  action  and  spiritual  enjoy 
ment,  that  by  means  of  it  they,  through  the  accompanying  energy 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  may  be  quickened  to  a  new  life,  manifesting  itself 
in  living  and  acting  not  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God. 
Its  voice  is,  "  Awake  thou  that  sleepest,  and  arise  from  the  dead,  and 
Christ  shall  give  thee  light."  The  revelation  of  the  grace  of  God, 
which  constitutes  the  gospel,  is  mainly  intended  to  teach  men  "to 
deny  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  and  to  live  soberly,  and  right 
eously,  and  godly  in  this  world ;  looking  for  that  blessed  hope,  and  the 
glorious  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  who  gave  himself  for 
us,  that  he  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself 
a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works."  The  design  of  preaching 
the  gospel  is  to  "  turn  men  from  darkness  to  light,  from  the  power  of 
Satan  to  God."  The  knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  which  it 
communicates,  is  intended  to  enable  men  to  "  escape  the  pollutions  of 
the  world,  and  to  perfect  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God." a  Where  these 
ends  are  not  gained,  the  gospel  has  been  preached  in  vain.  Indeed, 
in  some  points  of  view,  it  had  been  better  for  those  whom  the  gospel 
leaves  still  the  servants  of  sin,  that  it  had  never  been  preached  to 
them. 

This  is  obviously  a  very  powerful  motive  to  "live  the  rest  of  the 
time  in  the  flesh  not  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God." 
Thus,  thus  only,  can  the  great  benignant  purposes  of  the  gospel  reve 
lation  be  answered  to  the  individual.  No  man  continuing  unholy 
can  ever  obtain  the  salvation  the  gospel  announces.  Just  in  the  de 
gree  in  which  he  is  sanctified  by  the  truth,  does  the  truth  gain  its 
object. 

Taking  this  view  of  the  passage  there  would  have  been  no  difficulty, 
had  there  been  no  more  in  the  statement  than  this :  "  For,  for  this 
purpose,  viz.  that  we  should  no  longer  live  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to 
the  will  of  God,"  was  the  gospel  preached  to  "  the  dead,"  the  un 
converted.  But  there  is  difficulty,  great  difficulty,  in  the  words  that 
follow :  "  that  they  may  be  judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh,  but 
live  according  to  God  in  the  spirit." 

The  difficulty  lies  in  the  first  clause,  "judged  according  to  men  in 
the  flesh ;"  for  were  these  words  not  there,  the  clause  that  follows, 
"  that  they  may  live  according  to  God  in  the  spirit,"  might  naturally 
enough  be  understood  as  explanatory  of  the  phrase  "  for  this  end," 
and  in  this  case  would  be  of  equivalent  signification  with  tne  phrase 
in  the  second  verse,  "  that  we  may  live  to  the  will  of  God." 

It  would  serve  little  purpose  to  state  the  various  attempts  which  in 
terpreters  have  made  to  extort  an  apposite  meaning  out  of  these 

1  See  note  C.         .  a  Eph,  v.  14.    Tit.  ii.  11,  12.    Acts  xxvl  18.     2  Pet.  i.  2-4. 


PART  III.]  MOTIVES.  587 

words.  Their  number,  and  the  extravagance  of  some  of  them,  clearly 
show,  that  this  is  a  passage  "  hard  to  be  understood."  One  learned 
interpreter 1  states  plainly  that  he  does  not  understand  the  passage, 
and  therefore  lets  it  alone  ;  and  I  have,  in  the  course  of  my  inqui 
ries,  sometimes  been  disposed  to  follow  his  example. 

The  following  appears  to  me  to  be  probably  the  meaning  and  refer 
ence  of  the  words.  They  seem  to  describe  certain  consequences  of 
the  gospel  being  preached  with  effect  to  the  spiritually  dead.  The 
direct  design  of  the  gospel  being  preached  to  them  is,  that  they  may 
believe  it ;  and  the  certain  effect  of  its  being  preached  to  them  if  they 
believe  it,  as  well  as  its  design,  is,  that  believing  it,  they  "  no  longer 
live  the  rest  of  their  life  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God." 
Such  is  its  designed  effect  on  their  character  and  conduct. 

But  besides  this  designed  effect  on  their  character  and  conduct,  the 
gospel  when  preached  to,  believed  by,  and  influential  on,  the  spiritually 
dead,  produces  certain  effects,  some  of  them  unfavorable,  others  of 
them  favorable,  on  their  condition,  external  or  internal.  It  is  to 
these,  I  apprehend,  the  apostle  refers,  when  he  speaks  of  their  being 
"judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh,"  but  "  living  according  to  God 
in  the  spirit." 

"  According  to  men,"  that  is,  plainly,  unconverted  men  (as  in  the 
phrase  "  lusts  of  men,"  or  the  expression,  "  ye  are  carnal  and  walk  as 
men"*);  so  far  as  men,  unconverted,  worldly  men,  are  concerned, 
they,  that  is,  they  who  have  believed  the  gospel  preached  to  them 
when  dead,  are,  by  depraved  and  human  agency,  "judged,"  that  is, 
condemned,  punished,  "  in  the  flesh,"  in  the  body  or  in  their  external 
circumstances.  "  According  to  God,"  so  far  as  God  is  concerned,  by 
a  holy,  Divine  agency,  they  "  live,"  they  enjoy  true  happiness  (as  the 
apostle  says,  "now  we  live  if  we  stand  fast  in  the  Lord"3);. "in  the 
spirit,"  in  the  soul,  in  the  inner  man,  a  happiness  suited  to  the  wants 
and  capacities  of  their  higher  nature.  Had  "  living  according  to  God 
in  the  spirit,"  been  contrasted  with  "living  according  to  men  in  the 
flesh,"  it  would  have  described  character;  contrasted  with  being 
"condemned  or  punished  according  to  men  in  the  flesh,"  it  plainly 
describes  condition. 

The  particle  translated  "that"4  not  only  signifies  in  order  to,  mark 
ing  design,  but  also,  so  that,  marking  effect,  as  when  it  is  said,  "Have 
they  stumbled  that  they  should  fall?"5  that  is,  "Have  they  stumbled 
so  as  to  fall  ?"  This  seems  its  force  here :  "  For  this  end  was  the 
gospel  preached  to  you  when  spiritually  dead,  that  believing  it  ye 
should  abandon  sin  and  follow  holiness  ;  and  having  gained  its  object, 
the  result  has  been,  ye  are  persecuted  in  your  external  circumstances, 
your  body,  your  reputation,  your  outward  condition,  by  men ;  but  ye 
are  happy  in  your  mind,  in  all  your  spiritual  relations  and  circum 
stances,  in  God." 

It  was  so  then.  "Men  spoke  against  them  as  evil-doers,"  they 
"suffered  as  Christians"  " for  well-doing,"  "for  righteousness*  sake;" 
but  while  thus  judged,  condemned,  punished,  so  far  as  men  were  con 
cerned,  "in  the  flesh,"  they  "lived  according  to  God  in  the  spirit." 

1  Castalio.     "  Hunc  locum  non  intelligo ;  ideoque  ad  verbum  transtuli." 

8  1  Cor.  iii.  3.  3  1  Thess.  iii.  8.  *  "Iva.  *  "Iva.     Rom.  xi.  11. 


588  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII. 

They  had  a  "life  hid  with  Christ  in  God  ;"  they  were  happy  in  their 
spirits,  for  "  the  spirit  of  glory  and  of  God  rested  on  them." 

Thus  were  the  apostles  "judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh/' 
when  they  were  beaten  before  the  Sanhedrim.,  and  commanded  that 
they  should  not  speak  in  the  name  of  Jesus ;  and  thus  did  they  "  live 
according  to  God  in  the  spirit,"  when  "  they  departed  from  the  pres 
ence  of  the  council,  rejoicing  that  they  were  worthy  to  suffer  shame 
for  his  name."1  Thus  were  Paul  and  Silas  "judged  according  to 
men  in  the  flesh,"  when,  by  order  of  the  magistrates  of  Philippi, 
they  were  beaten,  and,  "  after  many  stripes  had  been  laid  on  them, 
thrust  into  the  inner  prison,  and  had  their  feet  made  fast  in  the  stocks ;" 
and  thus  did  they  "  live  according  to  God  in  the  spirit,"  when,  "  at 
midnight,  they  prayed  and  sang  praises  to  God,"  with  a  voice  so  loud 
and  clear  that  "  the  prisoners  heard  them." 

And  it  is  so  still.  Whenever  the  gospel  believed  transforms  the 
character,  the  individual  becomes  an  object  of  dislike  to  worldly  men  ; 
he  is  "judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh;"  and  the  manner  in 
which  that  dislike  is  manifested  depends  on  circumstances ;  it  may 
be  in  silent  contempt,  in  malignant  misrepresentation,  in  spoiling  of 
goods,  in  persecution  to  the  death ;  and  just  as  certainly  does  he  "  live 
to  God  in  the  spirit,"  obtaining  "a  peace"  in  God  "which  passeth  all 
understanding,"  which,  as  the  world  could  not  give,  it  cannot  take 
away ;  a  new  life  so  superior  to  all  that  he  formerly  experienced,  that, 
when  he  looks  back  to  the  time  that  is  past,  it  appears  to  him  as  he 
had  been  "  dead  while  he  lived." 

Materially  the  same  sense  may  be  brought  out  of  the  words,  giving 
to  "  that"  its  more  common  sense,  "  to  the  end  that"  by  interpreting 
the  passage  on  the  same  principle  as  you  must  interpret  the  words, 
"  God  be  thanked,  that  ye  were  the  servants  of  sin ;  but  ye  have 
obeyed  from  the  heart  the  form  of  doctrine  delivered  to  you;"2  that 
is,  God  be  thanked,  that,  though  you  were  the  servants  of  sin,  ye 
have  obeyed  from  the  heart  the  form  of  doctrine  delivered  to  you. 
So  here,  "  For  this  cause,  that  they  may  give  over  living  to  the  lusts 
of  men,  and  begin  to  live  to  the  will  of  God,  was  the  gospel  preached 
to  the  spiritually  dead ;  that  they,  believing  the  gospel  and  yielding 
to  its  influence,  though  persecuted  as  to  their  external  circumstances 
by  men,  may  enjoy  true  spiritual  happiness  in  God." 

The  only  interpretation  that  can  come  into  competition  with  this, 
is  that  which  considers  both  clauses  as  referring  to  the  direct  and  in 
tended  effect  of  the  preaching  of  the  gospel ;  understanding  by  being 
"judged  in  the  flesh,"  the  being  condemned  and  punished  in  reference 
to  that  which  is  depraved  in  our  nature,  "  the  flesh ;"  having  the  body 
of  sin  destroyed,  the  being  made  to  deny  self;  "mortifying  our  mem 
bers  on  the  earth,"  taking  up  the  cross ;  all  which,  "  according  to 
men,"  in  the  estimation  of  men,  unregenerate  men,  is  no  better  than 
death  ;  and  understanding  by  "  living  in  the  spirit  according  to  God," 
such  an  exercise  of  all  their  faculties,  under  the  influence  of  their 
renewed  nature,  as  in  God's  estimation  deserves  the  name  of  life ;  as 
if  he  had  said,  '  the  gospel  was  preached  to  the  dead  in  trespasses  and 
sins,  that  they  might  become  dead  to  sin,  and  alive  to  God,  dead  in 
1  Acts  v.  40,  41 ;  xvi.  22-25.  a  Horn.  vi.  1Y. 


PART  III.J  MOTIVES.  589 

the  sense  in  which  they  were  alive ;  alive  in  the  sense  in  which  they 
were  dead ;'  which  is  just  equivalent  to,  "  that  they  may  no  longer 
live  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God."  This  is  Archbishop 
Leighton's  view  of  the  passage,  so  far  as  I  can  understand  it ;  but  1 
do  not  see  how  this  sense  can  be  brought  out  of  the  words  without 
doing  violence  to  them. 

The  force  of  the  motive  may  be  thus  briefly  expressed :  '  Ye 
ought  to  live  the  rest  of  the  time  in  the  flesh  to  the  will  of  God,  not 
to  the  lusts  of  men,  for  that  was  the  grand  design  of  the  gospel  when 
preached  to  you  "  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins ;"  and  though  by  believ 
ing  the  gospel,  and  yielding  yourselves  up  to  its  sanctifying  influence, 
you  will  certainly  expose  yourselves  to  the  condemnation  and  perse 
cution  of  an  ungodly  world  (which,  however,  can  only  affect  your 
external  condition),  you  will  find  far  more  than  a  compensation  for 
this  in  the  life,  the  happiness,  which  in  your  spirits  you  will  obtain 
from  God/ 

In  the  very  important,  but,  as  we  have  found,  somewhat  difficult, 
paragraph  commencing  with  the  eighteenth  verse  of  the  preceding 
chapter,  and  ending  with  the  sixth  verse  of  this,  the  great  leading 
features  of  the  Divine  method  of  transforming  depraved  human  na 
ture  are  strikingly  delineated.  Man  has  gone  astray  from  God,  and 
is  living,  not  to  his  will  but  to  his  own  lusts.  He  has  thus  incurred 
the  righteous  displeasure  of  God,  and  brought  on  himself  the  dreadful 
curse  of  his  holy  law.  That  curse  rivets,  as  it  were,  the  chains  of  his 
depravity.  He  is  lost,  beyond  the  power  of  created  wisdom  and 
agency  to  rescue  him.  But  what  man,  what  angels  could  not  do, 
God  has  done.  The  obedience  unto  the  death  of  the  incarnate  Son, 
the  divinely-appointed  Saviour,  the  just  One,  in  the  room  of  the  un 
just,  gives  full  satisfaction  to  the  violated  law,  and  is  the  propitiation 
for  our  sins ;  securing  for  Him  all  the  power  and  authority  necessary 
to  gain  the  ultimate  ends  of  his  sacrifice.  This  well-attested  record 
of  this  mystery  of  wisdom,  righteousness,  and  love,  is  the  gospel  of 
our  salvation,  which,  attended  by  the  Spirit,  finds  its  way  into  the 
understanding,  and  conscience,  and  affections  of  men,  transforming 
them  by  the  renewing  of  their  mind,  and  leading  them  to  live  hence 
forth  no  more  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God ;  while,  at 
the  same  time,  the  sinner,  justified  and  renewed  by  the  grace  of  God, 
has  presented  to  him  motives  the  most  powerful  and  persuasive  to 
induce  him  to  abstain  from  every  kind  of  evil,  and  to  cultivate  holi 
ness  in  all  manner  of  conversation ;  and,  amid  all  the  sufferings  to 
which  he  may  be  exposed  from  an  evil  world,  is  sustained  by  the  en 
ergies  of  that  spiritual  life  in  God,  the  exhaustless  source  of  peace 
and  joy,  which  they  enjoy  by  their  union  to  him  who  died  for  them 
in  weakness,  but  lives  forever  by  the  power  of  God. 

It  deeply  concerns  us  all,  seriously  to  inquire  whether  we,  through 
the  atoning  death  and  restored  life  of  our  Lord,  have  become  dead 
to  the  world  and  to  sin,  alive  to  God  and  holiness ;  whether,  under 
the  influence  of  the  truth  on  these  subjects,  we  are  living,  not  as  we 
once  did,  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God.  This  is  the  ap 
propriate  evidence,  this  is  the  only  satisfactory  evidence,  that  the 


590  EXHORTATION    TO    HOLINESS.  [DISC.  XVII. 

gospel  of  salvation  has  come  to  us  not  in  word  only,  but  in  power ; 
that  the  end  for  which  the  gospel  is  preached  to  the  dead  has  been 
gained  in  us. 

Let  Christians  seek  clearer  views,  more  settled  convictions,  re 
specting  the  death  of  Christ  as  the  great  atoning  sacrifice,  and  their 
own  interest  in  it  as  not  only  the  price  of  their  pardon,  but  the  means 
of  their  sanctification ;  and  Jet  them  open  their  minds  and  hearts  to 
all  those  powerful  motives,  from  such  a  variety  of  sources,  which 
urge  them  to  live  devoted  to  Him,  who  died  devoted  for  them  ;  to 
glorify  Him  whom  they  have  so  long  dishonored ;  to  deny  ungodli 
ness  and  worldly  lusts,  and  to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in 
the  world ;  constantly  seeking  more  and  more  disconformity  to  this 
world,  by  being  more  thoroughly  "  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  their 
minds,  and  proving  the  good,  and  perfect,  and  acceptable  will  of  God." 

And  let  those  who  are  still  running  the  mad  career  of  thoughtless 
ness  and  sin,  living  not  to  the  will  of  God,  but  to  the  lusts  of  men, 
consider,  ere  it  be  too  late,  what  must  be  the  end  of  these  things. 
Men  and  brethren,  allow  me  to  expostulate  with  you.  You  "  must 
give  account  to  Him  who  is  ready  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead." 
And  that  account  must  be  given  in  not  with  joy  but  with  grief. 
That  judgment  must  be  condemnation.  Indeed,  you  are  condemned 
already,  and  you  know  it,  however  you  may  try  to  strangle  the  con 
viction.  God,  in  his  word,  condemns  you,  and  your  consciences  con 
demn  you  also.  Where  is  the  man  who  dare  say,  it  is  right,  it  is 
wise,  it  is  safe,  to  live  to  the  lusts  of  men,  so  foolish,  so  shameful,  so 
ruinous ;  and  not  to  the  will  of  God,  so  wise,  so  benignant,  so  reason 
able,  so  advantageous ;  to  make  human  inclination,  rather  than  Divine 
law,  the  rule  of  conduct  ?  What  has  the  time  past  of  your  life  been, 
but  a  blank  or  a  blot,  guilty  inutility  or  noxious  guilt,  inglorious 
inaction  or  base  activity?  and  how  many  years  have  been  thus 
wasted  ?  In  many  cases,  I  am  afraid,  by  far  the  greater  part  even 
of  a  long  life. 

Surely  "  the  time  that  is  passed  may  suffice."  Enough,  more  than 
enough,  of  such  madness.  Dishonor  has  received  sufficient  measure. 
Close  the  term  of  infamy.  It  is  time  for  fairer  days  to  begin  their 
course.  Oh!  relinquish  those  foolish  and  deceitful  lusts,  to  which 
you  have  been  so  long  enslaved,  and  come  to  Christ,  who  will  bring 
you  to  God,  that  you  may  know  him  and  love  him,  and  serve  him 
and  enjoy  him.  In  him  there  is  spirit  and  life ;  dead  though  you  be, 
he  will  enable  you  to  live  this  heavenly  life  which  the  apostle  enjoins ; 
this  life  to  the  will  of  God,  his  God  and  your  God,  his  Father  and 
your  Father. 

Delay  no  longer  this  happy  exchange  of  the  slavery  of  sin  for  the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God.  Put  it  off  till  to-morrow,  and  it 
may  become  impossible.  The  seal  of  eternity,  ere  to-morrow,  may 
be  put  on  thy  thraldom.  Thinkest  thou  that  it  is  irksome  to  do  the 
will  of  God  ?  Think  that  it  will  be  found  more  than  irksome  to  suf 
fer  his  wrath  forever.  But  it  is  not  irksome.  Ah !  thou  knowest 
not  how  sweet  they  find  his  service  who  have  tried  it,  and  who,  with 
one  voice  cry,  "  O  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good ;  his  yoke  is 
easy,  his  burden  is  light." 


DISC.  XVII.J  NOTES.  591 

Think  not  to  say  within  thyself,  I  will  abandon  the  service  of  the 
lusts  of  men  by  and  by ;  I  will  live  to  the  will  of  God  ;  though  not  now, 
yet  afterwards.  Ah !  who  can  make  thee  sure  of  the  willoT  of  the  af 
terwards  ?  And  if  afterwards,  why  not  now  ?  Hast  thou  not  served 
sin  long  enough  ?  May  not  the  time  past  suffice  ?  Is  it  not  more 
than  enough  ?  He  who  does  not  live  to  God,  is  "  dead  while  he  liv- 
•th."  He  who  lives  to  sin,  lives  in  a  dark  dungeon,  laden  with  fet 
ters  ;  he  who  lives  to  God,  dwells  in  light,  walks  at  liberty.  The  un 
certain  wildfires  of  worldly  pleasures,  which  but  light  those  who  fol 
low  them  to  their  doom,  will  soon  be  extinguished  in  the  blackness  of 
darkness  forever.  But  he  that  followeth  Christ,  in  living  to  the  will 
of  God,  "  shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life." 
"  His  path  shall  be  like  that  of  the  shining  light,  which  shineth  more 
and  more  unto  the  perfect  day." 1 


NOTE  A.  p.  556. 

Amyraut,  in  his  paraphrase,  gives  the  sense  very  clearly  : — "  Mais  encore  nous  devons 
armer  de  cette  bonne  pensce  contre  toutes  sortes  de  tentations  au  mal, '  que  celui  qui  a 
eouffert  en  cette  nature  humaine,  n'a  desormais  plus  de  commerce  avec  le  peche.'  "  And 
Gerhard, — '"On  rectius  accipitur  expositive,  exponit  enim  Apostolus  illam  cogitatiouem 
Ewoiav  qua  nos  vult  armari :  hsec  cogitatio  erit  vobis  instar  firmissimi  scuti  et  muuimenti 
contra  peccatum."  Erasmus  Schmid's  version  is, — "  Eadem  cogitatione  armamini,  nempe, 
quod  qui  passus  est  carne  destitit  a  peccato."  Beza's  version  is  of  the  same  purport. 


NOTE  B.  p.  570. 

1  am  aware  that  the  words  rendered  "hath  ceased  from  sin,"  have  been  translated 
"  has  caused  sin  to  cease  ;"  bringing  out  this  sense — '  Christ,  by  suffering  in  the  flesh,  has 
caused  sin  to  cease ;  has  finished  transgression,  made  an  end  of  sin,  brought  in  an  ever 
lasting  righteousness.'  This  is  a  truth,  and  a  truth  suggested,  as  we  have  seen,  by  the 
words ;  but  to  make  them  directly  express  this,  requires  very  great  violence  to  be  done 
to  the  original  language.  The  words  have  also  been  rendered  "  has  ceased  from  sin-offer 
ing  ;"  bringing  out  the  idea,  that  his  one  perfect  offering  has  rendered  unnecessary  any 
farther  sacrifice  for  sin.  This  is  true,  too,  and,  like  the  other,  substantially  implied  in  the 
statement ;  but  it  is  to  give  an  unusual  meaning  to  the  word  "  sin,"  and  it  is  to  give  the 
same  word  two  distinct  meanings  in  the  same  sentence ;  for  certainly  "  sin,''  in  the  first 
clause  of  the  first  verse,  does  not  mean  "  sin-offering." 


C.  p.  586. 

"  Propter  hoc  enim  et  mortuis,  evangelicatus  est, — nobis,  qui  quondam  videlicit  extaba- 
mus  infideles."— CLEM.  ALEX.  Adumbrat.  ad  1  Ep.  Pet.  Edit.  Pott.  Tom.  ii.  p.  1007.— 
Apud  Beausobre. 

"  Simplicissime  per  'mortuos'  quibus  Evangelium  praedicatum  esse  Apostolus  asscrit, 
intelliguntur  spiritualiter,  in  peccatid,  mortui." — GERHARD.  "  Fieri  potest,  ut  mortuoa 
dixerit  infideles  h.  e.  in  anima  mortuos.  Non  cogit  apud  inferos  intelligi." — AUGUST.  Ep. 
xcix.  ad  Euodium.  "  De  mortuis  dicit  Apostolus  quod  judicentur  carne.  Jam  vero  uatu- 
raliter  mortui  non  habent  carncm ;  ergo  intelligitur  de  homnibus  in  terra  viventibus."— 
LUTHER.  According  to  Maimonides  (More  Nevochim),  it  was  a  proverb  among  the  Jews : 
"  Impii  etiam  viventes  vocantur  mortui." 

1  Leighton. 


DISCOURSE   XVIIL 


SOBRIETY  AND  WATCHING  UNTO  PRAYER  ILLUSTRATED  AND 

ENFORCED. 

1  PET.  iv.  7. — But  the  end  of  all  things  is  at  hand :  be  ye  therefore  sober,  and  watch 
unto  prayer. 

IN  the  preceding  part  of  this  chapter,  the  apostle  presents  those  to 
whom  he  wrote  with  a  general  view  of  Christian  duty,  as  "  living  not 
to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God ;"  points  out  to  them  the 
only  and  effectual  means  of  realizing  this  view  of  Christian  duty  in 
their  own  experience — the  keeping  constantly  before  their  minds  the 
great  characteristic  truth  of  the  gospel,  that  the  perfect  and  accepted 
atonement  made  by  Christ,  has  secured  for  himself,  and  for  all  inter 
ested  in  him,  rest  from  sin ;  and  unfolds  to  them  the  powerful  mo 
tives  rising  out  of  the  statement  he  had  made  of  the  leading  princi 
ples  of  evangelical  truth,  which  urge  them  to  follow  the  course  pre 
scribed  to  them.  In  the  subsequent  context,  he  proceeds  to  enjoin 
the  cultivation  of  a  variety  of  particular  Christian  dispositions,  and 
the  performance  of  a  variety  of  particular  Christian  duties,  which  the 
circumstances  in  which  they  were  placed  peculiarly  required.  Two 
of  these  injunctions,  with  the  special  ground  on  which  they  stand,  lie 
before  us  in  the  verse  which  we  have  read  as  the  text  of  the  follow 
ing  discourse. 

The  subject  which  these  words  bring  before  the  mind  may  be 
treated  in  two  different  ways.  We  may  either  illustrate,  first,  the 
statement  on  which  the  apostle  founds  his  injunctions,  "  The  end  of 
all  things  is  at  hand ;"  and  then  the  injunction  built  on  this  statement, 
"  Be  sober,  and  watch  unto  prayer  ;"  or  we  may  reverse  the  order, 
and  consider,  first,  the  duties  which  the  apostle  enjoins,  and  then  the 
motive  by  which  he  urges  to  their  performance.  It  does  not  matter 
much  which  of  these  two  plans  we  adopt ;  but,  as  a  choice  must  be 
made,  we,  upon  the  whole,  prefer  the  latter. 

I— THE  DUTIES  ENJOINED  BY  THE  APOSTLE. 

Let  us  then  proceed  to  consider  the  duties  which  the  apostle  en 
joins.  They  are — sobriety,  and  watching  unto  prayer.  "  Be  sober, 
and  watch  unto  prayer." 

§  1. — Sobriety. 

The  first  duty  enjoined  is  sobriety — "  Be  sober."     In  the  common 

usage  of  the  English  langunge,  the  word  sobriety  is  almost  exclusively 


DISC.    XVIII.]       SOBRIETY,    AND    WATCHING    UNTO    PRAYER,  ETC.  593 

appropriated  to  denote  temperance  in  drinking,  abstinence  from  the 
undue  use  of  intoxicating  liquors.  That  this  is  a  Christian  duty,  there 
can  be  no  doubt.  Drunkenness  is  enumerated  among  the  works  of 
the  flesh,  the  indulgence  in  which  excludes  a  man  from  inheriting  the 
kingdom  of  God  ;  and  the  command  is  most  explicit  —  "  Be  not  drunk 
with  wine,  wherein  is  excess."  And  there  can  be  as  little  doubt  that 
this  vice  is  utterly  inconsistent  with  that  virtue,  which,  under  the 
name  of  sobriety,  is  in  our  text,  and  in  so  many  other  passages  of 
Scripture,  enjoined. 

It  is  certain,  however,  that  the  word  sober  had  a  much  more  ex 
tensive  signification  at  the  time  our  translation  of  the  Scriptures  was 
made  than  it  has  at  present;  a  signification  more  in  accordance  with 
the  sense  of  the  original  word  of  which  it  is  the  rendering.  The 
word  here  rendered  sober  l  (for,  as  we  shall  immediately  see,  the 
word  rendered  watchful  here  is  often  translated  sober),  is  a  term 
which,  in  its  primary  signification,  refers  rather  to  a  physical  than  to 
a  moral  state  of  the  faculties  of  mind.  It  signifies  to  be  in  the  full  use 
of  the  rational  faculties,  as  opposed  to  mental  alienation  or  derange 
ment.  Thus,  it  is  said  of  the  demoniac  who  was  cured  by  our  Lord, 
that  he  was  found  by  his  countrymen  "  sitting,  clothed,  and  in  his 
right  mind,"  2  sober,  the  same  word  as  used  here.  The  Apostle  Paul, 
in  his  noble  reply  to  the  unmanly  interruption  of  the  Roman  gover 
nor,  "Paul,  thou  art  beside  thyself;  much  learning  hath  made  thee 
mad,"  says  —  "I  am  not  mad,  most  noble  Festus  ;  but  speak  the  words 
of  soberness."  My  words  are  the  words  not  of  a  madman,  but  of 
one  in  full  possession  of  his  reason.  And,  speaking  of  himself  and 
his  apostolic  brethren,  he  says,  "Whether  we  be  beside  ourselves," 
that  is,  'act  like  madmen  in  the  world's  estimation,'  "it  is  to  God," 
that  is,  '  from  regard  to  the  will  of  God,  from  a  desire  to  promote  the 
cause  of  God;'  "whether  we  be  sober,"  that  is,  'act  cautiously  and 
prudently,  like  men  in  the  full  possession  and  exercise  of  all  their  fac 
ulties,  "it  is  for  your  sakes;"  that  is,  'in  order  to  promote  your  wel 
fare/  3 

This  is  the  primary  meaning  of  the  word,  and  it  is  probably  with 
a  direct  reference  to  that,  that  the  drunkard  is  considered  as  specially 
unworthy  of  the  appellation  sober,  of  a  sound  mind.  The  man  who 
indulges  in  the  undue  use  of  intoxicating  liquors,  behaves  like  an 
idiot,  a  person  devoid  of  "  discourse  of  reason  ;"  and,  by  the  continued 
use  of  them,  he  brings  himself  into  a  state  of  madness.  Certainly, 
as  Solomon  says,  the  man  who  allows  himself  to  be  deceived  by  wine, 
that  mocker,  "  is  not  wise  ;"  and  he  who  carefully  avoids  the  habit,  so 
far  proves  himself  to  be  a  man  in  his  right  senses,  a  man  of  sane 
mind. 

The  word,  however,  though  originally  significant  of  a  physical  state 
of  the  rational  faculties,  is  usually  employed  in  the  New  Testament 


Graecis  dicitur  cui  &£$  $pnv,  mens  sana  est,  atque  adeo  qui  mania, 
ut  pote  illius  contrario,  non  laborat.  Ew^pwi/,  nullis  in  transversura  actus  affectibus,  recte 
de  rebus  judicat,  justumque  singulis  pretium  statuit,  atque  adeo,  media  incedendo  via, 
nee  in  excessu,  nee  defectu  impingit  :  omnia  premeditate  suscipit  et  cum  animi  sani 
temperie,  consequenter  illud  ipsis  Gentibus  adeo  commendaturn  :  ^Iv  ayav  ne  quid  nimi* 
sedulo  observat.  —  SCHRAMM  in  Tit.  i.  8. 

2  Mark  v.  15.  *  Acts  xxvl  24,  25.     2  Cor.  v.  13, 

38 


594  SOBRIETY,    AND    WATCHING    UNTO    PRAYER,       [DISC.  XVIII. 

as  descriptive  of  a  moral  state  of  the  mind.  What  is  its  precise  sig 
nification  will  best  appear  from  looking  at  the  passages  in  which  it, 
and  the  words  derived  from  it,  are  employed  by  the  sacred  writers. 
The  Apostle  Paul  exhorts  every  man  "  not  to  think  of  himself  more 
highly  than  he  ou^ht  to  think,  but  to  think  soberly ;"  that  is,  to  think 
justly,  and  therefore  humbly.1  The  same  apostle,  in  the  second 
chapter  of  his  first  Epistle  to  Timothy,  exhorts  Christian  women,  in 
stead  of  decking  themselves  with  broidered  hair  and  gold,  or  pearls  or 
costly  array,  to  "  adorn  themselves  with  shamefacedness,"  that  is,  with 
modesty ;  "  and  with  sobriety,"  2  that  is,  with  prudence  or  moderation  ; 
and  they  are  required,  verse  15,  to  "continue  in  faith,  and  charity, 
and  holiness,  with  sobriety/''  that  is,  prudence  or  gravity.  In  the  3d 
chapter  of  the  same  epistle,  he  tells  us  "  a  Christian  bishop  must  be 
sober,"  wise,  prudent,  moderate.  In  his  second  Epistle  to  Timothy, 
he  describes  the  spirit  or  disposition  which  Christians  have  received 
from  God,  as  "  not  the  spirit  of  fear,  but  of  power,  of  love,  and  of  a 
sound  mind,"  or  sobriety.  The  spirit  of  Christianity  is  not  a  timid, 
crouching,  time-serving  spirit ;  it  is  an  energetic,  benignant,  wise, 
moderate  spirit.  In  the  Epistle  to  Titus,  he  states,  that  "  a  bishop 
must  be  sober,"  that  is,  wise,  prudent,  moderate ;  he  requires  "  the 
aged  men  to  be  sober,"  which  is  there  plainly  something  different  from 
temperate ;  he  requires  the  aged  women  to  teach  the  young  women 
to  be  "  discreet ;"  and  he  commands  Titus  to  "  exhort  the  young  men 
also  to  be  sober-minded."  In  all  these  instances  sobriety  is  plainly 
wisdom,  prudence,  moderation.  In  the  same  epistle  he  also  states, 
that  "  the  grace  of  God,  which  brings  salvation  to  all,  when  under 
stood  and  believed,  teaches  men  to  deny  ungodliness  and  worldly 
lusts,  and  to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly ;"  to  live  wisely  in 
reference  to  themselves,  righteously  in  regard  to  their  fellow-men,  and 
piously  in  reference  to  God.3  These  are  all  the  passages  in  the  New 
Testament  in  which  the  word  before  us,  or  those  connected  with  it, 
are  employed  ;  and,  on  considering  them,  there  can  be  no  great  difficulty 
in  determining  the  meaning  of  the  exhortation  before  us,  "  Be  sober." 

Some  interpreters  consider  it  an  exhortation  to  prudence,  practical 
wisdom;  others  to  temperance,  in  the  extensive  sense  in  which  that 
word  is  employed  in  the  New  Testament,  moderation  in  all  things, 
the  right  regulation  of  our  desires  and  pursuits.  I  am  strongly  dis 
posed  to  think  the  apostle's  exhortation  includes  both  of  these  things, 
and  perhaps  something  more.  I  apprehend  it  is  equivalent  to,  '  Ex 
ercise  a  sound  mind  in  reference  both  to  "  things  seen  and  temporal," 
and  to  "  things  unseen  and  eternal."  "  Be  not  unwise,"  be  not  like 
children ;  or,  if  in  malice  ye  be  as  children,  "  in  understanding  be  ye 
as  men'."  Take  heed  not  to  be  imposed  on.  Beware  of  mistaking 
shadows  for  realities,  and  realities  for  shadows.  Look  at  things  in 
their  comparative  importance,  and  act  accordingly.  Be  sagacious. 
Be  not  content  with  partial  views  of  the  subjects  in  which  you  have 
so  deep  an  interest.  Look  at  all  sides  of  a  subject.  Think  before 
you  speak.  Reflect  before  you  act.  "  Walk  in  wisdom,"  that  is, 
wisely,  both  in  regard  to  those  who  are  within,  and  those  who  are 
without ;  "  walk  circumspectly,  not  as  fools,  but  as  wise."  ' 

1  Rom.  xii.  3.  a  1  Tim.  ii.  9.  8  Tit.  i.  8  ;  ii.  2,  4,  6,  12, 13. 


PART  I.]  ILLUSTRATED.  595 

If  Christians  are  thus  morally  sound-minded,  they  will  discover  this 
in  the  way  in  which  they  think,  and  feel,  and  act,  in  reference  to  this 
present  world.  They  will  show  that  they  have  formed  a  just,  and 
therefore  a  moderate,  sober,  estimate  both  of  its  goods  and  evils. 
They  will  not  inordinately  love  the  one,  nor  fear  the  other.  They 
will  not  rate  very  high  its  wealth,  its  honors,  or  its  pleasures.  They 
will  be  moderate  in  their  desires  to  possess  these,  and  moderate  in 
their  exertions  to  obtain  them ;  moderate  in  their  attachment  to  them 
while  they  are  possessed  of  them,  and  moderate  in  their  regrets  for 
them  when  they  are  deprived  of  them.  "  They  who  have  wives  will 
be  as  if  they  had  none,"  knowing  that  earthly  relations,  the  closest 
and  most  endearing,  must  soon  be  dissolved;'  "  they  who  weep  as 
though  they  wept  not,"  knowing  that  earthly  sorrows,  however  deep, 
will  soon  be  over  forever  ;  "  they  who  rejoice  as  though  they  rejoiced 
not,"  knowing  that  earthly  delights,  however  exquisite,  are  shadowy, 
uncertain,  short-lived;  "those  who  buy  as  though  they  possessed  not/' 
knowing  that  human  possessions  are  insecure  and  unsatisfactory, 
that,  "  as  we  brought  nothing  into  the  world,  we  can  carry  nothing 
out  of  it,"  and  feeling  that  "  a  man's  life  consists  not  in  the  abundance 
of  his  possessions ;"  "  they  who  use  this  world  as  not  abusing  it," 
knowing  that  we  must  give  account  to  the  Supreme  Judge  for  the  use 
of  our  property ;  and  that,  unimportant  as  wealth  is  in  itself,  it  is  aw 
fully  important  viewed  as  connected  with  eternity.  The  great  truths, 
that  "  the  fashion  of  the  world  passeth  away,"  and  that  "  the  things 
which  are  unseen  are  eternal,"  will  be  allowed  the  full  influence  which 
a  sound,  prudent,  wise  mind  perceives  they  ought  to  have  on  the 
whole  of  the  temper  and  conduct.1  This  is  Christian  sobriety. 

The  substance  of  the  apostle's  exhortation,  then,  is,  ^Exercise  a 
sound  mind,  a  mind  enlightened  and  transformed  by  Christian  truth, 
in  reference  to  both  worlds ;  and  exhibit  its  practical  conclusions  in 
your  wise  and  prudent  conduct,  especially  in  your  habitual  moderation 
in  thought,  feeling,  and  action  with  regard  to  "  things  seen  and  tem 
poral,"  the  influence  of  which  intoxicates  and  infatuates  the  great 
body  of  mankind,  and  makes  them  act  the  part  of  children  and  fools/ 

§  2. — "  Watching  unto  prayer  " 

The  second  duty  enjoined  by  the  apostle  is  watching  unto  prayer. 
Prayer  is  well  defined  in  our  Shorter  Catechism  to  be,  "  the  offering 
up  of  our  desires  to  God  for  things  agreeable  to  his  will,  in  the  name 
of  Christ,  with  confession  of  our"  sins  and  thankful  acknowledgment 
of  his  mercies."  This  is  a  primary,  essential  duty  of  religion.  It  is 
the  natural  expression  of  that  state  of  mind  and  heart,  of  thought  and 
affection,  in  which  religion  consists.  It  is  to  religion  what  breath  is 
to  life.  It  betokens  its  existence,  and  it  is  the  means  of  its  continuance. 
It  is  very  clearly  enjoined  and  very  strongly  enforced,  both  by  our 
Lord  and  his  apostles :  "  Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive ;  seek,  and  ye  shall 
find ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  to  you :  for  every  one  that  asketh, 
receiveth ;  and  he  that  seeketh,  findeth ;  and  to  him  that  knocketh,  it 
shall  be  opened."  "  Men  ought  always  to  pray,"  to  continue  praying, 

1  1  Cor.  vii.  29-31. 


596  SOBRIETY,    AND   WATCHING    UNTO    PRAYER,        [DISC.  XVIII. 

"and  not  to  faint."  "Be  careful  about  nothing:  but  in  everything 
by  prayer  and  supplication,  with  thanksgiving,  make  your  request 
known  to  God.  And  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  under 
standing,  shall  keep  your  hearts  and  minds  through  Christ  Jesus." 
"  Continue  instant  in  prayer."  "  Pray  without  ceasing."  "  The  effec 
tual  fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much."  "  Is  any  man 
afflicted  ?  let  him  pray."  l 

This  important  duty  is  not,  however,  that  which  the  apostle  here 
enjoins.  His  command  is  not,  Pray  ;  but  Watch  unto  prayer.  *  He 
takes  it  for  granted  that  they  did  pray,  that  they  could  not  but  pray ; 
but  he  is  anxious  that  their  prayers  should  be  such  as  to  gain  in  the 
highest  degree  the  important  ends  of  prayer.  It  deserves  notice  that 
the  word  prayer  is  in  the  plural  form.  It  is  watch  unto  prayers.2 
Some  have  supposed  that  the  apostle  refers  here  to  the  four  species 
of  devotional  exercise  which  Paul  mentions  in  his  Epistle  to  Timothy, 
"  supplications,  prayers,  intercessions,  and  giving  of  thanks."  3  John 
Huss  is  probably  nearer  the  truth  when  he  finds  emphasis  in  the  mode 
of  expression,  and  says,  "  Watch  unto  prayers,  not  to  one,  but  many, 
for  *  men  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint.'  "  That  prayers  are 
to  be  offered,  habitually  offered,  the  apostle  counts  certain.  He  is  not 
a  Christian  at  all  who  does  not  pray,  habitually  pray.  But  the  apostle 
is  desirous  that  they  should  "  watch  unto  prayer." 

The  language  is  peculiar.  What  is  its  meaning  ?  what  is  meant  by 
watching  ?  what  is  meant  by  watching  unto  prayer  ?  First,  what  is 
meant  by  watching  ?  This  is  not  the  word  which  is  most  frequently 
used  to  express  the  idea  of  watching,  as  a  shepherd  does  his  flock,  or 
a  sentinel  that  committed  to  his  charge.  In  the  original  signification 4 
it  refers  to  a  physical  state  of  the  body  and  mind,  rather  than  to  a 
moral  state  of  the  mind.  It  is  descriptive  of  that  state  in  which  all 
the  faculties  are  awake  and  active,  as  opposed  to  the  state  of  delusion 
and  stupor  which  intoxication  induces ;  and  answers  nearly  to  our 
word  sober,  in  the  limited  sense  in  which  it  is  often  used.  It  is  al 
ways,  in  the  New  Testament,  employed  to  express  a  state  of  mind. 
What  that  state  of  mind  is,  will  best  appear  in  this,  as  in  the  previous 
case,  by  attending  to  the  comparatively  few  instances  in  which  the 
word,  and  those  connected  with  it,  occur  in  the  New  Testament. 
"  Awake  to  righteousness  and  sin  not ;  for  some  have  not  the  knowl 
edge  of  God :  I  speak  it  to  your  shame ;"  *  that  is,  shake  off  the  men 
tal  delusion  and  stupor  in  which  the  intoxication  of  error  has  involved 
you,  that,  with  clear  and  excited  faculties,  you  may  attend  to  this 
most  important  subject.  "Let  us  not  sleep,  as  do  others  ;  but  let  us 
watch  and  be  sober ;"  °  the  same  word  as  we  have  here ;  that  is,  be 
wakeful ;  let  us  watch,  and,  that  we  may  watch,  let  us  be  wakeful. 
"  Let  us  who  are  of  the  day  be  sober,"  the  same  word,  be  wakeful, 
"  not  sleep,  as  do  others."  "  A  b'ishop  must  be  sober,7  vigilant,"  wake 
ful  ;  the  same  word  we  have  here.  "  The  bishops'  wives,"  or  the 
female  superintendents,  it  may  be  either,  "  must  be,"  not  slanderers,'j 

1  Matt.  vii.  7,  8.  Luke  xviii.  1.  Phil.  iv.  6,  7.  Col.  iv.  2.  1  Thess.  v.  17.  Jamea 
v.  13,  16. 

*  Ei'j  ras  Trpofftvx&s.  3  I  Tim.  ii.  1.  Ac)?«<f,  Trpoffsvxas,  ivrrtfeis,  £i%ap«mai,-. 

*  POjU/art,  not  Tp^yopijaarf,  as  ch.  v.  7.  3  1  Cor.  xv.  34. 

*  1  Thess  v.  6-8.  T  1  Tim.  iii.  2. 


FART  I.J  ILLUSTRATED.  597 

but  "  sober," 1  the  same  word.  It  is  difficult  to  see  why  our  transla 
tors  should  have  rendered  the  same  word,  when  used  of  male  super 
intendents,  "  vigilant,"  when  used  of  female  superintendents,  "  sober." 
In  both  cases  wakeful  vigilance  is  the  idea :  "  But  watch  thou  in  all 
things."  Keep  awake,  and  be  active  in  the  discharge  of  all  thy 
duties.2  "  Speak  the  words  that  become  sound  doctrine,  that  the  aged 
men  be  sober,"  3  vigilant  in  the  margin.  The  only  other  places  where 
the  word  occurs  in  the  New  Testament,  are  in  this  Epistle :  "  Gird 
up  the  loins  of  your  mind,  be  sober,"  *  where  the  idea  of  wakefulness 
or  vigilance  seems  better  to  suit  the  context  than  sobriety,  either  in 
its  stricter  or  more  extended  meaning.  "  Be  sober,  be  vigilant ;"  6  be 
wakeful,  and  not  only  be  wakeful,  but  actively  watch.  From  all  these 
passages  it  seems  plain  that  the  apostle's  exhortation  is,  Be  wakeful, 
be  on  the  alert ;  look  around  you ;  with  excited  attention  actively 
exert  your  mind. 

But  what  are  we  to  understand  by  being  watchful,  or  watching 
unto  prayer  ?  The  phrase  has  received  two  translations.  Be  watch 
ful  in  prayer,  that  is,  while  engaged  in  prayer ;  and  be  watchful,  in 
order  to  prayer.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  misinterpret  the 
passage  who  refer  it  to  the  vigils  or  nightly  prayers  of  the  ancient 
church.  This  is  an  interpretation  which  very  properly  may  take  its 
place  alongside  of  that  which  would  render  "  repent,"  6  by  *  do  pen 
ance.'  The  primitive  Christians  were  obliged  to  have  their  common 
"  prayers,"  as  well  as  "  the  doctrine"  and  "  the  breaking  of  bread," 
during  the  night,  for  they  durst  not  assemble  during  the  day.  But 
there  does  not  seem  any  reference  to  that  here,  which  was  indeed  more 
a  matter  of  necessity  than  of  choice ;  not  a  duty  in  itself,  but  only 
in  the  particular  circumstances  in  which  they  were  placed.  All  that 
is  included  in  either  of  the  two  renderings  mentioned,  and  something 
more,  is  expressed  in  a  translation,  which,  if  the  words  do  not  demand, 
they  certainly  admit.  "Be  watchful,  or  watch,  in  reference  to 
prayer." 

Vigilance  requires  to  be  exerted  in  reference  to  all  duties.  We 
need  to  watch  as  to  the  principles  in  which  they  originate,  the  manner 
in  which  they  are  performed,  the  motives  which  influence  us  in  per 
forming  them,  the  end  we  seek  to  gain  by  performing  them.  But 
ttjsre  is  special  need  of  vigilance  in  reference  to  prayer.  Christians 
should  be  watchful  as  to  proper  subjects  of  prayer,  as  to  fit  opportuni 
ties  for  prayer,  as  to  hindrances  from,  and  in,  prayer,  as  to  the  proper 
manner  of  prayer,  and  as  to  the  results  or  consequences  of  prayer. 

The  attention  of  Christians  should  be  actively  alive  to  the  circum 
stances. — in  the  world,  in  the  church,  in  the  various  spheres  of  relative 
duty  which  they  occupy,  in  their  own  individual  experience, — which 
ought  to  be  made  the  subjects  of  prayer ;  and  in  every  case  see  that 
what  they  pray  for  be  agreeable  to  God's  will,  something  they  are 
warranted  to  ask,  and  which  he  has  promised  to  grant.  They  should 
look  at  everything  in  this  particular  aspect,  that  so  "in  everything 
they  may  in  prayer  and  supplication  make  their  requests  known  to 
God." 

1  2  Tim.  iii.  11.  a  2  Tim.  iv.  5.  3  Tit.  ii.  2. 

4  1  Pet.  L  13  6  1  Pet.  v.  8.  fl  Mcravoeirc. 


598  SOBRIETY,    AND    WATCHING    UNTO    PRAYER,       [DISC.   XVIII. 

They  should  wakefully  observe  what  may  be  fit  opportunities  for 
escaping  from  the  world  to  hold  communion  with  God,  that  they  may 
carefully  improve  them.  Thus  did  David  watch  tfnto  prayer,  when 
he  said/"  As.  for  me,  I  will  call  upon  God,  and  the  Lord  shall  save  me. 
Evening,  and  morning,  and  at  noon,  will  I  pray,  and  cry  aloud ;  and 
He  shall  hear  my  voice." 

They  should  watch  against  worldliness  of  mind,  and  especially 
against  wilful  transgressions,  remembering  that,  "  if  we  regard  iniquity 
in  our  heart,  God  will  not  hear  us."  1 

They  should  watch  in  reference  to  the  manner  of  prayer  when  en 
gaged  in  it ;  taking  care  that  it  be  prayer,  and  not  merely  saying 
prayers;  that  they  serve  him  who  is  a  Spirit,  with  their  spirits  "in 
spirit  and  truth;"  that  they  "  present  a  living  sacrifice;"  that  they 
"yield  rational  worship;"  that  they  "pray  in  the  spirit,"  depending 
on  the  promised  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  "  the  Spirit  of  grace 
and  of  supplications ;"  that  they  pray  "  in  faith,  nothing  wavering  ; 
for  he  that  wravereth  is  as  a  wave  of  the  sea  driven  of  the  wind  and 
tossed — let  not  that  man  think  that  -he  shall  receive  anything  of  the 
Lord ;"  that  they  pray  with  intense  desire,  being  "  instant  in  prayer;" 
that  they  pray  in  humble  submission,  saying,  "  Not  my  will,  but  thine 
be  done/' 2 

Finally,  they  should  watch  in  reference  to  the  results  of  prayer. 
Like  Habakkuk,  they  should  "  stand  on  their  watch,  and  set  them 
upon  the  tower  to  see  what  he  will  say  to  them."  "  I  will  direct  my 
prayer  to  thee,"  says  David,  "  and  look  up."  :  Christians  "  should 
look  after  their  prayers,  and  hear  what  the  Lord  will  speak,  observe 
what  the  Lord  will  do ;  that  if  he  grant  what  they  ask,  they  may  be 
thankful ;  that  if  he  deny,  they  may  be  patient  and  humbly  inquire 
the  cause ;  that  if  he  defer,  they  may  continue  to  pray  and  wait,  and 
not  faint.  They  should  look  up,  or  look  out,  as  they  who  have  shot 
an  arrow,  looking  to  see  how  near  it  has  come  to  the  mark.  We  lose 
much  of  the  comfort  of  our  prayers  for  want  of  observing  the  returns 
of  them."  4 

II— MOTIVE   URGING  TO  SOBRIETY,  AND  WATCHING   UNTO  PRAYER— 
"THE  END  OF  ALL  THINGS  IS  AT  HAND." 

Let  us  now,  secondly,  attend  to  the  motive  by  which  the  apostle 
enforces  his  exhortation.  "  The  end  of  all  things  is  at  hand ;"  there 
fore  "  be  sober,  and  watch  unto  prayer." 

"  The  end  of  all  things"  is  a  phrase,  which,  taken  by  itself,  most 
naturally  calls  up  the  idea  of  the  final  termination  of  the  present 
order  of  things,  which  is  so  often  mentioned  in  the  sacred  writings. 
A  period  is  fixed,  when  He  who  established  the  present  mundane  sys 
tem  shall  proclaim,  "It  is  done,"  and  the  dead  shall  live,  and  the 
living  shall  be  changed,  and  all  shall  be  judged ;  death  shall  be  swal 
lowed  up  in  life,  and  time  be  no  more,  having  been  lost  in  eternity ; 
"the  heavens  and  the  earth  that  now  are  shall  be  dissolved,  the 

1  Psal.lv.  17;  Ixvi.  18. 

3  John  iv.  24.  Rom.  xii.  1.  Aoyi/c/j*  \arpciav.  Jude  20.  James  i.  6,  7.  Col.  iv.  1. 
Luke  xxii.  42. 

1  Habak.  ii.  1.     Psal  v.  3.  «  Matthew  Henry. 


PART  II.]  ENFORCED.  599 

heavens  passing  away  with  a  great  noise,  the  earth  also,  and  the  works 
that  are  therein  being  burnt  up,  the  very  elements  melting  with  fer 
vent  heat ;  and  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth,  wherein  righte 
ousness  is,  and  shall  dwell,"  shall  take  their  place.  These  solemn 
truths  are  well  fitted  to  operate  as  powerful  motives  on  all  who  believe 
them,  to  be  sober,  and  to  watch  unto  prayer.  "  What  manner  of  per 
sons  ought  we  to  be,"  says  the  apostle  ;  "  in  all  holy  conversation  and 
godliness,"  "  looking  for,  and  hastening  to,  the  coming  of  this  day  of 
God."  "  Wherefore,  beloved,  seeing  that  we  look  for  such  things,  be 
diligent,  that  ye  be  found  of  him  in  peace,  without  spot  and  blame 
less."  "  He  who,"  to  use  the  language  of  a  great  writer,  "  has  seen, 
as  through  a  telescope,  the  glorious  appearance  of  the  Supreme  Judge, 
the  solemn  state  of  his  majestic  person,  the  splendid  pomp  of  his  mag 
nificent  and  vastly  numerous  retinue,  the  obsequious  throng  of  glorious 
celestial  creatures,  doing  homage  to  their  eternal  king;  the  swift  flight 
of  his  royal  guards  sent  forth  into  the  four  winds  to  gather  the  elect, 
and  covering  the  face  of  the  heavens  with  their  spreading  wings ;  the 
universal  attention  of  all  to  that  loud-sounding  trumpet  that  shakes 
the  pillars  of  the  world,  pierces  the  inward  caverns  of  the  earth,  and 
resounds  through  every  part  of  the  encircling  heavens ;  the  many 
myriads  of  joyful  expectants,  arising,  changing,  putting  on  glory, 
taking  wing,  and  contending  upwards  to  join  themselves  to  the  tri 
umphant  heavenly  host;  the  judgment  set;  the  books  opened;  the 
frightful,  amazed  looks  of  surprised  wretches ;  the  equal  administra 
tion  of  the  final  judgment;  the  adjudication  of  all  to  their  eternal 
states;  the  heavens  rolled  up  as  a  scroll;  the  earth  and  all  things 
therein  consumed  and  burnt  up :" l  Surely  that  man  must  be  sober, 
deeply,  calmly  considerate,  knowing  how  present  character  and  con- 
duct  is  to  affect  future  events  ;  and  maintaining  a  steady  restraint  and 
moderation  of  all  his  affections  and  passions  in  reference  to  a  world, 
the  fashion  of  which  is  thus  to  pass  away :  Surely  he  must  watch 
unto  prayer,  watch  and  pray  always,  that  he  may  be  accounted 
worthy  to  escape  "  the  perdition  of  ungodly  men,"  and  "  stand  before 
the  Son  of  man,"  in  the  judgment.  This  is  a  powerful  motive,  fitted 
to  influence  the  minds  and  hearts  and  conduct  of  all  believers  in  all 
countries  and  ages  till  the  end  come. 

But  there  are  obvious  difficulties  in  this  mode  of  interpretation. 
"  The  end  of  all  things  is"  said  so  to  be  "  at  hand ;"  that  is,  very 
near.  Now,  eighteen  centuries  have  well-nigh  run  their  course  since 
these  words  were  uttered,  and  the  end  of  the  world  has  not  come — 
nay,  when  we  think  of  the  number  and  magnitude  of  the  events  that 
must  take  place  before  it  arrives,  we  cannot  concur  with  those  who 
are  of  opinion  that  it  is  very  soon  to  take  place.  "  The  end  is 
not  yet." 

To  meet  and  remove  this  difficulty,  it  has  been  remarked  by  some, 
that  the  age  of  the  Messiah  is  the  last  age  ;  that  no  such  great  event 
as  the  flood,  or  the  giving  of  the  law,  or  the  coming  of  the  Word  in 
flesh,  stands  between  them  who  live  under  that  age  and  the  end  of 
the  world ;  so  that  it  may  be  said  to  be  near  all  who  live  under  the 
gospel  economy ;  by  others,  that  it  is  near,  if  not  in  the  calculations 
1  Howe.  Vanity  of  man  as  mortal. 


600  SOBRIETY,    AND    WATCHING    UNTO    PRAYER,       [DISC.  XVIII. 

of  time,  in  those  of  eternity,  with  him,  with  whom  "  one  day  is  as  a 
thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day ;"  and  by  a  third 
class,  that  as  the  state  of  every  man  is  fixed  at  death,  that  as  death 
leaves  him  judgment  will  find  him,  the  end  of  all  things  to  him  is  not 
far  off.  I  must  say  that  these  modes  of  getting  over  the  difficulty  do 
not  appear  to  me  to  be  satisfactory ;  and  that  the  apostle's  obvious 
design  is  to  intimate  that  the  events  referred  to  in  the  phrase,  "  the 
end  of  all  things,"  were  just  about  to  take  place. 

Their  view  of  the  matter  is  still  less  satisfactory  who  tell  us  that 
the  apostles  really  did  expect  the  immediate  dissolution  of  the  world. 
We  know  there  were  persons  who  so  misunderstood  such  statements 
as  that  before  us  ;  but  we  find  the  Apostle  Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to  the 
Thessalonians,  warning  them  against  such  a  mistake,  and  telling  them 
that  the  day  of  Christ,  in  the  sense  of  the  day  of  the  last  judgment, 
was  not  at  hand.1  Besides,  it  is  not  with  what  the  apostles,  exercis 
ing  their  own  unassisted  judgments,  expected,  but  with  what  the  in 
spiring  Spirit  spoke  by  them,  that  we  have  to  do. 

After  some  deliberation,  I  have  been  led  to  adopt  the  opinion  of 
those  who  hold,  that  "  the  end  of  all  things"  here,  is  the  entire  and 
final  end  of  the  Jewish  economy  in  the  destruction  of  the  temple  and 
city  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  dispersion  of  the  holy  people.  That  was  at 
hand ;  for  this  epistle  seems  to  have  been  written  a  very  short  while 
before  these  events  took  place,  not  improbably  after  the  commence 
ment  of  "  the  wars  and  rumors  of  war,"  of  which  our  Lord  spake. 
This  view  will  not  appear  strange  to  any  one  who  has  carefully 
weighed  the  terms  in  which  our  Lord  had  predicted  these  events,  and 
the  close  connection  which  the  fulfilment  of  these  predictions  had 
with  the  interests  and  duties  of  Christians,  whether  in  Judea  or  in 
Gentile  countries. 

It  is  quite  plain,  that,  in  our  Lord's  predictions,  the  expressions 
'  the  end,"  and  probably  "  the  end  of  the  world,"  are  used  in  refer 
ence  to  the  entire  dissolution  of  the  Jewish  economy.2  The  events 
of  that  period  were  very  minutely  foretold  ;  and  our  Lord  distinctly 
stated  that  the  existing  generation  should  not  pass  away  till  all  things, 
respecting  "  this  end,"  should  be  fulfilled.  This  was  to  be  a  season 
of  suffering  to  all ;  of  trial,  severe  trial,  to  the  followers  of  Christ ; 
of  dreadful  judgment  on  his  Jewish  opposers,  and  of  glorious  triumph 
to  his  religion.  To  this  period  there  are  repeated  references  in  the 
apostolical  epistles :  "  Knowing  the  time,"  says  the  Apostle  Paul, 
"  that  now  it  is  high  time  to  awake  out  of  sleep ;  for  now  is  our  sal 
vation  nearer  than  when  we  believed.  The  night  is  far  spent,  the 
day  is  at  hand."  "  Be  patient,"  says  the  Apostle  James ;  "  stablish 
your  hearts  ;  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth  nigh."  "  The  judge 
standeth  before  the  door."  3  Our  Lord's  predictions  must  have  been 
very  familiar  to  the  minds  of  Christians  at  the  time  this  was  written. 
They  must  have  been  looking  forward  with  mingled  awe  and  joy, 
fear  and  hope,  to  their  accomplishment;  "looking  for  the  things 
which  were  coming  upon  the  earth  ;"  and  it  was  peculiarly  natural  for 
Peter  to  refer  to  these  events,  and  to  refer  to  them  in  words  similar 

1  2  Thess.  ii.  1-3.  2  Matt.  xxiv.  3,  6,  14,  34.    Mark  xiii.  30.    Luke  xxi.  32. 

3  Rom.  xiii.  11,  12.    James  v.  8,  9. 


PART  II. J  ENFORCED.  601 

to  those  used  by  our  Lord,  as  he  was  one  of  the  disciples,  who,  sitting 
with  his  Lord  in  full  view  of  the  city  and  temple,  heard  these  pre 
dictions  uttered. 

The  Christians  inhabiting  Judea  had  a  peculiar  interest  in  these 
predictions  and  their  fulfilment.  But  all  Christians  had  a  deep  inter 
est  in  them.  The  Christians  of  the  regions  in  which  those  to  whom 
Peter  wrote  resided,  were  chifcfly  converted  Jews.  As  Christians, 
they  had  cause  to  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  the  accomplishment  of 
these  predictions,  as  greatly  confirming  the  truth  of  Christianity,  and 
removing  some  of  the  greatest  obstructions  in  the  way  of  its  pro 
gress;  such  as  persecutions  by  the  Jews,  and  the  confounding  of 
Christianity  with  Judaism,  on  the  part  of  the  Gentiles,  who  were  ac 
customed  to  view  its  professors  as  a  Jewish  sect.  But  while  they  re 
joiced,  they  had  cause  to  "  rejoice  with  trembling,"  as  their  Lord 
had  plainly  intimated  that  it  was  to  be  a  season  of  severe  trial  to  his 
friends,  as  well  as  of  fearful  vengeance  against  his  enemies.  "  The 
end  of  all  things"  which  was  at  hand,  seems  to  be  the  same  thing  as 
the  judgment  of  the  quick  and  the  dead,  which  the  Lord  was  ready 
to  enter  on, — the  judgment,  the  time  for  which  was  come ;  which 
was  to  begin  with  the  house  of  God,  and  then  to  be  executed  fully  on 
those  who  obeyed  not  the  gospel  of  God,  the  unbelieving  Jews  ;  in 
which  the  righteous  should  scarcely  be  saved,  and  the  ungodly  and 
wicked  should  be  fearfully  punished. 

The  contemplation  of  such  events  as  just  at  hand,  was  well  fitted 
to  operate  as  a  motive  to  sobriety,  and  vigilance  unto  prayer.  These 
were  just  the  tempers  and  exercises  peculiarly  called  for  in  such  cir 
cumstances  ;  and  they  are  just  the  dispositions  and  employments  re 
quired  by  our  Lord  when  he  speaks  of  those  days  of  trial  and  wrath. 
"  Take  heed  to  yourselves,"  says  our  Lord,  "lest  at  any  time  your 
hearts  be  overcharged  with  surfeiting,  and  drunkenness,  and  the  cares 
of  this  life,  and  so  that  day  come  on  you  unawares  :  for  as  a  snare 
shall  it  come  upon  all  who  dwell  on  the  earth.  Watch,  therefore, 
and  pray  always,  that  ye  may  be  accounted  worthy  to  escape  all 
these  things  that  are  about  to  come  to  pass,  and  to  stand  before  the 
Son  of  Man."  1  It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  the  apostle  had  not 
these  very  words  in  his  mind  when  he  wrote  the  passage  now  be 
fore  us. 

While  these  exhortations  had  a  peculiar  appropriateness  to  those  to 
whom  they  were  originally  addressed,  while  they  received  peculiar 
enforcement  from  the  circumstances  in  which  they  were  placed,  they 
are  plainly  exhortations  to  which  Christians,  in  all  countries  and  ages, 
are  called  to  attend  ;  and  especially  when  placed  in  circumstances 
similar  in  any  way  to  those  in  which  they  were  primarily  given.  We 
are  obviously  placed  in  such  circumstances.  There  is  now,  as  then, 
and  to  a  still  greater  extent,  a  breaking  up  of  old  systems.  Dynasties 
and  hierarchies  are  shaking  into  dissolution.  Society  is  in  one  of 
the  great  states  of  transition,  which  occur  but  at  distant  intervals  in 
the  history  of  our  race.  Seldom  has  the  state  of  our  times  been 
more  graphically  and  justly  described,  than  in  the  words  of  a  living 
writer — "  What  times  are  coming  upon  the  earth  we  know  not ;  but 

1  Luke  xxi.  34-36. 


602  SOBRIETY,    AND    WATCHING    UNTO    PRAYER,    ETC.       [DISC.  XVIII. 

the  general  expectation  of  persons  of  all  characters  in  all  nations,  is 
an  instinct  implanted  by  God  to  warn  us  of  a  coming  storm.  Not  one 
nation,  but  all ;  not  one  class  of  thinkers,  but  all, — they  who  fear,  and 
they  who  hope,  and  who  hope  and  fear  things  opposite  ;  they  who  are 
immersed  in  their  worldly  schemes,  and  they  who  look  for  some  com 
ing  of  God's  kingdom ;  they  who  watch  this  world's  signs,  and  they 
who  \vatch  for  the  next — alike  have  their  eye  intently  fixed  on  some 
what  that  is  coming ;  though  whether  it  be  the  vials  of  his  wrath  or 
the  glories' of  his  kingdom,  or  whether  the  one  shall  be  herald  to  the 
other,  none  can  tell.  They  who  calculate  what  is  likely,  speak  of  it; 
they  who  cannot,  feel  its  coming.  The  spirits  of  the  unseen  world 
seem  to  be  approaching  to  us,  and  '  awe  comes  upon  us  and  trembling, 
which  maketh  all  bones  to  shake.'  There  is  "upon  the  earth  distress 
of  nations  with  perplexity,  men's  hearts  failing  them  for  Pear,  and  for 
looking  after  those  things  which  are  coming  upon  the  earth."  Times 
of  trouble  there  have  been  before ;  but  such  a  time  in  which  every 
thing,  everywhere,  tends  in  one  direction  to  one  mighty  struggle  of 
one  sort — of  faith  with  infidelity,  lawlessness  with  rule,  Christ  with 
Antichrist,  there  seems  never  to  have  been  till  now."  "  God  warneth 
us,  by  the  very  swiftness  with  which  all  things  are  moving  around  us, 
that  it  is  HE  who  is  impelling  them.  Man  cannot  impart  such  speed, 
nor  rouse  the  winds  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  heavens,  nor  bring 
men's  varying  wills  into  a  uniform  result ;  and  therewith  he  warns  us 
to  beware  how  we  attempt  to  guide  what  he  is  thus  manifestly  gov 
erning/'  L 

The  end  of  many  things  seems  indeed  approaching.  Popery, 
though  making  convulsive  struggles,  must  ere  long  expire.  Babylon 
is  repairing  her  battlements,  only  to  make  her  fall  the  more  signal. 
The  long  captivity  of  Israel  is  drawing  to  its  close.  The  Mohamme 
dan  delusion  is  effete.  The  idols  are  about  to  be  abolished.  The 
sanctuary  is  about  to  be  cleansed.  Political  despotism  and  ecclesias 
tical  tyranny  are  doomed.  But  before  the  end  of  these  things,  what 
"wars  and  rumors  of  wars,"  what  siftings  of  men  and  systems! 
What  struggles,  what  sacrifices,  what  sufferings  are  coming,  are  at 
hand !  What  need  of  faith  and  patience,  of  dependence  and  exer 
tion,  of  caution  and  vigor !  Never  since  the  destruction  of  the  Jew 
ish  economy  was  there  a  louder  call  to  Christians  to  attend  to  the 
inspired  declarations,  "  Be  sober,  and  watch  unto  prayer." 

1  Pusey. 


DISCOURSE    XII, 

ON  THE  MAINTENANCE  AND  MANIFESTATION  OF  BROTHERLY 

LOVE.1 

1  PET.  iv.  8-11. — And,  above  all  things,  have  fervent  charity  among  yourselves;  for 
charity  shall  cover  the  multitude  of  sins.  Use  hospitality  one  to  another  without  grudging. 
As  every  man  hath  received  the  gift,  even  so  minister  the  same  one  to  another,  as  good 
stewards  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God.  If  any  man  speak,  let  him  speak  as  the  oracles 
of  God ;  if  any  man  minister,  let  him  do  it  as  of  the  ability  which  God  giveth ;  that  God 
in  all  things  may  be  glorified  through  Jesus  Christ :  to  whom  be  praise  and  dominion  for 
ever  and  ever.  Amen. 

HOLY  brethren,  partakers  of  the  heavenly  calling !  In  the  sacred 
services  of  the  forenoon,  we  have,  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  recog 
nized  the  intimate  relation  in  which  we  stand  to  each  other  as  Chris 
tians.  We  have  declared,  that  "though  many,  we  are  one  body, 
having  partaken  of  one  bread,"  "  the  bread  which  came  down  from 
heaven,  and  has  been  given  for  the  life  of  the  world ;"  and  "  having 
all  drunk  into  one  Spirit,"  "  the  Spirit  of  love,  and  power,  and  of  a 
sound  mind,"  which  Jesus  being  glorified  has  given  to  all  who  believe 
in  him.  We  have,  over  the  instituted  emblems  of  the  holy,  suffering 
humanity  of  our  Lord,  made  the  good  profession,  that  we  have  one 
God  and  Father,  Jehovah ;  one  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ ;  one 
faith,  the  faith  of  his  gospel ;  one  baptism,  the  baptism  of  his  Spirit ; 
one  hope,  the  hope  of  his  salvation.  We  have  avowed  ourselves 
brethren  in  Christ,  and  pledged  ourselves  to  perform  all  the  mutual 
duties  which  rise  out  of  a  relation  so  intimate  and  so  sacred. 

It  cannot,  then,  be  inopportune  to  direct  your  attention  to  an  in 
spired  account  of  some  of  those  duties;  and  such  an  account  is  con 
tained  in  the  paragraph  I  have  just  read,  which  plainly  refers  to  the 
temper  and  conduct  towards  each  other  by  which  Christians  should 
be  characterized.  The  whole  truth  on  this  subject  may  be  briefly 
stated,  The  entire  duty  of  Christians  to  each  other  is  summed  up  in 
one  word,  love ;  brotherly  love.  The  maintenance  of  I  rotherly  love, 
that  is  the  temper  by  which  Christians  should  be  characterized ;  the 
manifestation  of  brotherly  love,  that  is  the  conduct  by  which  Chris 
tians  should  be  characterized. 

In  the  text,  both  of  these  are  plainly  enjoined  and  powerfully  en 
forced.  The  maintenance  of  brotherly  love  is  thus  enjoined  :  "  Above 
all  things,  have  fervent  charity  among  yourselves."  And  it  is  thus 
enforced  :  "  for  charity  shall  cover  the  multitude  of  sins."  The  mani- 

1  This  discourse  was  delivered  immediately  after  the  administration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper. 


604  BROTHERLY    LOVE    TO    BE    MAINTAINED.  [DISC.  XIX. 

festation  of  brotherly  love  is  thus  enjoined :  "  Use  hospitality  one  to 
another  without  grudging.  As  every  man  hath  received  the  gift,  so 
let  him  minister  the  same  one  to  another,  as  good  stewards  of  the 
manifold  grace  of  God.  If  any  man  speak,  let  him  speak  as  the  ora 
cles  of  God ;  if  any  man  minister,  let  him  do  it  as  of  the  ability  which 
God  giveth."  And  it  is  thus  enforced  :  "  that  God  may  in  all  things 
be  glorified  through  Jesus  Christ/'  The  maintenance  and  manifes 
tation  of  the  love  of  the  brethren,  enjoined  and  recommended,  are 
thus  obviously  the  substance  of  the  text ;  and  to  unfold  the  meaning 
of  the  injunctions,  and  to  point  out  the  force  of  the  recommenda 
tions,  are  the  objects  I  shall  endeavor  to  gain  in  the  following  dis 
course. 

I.— THE  MAINTENANCE  OF  BROTHERLY  LOVE. 

§  1. — The  duty  explained. 

And  first,  of  the  maintenance  of  brotherly  love.  "  Above  all  things, 
have  fervent  charity  among  yourselves :  for  charity  shall  cover  the 
multitude  of  sins."  The  injunction  first  calls  for  our  consideration: 
"Above  all  things,  have  fervent  charity  among  yourselves."  l 

In  the  ordinary  use  of  language,  charity  is  expressive  either  of 
almsgiving,  or  of  that  disposition  which  leads  a  man  to  take  fully  as 
favorable  a  view  of  the  character  and  conduct  of  other  men  as  facts 
will  justify.  In  Scripture,  however,  it  is  never  employed  in  either  of 
these  senses.  It  is  uniformly  used  as  equivalent  to  the  word  "  love" 
in  its  highest  sense ;  and  it  would  have  prevented  some  hazardous 
misapprehensions  and  misinterpretations  had  the  original  term  been 
uniformly  thus  rendered.  I  have  had  occasion  to  remark  elsewhere, 
that  "  there  is  a  love  which  every  man  owes  to  every  other  man, 
without  reference  to  his  spiritual  state  or  character,  merely  because 
he  is  a  man, — a  sincere  desire  to  promote  his  welfare."  This  is  the 
love  which  the  Apostle  Paul,  with  obvious  propriety,  represents  as 
"  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,"  so  far  as  it  refers  to  our  duties  to  our  fel 
low-men;  for  he  who  is  under  its  influence  can  do  no  ill  to  any  man; 
he  cannot  interfere  injuriously  with  another's  personal  property  or 
reputation,  but  on  the  contrary  must,  as  he  has  opportunity,  "do 
good  to  all  men."  Good-will  is  the  essence,  indeed  the  sole  com 
ponent  element,  of  this  love. 

The  love  referred  to  in  the  text  is  obviously  more  limited  in  its 
range,  and,  for  that  very  reason,  much  more  comprehensive  in  its 
elementary  principles.  It  is  not  love  towards  all  men  that  the  apos 
tle  here  enjoins,  but  "love  among  themselves."  This  affection  is 
called  "  the  love  of  the  brethren,"  "  brotherly  kindness,"  to  contradis 
tinguish  it  from  the  benevolent  regard  which  should  be  cherished 
towards  all  human  beings ;  for  though  all  men  are  brethren,  as  they 

1  The  subject  of  this  section  has  already  been  considered  in  Discourses  VI,  XIL,  and 
XV.  I  have  preferred  laying  myself  open  to  the  charge  of  self-repetition,  rather  than 
either,  by  mere  reference  to  these  discourses,  giving  this  discourse  a  mangled  appearance, 
or,  by  studiously  seeking  novelty  in  the  form  of  expression,  running  the  risk  of  injuring 
the  substance  of  the  illustration  of  brotherly  love.  Similar  reasons  have  led  to  similar 
repetitions  in  other  parts  of  these  volumes. 


PART  I.]        BROTHERLY  LOVE  TO  BE  MAINTAINED.  605 

have  one  Father,  "one  God. has  created  them,"  they  are  not  all  breth 
ren  in  the  Christian  sense  of  that  expression.  The  appellation  is  lim 
ited  to  what  has  always  been  a  comparatively  small  class  of  persons, 
genuine  Christians.  The  affection  spoken  of  in  the  text  can  be  ex 
ercised  only  by  them ;  it  can  be  exercised  only  to  them.  A  man 
who  is  unchristian,  who  is  anti-christian,  in  his  opinions,  and  temper, 
and  conduct,  may  highly  esteem,  may  tenderly  love  a  true  Christian, 
but  he  cannot  cherish  to  him  the  love  which  Christians  have  "  among 
themselves,"  "  brotherly  kindness  :"  he  loves  him  not  because  he  is,  but 
notwithstanding  that  he  is,  a  Christian.  A  Christian  may  love,  he 
ought  to  love,  he  does  love,  all  mankind ;  he  desires  the  happiness  of 
every  being  capable  of  happiness ;  he  esteems  what  is  estimable,  he 
loves  what  is  amiable,  he  admires  what  is  admirable ;  he  pities  what 
is  suffering  wherever  he  meets  with  it ;  but  he  cannot  extend  beyond 
the  sacred  pale  the  love  which  those  within  it  have  "  among  them 
selves  ;"  he  cannot  regard  with  brotherly  kindness  any  one  but  a 
Christian  brother.  None  but  a  Christian  can  be  either  the  object  or 
the  subject  of  this  benevolent  affection.  None  but  a  Christian  can 
either  be  the  agent  or  the  recipient  in  the  kind  offices  in  which  it 
finds  expression. 

This  limitation  is  matter  not  of  choice  but  of  necessity.  Most 
gladly  would  the  Christian  regard  all  his  fellow-men  as  fellow- 
Christians,  if  they  would  but  allow  him  to  do  so,  by  becoming  Chris 
tians  ;  but  till  they  do  so,  it  is  in  the  nature  of  things  impossible  that 
he  should  feel  toward  them  as  if  they  were  what  they  are  not.  This 
affection  originates  in  the  possession  of  a  peculiar  mode  of  thinking 
and  -feeling,  produced  in  the  mind  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  the 
knowledge  and  belief  of  Christian  truth,  which  naturally  leads  those 
who  are  thus  distinguished  to  a  sympathy  of  mind  and  heart,  of 
thought  and  affection,  with  all  who,  under  the  same  influence,  have 
been  led  to  entertain  the  same  views  and  to  cherish  the  same  dis 
positions.  They  love  one  another  "  in  the  truth,  for  the  truth's  sake 
that  dwelleth  in  them,  and  shall  be  with  them  forever."  l 

This  circumstance,  which  necessarily  limits  this  principle  as  to  its 
sphere  of  operation,  gives  it  a  greater  intensity  and  activity  in  that 
sphere,  as  well  as  much  greater  comprehension  of  elementary  princi 
ples.  It  includes  good-will  in  its  highest  degree  ;  but  to  this  it  adds 
moral  esteem,  complacential  delight,  tender  sympathy.  This  it  does 
in  every  instance  ;  but  the  degree  in  which  these  elementary  princi 
ples  are  to  be  found,  in  individual  cases  of  brotherly  kindness,  de 
pends  on  a  variety  of  circumstances ;  and  chiefly  on  the  degree  in 
which  he  who  exercises  it,  and  he  to  whom  it  is  exercised,  approach 
the  completeness  and  perfection  of  the  Christian  character.  Every 
Christian  loves  every  other  Christian,  when  he  knows  him ;  but  the 
more  accomplished  the  Christian  is,  whether  the  subject  or  object  of 
brotherly  love,  the  more  does  he  put  forth  or  draw  forth  its  holy,  be 
nignant  influence. 

The  end  of  all  love  is  the  good  or  the  happiness  of  its  object,  as 
that  happiness  is  conceived  of  by  its  subject.  The  great  end  which 
Christian  brotherly  love  contemplates,  is  the  well-being  of  its  object, 

1  2  John  2. 


606  BROTHERLY    LOVE    TO    BE    MAINTAINED.  [DISC.  XIX. 

viewed  as  a  Christian  man  ;  his  deliverance  from  ignorance,  and  error, 
and  sin,  in  all  their  forms  and  all  their  degrees ;  his  progressive,  and 
ultimately  his  complete,  happiness,  in  entire  conformity  to  the  mind 
and  will  of  God ;  the  unclouded  sense  of  the  Divine  favor,  the  unin 
terrupted  enjoyment  of  the  Divine  fellowship,  the  being  like  "the 
ever-blessed"  Holy,  Holy,  Holy  One.  It  does  not  overlook  any  of 
the  interests  of  its  object ;  but  it  views  them  all  in  reference,  in  sub 
ordination,  to  the  enjoyment  of  "  the  salvation  that  is  in  Christ,  with 
eternal  glory." 

This  is  "  the  love  among  themselves"  of  which  the  apostle  speaks ; 
and  his  injunction  with  regard  to  it  is,  "  Above  all  things,  have  fer 
vent  love  among  yourselves."  The  original  word  rendered  "  fervent" 
is  a  very  expressive  one.1  Its  primitive  and  proper  signification  is, 
extensive  and  wide-reaching  ;  and,  when  applied  to  love,  it  describes 
a  benevolent  affection,  which  takes  a  wide  view  of  the  capacities  for 
happiness  of  its  objects,  and  which  seeks  its  gratification  in  having 
all  these  capacities  completely  filled ;  the  love  expressed  in  the  words 
of  the  apostle — •"  this  also  we  wish,  even  your  perfection ;"  or,  in  his 
prayer,  "  that  ye  may  be  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God."  Nothing 
short  of  the  perfect  holiness,  the  perfect  happiness,  of  its  objects,  can 
satisfy  it. 

This  term  is  also  used  to  signify  intensity ;  as  when  it  is  said  of 
our  Lord,  that,  "being in  an  agony,  he  prayed  more  earnestly."  The 
love  which  the  apostle  calls  on  Christians  to  maintain,  is  not  cold, 
not  even  lukewarm ;  it  is  fervent  love ;  an  active  principle  like 
fire  ;  not  lying  dormant  in  the  mind,  but  influencing  all  the  powers 
of  action  ;  a  love  which  will  make  the  exertion  or  suffering  necessary 
to  gain  its  purposes,  be  readily  engaged  in  and  submitted  to. 
,  This  word,  too,  is  employed  to  signify  continuance,  as  when  it  is 
said,  that  "  prayer  was  made  without  ceasing  for  Peter,"  when  Herod 
had  cast  him  into  'prison,  intending  that  he  should  never  come  out 
but  to  his  execution.  The  love  here  referred  to  is  love  that  is  to  last 
for  life,  and  which  even  death  is  not  to  extinguish.  It  is  an  extensive, 
intense,  permanent  affection,  which  the  apostle  exhorts  Christians  to 
maintain  towards  each  other. 

The  precise  import  of  his  exhortation  differs  somewhat,  according 
to  the  place  you  give  to  the  epithet  "  fervent"  in  it.  If,  with  our 
translators,  you  read  "  Have  fervent  charity  among  yourselves,"  the 
word  have  has  the  sense  of  hold.  He  takes  for  granted  that  as  Chris 
tians  they  were  in  possession  of  this  fervent  love,  and  his  exhortation 
is  to  hold  it  fast.  Let  not  your  fervent  love  wax  cold.  If,  with  other 
interpreters,  and  fully  as  much  in  conformity  \vith  the  construction 
of  the  original  text,  we  read,  "  Have  love  among  yourselves,  fervent," 
the  apostle  takes  for  granted  that  they  had  love  among  themselves  ; 
if  they  had  not  they  were  not  Christians  at  all ;  and  his  exhortation 
to  them  is,  '  See  that  your  love  be  in  extent,  in  intensity,  and  in  con 
tinuance,  what  it  ought  to  be/  In  this  case,  the  passage  is  exactly 
parallel  with  that  in  chapter  i.  22,  where  he  takes  for  granted,  that 
they  had  "  purified  their  souls  in  obeying  the  truth  through  the  Spirit 
unto  unfeigned  love  of  the  brethren  ;"  and  exhorts  them  to  "  see  that 


PART  I.]        BROTHERLY  LOVE  TO  BE  MAINTAINED.  607 

they  love  one  another  with  a  pure  heart  fervently."  The  exhortation 
unites  in  it  both  of  Paul's  exhortations  in  reference  to  the  same  sub 
ject  :  "  Be  kindly  affectioned  to  one  another,  in  brotherly  love  :"  l 
that  is,  let  your  love  be  intense,  and  "  Let  brotherly  love  continue ;" 
that  is,  let  your  love  be  permanent. 

The  only  other  point  in  the  apostle's  injunction  to  the  maintenance 
of  brotherly  love  that  requires  illustration,  is  the  qualifying  phrase, 
"  above  all  things."  2  Some  have  supposed  that  the  apostle's  object 
was  to  call  on  Christians  to  show  their  love  to  one  another  before  all : 
'Before  all  men,  have  love  among  yourselves  fervent/  Let  your, 
mutual  love  serve  the  purpose  which  our  Lord  meant  it  to  serve. 
"  Hereby,"  said  he,  "  shall  all  men  know  you  to  be  my  disciples,  if  ye 
have  love  one  to  another."  3  Be  not  ashamed  of  one  another,  espe 
cially  when  involved  in  suffering  for  Christ.  When  that  "  iniquity 
abounds,"  let  not  your  love  among  yourselves  wax  cold.  Let  not 
these  waters  quench  it,  let  not  these  floods  drown  it.4  Let  it  be  so 
fervent  that  even  the  heathen  may  be  constrained  to  say,  "  Behold 
how  these  Christians  love  one  another!"  We  are  rather  disposed 
to  consider  the  words  as  intended  to  mark  the  very  great  importance 
of  this  fervent  love  among  themselves,  as  that  without  which  the  great 
purpose  of  Christianity  could  not  be  gained,  either  in  the  individual 
or  in  the  society,  either  in  the  pale  of  the  Christian  church  or  beyond 
it;  for  it  is  love  that  " edifies"  both  the  Christian  and  the  Christian 
church.  He  who  has  love  proves  that  he  has  faith,  for  "  faith  works 
by  love ;"  and  he  who  has  love  is  sure  to  have  holiness,  for  "  love  is 
the  fulfilling  of  the  law."  He  who  loves  his  brother  can  do  no  harm 
to  his  brother,  he  must  do  him  all  the  good  in  his  power.5 

Paul's  estimate  of  the  comparative  value  of  love,  was  not  lower 
than  that  of  his  brother  apostle ;  and  his  eulogium  is  the  best  com 
mentary  on  the  words,  "  have  charity  above  all  things."  "  Though  I 
speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  angels,  and  have  not  charity,  I 
am  become  as  sounding  brass  or  a  tinkling  cymbal.  And  though  I 
have  the  gift  of  prophecy,  and  understand  all  mysteries,  and  all 
knowledge  ;  and  though  I  have  all  faith,  so  that  I  could  remove  moun 
tains,  and  have  not  charity,  I  arn  nothing.  And  though  I  bestow  all 
my  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  though  I  give  my  body  to  be  burned, 
and  have  not  charity,  it  profiteth  me  nothing.  Charity  suffereth 
long,  and  is  kind;  charity  envieth  not;  charity  vaunteth  not  itself,  is 
not  puffed  up,  doth  not  behave  itself  unseemly,  seeketh  not  her  own, 
is  not  easily  provoked,  thinketh  no  evil ;  rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,  but 
rejoiceth  in  the  truth ;  beareth  all  things,  believeth  all  things,  hopeth 
all  things,  endureth  all  things.  Charity  never  faileth :  for  whether 
there  be  prophecies,  they  shall. fail;  whether  there  be  tongues,  they 
shall  cease ;  whether  there  be  knowledge,  it  shall  vanish  away  :  for 
we  know  in  part,  and  prophesy  in  part.  But  when  that  which  is 
perfect  is  come,  then  that  which  is  in  part  shall  vanish  away.  When 
I  was  a  child,  I  spake  as  a  child,  I  understood  as  a  child, 'I  thought  as 
a  child ;  but  when  I  became  a  man,  I  put  away  childish  things.  For 
now  we  see  through  a  glass,  darkly ;  but  then  face  to  face :  now  I 

1  Rom.  xii.  10.  2  Hp3  TTOLVTUV.  3  John  xiii.  35. 

4  Matt.  xxiv.  12.  a  1  Cor.  viii.  1.     Gal.  v.  6.     Rom.  xiii.  10. 


608  BROTHERLY    LOVE    TO    BE    MAINTAINED.  [DISC.  XIX. 

know  in  part ;  but  then  shall  I  know  even  as  also  I  am  known.  And 
now  abideth  Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity,  these  three ;  but  the  greatest 
of  these  is  charity."  1  If  charity  be  all,  and  do  all,  this,  surely  it  is 
riot  wonderful  that  Paul  should  enjoin  Christians  "  above  all,"  or  in 
addition  to  all  other  Christian  graces,  to  "  put  on  charity,  which  is 
the  bond  of  perfectness  ;"  2  the  perfect  bond ;  and  that  Peter  should 
exhort  them,  "  above  all,  to  have  fervent  charity  among  them 
selves." 

§  2. — The  duty  recommended. 

Having  thus  attempted  to  unfold  the  meaning  of  the  apostle's  in 
junction,  respecting  the  maintenance  of  brotherly  love,  let  us  now 
endeavor  to  point  out  the  force  of  his  recommendation  on  this  sub 
ject — "  Have  fervent  charity  among  yourselves :  for  charity  shall 
cover  the  multitude  of  sins." 

I  do  not  know  if,  in  the  book  of  God,  there  can  be  found  a  passage 
which  has  been  more  grossly  and  dangerously  interpreted  than  this. 
Though  certainly  not  among  those  passages  which  are  "  hard  to  be 
understood,"  yet  by  the  crafty  and  self-interested,  "  the  unlearned  and 
unstable,"  it  has  been  "  wrested,"  it  is  to  be  feared,  "  to  their  own" 
and  other  men's  "destruction."  Charity  has  been  interpreted  as 
equivalent  to  almsgiving,  the  devoting  sums  of  money  to  benevolent, 
and  what  were  termed  pious,  purposes ;  and  has  been  represented  as 
efficacious  in  covering  a  multitude  of  the  donor's  sins  from  the  eye 
of  the  Supreme  Judge,  on  the  day  when  he  will  finally  fix  the  eternal 
states  of  men,  securing  acquittal  where  otherwise  there  must  have 
been  condemnation  ;  or  charity  has  been  identified  with  a  disposition 
the  reverse  of  censorious ;  and  this  passage,  along  with  the  words  of 
our  Lord,  "  Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged ;  for  with  what  judg 
ment  ye  judge,  ye  shall  be  judged ;  and  with  what  measure  ye  mete, 
it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again;"3  interpreted  by  the  sound  rather 
than  the  sense,  has  been  employed  to  excite  false  hopes  in  the  minds 
of  worldly,  unbelieving,  impenitent  men,  as  if  their  lenient  judgments 
of  their  fellow-sinners,  whose  conduct  deserved  censure,  would  plead, 
and  plead  successfully,  for  a  lenient  sentence  to  themselves,  "  in  the 
day  of  the  revelation  of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God." 

What  a  fearful  proof  of  the  stupidity  and  wickedness  of  fallen 
man,  that,  amid  the  clear  light  of  revelation,  such  misrepresentations 
should  be  made  and  credited!  "  Surely,  both  the  teacher  and  the 
taught  have  given  themselves  up  to  strong  delusions,  before  they  could 
make  or  believe  such  lies  as  these.  What  degrading  views  of  the 
Divine  character,  and  of  the  Divine  law,  must  those  men  have,  who 
think  that  pardon  and  ultimate  freedom  from  the  penal  effects  of  sin, 
can  be  secured  by  anything  man  can  do,  much  more  can  be  bought 
with  money  :  or  that  God  will  reward  what  is  ordinarily  a  false  judg 
ment  on  man's  part,  by  another  false  judgment  on  His  part !  Even 
charity  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  and  all  its  blessed  fruits,  cannot 
thus  cover  sin,  cannot  obtain  the  pardon  of  sin  ;  if  for  no  other  rea 
son,  for  this,  that  they  cannot  be  the  procuring  cause  of  that  of  which 
they  themselves  are  the  results.  The  free  grace  of  God  exercised  :n 

'   \  Cor.  xiii.  »  Col.  iii.  14.  '  Matt.  vii.  1,  2. 


PART  I.J        BROTHERLY  LOVE  TO  BE  MAINTAINED.  609 

harmony  with  justice,  through  the  atoning  sacrifice  of  Christ,  to  the 
believing  sinner,  can  alone  cover  sin  in  the  sense  of  forgiveness.  The 
love  of  God  is  the  sole  moving  cause ;  the  atonement  of  the  Son  the 
sole  meritorious  cause ;  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  produced  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  the  sole  instrumental  cause  of  forgiveness. 

Setting  aside  this  monstrous  perversion  of  Scripture,  which  scarcely 
deserves  even  the  passing  notice,  we  have  taken  of  it,  let  us  inquire 
what  the  apostle  does  mean,  when  he  says,  that  "  charity  shall  cover 
the  multitude  of  sins ;"  and  endeavor  to  show  how  what  he  means  in 
these  words,  is  fitted  to  operate  as  a  motive  to  Christians  to  "  have 
fervent  charity  among  themselves." 

It  is  right  to  state,  that  the  apostle's  assertion  is  not,  that  "  love 
shall  cover,"  or,  as  it  is  in  the  margin,  "  will  cover,"  but  "  love  covers," 
not  the  multitude,  but  "  a  multitude  of  sins."  "  Love  covereth  a  mul 
titude  of  sins."  But  whose  love  is  it  that  covers  sins  ?  and  whose 
sins  are  they  which  love  covers?  and  what  is  "it  that  love  does  in 
reference  to  sin  when  it  covers  it  ? 

Some  would  interpret  "  charity,"  of  the  love  of  God  or  of  Christ : 
and,  "  a  multitude  of  sins,"  of  all  the  violations  of  the  Divine  law  by 
those  Christians  who  are  exhorted  to  have  fervent  love  among  them 
selves.  '  God  has  loved  you ;  his  love  has  led  him  to  forgive  you. 
"  He  has  forgiven  the  iniquity  of  his  people ;  he  has  covered  all  their 
sins."  Christ  hath  loved  you,  and  has  shed  his  blood  in  order  that 
your  sins  might  be  forgiven  in  consistency  with  justice,  in  glorious 
illustration  of  justice.  He  has  covered  your  sins  with  his  righteous 
ness  ;  He  having  been  made  sin  for  you,  you  being  made  the  right 
eousness  of  God  in  him.  "Brethren,  if  God,"  if  Christ,  have  "so 
loved  you,"  surely  'fye  should  love  one  another.''"  This  love  to  you 
all  was  fervent  love.  Should  not  your  love  to  one  another  be  fervent 
too  ?  Should  not  you  who  have  been  forgiven,  forgive ;  should  you 
not  especially  forbear  with  and  forgive  your  brethren,  as  God  and 
Christ  have  forborne  and  forgiven  both  you  and  them  ?'  . 

This,  in  itself,  is  most  important  truth,  and  these  are  the  strongest 
of  all  motives  to  mutual  Christian  love ;  yet  I  think  every  person  must 
feel,  on  looking  at  the  passage,  that  this  sense  is  rather  dragged  into 
it  than  drawn  out  of  it;  and  it  is  plain,  from  the  original  text,1  that 
the  love  in  the  second  clause  is  the  same  as  the  love  in  the  first  clause. 
"  Have  fervent  love  among  yourselves ;  for  love — the  love — this  love 
— covereth  a  multitude  of  sins."  It  is,  then,  the  love,  the  fervent 
love  of  the  brethren,  that  covers  a  multitude  of  sins,  whatever  and 
whosesoever  these  sins  may  be,  and  whatever  may  be  meant  by 
covering  them. 

The  words,  "  love  covereth  a  multitude  of  sins,"  are  a  quotation 
from  the  Old  Testament ;  and  it  is  very  possible,  that,  by  looking  at 
them  in  their  original  connection,  we  may  find  some  assistance  in  ap 
prehending  more  distinctly  both  their  meaning  and  reference  here. 
They  are  to  be  found  in  Prov.  x.  12,  "  Hatred  stirreth  up  strifes ;  but 
love  covereth  all  sins;"  that  is,  a  man  under  the  influence  of  hatred, 
where  there  is  no  offence,  where  no  sin  against  him  creates  it,  "stirs 
up  strife,"  he  provokes,  he  magnifies,  he  multiplies  offences.  He,  as 

*    Eif  iavroOf  d  v  a  n  TI  v   ixTcvrj  l%ovTSSt  STI   t]   d  y  a  TT  r?.      K,  T,  A. 

39 


610  BROTHERLY    LOVE    TO    BE    MAINTAINED.  [DISC.  XIX. 

it  were,  invites  attack,  and  he  commonly  does  not  im  ite  it  in  vain  ; 
but  on  the  other  hand,  love,  that  is  the  man  under  the  influence  of 
benignant  principle,  "  covers  all  sins  ;"  puts  down  all  strifes  and  offen 
ces,  treats  them  as  if  they  were  not,  makes  them  as  if  they  never  had 
been.  I  think  it  must  be  very  plain  to  all,  that  the  sins  here  referred 
to  are  offences  committed  by  one  brother  against  another ;  and  that 
the  assertion  of  the  apostle  is,  that  a  brother,  under  the  influence  of 
that  fervent  charity  which  he  has  been  enjoining,  will  cover  these 
offences,  even  though  there  should  be  many  of  them  ;  will,  so  far  as 
the  peace  and  edification  of  the  brotherhood,  whether  as  individuals 
or  a  body,  are  concerned,  really  make  them  as  if  they  had  never 
existed. 

If  Christians  were  as  much  under  the  influence  of  love  as  they 
ought  to  be,  sins  against  each  other,  "  offences,"  would  not  exist ;  for 
"  love  doth  no  ill  to  his  neighbor :"  in  other  words,  the  man  entirely 
under  the  influence  of  love  can  do  no  injury  to  his  neighbor.  His 
person,  his  property,  his  reputation,  his  feelings,  all  his  interests,  are 
perfectly  safe.  The  whole  law,  in  reference  to  a  Christian  brother,  is 
summed  up  in  love.  "  We  owe  no  man  anything,  but  to  love  one 
another." l  If  that  debt  is  discharged,  our  duty  is  done.  Were 
Christians  habitually  acting  under  the  power  of  fervent  charity,  there 
would  be  no  sins,  no  offences  to  cover.  But  such  a  state  of  things 
has  never  yet  existed.  We  have  no  reason  to  think  it  ever  will  exist 
in  this  world.  "  Offences,"  says  the  Master,  "  must  come  ;"  and,  if 
they  are  not  met  in  the  spirit  of  love,  they  will  grow  and  multiply. 
The  spark  will  become  a  flame,  and  the  flame  a  conflagration. 

But  "  love  covereth  sins."  Fervent  charity  prevents  a  man  from 
giving  any  occasion  for  offence.  There  is  always  a  want  of  love  in 
the  offending  brother ;  the  offence  proves  this ;  but  had  there  been 
more  love  in  the  offended  brother,  and  had  that  love  been  more  plainly 
manifested,  the  offence  might  never  have  existed.  Had  there  been 
more  Christian,  that  is,  more  affectionate,  behavior  on  the  part  of 
him  who  is  offended,  there  might  have  been  less,  there  might  have 
been  no,  unchristian  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  offender.  Fervent 
love  prevents  anything  like  a  handle  being  given  for  the  unkindly 
feelings  of  others  to  take  hold  of.  A  christianly  benignant  disposi 
tion  naturally  leads  a  man  to  give  his  Christian  brethren  credit  for  the 
same  temper  which  animates  himself;  and  consequently  prevents  him 
from  being  on  the  look-out  for  offences.  He  is  unwilling  to  think 
that  a  Christian  brother  means  to  injure  him,  for  he  has  no  disposition 
to  injure  any  brother ;  and  he  will  gladly  admit  any  reasonable  ac 
count  of  a  piece  of  conduct  which  may  wear  any  unkindly  aspect, 
rather  than  have  recourse  to  this  supposition.  This  temper  makes 
him  overlook  much  which  a  man  of  a  less  benignant  disposition  would 
account  offence. 

And  when  offence  does  present  itself  in  a  form  so  distinctly  de 
fined  that  there  is  no  mistaking  it ;  under  the  power  of  fervent  love 
he  covers  it,  inasmuch  as  he  gives  no  unnecessary  publicity  to  it. 

Rom.  xiii.  8.  'O^t'Xere  is  considered  by  some  interpreters  as  indicative,  not  impera 
tive,  here.  This  exegesis  seems  better  to  suit  the  apostle's  current  of  thought  than  the 
more  usual  one. 


PART  I.]         BROTHERLY  LOVE  TO  BE  MAINTAINED.  611 

He  does  not  conceal  from  the  offending  brother  that  he  is  aware  of 
what  he  has  done,  and  that  he  is  sensible  of  the  true  character  of  his 
conduct.  No ;  as  no  brother  can  give  another  just  offence,  without, 
in  the  estimation  of  that  brother,  having  violated  the  law  of  their 
common  Lord,  charity,  however  fervent,  does  not  blind  him  either  to 
the  reality  or  the  magnitude  of  the  fault.  Were  he  deficient  in 
charity,  he  might  be  silent  to  him,  while  eloquent  to  others,  respecting 
the  offence.  He  might  cherish  hatred  to  the  offender  in  his  heart, 
bear  a  grudge  against  him,  and  meditate  vengeance.  But  he  who 
loves  his  neighbor  as  himself,  will  not  so  hate  his  offending  brother  in 
his  heart ;  he  will  not  suffer  sin  on  him,  he  will  surely  rebuke  him. 
But  he  will  cover  the  sin  by,  as  far  as  lies  in  his  power,  concealing  it, 
till  he  has  used  every  practicable  method  to  have  it  covered  by  hearty 
forgiveness  or  penitent  acknowledgment ;  and  if  he  be  obliged  to  dis 
cover  the  offence  in  the  first  sense,  it  is  only  so  far  as  is  necessary,  in 
order  to  having  it  covered  in  the  second  and  more  important  sense. 

The  offended  brother,  the  man  sinned  against,  if  he  act  under  the 
influence  of  fervent  love,  follows  the  wise  advice  of  the  apocryphal 
sage  :  "  Admonish  thy  friend ;  it  may  be  he  hath  not  done  it ;  and  if 
he  have  done  it,  that  he  do  it  not  again.  Admonish  thy  friend  ;  it  may 
be  that  he  hath  not  said  it ;  and  if  he  have  that  he  speak  it  not  again. 
Admonish  a  friend ;  for  many  a  time  it  is  a  slander,  and  believe  not 
every  tale.  There  is  one  that  slippeth  in  his  speech,  but  not  from  the 
heart ;  and  who  is  he  who  hath  not  offended  with  his  tongue  ?"  l  He 
obeys  the  law  of  the  Master  in  heaven.  If  his  brother  trespass  against 
him,  he  goes  and  tells  him  his  fault  by  himself  alone ;  and  if  he  hear 
him,  then  the  fault  which  he  has  never  divulged,  has  been  covered ; 
so  far  as  he  is  concerned,  both  concealed  and  forgiven.  It  is  as  if  it 
had  not  been.  But  if  the  offending  brother  will  not  hear  him,  he  takes 
with  him  one  or  two  more  of  the  brethren,  that  at  the  mouth  of  two 
or  three  witnesses  everything  may  be  established.  If  he  hear  them, 
then,  too,  the  sin  is  covered.  It  is  dismissed  from  his  mind,  and  from 
the  minds  of  those  who  were  necessarily  informed  of  it,  and  they  regard 
their  brother  as  before  he  had  offended.  But  if  he  neglect  to  hear 
them,  the  sin,  which  in  the  sense  of  concealment  can  be  covered  no 
longer,  must  be  told  to  the  assembly  of  the  elders  or  of  the  brethren  ; 
and  if  the  offending  brother  hear  them,  and  make  due  acknowledg 
ment,  even  then  love  covers  the  sin,  and  receives  with  cordiality  the 
offending  brother.  But  if  he  obstinately  persist  in  opposition  to  the 
mind  of  the  assembly,  then  the  offence  is  covered  by  the  offender  be- 
"ng  removed  from  the  society ;  his  conduct  being  henceforward  viewed 
as  that  of  a  man  not  connected  with  the  brotherhood — "  a  heathen 
man  and  a  publican ;"  and  therefore  not  likely  to  be  a  cause  of  con 
tention  in  the  church,  nor  a  scandal  or  stumbling-block  to  the  world.8 

Love,  where  it  is  fervent,  will  operate  in  this  way,  not  only  in  one 
instance,  but  in  many  instances ;  not  only  in  the  case  of  one  offend 
ing  brother,  but  of  every  offending  brother ;  and  not  in  the  case  only 
of  one  or  a  few  offences,  but  in  the  case  of  many  offences,  even  from 
the  same  brother.  The  course  prescribed  by  our  Lord  in  his  law,  is 
just  the  course  which  the  love  produced  in  the  heart  by  his  Spirit,  by 

1  Ecclus.  xix.  13.  a  Matt,  xviii.  15,  17. 


612  BHOTHERLY    LOVE    TO    BE    MAINTAINED.  [DISC.  XIX. 

means  of  his  truth,  naturally  suggests.  "  It  is  impossible,"  says  the 
Master,  "  but  that  offences  should  come.  Take  heed  to  yourselves. 
If  thy  brother  trespass  against  thee,  rebuke  him ;  and  if  he  repent, 
forgive  him;  and  if  he  trespass  against  thee  seven  times  in  a  day,  and 
seven  times  in  a  day  turn  again  to  thee,  saying,  I  repent,  thou  shalt 
forgive  him."  "  How  oft  shall  my  brother,"  said  Peter,  with  charac 
teristic  forwardness,  "  sin  against  me,  and  I  forgive  him  ?  till  seven 
times  ?  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  say  not  unto  thee,  Until  seven  times ; 
but.  Until  seventy  times  seven."  l  So  long  as  you  and  he  stand  in 
the  relation  of  brothers,  love  must  be  ready  to  cover  his  sins,  how 
ever  numerous.  Such  seems  to  me  the  meaning  of  the  apostles's 
statement :  "  Charity,"  that  is,  such  fervent  charity  as  he  had  enjoined 
in  the  preceding  clause,  "  covers  a  multitude  of  sins." 

A  very  few  words  will  suffice  for  showing  the  force  which  this 
statement  has  as  a  motive  to  the  duty  which  the  apostle  has  enjoined. 
"Have  fervent  charity  among  yourselves,  for  charity  covereth  a  mul 
titude  of  sins."  "Offences  must  needs  come."  Brethren  will  sin 
against  brethren.  If  these  sins  are  not  covered,  what  is  the  conse 
quence  likely  to  be  ?  "  The  beginning  of  strife  is  like  the  letting  out 
of  waters."  Contentions  will  be  extended  and  perpetuated.  There 
will  be  schisms  in  the  body.  Individual  edification  will  be  materially 
interfered  with.  The  Spirit  of  Love  will  be  grieved.  The  Holy 
Dove  will  be  driven  away.  The  church  will  become  impure,  schis- 
matical,  utterly  unfit  for  answering  her  great  purpose,  to  exhibit  and 
to  extend  the  religion  of  love.  Biting  and  devouring  each  other, 
Christians  will  be  consumed  of  each  other.  Roots  of  bitterness  will 
spring  up  and  flourish,  and  the  result  will  be  trouble  and  defilement. 
There  will  be  envying  and  strife,  confusion  and  every  evil  work. 
Plausibility  will  be  given  to  the  objections  of  infidels,  and  men  will  be 
deterred  from  connecting  themselves  with  so  suicidal  a  society,  as  in 
this  case  the  church  will  prove  itself. 

This  must  be  the  result  if  sins  are  not  covered,  and  sins  can  only 
be  covered  by  charity,  by  fervent  charity  ;  and  though  these  sins  are 
many  (the  more  the  pity  that  it  should  be  so),  if  there  is  so  much  fer 
vent  charity  among  the  brethren  as  to  cover  them,  what  is  the  result  ? 
The  excellence  of  Christian  truth,  the  power  of  Divine  grace,  are  just 
so  much  the  more  illustriously  displayed  in  triumphing  over  the  un 
ruly  passions  and  the  worldly  interests  of  men.  The  disjointed,  yet 
sound  members,  re-set  by  the  skilful  tender  hand  of  enlightened  charity, 
become  more  firmly  united  and  stronger  than  ever ;  and  incurably 
diseased  portions  of  the  body,  which,  if  retained  in  it,  would  have 
eaten  as  does  a  canker,  and  diffused  languor  and  weakness  through 
the  whole  body,  are,  by  the  same  wise  spiritual  surgery,  amputated ; 
so  that,  under  the  influence  of  truthful  love,  Christians  "  grow  up  to 
him  in  all  things  who  is  the  head ;"  and  "  the  whole  body  being  joined 
together  and  compacted  by  that  which  every  joint  supplieth,  accord 
ing  to  the  effectual  working  in  every  part,  maketh  increase  to  the 
edifying  of  itself  in  love."  The  brethren  live  in  peace,  and  the  God 
of  peace  manifests  his  gracious  presence  in  the  midst  of  them.  "  The 
churches  rest,  and  are  edified ;  and  walking  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord, 

1  Matt,  xviii.  7,  21,  22.     Luke  xvil  3,  4. 


PART  I.J        BROTHERLY  LOVE  TO  BE  MAINTAINED.  613 

and  in  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  multiplied."  The  church 
becomes  pure,  and  united,  and  strong,  and  beautiful  in  her  holy  union ; 
and,  free  from  internal  quarrels  and  divisions,  prosecutes  with  ardor 
and  success,  her  holy  warfare  with  the  enemies  of  her  Lord  and  King, 
while  angels  look  on  with  delight,  and  devils  with  terror. 

This  wouj^be  the  effect,  were  there  fervent  charity  enough  among 
the  brethren  to  cover  all  sins.  Love  can  do  this — ay !  love  should  do 
this.  Nothing  but  love  can  do  it ;  no  knowledge-,  no  faith,  no  power 
of  intellect,  no  energy  of  exertion,  no  labors,  no  sufferings,  can  effect 
this  without  love.  re  it  wonderful,  then,  when  love  can  cover  a  multi 
tude  of  sins,  all  sins,  and  wh^n  nothing  else  can  do  so,  and  when  by 
doing  so,  such  evils  would  be  avoided,  and  such  glorious  results  se 
cured,  that  the  apostle  should  use  such  urgency  of  persuasion,  and  call 
on  Christians  "  above  all  things  to  have  fervent  charity/'  or  to  have 
charity  fervent)  "  among  themselves  ?" 

I  shut  up  this  part  of  the  discourse  by  quoting  a  few  passages  of 
Scripture,  in  which  the  cultivation  of  brotherly,  Christian  love,  is 
pressed  on  Christians,  praying  that  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  is  the  Spirit 
of  love,  would  write  them  on  our  hearts,  and  put  them  in  our  inward 
parts.  "A  new  commandment,"  says  the  Master,  "a  new  command 
ment  I  have  given  unto  you,  That  ye  love  one  another ;  as  I  have 
loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  another.  By  this  shall  all  men  know 
that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another."  "  Be  kindly 
affectioned  one  towards  another  in  brotherly  love,"  says  one  of  his 
holy  apostles,  "  with  all  lowliness  of  mind,  forbearing  one  another  in 
love ;  endeavoring  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace. 
The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  good 
ness" — that  is,  kindness — "  meekness.  Live  in  the  Spirit,  walk  in  the 
Spirit.  Grieve  not  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God.  Let  all  bitterness,  and 
wrath,  and  anger,  and  clamor,  and  evil-speaking,  be  put  away  from 
you,  with  all  malice ;  and  be  kind  one  to  another,  tender-hearted,  for 
giving  one  another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake  hath  forgiven  you. 
Be  followers  of  God  as  dear  children,  and  walk  in  fove  as  Christ  also 
hath  loved  us.  Put  on  as  the  elect  of  God,  holy  and  beloved,  bowels 
of  mercies,  kindness,  humbleness  of  mind,  long-suffering ;  forbearing 
one  another,  and  forgiving  one  another,  if  any  man  have  a  quarrel 
against  any ;  even  as  Christ  forgave  you,  so  also  do  ye."  "  Ye  are 
taught  by  God  to  love  one  another."  "  The  end  of  the  commandment 
is  charity."  "  Follow  after  love,  patience,  meekness."  "  Let  bro 
therly  love  continue."  "  The  wisdom  that  cometh  from  above,"  says 
another  apostle,  "  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable,  gentle,  and  easy  to  be 
entreated,  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits,  without  partiality,  and  with 
out  hypocrisy."  "  Seeing  ye  have  purified  yourselves,"  says  a  third 
apostle,  "in  obeying  the  truth  through  the  Spirit  unto  unfeigned  love 
of  the  brethen,  see  that  ye  love  one  another  with  a  pure  heart,  fer 
vently.  Be  of  one  mind,  having  compassion  one  of  another;  love  as 
brethren."  "  He,"  says  a  fourth,  who  had  a  very  large  measure  of 
the  Spirit  of  his  Master,  i:  he  that  saith  he  is  in  the  light,  and  hateth 
his  brother,  is  in  the  darkness  even  until  now.  He  that  loveth  his 
brother  abideth  in  the  light,  and  there  is  no  occasion  of  stumbling  in 
him.  Whosoever  loveth  not  his  brother  is  not  of  God.  We  know 


614  BROTHERLY    LOVE    TO    BE    MANIFESTED.  [DISC.  XIX. 

that  we  have  passed  from  death  to  life,  because  we  love  the  brethren. 
Whosoever  hateth  his  brother  is  a  murderer.  Hereby  perceive  we 
the  love  of  God,  that  he  laid  down  his  life  for  us  ;  and  we  ought  to  lay 
down  our  lives  for  the  brethren.  My  little  children,  let  us  not  love  in 
word,  neither  in  tongue,  but  in  deed  and  in  truth.  This  is  his  com 
mandment,  That  we  believe  in  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  love  one 
another,  as  he  gave  us  commandment.  Beloved,  let  us  love  one  an 
other  ;  for  love  is  of  God ;  and  every  one  that  loveth  is  born  of  God, 
and  knoweth  God.  He  that  loveth  not,  knoweth  not  God ;  for  God 
is  love.  Herein  is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  he  loved  us, 
and  sent  his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins.  Beloved,  if  God 
so  loved  us,  we  ought  also  to  lore  one  another.  If  a  man  say,  I  love 
God,  and  hate  his  brother,  he  is  a  liar ;  for  he  who  loveth  not  his 
brother  whom  he  has  seen,  how  can  he  love  God  whom  he  hath  not 
seen  ?  And  this  commandment  have  we  of  him,  That  he  who  loveth 
God  love  his  neighbor  also."  That  we  should  love  one  another, — this 
is  the  commandment  which  we  have  received  from  the  beginning, 
that  we  should  walk  in  it.1 

My  beloved  brethren,  "if  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye 
do  them."  We  have  much  cause  to  be  thankful  for  that  measure  of 
the  spirit  of  love  which  our  Father  has  been  pleased  to  shed  on  us  as 
a  congregation,  through  Christ  Jesus,  and  for  that  peace  which  is 
springing  out  of  it.  Let  us  carefully  guard  against  whatever  may 
cool  our  love  or  break  our  harmony.  Let  us  all  seek  to  be  kept  near 
Christ,  that  we  may  be  kept  near  each  other ;  and  let.  us  pray  that 
our  love  to  our  Lord,  to  one  another,  to  all  the  saints,  to  all  men, 
"may  abound  yet  more  and  more  in  knowledge,  and  in  all  judgment," 
and  may  become  more  and  more  effectual  in  producing  personal  and 
mutual  edification,  and  in  promoting  the  prosperity  and  extension  of 
the  kingdom  which  is  not  of  this  world,  making  us  to  be  of  one  mind 
— his  mind ;  of  one  heart — his  heart ;  a  mind  all  light,  a  heart  all  love. 


II— THE  MANIFESTATION  OF  BROTHERLY  LOVE. 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  the  consideration  of  the  apostle's  injunction 
and  recommendation  of  the  manifestation  of  Christian  brotherly  love. 
The  fervent  love  which  they  were  to  cherish  among  themselves  was 
to  be  manifested  in  performing  kind  offices  to  each  other  as  men,  and 
in  promoting  the  spiritual  interests  of  each  other  as  Christians.  They 
were  to  employ  their  worldly  property  in  the  first  of  these  manifes 
tations  of  brotherly  love,  and  their  spiritual  gifts  in  the  second ;  and 
the  grand  motive  influencing  them  in  both  was  to  be  that  they  were 
stewards,  and  ought  to  be  good  stewards  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God  ; 
and  "  that  God  in  all  things  might  be  glorified  through  Jesus  Christ." 
Let  us  attend,  then,  in  succession  to  these  two  enjoined  manifestations 
of  Christian  brotherly  love,  and  to  the  powerful  motives  by  which 
both  are  enforced.  "  Use  hospitality  one  to  another  without  grudging. 

1  John  xiii.  34,  35.  Rom.  xii.  10.  Eph.  iv.  3.  Gal.  v.  22,  25.  Eph.  iv.  30-32 ;  v 
1,2.  Col.  iii.  12.  1  Thess.  iv.  9.  1  Tim.  i.  5;  vi.  11.  Heb.  xiii.  1.  James  iii.  11 
1  Fet.  i.  22 ;  iii.  8.  1  John  ii.  9,  11 ;  iii.  14-16,  23  ;  iv.  7,  11,  20,  21.  2  John  5. 


PART  II.]        BROTHERLY  LOVE  TO  BE  MANIFESTED.  615 

As  every  man  hath  received  the  gift,  even  so  minister  the  same  one 
to  another,  as  good  stewards  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God.  If  any 
man  speak,  let  him  speak  as  the  oracles  of  God ;  if  any  man  minister, 
let  him  do  it  as  of  the  ability  which  God  giveth  ;  that  God  in  all  things 
may  be  glorified  through  Jesus  Christ :  to  whom  be  praise  and  do 
minion  forever  and  ever.  Amen." 

$  1. — Christians  are  to  manifest  brotherly  love,  by  employing  their 
property  for  each  other  s  good  as  men,  as  in  ungrudging  hospi 
tality. 

We  observe,  then,  in  the  first  place,  that  Christians  are  to  manifest 
the  fervent  love  which  they  have  among  themselves,  by  employing 
their  worldly  property  in  performing  kind  offices  to  each  other  as 
men.  Of  these  kind  offices  we  have  a  specimen  in  the  ungrudging 
hospitality  which  is  here  enjoined,  "  Use  hospitality  one  to  another 
without  grudging." 

The  habit  of  inviting,  in  considerable  numbers,  to  our  houses  and 
tables,  neighbors,  acquaintances,  and  friends,  in  rank  equal  or  superior 
to  ourselves,  and  giving  them  a  sumptuous  entertainment,  is  what  in 
our  times  generally  passes  by  the  name  of  hospitality.  Where  God's 
good  creatures  are  not  abused,  which  they  often  are,  as  stimulants 
and  gratifications  to  intemperate  appetite,  and  when  these  entertain 
ments  are  not  so  expensive  or  so  frequent  as  to  waste  an  undue  pro 
portion  of  our  substance  and  time,  and  to  interfere  with  the  right 
discharge  of  the  duties  of  family  instruction  and  devotion,  there  is 
nothing  wrong  in  them.  I  believe  we  may  go  a  little  further  and  say, 
that  in  this  case  they  are  fitted  to  serve  a  good  purpose  in  keeping  up 
friendly  intercourse  among  relations  and  friends. 

But  they  are  put  out  of  their  place  altogether,  when  they  are  con 
sidered  as  a  substitute  for  the  Christian  duty  of  hospitality.  It  is  plain 
that  our  Lord  did  not  condemn  such  meetings,  for  we  find  him  not 
unfrequently  present  at  them;  but  he  obviously  looked  on  them  as 
capable  of  being  better  managed,  and  turned  to  more  useful  purposes, 
than  they  commonly  were  among  the  Jews  in  his  time.  "  When  thou 
makest  a  dinner  or  a  supper/5  said  our  Lord  to  one  of  the  chief  phari- 
sees  who  had  invited  him  to  his  table,  "  call  not  thy  friends,  nor  thy 
brethren,  neither  thy  kinsmen,  nor  thy  rich  neighbors ;  lest  they  also 
bid  thee  again,  and  a  recompense  be  made  thee.  But  when  thou 
makest  a  feast,  call  the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind :  And 
thou  shalt  be  blessed ;  for  they  cannot  recompense  thee  :  for  thou  shalt 
be  recompensed  at  the  resurrection  of  the  just."  l 

We  are  certainly  not  to  consider  these  words  of  our  Lord  as  a  pro 
hibition  of  convivial  intercourse  among  equals,  the  entertaining  on 
proper  occasions,  in  a  suitable  manner,  of  our  wealthy  neighbors, 
friends,  and  relatives ;  but  we  are  to  understand  that,  in  doing  so,  we 
are  rather  complying  with  an  innocent  and  useful  social  usage  than 
performing  an  important  Christian  duty ;  and  that  the  proportion  of 
our  property  devoted  to  feeding  the  poor,  should  very  much  exceed 
that  expended  in  feasting  the  rich.  What  are  termed  hospitable  en- 

1  Luke  xiv.  12-14. 


616  BROTHERLY    LOVE    TO    BE    MANIFESTED.  [DISC.  XIX. 

tertainments  are  very  generally  manifestations  of  vanity  and  pride  on 
the  part  of  those  who  give  them.  In  a  very  limited  degree  are  they 
the  real  expression  of  even  a  very  low  form  of  benevolent  regard  to 
those  to  whom  they  are  given.  The  expense  at  which  they  are  made 
is  not  incurred  from  love  to  God,  regard  to  his  authority,  or  a  wish  to 
promote  his  glory.  Reward  from  him  is  altogether  out  of  the  ques 
tion  ;  and  the  applause,  or,  what  is  in  some  instances  more  relished 
still,  the  envy,  of  others,  and  a  similar  banquet  in  return,  are  the  ap 
propriate  and  the  wished-for  recompense.  It  is  deeply  to  be  regretted 
that  so  many  professors  of  Christianity  are  in  this  respect  unduly 
conformed  to  the  world,  and  lavish  on  these  thankless  and  profitless 
entertainments  sums  which  might  so  easily  be  turned  to  so  much 
better  account  in  relieving  the  wants,  and  adding  to  the  comforts  of 
the  poor  and  destitute ;  or  in  promoting  the  glory  of  God,  and  the 
highest  interests  of  mankind,  by  diffusing  "  the  knowledge  of  salva 
tion  through  the  remission  of  sins." 

But  the  occasional  entertainment  of  our  acquaintances,  whether 
poor  or  rich,  however  unobjectionably,  and  even  usefully,  conducted, 
is  not  the  Christian  duty  which,  under  the  name  of  hospitality,  is  here 
and  in  so  many  other  passages  of  the  New  Testament  recommended. 
Hospitality  is  kindness  to  strangers,  to  persons  not  generally  resident 
in  the  same  place  with  ourselves,  to  persons  with  whom  we  are  not 
on  habits  of  intimate  acquaintanceship ;  and  this  kindness  is  mani 
fested  by  bringing  them  to  our  houses,  and  furnishing  them  with  suit 
able  entertainment  there. 

We  have  this  duty  strikingly  illustrated  in  the  case  of  Abraham 
and  of  Lot,  when  they  "  entertained  angels  unawares."  Nothing  can 
be  more  beautifully  simple  than  the  inspired  narrative  :  "  And  Abra 
ham  sat  in  the  door  of  his  tent  in  Mamre,  in  the  heat  of  the  day ; 
and  he  lift  up  his  eyes  and  looked,  and,  lo,  three  men  stood  by  him : 
and,  when  he  saw  them,  he  ran  to  meet  them  from  the  tent-door,  and 
bowed  himself  toward  the  ground,  and  said,  My  Lord,  if  now  I  have 
found  favor  in  thy  sight,  pass  not  away,  I  pray  thee,  from  thy  servant. 
Let  a  little  water,  I  pray  you,  be  fetched,  and  wash  your  feet,  and  rest 
yourselves  under  the  tree :  and  I  will  fetch  a  morsel  of  bread,  and 
comfort  ye  your  hearts  ;  after  that  ye  shall  pass  on  :  for  therefore  are 
ye  come  to  your  servant.  And  they  said,  So  do  as  thou  hast  said. 
And  Abraham  hastened  into  the  tent  unto  Sarah,  and  said,  Make 
ready  quickly  three  measures  of  fine  meal,  knead  it,  and  make  cakes 
upon  the  hearth.  And  Abraham  ran  unto  the  herd,  and  fetched  a  calf 
tender  and  good,  and  gave  it  unto  a  young  man ;  and  he  hasted  to 
dress  it.  And  he  took  butter  and  milk,  and  the  calf  which  he  had 
dressed,  and  set  it  before  them ;  and  he  stood  by  them  under  the  tree, 
and  they  did  eat."  And  when  two  of  these  illustrious  strangers 
entered  Sodom,  "  Lot,  sitting  in  the  gate,  rose  up  to  meet  them ;  and 
bowed  himself  with  his  face  toward  the  ground :  and  he  said,  Behold 
now,  my  lords,  turn  in,  I  pray  you,  into  your  servant's  house,  and 
tarry  all  night,  and  wash  your  feet,  and  ye  shall  rise  up  early,  and  go 
on  your  way.  And  when  they  said,  Nay,  but  we  will  abide  in  the 
street  all  night,  he  pressed  upon  them  greatly ;  and  they  turned  in 
unto  him,  and  entered  into  his  house ;  and  he  made  them  a  feast,  and 


PART  II  .J       BROTHERLY  LOVE  TO  BE  MANIFESTED.  617 

did  bake  unleavened  bread,  and  they  did  eat."  l  This  was  ancient 
hospitality. 

In  the  same  spirit  we  find  Jethro  saying  to  his  daughters,  in  ref 
erence  to  the  stranger  who  had  assisted  them  in  watering  their  flocks, 
"  And  where  is  he  ?  why  is  it  that  ye  left  the  man  ?  call  him  that  he 
may  eat  bread/' a 

An  instance  of  this  virtue,  not  less  interesting,  is  to  be  found  in  the 
case  of  the  aged  '•'  working  man"  of  Gibeah :  "  Behold,  there  came  an 
old  man  from  his  work  out  of  the  field  at  even.  And  when  he  had 
lifted  up  his  eyes,  he  saw  a  wayfaring  man  in  the  street  of  the  city : 
and  the  old  man  said,  Whither  goest  thou  ?  and  whence  comest  thou  ? 
And  he  said  unto  him,  We  are  passing  from  Bethlehem- Judah  toward 
the  side  of  Mount  Ephraim ;  from  thence  am  I ;  and  I  went  to  Beth 
lehem,  but  I  am  now  going  to  the  house  of  the  Lord ;  and  there  is  no 
man  that  receiveth  me  into  his  house.  Yet  is  there  both  straw  and 
provender  for  our  asses ;  and  there  is  bread  and  wine  also  for  me,  and 
thine  handmaid,  and  for  the  young  man  with  thy  servant ;  there  is  no 
want  of  anything.  And  the  old  man  said,  Peace  be  with  thee :  how 
soever  let  all  thy  wants  lie  upon  me ;  only  lodge  not  in  ths  street. 
So  he  brought  him  into  the  house,  and  gave  provender  to  the  asses  ; 
and  they  washed  their  feet,  and  did  eat  and  drink."  : 

Kindness  to  strangers  was  not  only  included  in  the  second  great 
command,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,"  but  was  the 
subject  of  express  legislation  in  the  Mosaic  code.  "  If  a  stranger 
sojourn  with  thee  in  your  land,  ye  shall  not  vex  him.  But  the  stranger 
that  dwelleth  with  you  shall  be  unto  you  as  one  born  among  you.  and 
thou  shalt  love  him  as  thyself;  for  ye  were  strangers  in  the  land  of 
Egypt :  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God.  The  Levite,  because  he  hath  no 
part  nor  inheritance  with  thee,  the  stranger,  and  the  fatherless,  and 
the  widow,  which  are  within  thy  gates,  shall  come,  and  shall  eat  and 
be  satisfied,"  at  the  feast  made  on  the  tithe  of  the  increase  being  set 
apart,  at  the  end  of  every  third  year,  "  that  the  Lord  thy  God  may 
bless  thee  in  all  the  works  of  thine  hand  which  thou  doest." 

In  the  New  Testament,  a  disposition  to  entertain  strangers  is  repre 
sented  as  a  necessary  qualification  of  a  Christian  bishop.  He  must  be 
"  given  to  hospitality,"  "  a  lover  of  hospitality ;"  and  it  is  mentioned 
as  one  of  the  characteristics  of  "the  widow  indeed,"  that  she  has 
"lodged  strangers,  and  washed  the  saints'  feet."  And  Christians 
generally  are  expected  to  be  "given  to  hospitality,"  and  not  to  be 
"  forgetful  to  entertain  strangers."  5 

Nor  is  the  duty  only  enjoined  in  the  New  Testament ;  it  is  also  ex 
emplified.  When  Lydia  was  baptized,  "  she  besought  Paul  and  his 
companions,"  strangers  in  Philippi,  "saying,  If  ye  have  judged  rne 
faithful  to  the  Lord,  come  into  my  house  and  abide  there ;  and  she 
constrained  them."  Mnason  from  Cyprus,  "the  old  disciple,"  enter 
tained  Paul  and  his  associates  in  Jerusalem.  Gaius,  at  Corinth,  was 
so  remarkable  for  his  hospitality,  that  Paul  calls  him  his  host  and  the 

1  Gen.  xviii.  1-8  ;  xix.  1-3.  2  Exod.  ii.  18-20.  3  Judges  xix.  16-21. 

4  Exod.  xxii.  21 ;  xxiii.  9.     Lev.  xix.  33. 

*  1  Tim.  iii.  2.     Tit.  i.  8.     1  Tim.  v.  10.     Rom.  xii.  13. 


618  BROTHERLY    LOVE    TO    BE    MANIFESTED.  [DISC.  XIX. 

host  of  the  whole  church  ;  and  Philemon  refreshed  the  bowels  of  the 
saints,  and  prepared  Paul  a  lodging.1 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Christians  are  bound  to  exercise  kind 
ness  to  strangers  generally,  though  they  should  not  belong  to  the 
Christian  society.  In  every  way  in  their  power,  they  ought  to  "do 
good  to  all  men.  as  they  have  opportunity ;"  but  it  is  quite  plain  that 
the  injunction  before  us  has  an  especial  reference  to  the  "household 
of  faith,"  "  Use  hospitality  among  yourselves."  When  Christians  in 
the  course  of  their  ordinary  business  went  from  home,  as  the  means 
for  accommodating  strangers  were  not  at  all  so  abundant  as  in  modern 
times,  their  brethren  in  the  countries  or  cities  they  visited  were  ex 
pected  to  minister  to  their  wants  and  convenience.  "I  commend 
unto  you  Phebe,  our  sister,"  says  the  apostle  to  the  church  at  Rome, 
not  only  "  that  ye  receive  her  in  the  Lord,  as  becometh  saints,"  that 
is,  admit  her  to  fellowship  with  you  in  the  ordinances  of  religion,  but 
also  "  that  ye  assist  her  in  whatsoever  business  she  hath  need  of  you ; 
for  she  hath  been  a  succorer  of  many,  and  of  myself  also ;" 2  that  is, 
be  hospitable  to  her  who  has  been  hospitable  to  me,  and  many  others. 

Christians  driven  from  their  homes  by  persecution,  were  those  who 
had  the  strongest  claims  on  the  hospitality  of  their  more  favored  brethren ; 
and  next  to,  or  it  may  be  equal  to,  their  claim,  was  that  of  those  who 
had  devoted  their  lives  to  the  service  of  Christ  among  the  heathen. 
It  is  in  reference  to  them  that  the  Apostle  John  speaks  to  the  beloved 
Gaius  :  "  Beloved,  thou  doest  faithfully,"  or  thou  actest  the  part  of  a 
believer,  "  whatsoever  thou  doest  to  the  brethren,  and  to  strangers ; 
which  have  borne  witness  of  thy  charity  before  the  church ;  whom 
if  thou  bring  forward  on  their  journey  after  a  godly  sort,  thou  shalt 
do  well :  because  that  for  his  name's  sake  they  went  forth,  taking 
nothing  of  the  Gentiles.  We  therefore  ought  to  receive  such,  that 
we  might  be  fellow-helpers  to  the  truth."  3 

The  abundant  accommodation  which  the  habits  of  modern  times 
have  secured  for  strangers  sojourning  for  a  season  from  home,  and  the 
extent  to  which  movement  from  place  to  place  now  prevails,  makes 
hospitality,  in  the  same  sense  and  in  the  same  measure  as  in  the  prim 
itive  times,  unnecessary,  and  indeed  impracticable.  But  Christian 
morality  in  its  spirit  is  for  all  countries  and  for  all  ages.  It  is  like  its 
Author,  unchanged  and  unchangeable.  It  is  a  proof  that  love  has 
waxed  cold,  when  Christians  are  not  disposed  to  pay  kind  attention 
to  their  brethren  from  other  places,  who  have  no  claim  on  their  atten 
tion  but  that  they  are  "one  with  them  in  Christ." 

The  prevalence  of  such  an  inhospitable  spirit  is,  in  more  ways  than 
one,  a  proof  that  the  purity  of  Christian  communion  in  these  last 
days  has  declined  from  its  primitive  standard  ;  and  it  has  often  seemed 
to  me  a  token  that  things  are  not  as  they  should  be  among  us,  when 
Christians  from  foreign  lands,  agents  of  our  christianly  benevolent 
institutions,  prosecuting  their  objects,  and  office-bearers  of  the  various 
Christian  churches  visiting  our  large  cities  on  business  connected  with 
the  maintenance  and  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  in  so  many 
instances,  at  an  expense  they  can  often  ill  afford,  have  to  take  up  their 

1  Acts  xvi.  14,  15  ;  xxi.  16.     Rom.  xvi.  23.     Philemon  7,  22.  a  Rom.  xvi.  1,  2. 

8  3  John  5-8.     See  note  A. 


PART  II.]  BROTHERLY    LOVE    TO    BE    MANIFESTED.  619 

abodes,  for  a  few  days  it  may  be,  or  a  few  weeks,  in  houses  of  public 
accommodation,  instead  of  finding  an  Abraham,  a  Lot,  a  Jethro,  an 
old  man  of  Gibeah,  a  Lydia,  a  Gaius,  or  a  Mnason,  to  entertain  them  ; 
and  have  sometimes  cause  to  complain,  that  but  for  meeting  some  of 
the  leading  men  in  public,  in  the  prosecution  of  their  objects,  they 
leave  those  cities  as  little  acquainted  with  their  Christian  inhabitants 
as  when  they  entered  them. 

Surely  Christians  should  not  be  behind  the  Jews  in  respect  to  reli 
gious  hospitality.  At  the  great  national  Jewish  festivals,  hospitality 
was  liberally  practised  so  long  as  national  identity  existed.  On  these 
occasions,  no  inhabitant  of  Jerusalem  considered  his  house  his  own. 
Every  house  swarmed  with  strangers,  though  even  this  unbounded 
hospitality  could  not  find  accommodation  in  the  houses  for  all  who 
stood  in  need  of  it,  and  a  large  proportion  of  visitors  had  to  be  con 
tent  with  such  shelter  as  tents  could  afford. 

The  neglected  Christian  strangers  are  not  the  only,  are  not  the  prin 
cipal,  sufferers.  In  receiving  them  we  might  have  "  received  angels 
unawares ;"  and  we  should  not  forget  who  it  is  who  will  one  day  say. 
"  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in.  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took 
me  not  in ;"  and  who,  when  the  questions  shall  be  put,  When  saw  we 
thee  a  stranger,  and  took  thee  in  ?  when  saw  we  thee  a  stranger,  and 
took  thee  not  in  ?  shall  answer,  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  to  the  least 
of  these  rny  brethren,  ye  did  it  to  me :  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to 
one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  did  it  not  unto  me,"  1 

Using  hospitality  is  but  one  out  of  many  ways  in  which  brotherly 
kindness  is  to  be  manifested  in  employing  worldly  substance  in  per 
forming  offices  of  kindness  to  our  fellow-Christians.  The  Christian, 
according  to  his  ability,  must  be  "  eyes  to  the  blind,  feet  to  the  lame, 
and  a  father  to  the  afflicted  poor."  The  Christian  law  of  love  con 
firms  the  benignant  statutes  of  the  Mosaic  code :  "  If  thy  brother  be 
waxen  poor,  and  fallen  in  decay  with  thee,  then  thou  shalt  relieve 
him ;  yea,  though  he  be  a  stranger,  or  a  sojourner.  Ye  shall  not  rule 
over  one  another  with  rigor.  If  there  be  among  you  a  poor  man,  one 
of  thy  brethren,  thou  shalt  not  harden  thy  heart,  nor  shut  thine  hand 
from  thy  poor  brother :  but  thou  shalt  open  thy  hand  wide  unto  him. 
Beware  lest  thine  eye  be  evil  against  thy  poor  brother,  and  thou  givest 
him  naught,  and  he  cry  unto  the  Lord  against  thee,  and  it  be  sin  unto 
thee ;  thou  shalt  surely  give  him,  and  thine  heart  shall  not  be  grieved 
when  thou  givest  to  him.  Thou  shalt  open  thine  hand  wide  unto  thy 
brother,  to  thy  poor,  and  thy  needy,  in  thy  land."  "  If  a  brother  have 
this  world's  goods,  and  see  his  brother  in  need,"  he  must  not  "  shut  up 
his  bowels  of  compassion  from  him ;"  he  must  not  be  contented  with 
saying,  Be  ye  clothed,  be  ye  fed ;  he  must  "  love  not  in  word,  nor  in 
tongue,  but  in  deed  and  in  truth;"  he  must  "give  him  the  things  that 
are  needful  for  the  body ;"  and  though  community  of  property  is  by 
no  means  required  by  the  Christian  law,  though  there  is  no  sufficient 
reason  for  thinking  that  it  prevailed  as  a  matter  of  necessity  or  obliga 
tion,  even  in  the  primitive  times;2  yet  where  the  spirit  of  primitive 

1  Matt.  xxv.  35-46- 

2  Vide  Mosheimii  "  Commentatio"  "de  vera  natura  Communionis  Bonorum  in  Ecclcsia 
Hierosolymitana."     Diss.  ad  Hist.  Ecclesiast.  Pertin.    Vol.  u.  p.  14,  (fee. 


620  BROTHERLY    LOVE    TO    BE    MANIFESTED.  [DISC.  XIX. 

Christianity  prevails,  wherever  "  the  disciples  are  of  one  mind  and  of 
one  heart,"  they  will,  in  effect,  have  all  things  common,  doing  good  to 
one  another,  and  to  all  men,  as  they  have  opportunity,  and  valuing 
worldly  property  chiefly  as  affording  the  means  of  glorifying  God,  and 
promoting  the  happiness  of  our  fellow-men,  and,  still  more,  our  fellow- 
Christians. 

The  particular  form  and  measure  of  hospitality,  and  other  kindred 
offices  of  kindness,  must  depend  on  circumstances.  It  must  be  "  as 
God  has  prospered  us,"  and  "  as  we  have  opportunity."  It  is  well 
observed  by  Leighton,  that  "  the  great  straitening  of  hands  in  these 
things  is  more  from  the  straitness  of  hearts  than  of  means.  A  large 
heart  with  a  little  estate  will  do  much  with  cheerfulness  and  little 
noise ;  while  hearts  glued  to  the  poor  riches  they  possess,  or  rather 
are  possessed  by,  can  scarce  part  with  anvthing  till  they  be  pulled 
from  all." 

In  whatever  measure  these  deeds  of  kindness  are  done,  it  is  essen 
tial  that  they  all  possess  the  quality  which  the  apostle  requires  in  hos 
pitality,  that  they  be  "  without  grudging."  "  All  things"  of  this  kind 
are  to  be  done  "  without  murmurings."  "  Every  man,  according  as 
he  hath  purposed  in  his  heart,  so  let  him  give,"  so  let  him  act ;  "  for 
God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver,"  l  a  cheerful  doer.  Good  offices  reluct 
antly  rendered  lose  more  than  half  their  value.  It  is  only  when  they 
really  embody  love  that  they  are  acceptable  to  God ;  and  it  is  only  in 
the  degree  in  which  they  appear  to  embody  love,  that  they  are  grati 
fying  to  their  objects.  So  much  for  the  first  way  in  which  Christians 
are  to  manifest  brotherly  love,  by  employing  their  worldly  property 
in  performing  offices  of  kindness  to  one  another  as  men. 

§  2. — Christians  are  to  manifest  brotherly  love,  by  employing  their 
spiritual  gifts,  for  promoting  one  another's  spiritual  edification. 

The  second  way  in  which  they  are  to  manifest  their  brotherly  love, 
is  to  employ  their  spiritual  gifts  for  promoting  one  another's  spiritual 
interests  as  Christians  :  "  As  every  man  hath  received  the  gift,  even 
so  let  them  minister  the  same  one  to  another,  as  good  stewards  of  the 
manifold  grace  of  God.  If  any  man  speak,  let  him  speak  as  the  ora 
cles  of  God ;  if  any  man  minister,  let  him  do  it  as  of  the  ability  which 
God  giveth." 

The  word  "gift"2  here,  and  generally  in  the  apostolic  epistles,  sig 
nifies  any  endowment,  it  may  be  natural,  or  it  may  be  miraculous, 
influenced  and  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  "  The  grace  of  God"  3  is 
the  same  as  "  the  gift,"  only  it  is  descriptive  of  the  aggregate  of  the 
gifts,  and  the  endowment  and  the  influence  are  viewed  in  the  last 
case  as  given  by  God,  in  the  first  as  enjoyed  by  man.  This  grace 
is  termed  "  manifold,"  4  to  mark  the  varied  forms  which  the  Divine 
gifts,  all  of  them  expressive  of  grace,  kindness,  take  in  different  indi 
viduals.  Speaking  of  the  supernatural  spiritual  gifts,  the  apostle 
says  what  is  true  of  all  spiritual  gifts,  "there  are  diversities  of  gifts, 
but  the  same  Spirit ;  and  there  are  differences  of  administration,  but 
the  same  Lord;  and  there  are  diversities  of  operations,  but  it  is  the 

1   2  Cor.  ix.  T.  3   XaHa.  3  Xatros  0£o5.  4  HoiKtXrjs. 


PART  II.]        BROTHERLY  LOVE  TO  BE  MANIFESTED.  621 

same  God  that  worketh  all  in  all ;  and  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit 
is  given  to  every  man  to  profit  withal."  l 

The  church  is  viewed  as  a  household,  to  the  various  members  of 
which  the  Divine  Master  of  the  family  has  given  various  qualifica 
tions,  by  the  exercise  of  which  they  are  mutually  to  promote  one 
another's  improvement  and  happiness ;  and  thus  the  improvement 
and  happiness  of  the  whole  family  is  to  be  secured.  These  gifts, 
then,  are  not  to  be  considered  as  conferred  only  or  chiefly  for  the 
advantage  of  the  individual  on  whom  they  are  bestowed.  They  are 
intended  for  the  good  of  the  whole ;  and  the  gifted  person  is,  in  the 
exercise  of  his  gift,  not  to  act  as  an  independent  proprietor,  seeking 
his  own  advantage,  and  doing  what  he  wills  with  his  own,  but  as  a 
good  steward,  turning  to  the  best  account,  according  to  the  declared 
will  of  the  great  Householder,  a  portion  of  His  property,  which  the 
individual  intrusted  with  is  expected  to  use,  not  only  for  his  own 
good,  but  for  the  good  of  all  his  brethren. 

The  meaning  of  the  passage  in  our  version  is,  I  apprehend,  some 
what  obscured  by  an  attempt  to  illustrate  it.  You  will  observe,  that 
the  words,  "Let  him  speak,"  and  Klet  him  do  it,"  are  in  the  italic 
character,  indicating,  as  you  are  aware,  that  there  are  no  corres 
ponding  words  in  the  original ;  but  that  they  are,  in  the  estimation 
of  the  translators,  necessary  to  bring  out  the  sense  in  English ;  and 
if  the  tenth  and  eleventh  verses  are  two  distinct  sentences,  as  they 
obviously  supposed,  some  such  supplement  is  necessary  to  bring  any 
sense  out  of  the  first  part  of  the  latter  of  the  verses  ;  though  to  bring 
distinctly  out  the  meaning  our  translators  supposed  to  be  in  them, 
would  have  required  a  still  larger  supplement  than  that  they  have  in 
serted.  '  If  any  man  speak  the  oracles  of  God,  let  him  speak  them 
as  the  oracles  of  God.  If  any  man  act  the  part  of  a  minister  or 
deacon,  let  him  act  the  part  of  a  minister,  as  of  the  ability  which 
God  giveth.'  These  are  good  advices,  and  it  was  only  by  attending 
to  them  that  the  gifted  speakers  or  ministers  could  exercise  the  gift 
bestowed  on  them  to  the  advantage  of  their  brethren,  and  be  good 
stewards  of  that  portion  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God  committed  to 
their  care. 

I  apprehend,  however,  that  the  two  verses  are  not  two  sentences, 
but  one,  and  that  no  supplement  is  necessary  to  bring  out  the  full 
sense  of  the  apostle.  The  words  in  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh 
verse  are  just  an  illustration,  by  examples,  of  the  statement  in  the 
beginning  of  the  tenth  verse.  "  Speaking  as  the  oracles  of  God," 
"  ministering  as  of  the  ability  which  God  has  given,"  are  just  two  of 
"the  gifts"  bestowed  on  individuals  for  the  use  of  the  church,  two 
varieties  of  the  "  manifold  grace  of  God,"  which  the  recipients  were 
to  employ  "  as  good  stewards."  The  words  may  be  literally  rendered, 
"  According  as  every  man  has  received  the  gift,  let  them  minister  the 
same  to  each  other,  as  good  stewards  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God ; 
whosoever  speaks  as  the  oracles  of  God,  whosoever  ministers  as  of 
the  ability  which  God  hath  given  him."  One  man  has  received  the 
gift  of  speaking  as  the  oracles  of  God,  the  faculty  of  being  useful  in 
teaching  and  exhorting ;  he  is  an  inspired  teacher.  Another  has 

1  1  Cor.  xii.  4-6. 


622  BROTHERLY    LOVE    TO    BE    MANIFESTED.  [DISC.  XIX. 

received  the  gift  of  ministry,  the  faculty  of  being  useful  in  the  man 
agement  of  the  affairs  of  the  spiritual  society,  in  preserving  order, 
collecting  and  managing  its  funds  for  supporting  and  extending  the 
ordinances  of  Christianity,  and  for  relieving  the  sick,  the  infirm,  and 
the  poor.  Whatever  faculty  any  Christian  possesses  of  this  kind,  or 
of  any  other  kind,  is  a  gift  received  from  Christ,  for  the  purpose  of 
edifying  his  body  the  church,  is  a  portion  of  his  "  manifold  grace" 
intrusted  to  the  individual,  to  be  managed  faithfully  and  wisely  for 
the  purpose  for  which  it  is  bestowed. 

The  passage  before  us  receives  illustration  from  some  other  passa 
ges  in  the  apostolic  epistles,  which,  though  not  in  every  respect  par 
allel,  obviously  relate  to  the  same  subject.  The  first  of  these  passa 
ges  is  to  be  found  in  the  Epistle  of  the  Apostle  Paul  to  the  Romans . 
"  I  say,  through  the  grace  given  unto  me,  to  every  man  that  is  among 
you,  not  to  think  of  himself  more  highly  than  he  ought  to  think ;  but 
to  think  soberly,  according  as  God  hath  dealt  to  every  man  the  meas 
ure  of  faith.  For  as  we  have  many  members  in  one  body,  and  all 
members  have  not  the  same  office ;  so  we,  being  many,  are  one  body 
in  Christ,  and  every  one  members  one  of  another.  Having,  indeed, 
gifts,  differing  according  to  the  grace  given  unto  us ;"  as  in  the  pas 
sage  before  us,  "  having  gifts  according  to  the  manifold  grace  of  God ;" 
and  the  gifts  spoken  of  in  this  passage  seem  to  be  precisely  the  same 
as  those  specified  in  our  text,  "  whether  prophecy  or  ministry." 1 
The  gift  of  prophecy  seems  to  be  the  same  thing  as  the  gift  enabling 
a  man  to  "  speak  as  the  oracles  of  God,"  the  gift  which  fitted  for 
teaching.  The  gift  of  "  ministry,"  mentioned  in  both  cases,  is  the 
gift,  the  qualification,  or  class  of  qualifications,  which  fit  for  adminis 
tration  ;  the  first  gift  being  to  be  exercised  in  "  teaching  and  exhorta 
tion  ;"  the  second  in  "  giving,  in  ruling  or  presiding,  and  in  showing 
mercy." 

The  second  passage  I  refer  to  as  fitted  to  throw  light  on  our  text, 
is  in  the  First  Epistle  of  the  same  Apostle  to  the  Corinthians. 
"  Now  concerning  spiritual  gifts,  brethren,  I  would  not  have  you 
ignorant.  There  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but  the  same  Spirit.  And 
there  are  differences  of  administration,  but  the  same  Lord.  And 
there  are  diversities  of  operations,  but  it  is  the  same  God  who  work- 
eth  all  in  all.  But  the  manifestation  of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every 
man  to  profit  withal,"  that  is,  to  employ  for  the  benefit  of  his  breth 
ren,  to  use  as  a  steward  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God.  "  For  to  one 
is  given  by  the  Spirit  the  word  of  wisdom ;  to  another  the  word  of 
knowledge  by  the  same  Spirit;  to  another  faith  by  the  same 
Spirit ;  to  another  the  gifts  of  healing  by  the  same  Spirit ;  to  another 
the  working  of  miracles ;  to  another  prophecy ;  to  another  discern*, 
ing  of  spirits  ;  to  another  divers  kinds  of  tongues  ;  to  another  the  in 
terpretation  of  tongues :  but  all  these  worketh  the  self-same  Spirit, 
dividing  to  every  man  severally  as  he  will." 2  The  same  general 
division  of  gifts  fitting  for  teaching,  and  gifts  fitting  for  administra 
tion,  may  be  noticed  here.  To  the  first  class  belong  "  the  word  of 
wisdom,  the  word  of  knowledge,  prophecy,  divers  kinds  of  tongues, 
and  the  interpretation  of  tongues  :"  to  the  second,  the  gifts  of  "  healing 

1  Rom.  xti.  3-8.  a  1  Cor.  xii.  1-11. 


PART  II.]  BROTHERLY    LO\£    TO    BE    MANIFESTED.  623 

and  the  discerning  of  spirits ;"  while  the  gifts  of  working  miracles, 
and  faith,'  which  seem  to  mean  supernatural  confidence  and  boldness, 
were  gifts  which  might  be  usefully  employed  both  in  teaching  and  in 
administration. 

That  the  design  of  those  various  gifts  was  the  mutual  edification  of 
Christians,  and  the  general  advantage  of  the  church,  is  distinctly 
stated  in  what  follows :  "  For  as  the  body  is  one,  and  hath  many 
members,  and  all  the  members  of  that  body,  being  many,  are  one 
body ;  so  also  is  Christ.  For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into 
one  body ;  and  have  been  all  made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit.  For  the 
body  is  not  one  member,  but  many.  If  the  foot  shall  say,  because  I  am 
not  the  hand,  I  am  not  of  the  body ;  is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body  ? 
And  if  the  ear  shall  say,  because  I  am  not  the  eye,  I  am  not  of  the 
body  ;  is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body  ?  If  the  whole  body  were  an 
eye,  where  were  the  hearing  ?  if  the  whole  were  hearing,  where  were 
the  smelling  ?  But  now  hath  God  set  the  members  every  one  of  them 
in  the  body,  as  it  hath  pleased  him.  And  if  they  were  all  one  mem 
ber,  where  were  the  body  ?  And  the  eye  cannot  say  to  the  hand,  I 
have  no  need  of  thee ;  nor  again  the  head  to  the  feet,  I  have  no  need 
of  you.  God  hath  tempered  the  body  together,  that  there  should  be 
no  schism  in  the  body;  but  that  the  members  should  have  the  same 
care  one  for  another.  And  whether  one  member  suffer,  all  the  mem 
bers  suffer  with  it ;  or  one  member  be  honored,  all  the  members  re 
joice  with  it.  Now  ye  are  the  body  of  Christ,  and  members  in  par 
ticular;"  that  is,  every  one  individually  a  member  of  that  body.1 

The  third  passage  peculiarly  fitted  to  illustrate  the  text,  is  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Ephesians.  The  apostle  having  exhorted  the  believers 
to  endeavor  to  "  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace," — 
that  is,  just  to  have  fervent  charity  among  themselves,  so  that  the 
multitude  of  sins  might  be  covered, — goes  on  to  state  the  manner  in 
which  they,  being  one  body,  were  connected  by  having  severally 
divers  gifts  fitted  and  intended  for  the  advantage  of  the  body.  "  There 
is  one  body,  and  one  Spirit,  even  as  ye  are  called  in  one  hope  of  your 
calling ;  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of  all, 
who  is  above  all,  and  through  all,  and  in  you  all.  But  unto  every 
one  is  given  grace  according  to  the  measure  of  the  gift  of  Christ. 
And  he  gave  some,  apostles ;  and  some,  prophets ;  and  some,  evan 
gelists  ;  and  some,  pastors ;  and  teachers ;  for  the  perfecting  of  the 
saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for1  the  edifying  of  the  body  of 
Christ :  till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  of  the  knowl 
edge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the 
stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ :  that  we  henceforth  be  no  more  chil 
dren,  tossed  to  and  fro,  and  carried  about  by  every  wind  of  doctrine, 
by  the  sleight  of  men  and  cunning  craftiness,  whereby  they  lie  in  wait 
to  deceive ;  but,  speaking  the  truth  in  love,  may  grow  up  into  him  in 
all  things,  which  is  the  head,  even  Christ :  from  whom  the  whole  body 
fitly  joined  together  and  compacted  by  that  which  every  joint  sup- 
plieth,  according  to  the  effectual  working  in  the  measure  of  every 
part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body,  unto  the  edifying  of  itself  in 


love.' 


1  Cor.  xii.  12-27.  a  Eph.  iv.  3-16. 


624  BROTHERLY    LOVE    TO    BE    MANIFESTED.  [DISC.  XIX. 

Viewed  in  the  light  of  these  passages,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  per 
ceiving  what  are  the  great  principles  which  our  text  involves.  They 
are  these :  that  God  by  Jesus  Christ,  through  the  Holy  Spirit,  com 
municates  to  his  church,  in  manifestation  of  his  sovereign,  undeserv 
ed,  distinguishing  favor,  those  gifts  that  are  necessary  to  its  prosper 
ity  as  a  society,  and  to  the  improvement  and  happiness  of  its  indi 
vidual  members  ;  that  this  is  not  done  by  giving  to  every  member  the 
same  gifts,  far  less  an  equal  measure  of  the  same  gifts  ;  that  the  gifts 
are  manifold  or  various,  suited  to  serve  different  purposes,  and  com 
municated,  too,  in  diversified  measure  to  different  individuals  ;  that 
these  gifts  are  all  communicated  for  the  purpose  of  being  exercised ; 
that  the  design  of  these  exercises  is  not  only,  or  so  much,  the  advan 
tage  of  the  gifted  individual  as  that  of  the  body  at  large  ;  and.  finally, 
that  in  the  exercise  of  his  gift  every  person  ought  to  consider  himself 
as  a  steward  who  must  be  faithful,  managing  the  property  of  another 
for  the  specific  purposes  for  which  he  has  been  intrusted  with  it. 

He  who  neglects  the  gift  that  is  in  him,  is  an  unprofitable  servant. 
He  who  converts  it  into  a  means  of  gaining  selfish  objects,  the  grati 
fication  of  his  own  private  tastes,  or  the  purposes  of  interest  or  ambi 
tion,  instead  of  devoting  it  to  the  edification  of  his  brethren,  is  an  un 
faithful  servant.  He  who,  instead  of  cultivating  and  exercising  his 
own  gift,  attempts  to  exercise  a  gift  he  has  not  received,  and  in  this 
way  to  occupy  a  field  which  he  is  not  fitted,  and  others  are  fitted,  to 
occupy,  is  an  unwise  servant. 

These  observations  are  applicable  to  spiritual  gifts,  according  to 
the  definition  already  given  of  them,  whether  supernatural  or  not,  and 
whether  connected  with  official  station  in  the  church  or  not.  The 
reference  in  the  text,  as  well  as  in  the  parallel  passages,  seems  to  be 
to  gifts,  probably  supernatural,  connected  with  the  two  offices  of 
teaching  and  ministry,  of  which  all  the  offices  in  the  primitive  church 
seem  to  be  represented  as  varieties;  and  the  command  is,  of  course, 
to  be  viewed  as  addressed  primarily  to  those  Christians  who  occupy 
official  situations  in  the  church. 

The  man  who,  in  consequence  of  a  gift  conferred  on  him,  and  a 
call  addressed  to  him,  "speaks  as  the  oracles  of  God,"  officially  teaches 
the  doctrines  and  laws  of  Christ  Jesus,  that  man  is  to  exercise  his  gift 
and  perform  the  duties  of  his  office,  not  in  the  way  most  fitted  to  grat 
ify  his  own  particular  taste,  or  promote  his  own  reputation  for  learn 
ing,  ingenuity,  and  eloquence,  but  in  the  way  most  fitted  for  promot 
ing  the  increase  of  the  church  in  knowledge  and  faith,  and  holiness 
and  comfort;  and,  if  he  has  a  peculiar  gift,  he  is  bound  especially  to 
cultivate  and  exercise  that  gift,  whether  it  be  for  exposition  or  exhor 
tation,  for  the  establishment  of  truth  or  the  exposure  of  error,  for 
warning  the  unruly  or  comforting  the  afflicted.  On  the  other  hand, 
he  who,  in  consequence  of  a  gift  conferred  on  him,  and  a  call  address 
ed  to  him,  "  ministers  of  the  ability  that  God  has  given,"  in  presiding, 
superintending,  administering  the  laws  of  Christ's  church,  managing 
the  charities  of  the  church,  performing  all  the  offices  indicated  by  the 
terms  ruling,  giving,  showing  mercy,  ought  to  exercise  his  gift  and 
perform  the  duties  of  his  office,  not  to  secure  personal  influence,  to 
gratify  personal  vanity,  or  to  promote  persona!  interest,  but  to  ad- 


PART  II. J        BROTHERLY  LOVE  TO  BE  MANIFESTED.  625 

vance  the  great  interests  of  the  church  as  a  spiritual  body,  and  of  the 
individuals  constituting  its  members. 

But  the  principle  in  the  text  reaches  beyond  the  limits  of  official 
station ;  it  is  applicable  to  every  individual  member  of  the  church. 
Every  member  has  a  gift;  and  that  gift,  whatever  it  be,  is  to  be  ex 
ercised  not  only  for  his  own  advantage,  but  for  that  of  his  brethren,  as 
God  gives  him  opportunity.  Every  Christian  is  to  look  not  only  at 
his  own  things,  but  at  the  things  of  others.  Christians  are  to  "  work 
out  each  other's  salvation,"  as  well  as  each  man  his  own.  Indeed, 
there  is  reason  to  think  that  that  is  the  reference  of  the  passage  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Philippians,  now  alluded  to.  Brother  is  to  teach  bro 
ther.  They  are  to  "  exhort  one  another  daily ;"  they  are  to  "  bear 
one  another's  burdens  ;"  they  are  to  "  look  diligently  lest  any  man  fail 
of  the  grace  of  God."  In  the  use  of  the  gifts  of  the  private  members 
of  a  church,  wisdom  is  necessary,  as  well  as  profitable,  to  direct ;  but 
without  at  all  interfering  with  the  peculiar  duties,  or  intruding  into 
the  peculiar  province,  of  official  teaching  and  rule,  there  is  abundant 
room  for  the  exercise  of  the  gift  of  each,  to  the  common  benefit  of 
all ;  and  there  is,  questionless,  something  wanting,  something  wrong, 
in  all  ecclesiastical  constitutions  which  do  not,  by  the  regular  employ 
ment  of  the  gifts  of  individuals,  provide  for  the  common  good  of  all 
the  members  of  the  body  of  Christ.  "I  desire  none,"  says  the  devout 
prelate  so  often  referred  to,  "  to  leap  over  the  bounds  of  their  calling, 
or  rules  of  Christian  prudence,  in  their  converse  ;  yea,  this  were  much 
to  be  blamed ;  but  I  fear,  lest  unwary  hands,  throwing  on  water  to 
quench  that  evil,  have  let  some  of  it  fall  by  upon  those  sparks  that 
should  rather  have  been  stirred  and  blown  up." 

§  3. — Motives  to  these  two  manifestations  of  Christian  love. 

Enough  has  been  said  in  illustration  of  the  duty  of  the  manifesta 
tion  of  Christian  love,  in  the  two  forms  prescribed  in  the  passage  be 
fore  us.  Let  us  say  a  word  or  two  on  the  MOTIVES  by  which  the  duty 
is  enforced. 

There  is  a  motive  and  a  powerful  one,  implied  in  the  words,  "  as 
good  stewards  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God."  Neither  the  temporal 
goods  nor  the  spiritual  gifts  of  Christians  are  their  own  property. 
Both  have  been  given  them,  and  given  not  to  serve  selfish  but  public 
ends.  They  were  talents  to  be  traded  with,  not  so  much  to  enrich 
the  individual  as  to  enlarge  and  improve  the  Master's  property.  If 
they  neglect  to  use  them  for  this  purpose,  they  are  unprofitable  ser 
vants,  they  waste  their  Lord's  money.  An  active,  wise,  faithful,  use 
of  these  gifts,  is  necessary,  to  their  being  good  stewards.  Christians 
holding  office  in  the  church,  and,  indeed,  all  Christians,  should  often 
remember  that  they  must  give  an  account  of  their  stewardship,  for 
they  must  not  always  be  stewards  ;  and  if  they  do  not  attend  to  the 
command  in  the  text,  the  account  cannot  be  given  in  with  joy,  but 
with  grief,  which  will  be  unprofitable  to  them.  Whereas,  if  they  do 
apply  their  gift,  however  limited,  honestly  to  its  appropriate  purpose, 
their  labor  shall  not  be  vain  in  the  Lord.  The  cordial  welcome  and 
its  joyful  results  shall  be  theirs :  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  ser- 

40 


626  CONCLUSION.  [DISC.  xix. 

vant,  enter-  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord."  "  Thinkest  thou,"  says 
Archbishop  Leighton,  "  that  thy  wealth,  or  power,  or  wit,  is  thine,  to 
do  with  as  thou  wilt,  to  engross  to  thyself  either  to  retain  as  useless  or 
to  use,  to  hoard  and  wrap  up,  or  to  lavish  out ;  according  as  thy 
humor  leads  thee  ?  No !  All  is  given  as  to  a  steward,  wisely  and 
faithfully  to  lay  up  and  lay  out,  not  only  the  outward  estate  arid  com 
mon  gifts  of  mind,  but  even  saving  grace,  which  seems  most  appro 
priated  for  thy  private  good,  yet  is  not  wholly  for  that.  Even  thy 
graces  are  for  the  good  of  thy  brethren  ?" 

The  great  motive,  however,  urged  by  the  apostle  for  manifesting 
Christian  love  is,  "that  in  all  things  God  may  be  glorified  through 
Christ  Jesus."  In  the  Christian  economy  "all  things  are  of  God,"  and 
all  things  are  "by  Christ  Jesus."  The  Christian  church  is  the  new 
creation ;  the  work  of  the  word  and  Spirit  of  God,  as  was  the  first 
creation.  Every  true  member  of  it  is  "  created  anew  in  Christ  Jesus ;" 
and  of  it,  still  more  emphatically  than  of  the  holy  nation,  which  was 
its  type,  may  it  be  said,  "  This  people  hath  he  formed  for  himself." 
They  ought,  then,  to  show  forth  his  praise.  When  Christians  mani 
fest  their  love  to  one  another  in  the  way  enjoined  in  the  text,  both 
the  individual  improvement  of  the  members  and  the  general  spiritual 
prosperity  of  the  church  as  a  body,  are  promoted.  Holiness  and 
happiness  are  diffused.  The  wisdom,  the  power,  the  holiness,  and  the 
benignity  of  God,  in  the  glorious  economy  of  grace,  of  which  the  spirit 
ual  society,  "  the  church,"  is  an  important  element,  are  illustriously 
displayed.  His  authority  is  visibly  acknowledged,  his  object  is  visibly 
gained,  when  Christians  live  altogether  in  holy  love.  On  the  other 
hand,  when  Christian  love  is  not  maintained  and  manifested,  God  is 
dishonored.  A  false  view  is  given  of  his  character;  and  his  holy 
name  is  blasphemed  among  the  unbelievers,  through  the  unworthy 
conduct  of  those  calling  themselves  his  people.  The  taunt  is  a  bitter 
one,  when  Christians  act  a  part  unworthy  of  their  character,  '  See  how 
these  Christians  bite  and  devour  one  another.  These  are  the  lights 
of  the  world.  These  are  the  salt  of  the  earth.  This  is  Christianity, 
and  these  are  Christians.' 

A  regard  to  the  glory  of  God,  especially  as  manifested  through  the 
mediation  of  Christ,  is  the  master-principle  of  every  true  Christian; 
and  it  is  his  prevailing  desire  that  whether  he  eat  or  drink,  or  whatso 
ever  he  do,  he  may  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God.  No  motive,  then,  can 
be  conceived  better  adapted  than  this  to  induce  Christians  carefully 
to  cultivate,  habitually  to  manifest,  brotherly  love;  without  this  God 
cannot  be  glorified,  nay,  he  must  be  dishonored  by  them ;  and  just  in 
the  degree  in  which  they  attend  to  these  duties,  do  they  answer  the 
design  of  their  high  and  holy  vocation ;  the  "  showing  forth  the  praises 
of  him  who  hath  called  them  from  darkness  to  light;"  the  being  "to 
the  praise  of  the  glory  of  him  who  hath  made  them  accepted  in  the 
beloved,"  whose  they  are,  whom  they  are  bound  to  serve  ;  "of  whom, 
and  through  whom,  and  to  whom  are  all  things." 

The  apostle  concludes  his  exhortation  and  enforcement  of  the  main 
tenance  and  manifestation  of  brotherly  love,  by  a  solemn  doxology: 
"  To  whom  be  praise  and  dominion  forever  and  ever."  If  we  look 


DISC.  XIX.]  CONCLUSION.  627 

merely  at  the  words,  it  may  be  doubted,  whether  this  ascription  of 
Divine  honors  has  a  reference  to  God  the  Father  or  to  Jesus  Christ. 
There  can  be  no  doubt,  that  there  are  similar  ascriptions  of  Divine 
honors  to  our  Lord  Jesus  in  other  parts  of  the  New  Testament ;  and 
that,  as  He  and  the  Father  are  one,  it  is  most  meet  "  that  all  should 
honor  the  Son  as  they  honor  the  Father."  At  the  same  time,  though 
Jesus  Christ  be  the  nearest  antecedent,  God  the  Father  is  the  subject 
of  the  preceding  statement;  and  an  ascription  of  Divine  praise  and 
dominion  to  HIM  seems  most  natural  to  rise  out  of  that  statement.  It 
is  as  if  the  apostle  had  said — Seek,  by  the  maintenance  and  manifes 
tation  of  brotherly  love,  to  glorify  (rod  ;  for  he  is  worthy  of  all  glory. 
Praise  and  dominion  are  his  proper  due. 

"  It  is,"  says  Leighton,  "  most  reasonable,  his  due  as  God  the  Author 
of  all,  not  only  of  all  supervenient  good,  but  even  of  being  itself;  see 
ing  that  all  is  from  him,  that  all  be  for  him.  '  For  of  him,  and  through 
him,  and  to  him,  are  all  things  :  to  whom  be  glory  forever/  As  it  is 
most  just,  so  it  is  most  sweet,  to  aim  at  this,  that  God  be  glorified.  It 
is  the  only  worthy  design  that  fills  the  heart  with  heavenliness,  and 
with  a  heavenly  calmness ;  and  sets  it  above  the  clouds  and  storms 
of  those  passions  that  disquiet  low,  self-seeking  minds.  He  is  a  miser 
able  unsettled  wretch  who  cleaves  to  himself  and  forgets  God;  is  per 
plexed  about  his  credit,  and  gain,  and  base  ends,  which  are  often  broke ; 
and  when  he  attains  them,  yet  they  and  he  shortly  perish  together. 
When  his  estate,  or  designs,  or  any  comforts  fail,  how  can  he  look  to 
him  whom  he  looked  so  little  at  before  ?  May  not  the  Lord  say,  '  Go 
to  the  gods  whom  thou  hast  served,  and  let  them  deliver  and  comfort 
thee  ?'  Seek  comfort  from  thyself  as  thou  didst  all  for  thyself.  But 
he  that  hath  resigned  himself,  and  is  all  for  God,  may  confidently  say, 
'  The  Lord  is  my  portion.'  This  is  the  Christian's  aim,  to  have  nothing 
in  himself,  nor  in  anything  but  in  this  tenure ;  all  for  the  glory  of  my 
God,  my  estate,  family,  abilities,  my  whole  self,  all  I  have  and  am. 
And  as  the  love  of  God  grows  in  the  heart  this  purpose  grows ;  the 
higher  the  flame  rises  the  purer  it  is ;  the  eye  is  daily  more  upon  it  ; 
it  is  oftener  in  the  mind  in  all  actions  than  before.  In  common  things, 
the  very  works  of  our  callings,  our  very  refreshments,  to  eat,  and 
drink,  and  sleep,  are  all  for  this  end,  and  with  a  particular  aim  at  it  as 
much  as  may  be.  Even  the  thought  of  it  is  often  renewed  through 
out  the  day,  and  at  times  generally  applied  to  all  our  ways  and  em 
ployments.  It  is  that  elixir  which  turns  all  into  gold ;  thy  ordinary 
works  into  sacrifices,  '  with  which  God  is  well  pleased/  ' 

The  introduction  of  this  doxology  in  the  midst  of  his  exhortation  is 
a  beautiful  exemplification  of  the  apostle's  piety.  We  have  not  a  few 
instances  of  the  same  kind  in  the  epistolary  writings  of  his  "  beloved 
brother  Paul"  It  were  a  pleasing  proof  that  we  had  "  obtained  like 
precious  faith"  with  the  apostles,  and  been  baptized  into  the  Spirit  which 
was  shed  forth  on  them  so  abundantly,  were  there  in  our  hearts  a  foun 
tain  of  affectionate  esteem,  grateful  admiration,  adoring  awe  of  the  Di 
vine  holiness,  benignity,  and  majesty,  always  ready  to  gush  forth  in  a 
stream  of  praise  ;  "  a  well  of  living  water,  springing  up  to  eternal 
life."  It  were  indeed,  as  the  devout  Archbishop  says,  "a  high  and 
blessed  condition  to  be  in  all  estates  in  some  willing  readiness  to  bear 


628  NOTE.  [DISC.  xix. 

a  part  in  this  song,  to  acknowledge  the  greatness  and  goodness  of  our 
God,  and  to  wish  him  glory  in  all.  What  are  the  angels  doing  ?  This 
is  their  business,  without  interruption,  without  weariness,  without  end. 
And,  seeing  we  hope  to  partake  with  them,  we  should  even  now, 
though  in  a  lower  key,  and  not  so  tunably  neither,  yet  as  \ve  may, 
begin  it ;  and  upon  all  occasions  our  hearts  should  often  be  following 
in  this  sweet  note  or  offering  at  it,  '  To  Him  be  glory  and  dominion 
forever.'  " 


NOTE  A.  p.  618. 

"  The  care  of  providing  for  the  support  and  maintenance  of  strangers,  of  the  poor,  the 
sick,  the  old,  of  widows  and  orphans,  and  of  those  in  prison  on  account  of  their  faith,  de 
volved  on  the  whole  church.  This  was  one  of  the  main  purposes  for  which  the  collection 
of  voluntary  contributions,  in  the  assemblies  convened  for  public  worship,  was  instituted  ; 
and  the  charity  of  individuals,  moreover,  led  them  to  emulate  each  other  in  the  same  good 
work.  In  particular,  it  was  considered  as  belonging  to  the  office  of  the  Christian  matron 
to  provide  for  the  poor,  for  the  brethren  languishing  in  prison,  and  to  show  hospitality  to 
strangers.  The  hindrance  occasioned  to  this  kind  of  Christian  activity,  is  reckoned  by  Ter- 
tullian  among  the  disadvantages  of  a  mixed  marriage.  '  What  heathen,'  says  he, '  will 
suffer  his  wife  to  go  about  from  one  street  to  another,  to  the  houses  of  strangers,  to  the 
meanest  hovels  indeed,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the  brethren  ?  What  heathen  will  allow 
her  to  steal  away  into  the  dungeon  to  kiss  the  chain  of  the  martyr  ?  If  a  brother  arrive 
from  abroad,  what  reception  will  he  meet  in  the  house  of  the  stranger  ?  If  an  alms  is  to 
be  bestowed,  storehouse  and  cellar  are  shut  fast.'  On  the  other  hand,  he  counts  it  among 
the  felicities  of  a  marriage  contracted  between  Christians,  that  the  wife  is  at  liberty  to 
visit  the  sick  and  relieve  the  needy,  and  is  never  straitened  or  perplexed  in  the  bestow- 
ment  of  her  charities.  Nor  did  the  active  brotherly  love  of  each  community  confine  itself 
to  what  transpired  in  its  own  immediate  circle,  but  extended  itself  also  to  the  wants  of  the 
Christian  communities  in  distant  lands.  On  urgent  occasions  of  this  kind,  the  bishops  made 
arrangements  for  special  collections.  They  appointed  fasts ;  so  that  what  was  saved,  even 
by  the  poorest  of  the  flock,  from  their  daily  food,  might  help  to  supply  the  common  wants." 
• — TERTULL.  ad  uxorem,  ii.  1,  8 ;  de  jejunio,  c.  xii. — NEANDER.  Gen.  His£.  vol.  i.  pp.  34.7,  8. 


DISCOURSE   XX, 


DIRECTORY  TO  CHRISTIANS  SUFFERING  FOR  THEIR  RELIGION. 

1  PET.  iv.  12-19. — Beloved,  think  it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery  trial  which  is  to  try 
you,  as  though  some  strange  thing  happened  unto  you  :  but  rejoice,  inasmuch  as  ye  are 
partakers  of  Christ's  sufferings ;  that,  when  his  glory  shall  be  revealed,  ye  may  be  glad 
also  with  exceeding  joy.  If  ye  be  reproached  for  the  name  of  Christ,  happy  are  ye  :  for 
the  Spirit  of  glory  and  of  God  resteth  upon  you :  on  their  part  he  is  evil  spoken  of,  but 
on  your  part  he  is  glorified.  But  let  none  of  you  suffer  as  a  murderer,  or  as  a  thief,  or  as 
an  evil-doer,  or  as  a  busy-body  in  other  men's  matters.  Yet  if  any  man  suffer  as  a  Chris 
tian,  let  him  not  be  ashamed ;  but  let  him  glorify  God  on  this  behalf.  For  the  time  is 
come  that  judgment  must  begin  at  the  house  of  God  :  and  if  it  first  begin  at  us,  what  shall 
the  end  be  of  them  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of  God  ?  And  if  the  righteous  scarcely  be 
saved,  where  shall  the  ungodly  and  the  sinner  appear  ?  Wherefore  let  them  that  suffer 
according  to  the  will  of  God  commit  the  keeping  of  their  souls  to  him  in  well-doing,  as 
unto  a  faithful  Creator. 

FROM  many  passages  in  this  epistle,  it  is  obvious  that  they  to  whom 
it  was  addressed  were  in  adverse  circumstances.  They  had  already 
been  exposed  to  suffering  in  a  variety  of  forms,  in  consequence  of 
their  profession  of  the  faith  of  Christ.  "  They  were  in  heaviness, 
through  manifold  temptations  ;  and  it  is  more  than  once  not  obscure 
ly  intimated,  that  the  trials  in  which  they  had  been  involved  were  but 
the  forerunners  of  more  severe  persecutions,  to  which,  ere  long,  they 
might  expect  to  be  subjected.  It  was  with  them  a  dark  and  cloudy 
day,  and  their  sky  did  not  appear  to  be  clearing.  The  evils  they  had 
experienced  seemed  to  be  but  the  prelusive  drops  of  an  approach 
ing  tempest.  The  paragraph  which  is  to  form  the  subject  of  our  dis 
course  at  this  time,  contains  an  inspired  directory  for  those  perse 
cuted  Christians,  amid  the  increasing  difficulties  of  their  situation. 
The  injunctions/  contained  in  this  inspired  directory  seem  all  reduci 
ble  to  the  four  following :  '  Be  not  astonished  at  your  sufferings ;' 
'  Be  not  depressed  by  your  sufferings ;'  '  Be  not  ashamed  of  your  suf 
ferings  ;'  and,  '  persevering  in  well-doing,  commit  the  keeping  of 
your  souls  to  God,  under  your  sufferings.'  Let  us  shortly  attend  to 
these  four  injunctions  in  their  order,  as  explained  and  enforced  by  the 
apostle. 

I— BE  NOT  ASTONISHED  AT  YOUR  SUFFERINGS. 

The  first  direction  given  by  the  apostle  to  his  suffering  brethren 
is,  *  Be  not  astonished  at  your  sufferings.'  "  Beloved,  think  it  not 
strange  concerning  the  fiery  trial  which  is  to  try  you,  as  though  some 
strange  thing  had  happened  to  you." 


630  DIRECTORY    UNDER    SUFFERINGS.  [DISC.  XX. 

The  course  of  suffering  on  which  these  Christians  had  entered,  is 
figuratively  described  as  a  fire  or  burning,  intended  to  try  them.  The 
allusion  is  to  the  intense  heat  of  the  furnace  of  the  refiner,  by  which 
he  tests  the  genuineness,  and  increases  the  purity,  of  the  precious 
metals.  The  figurative  representation  is  obviously  designed  to  indi 
cate,  at  once  the  great  severity  and  the  important  purposes  of  the 
afflictions  on  which  these  Christians  might  reckon  with  certainty  as 
awaiting  them. 

These  afflictions  were  to  be  severe.  They  are  compared,  not  to 
the  heat  of  the  sun,  or  of  an  ordinary  fire,  but  to  the  concentrated 
heat  of  the  refiner's  furnace ;  and  we  know,  from  authentic  history 
respecting  the  persecutions  to  which  the  primitive  Christians  were 
exposed,  that  this  figure  does  not  at  all  outrun  the  reality.  Calum 
nious  misrepresentation  and  spoiling  of  goods,  stripes  and  imprison 
ments,  weariness  and  painfulness,  hunger  and  thirst,  watchings  and 
fastings,  cold  and  nakedness,  were  to  them  common  trials.  The 
apostle's  description  of  the  Maccabean  martyrs  is  equally  applicable 
to  the  primitive  Christians.  "  Some  of  them  were  tortured"  in 
every  form  which  malignant  ingenuity  could  devise,  "  others  had 
trial  of  cruel  mockings  and  scourgings,  yea,  moreover  of  bonds  and 
imprisonments  :  they  were  stoned,  they  were  sawn  asunder,  were 
tempted,  were  slain  with  the  sword  :  they  wandered  about  in  sheep 
skins  and  goat-skins ;  being  destitute,  afflicted,  tormented :  they 
wandered  in  deserts,  and  in  mountains,  and  in  dens  and  caves  of 
the  earth."  l  Well  did  such  suffering  deserve  to  be  termed,  the  burn 
ing,  "  the  fiery  trial."  2 

The  figure  is  equally  significant  if  we  consider  it  as  referring  to 
the  design  of  these  sufferings.  In  this  respect,  too,  they  resembled 
the  fire  of  the  refiner's  furnace.  The  design  of  its  intense  heat  is  to 
test  and  to  purify  the  precious  metals  subjected  to  it.  The  design  of 
their  sufferings  is  to  test  the  genuineness  of  profession  and  the  power 
of  principle  ;  and,  by  separating  the  precious  from  the  vile,  to  im 
prove  the  character,  both  of  the  Christian  society  and  of  the  Christian 
individuals  of  which  it  is  composed. 

It  was  not  at  all  unnatural  that  the  primitive  Christians,  when  ex 
posed  to  such  sufferings,  should  not  only  feel  them  to  be  very  painful, 
but  reckon  them  to  be  very  wonderful ;  that  they  should  think  '  it 
strange  concerning  the  burning  among  them,  as  if  some  strange  thing 
had  happened  to  them.'  Were  not  they  "  the  children  of  God, 
through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus  ;"  the  "  sons  and  daughters  of  the  Lord 
God  Almighty  ?  "  3  Did  he  not  love  them  ?  Could  he  not  protect 
them  ?  Had  he  not  wisdom  enough  to  confound  all  the  plans,  power 
enough  to  restrain  and  frustrate  all  the  efforts,  of  their  enemies  ? 
Had  he  not  promised  to  preserve  them  from  all  evil,  and  to  bestow 
on  them  every  blessing  ?  Was  it  not  strange,  in  these  circumstances, 
that  they  should  be  exposed  to  suffering  at  all?  doubly  strange  that 
they  should  be  exposed  to  suffering  for  avowing  the  relation  and  per 
forming  their  duty  to  him  ?  strangest  of  all,  that  they  should  be  ex 
posed  to  such  suffering  \vhen  following  such  a  course  ? 

And  if  these  sufferings   seemed  strange  as  coming  from  God,  they 

1  Heb.  xi.  36-38.  3  ILtp<**ts.  *  Gal.  iii.  26.     2  Cor.  vi.  18. 


PART  I.]  BE    NOT    ASTONISHED    AT    THEM.  631 

must  also  have  appeared  strange  as  coming  from  men.  They  were 
no  disturbers  of  the  public  peace,  no  invaders  of  private  rights. 
They  were  "  blameless  and  harmless,  the  children  of  God  without 
rebuke ;"  l  rendering  to  all  their  due,  nay,  doing  good  to  all  as  they 
had  opportunity.  Was  it  not  strange  that  they  should  be  the  objects 
of  the  contempt  and  dislike  of  their  fellow-citizens,  and  be  treated 
by  their  rulers  as  if  they  had  been  egregious  malefactors  ? 

Yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  there  was  abundant  reason  why  the 
primitive  Christians  should  not  think  their  persecutions  strange,  how 
ever  severe.  No  strange  thing,  indeed,  happened  to  them.  The 
spirit  of  Christianity  is  so  directly  opposed  to  the  spirit  of  the  world, 
that  the  wonder  is,  not  that  there  has  been  so  much  persecution,  but 
that  there  has  not  been  more.  But  for  the  restraints  of  God's  provi 
dence  on  the  world,  and  on  him  who  is  its  prince  and  god,  Christianity 
and  Christians  had  long  ago  been  exterminated.  "  If  they  were  of 
the  world,  the  world  would  love  its  own ;  but  because  they  were  not 
of  the  world,  even  as  HE  who  called  them  was  not  of  the  world, 
therefore  the  world  hated  them  as  it  hated  him." 2  Without  an 
entire  change  in  the  spiritual  character  of  the  world,  it  could  not 
have  been  otherwise.  It  would  have  been  strange  indeed  if  it  had 
not  hated  them.  No !  "  It  is  not  strange  that  the  malignant  world 
should  hate  holiness,  hate  the  light,  hate  the  very  shadow  of  it  :  the 
more  the  children  of  God  walk  like  their  Father  and  their  home,  the 
more  unlike  must  they  of  necessity  become  to  the  world  about  them, 
and  therefore  become  the  very  marks  of  their  enmities  and  malice." 
"  There  is  in  the  life  of  a  Christian  a  convincing  light,  that  shows 
the  depravity  of  the  works  of  darkness,  and  a  piercing  heat  that 
scorches  the  ungodly,  which  stirs  and  troubles  their  consciences. 
This  they  cannot  endure,  and  hence  rises  in  them  a  contrary  fire 
of  wicked  hatred ;  and  hence  the  trials,  the  fiery  trials,  of  the 
godly."  3 

Nor  is  this  the  only  reason  why  Christians  should  not  account 
sufferings  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  however  severe,  "  strange."  They 
are  not  only  natural,  so  far  as  a  wicked  world  is  concerned,  but  they 
are  necessary  for  them.  "  It  is  needful,"  as  the  apostle  observes 
above ;  "  it  is  needful  that  ye  for  a  season  be  in  heaviness  through 
manifold  temptation."  Such  seasons  of  persecution  are  necessary  to 
the  church  as  a  body.  During  a  period  of  comparative  worldly  pros 
perity,  multitudes  of  worldly  men  find  their  way  into  the  communion 
of  the  church ;  and,  just  in  the  degree  in  which  they  have  influence 
in  it,  unfit  it  for  its  great  purposes  both  to  those  within  its  pale  and 
those  without  it.  A  period  of  uninterrupted  external  prosperity,  if  it 
were  not  attended  with  such  an  effusion  of  Divine  influence  as  the 
world  has  never  yet  witnessed,  would  soon  lead  to  such  secularization 
of  the  church  as  would  destroy  the  distinction  of  the  church  from 
the  world  ;  not  by  converting  the  world,  but  by  perverting  the  church ; 
not  by  making  the  world  ch'ristian,  but  by  making  the  church  worldly. 
It  is  needful  that  the  great  husbandman  take  the  fan  in  his  hand  that 
he  may  purge  his  floor,  driving  off  the  chaff,  and  bringing  close  to 
gether  the  good  grain.  "  When  tribulation  for  the  world's  sake 

1  Phil.  ii.  15.  2  John  xv.  18.  3  Leighton. 


632  DIRECTORY    UNDER    SUFFERINGS.  [DISC.  XX. 

ariseth,  those  who  have  no  root  in  themselves  are  offended,"  stumbled  ; 
they  "go  away,  and  walk  no  more  with  Jesus"  and  his  persecuted 
followers  ;  and  it  is  a  good  riddance ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  tribu 
lation  in  the  cause  of  those  who  "  have  root  in  themselves,"  "  works 
patience,"  endurance.  It  produces  not  apostasy,  but  perseverance.1 
For,  as  persecution  purifies  the  church,  so  it  improves  her  true  mem 
bers.  They  are  called  by  it  to  a  more  vigorous  exercise  of  all  the 
principles  of  the  new  life ;  and  it  is  a  general  law,  that  exercise  in 
vigorates.  It  is  at  once  an  indication  of  health,  and  a  means  of  im 
proving  it.  The,  Christian  in  the  day  of  trial  quits  himself  like  a 
man,  and  becomes  strong.  His  faith,  his  hope,  his  patience,  his  zeal, 
his  humility,  are  increased  exceedingly.  "  The  trial  of  faith,"  by 
these  afflictions,  "is  more  precious  than  the  trial  of  gold."  Gold  can 
never  be  so  purified  as  to  become  incorruptible  ;  but  faith,  strengthened 
by  trial,  becomes  invincible,  and  will  "  be  found  to  praise,  and  honor, 
and  glory,  at  the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ."  Suffering  for  Christ, 
in  some  form  and  degree  or  other,  seems  to  be  essential  to  the  forma 
tion  of  the  Christian  character;  and  that  character  has,  usually, 
reached  nearest  to  perfection  in  those  who  have  had  the  largest  share 
of  that 'kind  of  trial. 

Another  reason  why  Christians  should  not  think  "  the  fiery  trial'' 
a  strange  thing,  is,  that  their  Lord  met  with  severe  sufferings,  "  the 
contradiction  of  sinners  against  himself,"  and  that  all  their  brethren 
who  had  gone  before  them  have  also  been  severely  afflicted.  Should 
they  think  it  strange  to  be  led  to  heaven  in  the  same  road  by  which 
He  and  they  had  travelled.  "  The  disciple  is  not  above  his  Master 
nor  the  servant  above  his  lord.  If  they  have  persecuted  me,  they 
will  persecute  you."  Such  afflictions,  too,  were  fulfilled  in  theii 
brethren  who  had  been  in  the  world.  Are  they  better  than  the 
apostles,  who  were  "  as  gazing-stocks  to  the  world,  to  angels,  and  to 
men?"2 

There  is  yet  another  reason  why  Christians  should  never  think 
persecution  for  Christ's  sake,  however  severe,  a  strange  thing.  It 
is  something  they  should  be  prepared  for ;  for  they  have  been  very 
plainly  taught  that  they  may  assuredly  expect  it  in  some  form  or 
other.  "  To  this  they  have  been  called."  "  In  the  world  ye  shall 
have  tribulation."  "  Marvel  not  that  the  world  should  hate  you." 
"  If  any  man  will  be  my  disciple,  let  him  renounce  himself,  forsake 
all,  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me."  "  All  who  will  live  godly,  must," 
says  the  apostle,  "suffer  persecution."  "Through  much  tribulation 
we  must  enter  into  the  kingdom." 3 

Christians,  then,  in  no  age  of  the  church  or  the  world,  should  count 
sufferings  for  the  cause  of  Christ  a  strange  thing.  The  primitive 
Christians  were  especially  warned  by  our  Lord,  that  the  season  which 
had  arrived  when  Peter  wrote  this  epistle,  the  period  immediately  pre 
ceding  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  was  to  be  to  his  followers  a 
period  of  peculiarly  severe  trial.  It  is  in  reference  to  the  sufferings 
of  those  times  he  says,  "  See  that  ye  be  not  troubled.  All  these 

1  Matt.  xiii.  6,  21.     Rom.  v.  3.— faopwf,.  a  John  xv.  20.     1  Cor.  iv.  9. 

8  John  xvi.  33.  Matt.  xvi.  24.  Mark  viii.  34.  Luke  Lx.  23.  2  Tim.  iii.  12  Act' 
xiv.  22. 


FART  II.]  BE  NOT  DEPRESSED  BY  THEM.  633 

things  must  come  to  pass.  *Lo,  I  have  told  you  before."  The  exhor 
tation  of  Peter  is  very  nearly  parallel  with  that  of  his  brother  Paul,  in 
an  epistle  written  about  the  same  time :  "  Let  no  man  be  moved  by 
these  afflictions,  for  yourselves  know  that  ye  are  appointed  there 
unto."  l 


II— BE  NOT  DEPRESSED  BY  YOUR  SUFFERINGS. 

The  second  direction  given  by  the  apostle  to  his  brethren  is,  "  Be 
not  depressed  by  your  sufferings."  "  Rejoice,  inasmuch  as  ye  are 
partakers  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ ;  that,  when  his  glory  shall  be 
revealed,  ye  may  be  glad  also  with  exceeding  joy.  If  ye  be  re 
proached  for  the  name  of  Christ,  happy  are  ye ;  for  the  Spirit  of 
glory  and  of  God  resteth  upon  you :  on  their  part  he  is  evil  spoken 
of  (blasphemed),  but  on  your  part  he  is  glorified." 

In  these  words  the  apostle  first  calls  on  them  generally  not  to  be 
depressed  by  their  sufferings  for  Christ,  but,  on  the  contrary,  to  rejoice 
in  them.  He  gives  at  the  same  time  very  good  reasons  for  his  in 
junction,  reasons  applicable  to  all  sufferings,  of  whatever  kind,  for  the 
cause  of  Christ ;  and  he  then  calls  on  them  not  to  be  depressed  by  a 
particular  form  of  suffering,  that  of  reproach,  which  is  very  much 
fitted  to  have  this  effect ;  and  enforces  this  exhortation  by  a  very 
powerful  and  appropriate  motive. 

The  apostle  calls  on  Christians,  for  two  reasons,  not  to  be  depressed 
by,  but  to  rejoice  in,  their  sufferings  for  Christ,  whatever  form  they 
might  wear ;  whether  loss  of  property,  reputation,  liberty,  or  life : — 
First,  because  in  enduring  these  sufferings,  they  are  partakers  of 
Christ's  sufferings  ;  and  secondly,  because  their  fellowship  with  Christ 
in  his  sufferings  is,  by  the  Divine  appointment,  connected  with  fel 
lowship  with  him  in  his  enjoyments  at  the  revelation  of  his  glory. 

1.  Christians  in  suffering  for  Christ  are  "partakers  of  the  sufferings 
of  Christ."  In  all  their  afflictions  Christians  may  be  viewed  as  hav 
ing  fellowship  with  Christ.  When  they  suffer,  they  are  treading  in  his 
steps,  who  was,  by  way  of  eminence,  a  sufferer; — "the  man  of  sor 
rows  and  acquainted  with  grief;'*  and  it  is  the  communication  of  his 
Spirit  which  enables  them  to  bear  their  sufferings  in  the  same  tem 
per  in  which  he  bore  his.  But  there  is  a  peculiar  propriety  in  repre 
senting  them,  when  suffering  for  their  attachment  to  him,  as  being 
partakers  of  his  sufferings.  The  sufferings  they  then  endure  are  en 
dured  in  the  same  cause  in  which  his  sufferings  were  endured :  the 
cause  of  truth  and  righteousness,  the  cause  of  God's  glory  and  man's 
happiness.  They  are  inflicted  on  them  just  because  they  are  like 
him  ;  and  they  who  persecute  them  would,  had  they  it  in  their  power, 
persecute  him  as  they  persecute  them.  They  stand  in  his  place ; 
they  are  his  representatives.  They  are  "  in  the  world  as  he  was  in 
the  world ;"  and  are  therefore  treated  by  the  world  as  he  was  treated 
by  the  world.  "  Therefore  the  world  knoweth  not,"  acknowledged 
not  in  their  true  character,  "  them,  because  it  knew  not,"  acknowl 
edged  not,  "him"  in  his  true  character.  They  are  so  identified  with 

1  Matt,  xxiv  6     1  Thess.  iii  ft 


634  DIRECTORY    UNDER    SUFFERINGS.  [DIS'J.  XX 

him,  that  he  considers  what  is  done  to  them  as  done  to  Him.  "  He 
that  touches  them  touches  the  apple  of  his  eye."  "  Saul,  Saul,"  said 
he  from  the  opened  heavens,  "  why  persecutest  thou  ME  ?"  And, 
at  last,  from  the  throne  of  universal  judgment,  shall  he  say  to  those 
who  have  cruelly  neglected,  or  despitefully  used  his  suffering  people, 
"  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren, 
ye  did  it  not  to  ME.  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  to  one  of  the  least  of 
these,  ye  did  it  to  ME." 

Every  true  Christian,  suffering  in  the  cause  of  Christ,  may  say 
with  the  Apostle  Paul,  "  I  fill  up  that  which  is  behind  of  the  afflic 
tions  of  Christ  in  my  flesh."1  We  are  not  to  suppose  that  our  Lord 
left  any  sufferings  to  be  endured  by  Paul,  or  any  one  else,  as  the  ex 
piation  of  the  sins  or  the  ransom  of  the  souls  of  his  people.  These 
great  objects  were  fully  secured  by  his  sufferings  "in  his  own  body,"' 
"  the  body  of  his  flesh  by  death."  On  the  cross,  in  reference  to  them, 
he  said,  "  It  is  finished."  These  sufferings  were  his  personal  burden. 
We  partake  of  them,  not  in  the  way  of  supplementing  them  by  our 
sufferings,  but  by  becoming  sharers  of  their  precious  fruits.  They 
are  accounted  to  us  as  if  they  had  been  ours  ;  and  we  are  acquitted, 
and  justified,  and  saved  by  them,  as  a  full  satisfaction  to  the  demands 
of  the  law  on  us  as  sinners.  The  endurance  of  these  expiatory 
sufferings  is  something  absolutely  peculiar  to  him.  We  have,  we  can 
have,  no  part  nor  lot  in  that  matter.  The  meaning  of  the  apostle 
plainly  is,  'I  am  so  closely  connected  with  Christ,  that  he  regards 
those  sufferings  endured  by  me  in  his  cause,  as  his  sufferings  in  my 
body.  I  know  there  is  a  certain  measure  of  such  sufferings'  allotted 
to  me,  as  to  every  other  Christian.  I  have  undergone  already  a  part 
of  those  sufferings ;  and  in  the  sufferings  which  I  now  undergo  for 
the  sake  of  you,  Thessalonians,  a  part  of  his  body,  I  rejoice  to  think 
that  I  am  filling  up  what  remains  of  the  sufferings  appointed  me,  and 
which  I  delight  in  thinking  of  as  the  sufferings  of  Christ  in  my  body.' 
"  The  filling  up  spoken  of  by  the  apostle  is  not  the  supplementing 
Christ's  personal  sufferings,  but  it  is  the  completing  that  share  allotted 
to  himself  as  one  of  the  members  of  Christ — as  sufferings  which,  from 
the  intimacy  of  union  between  the  head  and  the  members,  may  be 
called  his  sufferings.  Christ  lived  in  Paul,  spoke  in  Paul,  wrought  in 
Paul,  suffered  in  Paul ;  and  in  a  similar  sense  the  sufferings  of  every 
Christian  for  Christ  are  the  sufferings  of  Christ." 

This  is  a  view  of  suffering  for  Christ  well  fitted  to  prevent  depres 
sion  and  to  produce  holy  joy.  "  It  seems  obviously  fit,"  as  Leighton 
says,  "  that  we  should  follow  where  our  Captain  led.  It  is  not  be 
coming  that  he  should  lead  through  rugged,  thorny  ways,  and  we  pass 
about  to  get  away  through  flowery  meadows.  As  his  natural  body 
shared  with  his  head  in  suffering,  so  ought  his  mystical  body  with  him 
who  is  their  head." 

And  as  this  is  fit,  so  it  is  pleasant.  It  is  good,  no  less  than  becom 
ing  well.  "  It  is  a  sweet,  joyful  thing,  to  be  a  sharer  with  Christ  in 
anything.  All  enjoyments  wherein  he  is  not  are  bitter  to  a  soul  who 
loves  him,  and  all  sufferings  with  him  are  sweet  The  worst  things 
of  Christ  are  more  truly  delightful  than  the  best  things  of  the  world ; 

1  CoL  i  24, 


PART  II.]  BE  NOT  DEPRESSED  BY  THEM.  635 

his  afflictions  sweeter  than  their  pleasures,  his  reproaches  more  glori 
ous  than  their  honors,  and  more  rich  than  their  treasures.  Love 
delights  in  likeness  and  communion;  not  only  in  things  otherwise 
pleasant,  but  in  the  hardest  and  harshest  things  which  have  not  in 
them  anything  desirable,  but  only  that  likeness.  So  that  this  thought 
is  very  sweet  to  a  heart  possessed  with  this  love.  What  does  the 
world  by  its  hatred  and  persecutions  and  revilings  for  Christ,  but 
make  me  more  like  him,  give  me  a  greater  share  with  him  in  that 
which  he  did  so  willingly  undergo  for  me.  '  When  he  was  sought  to 
be  made  a  king  he  escaped/  says  Bernard,"  the  last  of  the  Fathers; 
"'but  when  he  was  sought  for  the  cross,  he  freely  yielded  himself/ 
And  shall  I  shrink  and  creep  back  from  what  he  calls  me  to  suffer  for 
his  sake  ?  Yea,  even  all  my  other  troubles  and  sufferings  I  will  desire 
to  have  stamped  thus  with  this  conformity  to  the  sufferings  of  Christ, 
in  the  humble,  obedient,  cheerful  endurance  of  them,  and  the  giving 
up  my  will  to  my  Father's.  The  following  of  Christ  makes  any  way 
pleasant ;  his  faithful  followers  refuse  no  march  after  him,  be  it  through 
deserts,  and  mountains,  and  storms,  and  hazards  that  would  affright 
self-pleasing,  easy  spirits.  Hearts  kindled  and  actuated  by  the  Spirit 
of  Christ,  will  follow  him  whithersoever  he  goeth."  l 

2.  A  second  reason  assigned  by  the  apostle,  why  persecuted  Chris 
tians  should  not  be  depressed  by,  but  rather  rejoice  in,  their  sufferings 
is,  that  this  fellowship  with  Christ  in  his  sufferings  is,  by  the  Divine 
appointment,  connected  with  fellowship  with  him  in  his  enjoyments 
at  the  revelation  of  his  glory.  "  Ye  are  partakers  of  Christ's  suffer 
ings  ;  that,  when  his  glory  shall  be  revealed,  ye  may  be  glad  also  with 
exceeding  joy." 

The  glory  of  Christ  is  the  transcendent  personal  excellence,  and 
official  dignity  and  authority,  which  belong  to  the  God-Man  Mediator. 
Of  that  glory  a  partial  manifestation  is  made  in  the  word  of  the  truth 
of  the  gospel,  and  in  his  administration  of  that  universal  empire  which 
he  possesses,  as  well  as  in  his  dispensations  towards  the  church  as  a 
body,  and  towards  its  individual  members,  with  whom  he  stands  con 
nected  in  a  relation  so  intimate  and  peculiar.  By  those  who  by  his 
Spirit  are  led  to  understand  and  believe  the  gospel,  and  by  its  light  to 
contemplate  the  dispensations  of  his  kingdoms  of  providence  and 
grace,  this  glory  is  partially  apprehended ;  and,  whenever  it  is  so,  it 
casts  all  other  glory  into  the  shade.  That  which  had  glory  has  now 
no  glory,  by  reason  of  the  glory  that  excelleth.  The  Word,  who 
was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  men,  may  be  seen  in  his  wondrous 
works  as  in  a  mirror ;  and  all  who  in  them  behold  his  glory,  acknowl 
edge  that  it  is  a  glory  worthy  of  the  only-begotten  of  the  Father,8 
and  that  he  is  indeed  full  of  grace  and  truth.  And  by  the  believing 
contemplation  of  this  glory  they  themselves  in  their  measure  become 
glorious;  they  are  changed  into  its  likeness,  made  glorious  by  that 
which  is  glorious,  converted  by  glory  into  glory.3 

It  is,  however,  but  a  dim  reflection  of  his  glory  that  reaches  this 
dark  earth.  His  glory,  like  himself,  is  "  hid  with  God."  The  great 
body  of  men  see  it  not  at  all,  being  destitute  of  the  spiritual  organs 
by  which  alone  it  can  be  discerned ;  and  even  they  who  see  most  of 

LeightOD.  3    '£2£  ^ovoyivovs  Trapa  irarp6s.     John  i.  14.  3   2  Cor.  iii.  18. 


636  DIRECTORY    UNDER    SUFFERINGS.  [DISC.  XX. 

it,  see  at  best  "  through  a  glass,"  or  by  means  of  a  mirror,  "  darkly ;" 
"they  know  but  in  part,  they  understand  but  in  part." 

But  this  glory  is  not  always  to  continue  so  imperfectly  manifested 
in  our  world  to  its  inhabitants.  Out  of  his  heavenly  sanctuary  he  is 
yet  to  shine  forth  gloriously.  His  "  glorious  appearance,"  or  the  ap 
pearance  of  his  glory,  is  "  the  blessed  hope"  of  all  who  believe.  At 
the  close  of  the  present  order  of  things,  he  will  come  "  in  his  own 
glory,  and  in  the  glory  of  his  Father,  and  in  the  glory  of  his  holy 
angels."  He  will  come  "  in  clouds,  and  every  eye  shall  see  him."' 
He  will  come  "in  flaming  fire,  to  take  vengeance  on  those  who  know 
him  not,  and  who  obey  not  his  gospel ;  and  to  be  glorified  in  his  saints, 
and  admired  in  all  them  that  believe."  1  He  will  come  to  manifest 
the  glories  of  his  power,  and  wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and  grace, 
removing  entirely  and  forever  the  cloud  of  mystery  which  hangs  over 
the  Divine  character  and  dispensations,  and  manifesting  himself  at 
once  in  all  the  glories  of  untarnished  holiness  and  inflexible  justice, 
and  infinite,  omnipotent,  all- wise  benignity,  as  the  righteous  Judge 
and  the  all-accomplished  Saviour. 

This  revelation  at  once  of  the  glories  of  his  righteousness  and 
grace,  shall  be  a  source  of  the  highest  satisfaction  to  all  his  redeemed 
ones ;  and  then  shall  be  fully  compensated  all  the  privations,  and  sac 
rifices,  and  sufferings  to  which  they  have  submitted  for  his  name's 
sake.  Then  "  shall  they  rejoice  with  exceeding  joy."  "  In  this  last 
time,"  when  the  salvation  to  which  in  the  present  times  they  are  kept 
by  the  power  of  God  through  faith  shall  be  revealed,  and  in  the  reve 
lation  of  which  shall  be  revealed  the  glory  of  Christ  the  Saviour, 
"  they  shall  rejoice  with  a  joy  that  is  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory." 

And  they  shall  have  good  cause  thus  to  rejoice ;  for  when  He  who 
is  their  life  appears,  is  manifested,  they  shall  also  appear,  or  be  mani 
fested,  in  glory.  His  glorious  appearing,  and  their  manifestation  as 
the  sons  of  God,  by  their  entering  on  full  possession  of  all  the  privi 
leges  of  divine  sonship,  shall  be  contemporaneous.  He  shall  appear 
in  glory,  and  they  shall  be  "  like  him,  seeing  him  as  he  is."  "  When 
the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with 
him,  when  he  shall  sit  on  the  throne  of  his  glory,  and  before  him  shall 
be  gathered  all  nations,"  he  will  make  those  who  have  been  partakers 
of  his  sufferings  exceeding  glad  in  the  fellowship  of  his  glory.  Having 
re-united  their  glorified  spirits  to  their  once  mortal  but  now  immortal 
bodies,  he  shall  place  them  at  his  right  hand  as  his  honored  friends, 
and  shall  say  to  them  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled  universe  of 
intelligent  beings,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  king 
dom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world."  And  then 
"  they  shall  go  into  life  eternal ;"  2  and  conquerors,  more  than  conquer 
ors,  through  his  love,  sit  down  with  him  on  his  throne,  even  as  he, 
when  he  had  overcome,  sat  down  with  his  Father  on  his  throne,  and 
shall  "  reign  in  life"  with  him  forever  and  ever.  Such  are  the  bless 
ings  which  await  all  the  faithful  at  the  coming  of  the  Lord ;  and  there 
is  reason  to  conclude  that  the  measure  of  the  enjoyment  and  glory  of 
individuals,  will  correspond  to  the  measure  of  labor  and  sufferings 
submitted  to  in  his  cause. 

1  2  Thess.  i.  7-10.  *  Matt.  XXY.  31-46. 


PART  II.]  BE    NOT    DEPRESSED    BY    THEM.  647 

This  is  a  consideration  well  fitted  not  only  to  prevent  depression 
of  mind  under  suffering,  however  severe,  but  to  fill  the  heart  with 
holy  triumph,  and  enable  the  Christian  to  glory  in  such  tribulation  as 
is  connected  with  so  glorious  a  hope,  counting  it  indeed  "all  joy  to 
be"  for  Christ's  cause  "  brought  into  manifold  temptations."  Well, 
as  the  pious  Archbishop  says,  may  Christians  "rejoice  in  the  midst  of 
all  their  sufferings,  standing  upon  the  advanced  ground  of  the  cove 
nant  of  grace,  and  by  faith  looking  beyond  this  moment,  and  all  that 
is  in  it,  to  that  day  wherein  the  crown  of  everlasting  joy,  that  diadem 
of  beauty,  shall  be  put  upon  their  head,  and  when  sorrow  and  mourn 
ing  shall  fly  away.  Oh,  that  blessed  hope !  How  soon  will  this 
pageant  of  the  world,  that  men  are  gazing  on,  these  pictures  and  fan 
cies  of  pleasures  and  honors,  falsely  so  called,  vanish  and  give  place 
to  the  real  glory  of  the  sons  of  God,  where  the  blessed  First-born 
among  many  brethren  shall  be  seen  appearing  in  full  majesty,  as  the 
Only- begotten  of  the  Father,  and  all  his  brethren  with  him,  beholding 
and  sharing  his  glory,  having  '  come  out  of  great  tribulation,  and 
washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb/  " 
Believing  that  if  we  suffer  with  him  it  is  that  we  may  be  glorifiod  to 
gether  with  him,  we  cannot  but  "judge  that  the  sufferings  of  the 
present  time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory  that  is  to 
be  revealed  in  us ;"  so  that  we  may  well  rejoice  amid  these  sufferings, 
especially  as  we  know  that  "  these  light  afflictions,  which  are  but  for 
a  moment,  are  working  out  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory."  l  There  is  something  more  than  mere  sequence 
here.  "We  are  partakers  of  his  sufferings;  that,  when  his  glory  is 
revealed,  we  may  rejoice  with  exceeding  joy." 

Having  thus  enforced  the  general  exhortation  not  to  be  depressed 
by,  but  to  rejoice  in,  sufferings  for  Christ,  of  whatever  kind,  from  a 
consideration  of  the  nature  of  these  sufferings,  as  sufferings  in  which 
they  have  fellowship  with  Christ,  and  of  the  Design  and  certain  issue 
of  such  sufferings,  the  bringing  of  them  J^to  the  fellowship  of  the 
Saviour's  glory  and  joy,  the  apostle  next  c^^their  attention  to  a  par 
ticular  form  of  suffering,  in^j^wn  nature  peculiarly  fitted  to  depress 
the  mind,  "  reproach,"  and  4JMfe  that  even  it  is  a  proper  ground  not 
of  depression,  but  of  exultation.  "  If  ye  be  reproached  for  the  name 
of  Christ,  happy  are  ye,  for  the  Spirit  of  glory  and  of  God  resteth  on 
you ;  on  their  part  he  is  evil  spoken  of,  but  on  your  part  he  is  glorified." 

Reproach  was  one  of  the  most  common  and  most  severe  of  the  trials 
of  the  persecuted  primitive  Christians.  And  few  things  are  more 
fitted  to  break  the  heart ;  as  the  psalmist,  in  the  person  of  the  Messiah, 
says;  "Reproach  has  broke  my  heart;  I  am  full  of  heaviness."2 
Their  "  names  were  cast  out  as  evil."  They  were  "  accounted  as  the 
filth  of  the  world,  and  the  offscouring  of  all  things ;"  and  they  were 
thus  reproached  for  being  Christians,  for  bearing  his  name,  and  pro 
fessing  his  religion ;  for  believing  its  doctrines,  for  cherishing  its  hopes, 
for  observing  its  institutions,  for  obeying  its  laws.  On  this  account 
they  were  represented  as  despisers  of  the  gods,  enemies  of  the  com 
monwealth,  haters  of  mankind,  the  accomplices  or  the  dupes  of  an 

1  Rom.  viii.  17,  18.     2  Cor.  iv.  17, 18.  9  Psal.  kix.  20. 


638  DIRECTORY    UNDER    SUFFERINGS.  [DISC.  XX. 

impostor,  deceived  or  deceivers,  dreaming  enthusiasts  or  designing 
villains. 

Now,  says  the  apostle,  be  not  discouraged  by  all  this  contumely. 
If  you  are  really — what  these  men  call  you — Christians,  you  are  truly 
happy,  and  are  possessed  of  a  true  inward  honor  and  glory,  of  which 
all  their  malignant  abuse  can  in  no  degree  deprive  you.  "  The  Spirit 
of  glory  and  of  God  resteth  on  you ;'"  that  is,  the  Spirit  of  glory,  even 
the  Spirit  of  God,  resteth  on  you,  or,  the  Spirit  of  God  resteth  on  you 
as  the  Spirit  of  glory. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  reference  here  is  to  the  Holy  Ghost, 
personally  the  Divine  Author  of  our  salvation,  so  far  as  it  is  an  inward 
transformation.  The  appellation,  "  the  Spirit  of  glory,"  may  be  con 
sidered  as  equivalent  to  the  glorious  Spirit  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
as  "  the  Lord  of  glory"  means  our  glorious  Lord  Jesus  Christ.1  But 
it  seems  more  probable  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  here  termed  the  Spirit 
of  glory,  to  indicate  that  he  is  the  author  of  true  glory  and  honor. 
Unbelieving  men  reckoned  the  primitive  Christians  despicable  and 
dishonorable,  and  called  them  so  in  their  reproaches.  But  were  they 
indeed  so?  No,  by  no  means.  The  Spirit  of  God,  who  is  the  foun 
tain  of  true  honor,  rested  on  them,  and  by  his  influence  formed  them 
to  a  character  which  was  the  proper  object,  not  of  contempt,  but  of 
approbation  and  admiration  to  all  good  and  wise  intelligent  beings. 

It  is  as  if  the  apostle  had  said,  '  You  are  really  honorable,  and  your 
honor  is  not  of  a  kind  of  which  these  reproaches  can  deprive  you. 
They  count  you  fools ;  but  the  Spirit  of  wisdom  and  good  under 
standing  rests  on  you,  and  makes  you  wise  unto  salvation :  he  gives 
you  a  sound  mind,  and  makes  you  of  good  understanding.  They 
count  you  weak,  and  contemn  you  for  your  imbecility  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord ;  but  he  makes  you  "  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power 
of  his  might ;"  he  is  in  you  "  the  Spirit  of  power,"  as  well  as  "  of  a 
sound  mind."  They  reckon  you  mean,  but  he  gives  you  true  dignity 
and  grandeur  of  characl^^he  makes  you  "great  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,"  and  decks  you  w^pornaments  becoming  your  dignity  as  kings 
and  priests  unto  God,  even  your  Fathejft^Is  not  the  consideration  of 
what  he  has  made  you,  more  than  sufnWnt  to  neutralize  the  painful 
effects  of  all  that  they  can  call  you  ?  If  he  has  made  you  wise,  what 
though  they  call  you  fools  ?  If  he  has  made  you  strong,  what  though 
they  call  you  weak  ?  If  he  has  made  you  illustrious,  what  though 
they  should  represent  you  as  despicable  ?  His  bearing  witness  with 
your  spirits  that  you  are  indeed  the  sons  of  God,  "  and  if  sons  then 
heirs,  heirs  of  God  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ  Jesus,"  is  surely  more 
than  enough  to  counterbalance  all  their  false  and  malignant  re 
proaches/  Such  seems  to  be  the  import  of  the  motive  which  the 
apostle  employs  to  induce  Christians  to  rise  above  the  disheartening 
influence  of  reproach  for  Christ,  and  even  to  rejoice  in  it.  If  you  are 
Christians  indeed,  you  have  a  real  abiding  honor,  springing  from  the 
Spirit  of  God,  who  is  the  Spirit  of  glory  resting  on  you,  dwelling  in 
you,  which  their  reproaches  can  in  no  degree  affect. 

The  meaning  and  reference  of  the  concluding  words  of  the  four 
teenth  verse,  "  On  their  part  he  is  evil  spoken  of;  but  on  your  part  he 

1  James  ii.  1. 


PART  II.]  BE  NOT  DEPRESSED  BY  THEM.  639 

is  glorified,"  are  somewhat  doubtful.  They  may  mean,  what  from 
their  rendering  our  translators  obviously  supposed  they  did  mean, 
This  Spirit  of  glory  which  exists  in  you  is  evil  spoken  of,  or  blas 
phemed,  by  those  men  who  reproach  you  for  the  name  of  Christ,  who 
load  you  with  abuse  because  you  are  Christians.  He  made  you  what 
you  are  as  Christians,  and,  in  reproaching  you,  they  indeed  blaspheme 
him.  They  who  mock  at  Christians,  as  Christians,  play  at  a  dangerous 
game.  The  time  is  corning  when  the  Son  of  God  will  say,  "  Inasmuch 
as  ye  did  it  to  them,  ye  did  it  to  me ;"  and  the  Spirit  of  God  will  say, 
'  In  reproaching  them  you  blasphemed  me,  in  ridiculing  my  work  you 
poured  contempt  on  my  person.'  Let  the  men  of  the  world  take  care. 
What  they  think  but  a  jest,  may  prove  a  very  serious  affair.  The 
Jews  thought  they  were  putting  to  death  a  poor  unfriended  Nazarene. 
It  turned  out  that  they  crucified  the  Lord  of  Glory.  The  enemies  of 
vital  Christianity  may  think  they  are  only  running  down  a  set  of 
wrong-headed  enthusiasts  ;  it  may  turn  out  they  are  coming  very  near 
the  sin  "  that  hath  no  forgiveness,  neither  in  this  world  nor  in  that 
which  is  to  come."  It  is  as  if  the  apostle  had  said,  their  reproaches 
are  more  against  the  Spirit  that  animates  you  than  against  you. 

But  while  they  blaspheme  him,  you  glorify  him ;  and  surely  it  is 
very  meet  that  it  should  be  so.  Christians  should  honor  the  Holy 
Spirit  who  makes  them  honorable.  They  should  show  forth  his 
praises,  giving  visible  form  to  his  inward  work,  by  proving  themselves 
to  be  under  his  influence  as  "  the  Spirit  of  love,  and  of  power,  and  of 
a  sound  mind."  This  is  the  best  way  of  meeting  the  reproaches  of 
men  against  ourselves  as  Christians,  and  against  the  Spirit  by  whom, 
as  Christians,  we  are  animated  and  guided.  Let  us  show  what  man 
ner  of  spirit  we  are  of;  that  it  is  indeed  the  Spirit  of  glory  that  rests 
on  us ;  a  Spirit  which  makes  "  pure  and  peaceable,  gentle  and  easy 
to  be  entreated ;"  a  Spirit  which  leads  us  to  think  on  and  to  practise 
"  whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are  honest,  whatsoever 
things  are  just,  whatsoever  things  are' 'pure,  whatsoever  things  are 
lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report."  l 

While  this  is  important  truth,  and  while  the  words  in  themselves 
may  be  considered  as  well  enough  fitted  to  convey  it,  I  am  rather  dis 
posed  to  go  along  with  those  interpreters  who  consider  the  verbs  here 
as  used  impersonally,  and  think  the  apostle  expresses  this  sentiment : 
On  their  part  there  is  evil-speaking,  blasphemy,  reproach ;  but  on  your 
part  there  is  glory,  true  honor.  They  reproach,  indeed,  but  ye  are 
not  dishonored.  The  Spirit  of  glory  rests  on  you,  and  therefore  all 
their  reproaches  cannot  rob  you  of  true  honor,  cannot  make  you 
really  contemptible.  You  are  what  the  Spirit  of  God  has  made  you, 
not  what  they  represent  you.  What  a  comfort  is  this  to  a  calumniated 
Christian,  and  how  well  fitted  to  enable  him  in  patience  to  possess 
his  soul,  amid  calumnious  reproaches  and  cruel  mockings ! 

There  is  a  question  which  naturally  enough  is  suggested  by  what 
has  been  said.  Since  we  all,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  profess  the 
religion  of  Christ,  have  we  ever  been  exposed  to  suffering  on  account 
of  our  religion  ?  Is  the  fiery  trial  a  strange  thing  to  us  ?  Have  we 
never  been  "  partakers  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ  ?"  never  been  ex- 
1  James  iii.  17.  Phil.  iii.  8. 


640  DIRECTORY    UNDER    SUFFERINGS.  [DISC.  XX. 

posed  to  "the  reproach  of  Christ?"  If  we  have  not,  I  am  afraid 
there  is  something  wanting,  something  wrong.  The  world  and 
Christianity  are  substantially  the  same  things  they  were  in  the  primi 
tive  times ;  and,  though  the  world  may  take  other  ways  of  showing 
its  hatred  and  contempt  of  Christianity  and  Christians  now,  than  it 
did  then,  that  hatred  and  contempt  still  exist  unmitigated,  and  will 
find  a  way  to  manifest  themselves  when  they  meet  with  their  appro 
priate  objects.  But  it  is  not  everything  called  Christianity  that  the 
world  hates  ;  it  is  the  Christianity  of  the  New  Testament.  It  is  not 
the  name,  it  is  the  thing.  There  is  much  that  is  called  Christianity 
which  the  world  does  not  at  all  dislike ;  it  is  its  own  work.  There 
are  many  called  Christians  who  are  of  the  world,  and  the  world  loves 
them.  A  woe  is  denounced  on  the  Christian  man,  of  whom  all  men 
speak  well ;  and  if  we  have  in  no  way  incurred  the  hatred  of  an  un 
godly  world,  we  have  reason  to  fear,  that  though  we  have  the  name 
we  have  not  the  thing.  It  is  a  faithful  saying,  "  Every  one  who  will 
live  godly  must  suffer  persecution."  We  are  not  to  court  persecu 
tion  :  if  we  are  consistent  Christians,  we  will  not  need  to  do  so.  It 
will  come  of  its  own  accord.  The  world  will  be  consistent  in  its 
hatred,  if  Christians  are  but  consistent  in  their  profession  and  conduct. 
Let  us  take  care  that  we  do  not  sinfully  shun  it.  Let  us  hold  fast 
the  faith  and  profession  of  the  gospel,  to  whatever  privations  and 
sufferings  this  may  expose  us.  Let  us  part  with  everything  rather 
than  the  Saviour  and  his  truth,  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience, 
and  the  hope,  through  grace,  of  rejoicing  with  exceeding  joy  at  the 
appearing  of  his  glory ;  let  us  show  how  highly  we  value  him  and 
his  gospel,  by  the  cheerfulness  with  which  we  submit  to  such  trials  as 
attachment  to  them  may  bring  on  us. 

Ill— BE  NOT  ASHAMED  OF  YOUR  SUFFERINGS. 

The  third  direction  given  by  the  apostle  to  his  persecuted  brethren 
is,  Be  not  ashamed  of  your  sufferings  in  the  cause  of  Christ.  "  Let 
none  of  you  suffer  as  a  murderer,  or  as  a  thief,  or  as  an  evil-doer,  or 
as  a  busy-body  in  other  men's  matters.  Yet  if  any  man  suffer  as  a 
Christian,  let  him  not  be  ashamed;  but  let  him  glorify  God  on  this 
behalf." 

The  apostle  proceeds  on  the  principle,  that  there  are  sufferings 
which  are  indeed  disgraceful ;  that  it  is  a  possible  thing  that  Chris 
tians  may  expose  themselves  to  such  sufferings,  which  in  their  case 
must  be  doubly  disgraceful ;  that  it  is  the  duty  of  Christians  carefully 
to  guard  against  rendering  themselves  liable  to  such  sufferings  ;  that 
there  are  sufferings  to  which  Christians  may  be  exposed,  merely  be 
cause  they  are  Christians,  merely  because  they  profess  the  faith,  obey 
the  laws,  observe  the  institutions  of  Christ ;  and  that  such  sufferings, 
however  disgraceful  in  their  own  nature,  and  in  the  estimation  of 
men,  are  no  ^proper  ground  of  shame  to  those  who  meet  with  them : 
but,  on  the  contrary,  should  be  subjects  of  gloriation  and  thanksgiving 
to  God. 

When  suffering  is  just  punishment,  it  is  always  disgraceful.  Crime 
in  all  its  forms  is  a  shameful  thing,  something  base  and  unworthy ; 


PART  III.]  BE    NOT    ASHAMED    OF    THEM.  641 

and  so  must  punishment  be,  which  proclaims  the  man  a  criminal, 
which  at  once  publishes  the  fact  that  he  has  been  guilty,  and  brands 
him  with  public  reprobation  on  account  of  his  guilt.  It  is  shameful 
to  commit  murder,  and  therefore  it  is  shameful  to  suffer  as  a  murderer. 
It  is  shameful  to  commit  theft,  and  therefore  it  is  shameful  to  suffer 
as  a  thief.  It  is  shameful  to  violate  any  law  of  man  established  by 
competent  authority,  which  is  not  opposed  to  the  law  of  God,  that  is, 
to  be  an  evil-doer,  a  malefactor  in  the  eye  of  the  law,  and  therefore 
it  is  shameful  to  be  punished  for  such  a  violation  as  an  evil-doer  or 
malefactor.  When  such  punishments  have  been  incurred,  the  person 
subjected  to  them  ought  to  be  ashamed ;  and,  when  they  are  not  felt 
to  be  shameful  by  the  criminal,  it  is  a  proof  of  most  deplorable  ob- 
tuseness  of  moral  apprehension  and  feeling. 

Nor  are  sufferings  which  are  the  punishment  of  violation  of  posi 
tive  public  law  the  only  sufferings  which  are  of  a  shameful  kind. 
All  suffering  which  is  the  effect  of  improper  conduct  is  shameful, 
just  in  proportion  as  the  conduct  which  has  produced  it  is  shameful. 
There  are  many  very  improper  acts  or  habits  which  are  not,  and 
cannot  be,  the  subject  of  public  law,  lying  beyond  or  below  its  sphere, 
which  yet  naturally  bring  down  on  those  characterized  by  them  ap 
propriate,  and  it  may  be  severe  punishment.  For  example,  "the 
busy-body  in  other  men's  matters,"  whether  his  intrusive  interference 
originate  in  mere  impertinent  curiosity,  or  in  worse  motives,  is  likely 
to  suffer  by  exclusion  from  respectable  society,  by  general  contempt, 
and,  it  may  be,  in  even  more  substantial  forms ;  and  his  sufferings, 
whatever  they  may  be,  are  disgraceful  sufferings — sufferings  of  which 
he  ought  to  be  ashamed. 

By  many  interpreters,  I  am  aware  that  "  the  busy-body"  here  is 
considered  as  equivalent  to  "  the  seditious  person,"  who,  in  a  private 
station,  plots  against  the  existing  order  of  society,  meddling  with 
things  too  high  for  him,  and  who  consequently  is  naturally  enough 
classed  along  with  the  murderer  and  the  thief,  as  drawing  down  on 
himself  deserved  punishment  from  the  hand  of  violated  law ;  but  I 
think  it  more  likely  that  the  apostle  meant  to  warn  Christians  against 
exposing  themselves,  not  only  to  shameful  suffering,  as  violators  of 
public  law,  but  to  shameful  suffering,  originating  in  impropriety  of 
behavior  of  whatever  kind.1 

It  may  seem  strange  that  the  apostle  should  caution  those  to  whom 
he  wrote,  and  whom  he  had  represented  as  "  elect  according  to  the 
foreknowledge  of  God  the  Father,  through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit, 
unto  obedience  and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ ;  as  be- 

fotten  again  to  a  living  hope ;  as  the  heirs  of  an  incorruptible,  unde- 
led,  unfading  inheritance,  reserved  in  heaven  for  them,"  to  which 
they  were  "kept  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith;"  as  having 
"  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious ;"  as  "  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal 
priesthood,  a  holy  nation ;"  it  may  seem  strange  that  he  should  have 
thought  it  needful  to  caution  such  persons  against  exposing  them 
selves  to  the  penalties  which  the  law  denounces  against  theft  and 
murder,  or  even  to  the  minor  punishments  society  inflicts  on  the 
pragmatical  intermeddler. 

B  "  l  See  note  A. 

41 


642  DIRECTORY    UNDER    SUFFERINGS.  [DISC.   X3L. 

It  may  be  supposed  that  the  apostle  meant  not  so  much  to  warn 
those  to  whom  he  wrote  against  murder,  theft,  and  impertinent  intru 
sion  in  other  men's  matters,  as  against  affording  even  the  shadow  of 
an  occasion  for  their  being  punished  for  these  or  similar  crimes  and 
improprieties  by  their  enemies,  who  were  disposed  to  speak  evil  of 
them,  and  to  punish  them  as  malefactors.  "  By  well-doing  they  were 
to  seek  to  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men ;"  and  their 
conduct  was  to  be  so  harmless,  and  blameless,  and  circumspect,  that 
when  charged  before  the  tribunals  with  such  crimes,  their  adversa 
ries  should  find  it  impossible  to  substantiate  their  charge,  and  difficult 
even  to  give  anything  like  plausibility  to  it;  so  that  the  result  might 
be,  that,  instead  of  their  being  visited  with  the  shameful  punishment 
of  murderers  and  thieves,  "  they  who  speak  evil  of  them,  as  of  evil 
doers,  should  be  made  ashamed  of  falsely  accusing  their  good  con 
versation  in  Christ ;"  or  if  their  enemies,  as  they  often  did,  should, 
without  evidence  and  against  evidence,  proceed  to  punish  them,  that 
it  might  be  made  manifest  to  all  that  it  was  not  for  crimes  which 
might  be  alleged,  but  which  had  not,  could  not  be,  proved  against 
them,  but  simply  for  their  being  Christians,  that  they  were  punished. 

This,  however,  is  not  by  any  means  the  only  passage  in  which 
Christians  are  cautioned  against  very  gross  sins.  Exhortations  to 
Christians,  in  the  apostolic  epistles,  not  only  proceed  on  the  principle, 
that  there  were  false  professors  in  the  primitive  churches,  who  might 
discredit  their  profession  by  unholy  conduct,  but  on  the  principle,  that 
in  the  truly  converted  man,  that  is,  "  in  his  flesh,  dwelleth  no  good 
thing ;"  and  that,  but  for  the  restraining  influence  of  the  Spirit  and 
Providence  of  God,  there  is  scarcely  any  violation  of  the  Divine  law, 
into  which  remaining  depravity,  stimulated  into  active  operation  by 
powerful  temptation,  may  not  hurry  him.  To  use  the  words  of  an 
old  Scottish  expositor,  "  Except  Christians  employ  Christ's  Spirit  to 
apply  that  virtue  which  he  hath  purchased  by  his  death,  for  the 
changing  of  their  nature,  and  mortifying  of  the  love  of  sin  in  their 
hearts,  and  study  watchfulness  in  their  carriage,  they  will  readily 
break  out  in  those  abominations  for  which  even  heathens  would  justly 
put  them  to  suffer :  for  this  direction  of  the  apostle's  does  import, 
that  except  Christians  did  watch  and  pray,  and  make  use  of  Christ's 
death  for  mortification  of  sin  within  them,  to  which  duties  he  had 
stirred  them  up  before,  they  were  in  hazard  to  break  out  in  the  sins 
here  mentioned,  and  so  be  put  to  suffer  as  murderers,  thieves,  evil 
doers,  and  busy-bodies  in  other  men's  matters."  l 

These  practices,  referred  to  by  the  apostle,  were  shameful  in  them 
selves,  shameful  by  whomsoever  committed ;  but  it  is  obvious,  they 
were  peculiarly  shameful  in  Christians.  It  was  disgraceful  for  a 
heathen  to  suffer  for  such  causes ;  what,  then,  must  it  have  been  for  a 
Christian  thus  to  suffer  ?  Sin  is  hateful  in  every  man,  additionally 
hateful  in  a  professor  of  Christianity ;  nowhere  so  hateful  as  in  the 
heart  and  life  of  a  child  of  God.  It  is  not  wonderful  then  that  the 
apostle  should  say,  "  Let  none  of  you  suffer  as  a  murderer,  or  as  a 
thief,  or  as  an  evil-doer,  or  as  a  busy-body  in  other  men's  matters." 
By  exposing  himself  to  punishment  for  the  violation  of  the  laws,  a 

Nisbett 


PART  III.]  BE    NOT    ASHAMED    OF    THEM.  643 

Christian  would  draw  down  discredit,  not  only  on  his  own  character, 
but  on  the  Christian  cause,  giving  occasion  to  the  enemies  of  the 
Lord  to  blaspheme.  He  would  destroy  his  own  inward  peace,  and, 
by  making  shipwreck  of  character,  render  it  scarcely  possible  that  he 
should  ever  have  it  in  his  power  to  repair,  in  any  good  measure,  the 
injury  he  had  done  to  the  worthy  name.1 

It  ill  becomes  such  persons  to  complain  of  their  sufferings,  but  it 
well  becomes  them  to  be  ashamed  of  them,  and  especially  to  be 
ashamed  of  their  cause.  Nothing  is  more  deplorable  than  to  find  men 
bearing  the  name  of  Christ,  after  involving  themselves  in  suffering  by 
their  imprudence  and  sin,  exposing  themselves  to  the  penalties  of  the 
law,  or  drawing  down  odium  on  themselves  and  reproach  on  religion, 
by  their  conceited  ofHciousness  or  impertinent  intermeddling;  in 
stead  of  being  ashamed  of  their  conduct,  actually  taking  credit  for  it ; 
pleasing  themselves  with  the  thought  that  they  are  persecuted  for 
righteousness3  sake,  when  they  are  only  suffering  for  their  faults ;  and 
imputing  that  to  the  malice  of  their  enemies,  which  is  but  the  natural 
result  of  their  own  folly  and  wickedness.  It  becomes  such  persons  to 
blush  and  weep ;  to  retire  as  much  as  may  be  from  the  public  gaze, 
and  "  to  walk  softly  all  their  years." 

But  however  carefully  and  successfully  the  primitive  Christians 
might  avoid  all  such  disgraceful  sufferings,  discreditable  to  themselves 
and  injurious  to  their  religion ;  sufferings  they  were  not  likely  to  es 
cape,  sufferings  of  another  kind.  Though  they  should  violate  no  civil 
law  which  was  not  in  direct  opposition  to  the  Divine  law,  though 
they  should  "  live  quiet  and  peaceable  lives,"  minding  their  own  busi 
ness,  and  not  intermedling  with  what  did  not  concern  them  ;  and 
though  they  should  act  so  circumspectly  that  even  their  enemies, 
watching  for  their  halting,  could  find  nothing  which  they  could  plaus 
ibly  represent  as  a  violation  of  law,  or  an  undue  interference  with  the 
affairs  of  others,  yet  still  they  were  likely,  aye,  they  were  sure,  to 
meet  with  sufferings — it  might  be  very  severe  sufferings  ;  sufferings 
in  their  external  form  of  a  very  shameful  and  degrading  character — 
just  because  they  were  Christians  ;2  just  because  they  made  a  con 
sistent  profession  of  the  faith  of  Christ,  acknowledging  him  as  their 
teacher  and  Lord,  observing  his  institutions  and  obeying  his  laws. 
Though,  as  in  the  case  of  Daniel,  no  occasion  might  be  found  against 
them  on  other  grounds,  an  occasion  would  be  found  against  them 
"  concerning  the  law  of  their  God."  3 

Such  were  the  sufferings  inflicted  on  the  apostles  and  first  teachers 
and  professors  of  Christianity,  of  which  we  have  a  record  in  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles ;  sufferings,  for  the  infliction  of  which,  in  some  cases, 
no  cause  was  even  alleged  but  that  they  were  Christians  ;  and  in  oth 
ers  where,  though  other  causes  were  alleged,  this  was  indeed  the  true 
reason.  The  time  was  come  of  which  our  Lord  had  spoken,  when  his 
followers  were  to  be  "  hated  by  all  nations,"  4  both  by  the  Jews  and 
the  Gentiles,  "  for  his  name  sake,"  just  because  they  were  Christians. 
To  be  a  Christian,  was  a  sufficient  reason  with  the  Jews  why  a  man 
should  be  cast  out  of  the  synagogue ;  and  with  the  Romans,  why  he 

1  "  Martyrem  facit  non  pcena,  sed  causa." — AUGUSTI.V,  8  See  note  B. 

3  Dan.  vi.  5.  *  Matt.  xxiv.  9. 


644  DIRECTORY    UNDER    SUFFERINGS.  [DISC.  XX 

should  be  treated  as  a  criminal.  At  a  somewhat  later  period  we  find 
an  imperial  edict,  that  of  Trajan,  which  seems  to  have  been  intended 
rather  to  mitigate  the  severity  of  the  treatment  to  which  Christians, 
as  Christians,  had  been  exposed,  requiring  that,  though  Christians 
were  not  to  be  officially  sought  after,  such  as  were  accused  and  con 
victed  of  an  adherence  to  Christianity  were  to  be  put  to  death;1 
their  Christianity,  apart  from  everything  else,  being  considered  as  a 
capital  offence. 

And  if  thus,  as  Christians,  they  were  exposed  to  sufferings  so  serious 
in  the  shape  of  legal  inflictions,  it  is  quite  plain  that,  in  the  ordinary 
intercourse  of  life,  they  must  have  been  liable  to  an  endless  variety 
of  annoyances,  living  in  the  midst  of  men  who,  whether  Jews  or 
Heathens,  regarded  their  religion  with  sentiments  of  abhorrence  and 
contempt.  These  sufferings  were  in  many  cases,  in  their  own  nature, 
of  a  degrading  character.  Christians  were,  as  the  apostle  expresses 
it,  "  shamefully  entreated."  The  punishments  inflicted  were  such  as 
were  commonly  inflicted  on  the  vilest  criminals,  on  felons  and  slaves. 
Stripes  and  the  cross,  punishments  which  could  be  legally  inflicted 
on  no  Roman  citizen,  fell  to  the  lot  of  many  of  them,  from  the  hands 
of  the  magistrate ;  and  from  the  great  body  of  their  fellow-citizens 
they  received  "  cruel  mockings ;"  their  names  were  cast  out  as  evil, 
and  they  were  treated  by  them  "  as  the  filth  of  the  world  and  the  ofF- 
scouring  of  all  things."  2 

But  of  sufferings  of  this  kind,  however  ignominious  in  their  own 
character,  however  fitted  to  express  the  contempt  of  those  who  in 
flicted  them,  and  excite  the  shame  of  those  who  endured  them,  they 
were  not  to  be  ashamed.  They  were  not  to  count  them  really  dis 
honorable.  In  truth,  they  were  not.  The  most  ignominious  treat 
ment,  when  it  is  unmerited,  reflects  dishonor  not  on  him  who  inno 
cently  endures,  but  on  him  who  unjustly  inflicts  it.  To  profess  what 
we  believe  to  be  true,  and  to  do  what  we  believe  to  be  right,  to  refuse 
to  give  either  explicit  or  tacit  approbation  of  what  we  account  false 
and  wrong,  to  acknowledge  obligations  to  a  Divine  benefactor  for 
favors  of  inestimable  value,  in  the  manner  which  that  Divine  bene 
factor  enjoins,  can  never  be  dishonorable.  No  contumely,  poured  on 
Christians,  could  in  the  slightest  degree  affect  the  truth  or  excellence 
of  Christ's  doctrine  and  law ;  nor,  supposing  the  Divine  origin  of 
these,  could  such  calumnies  for  a  moment  occasion  any  reasonable 
doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  and  rectitude  of  the  conduct  of  those  who  had 
embraced  that  doctrine,  and  submitted  to  that  law.  The  disgrace 
plainly  lay  with  the  authors,  not  with  the  victims,  of  such  shameful 
oppression  and  cruelty.  The  persecutor,  not  the  persecuted,  had 
reason  to  be  ashamed  of  the  sufferings  inflicted  on  Christians,  as 
Christians. 

But  the  apostle  exhorts  the  persecuted  Christians,  not  only  not  to 
be  ashamed  of  such  sufferings,  but  to  "glorify  God  on  this  behalf." 
They  are  to  consider  these  ignominious  sufferings  as  indeed  an  honor 
and  a  privilege,  and  they  are  to  thank  God  for  them,  and  while  under 
them  to  act  such  a  part  as  will  glorify  him  ;  their  sense  of  the  honor 
done  to  them  being  expressed,  not  in  words  only,  but  in  cheerful  sub- 

1  Plinii  Epp.  ix.  97,  98  *  Heb.  xi.  36.     1  Cor.  iv.  13. 


PART  III.]  BE    NOT    ASHAMED    OP    THEM.  645 

mission  to  these  sufferings,  and  in  patient  and  heroic  endurance  of 
them.  They  are  to  reckon  it  a  proper  subject  of  thanksgiving,  that 
to  them  "it  is  given  on  behalf  of  Christ  Jesus,  not  only  to  believe  but 
to  suffer,  for  his  sake,"  and  to  "  rejoice  that  they  are  counted  worthy 
so  suffer  shame  for  his  name."  They  should  account  it  a  token  of 
the  confidence  reposed  in  them  by  their  Divine  leader,  when  he 
places  them,  as  it  were,  in  the  fore  ranks  in  the  battle,  and  calls  on 
them  to  "  suffer  great  things  for  his  name  sake."  They  should  rejoice 
in  the  opportunity  thus  given  them  of  showing  their  gratitude  to  him 
who  for  them  "  endured  the  cross  and  despised  the  shame ;"  who,  in 
the  cause  of  their  salvation,  "  gave  his  back  to  the  smiters,  and  his 
cheeks  to  them  that  plucked  off  the  hair,  hid  not  his  face  from  shame 
and  spitting,  but  set  his  face  as  a  flint,"  and  amid  all  contumelies 
"  held  fast  the  confidence  and  rejoicing  of  his  hope,"  that  he  should 
not  ultimately  be  ashamed.1 

They  should  be  thankful  for  these  sufferings  as  fitted  to  promote 
their  personal  spiritual  improvement,  both  in  holiness  and  in  comfort, 
such  "  tribulations  working  patience,"  that  is,  leading  to  perseverance, 
not  to  apostasy;  such  "patience  working  experience,"  that  is,  such 
perseverance  leading  to  proof,  both  of  the  reality  and  the  strength  of 
the  principles  of  the  new  life ;  and  such  "  experience  working  hope," 
such  proof  strengthening  the  hope  of  eternal  life,  by  showing,  that  it 
is  indeed  founded  on  the  gospel  really  believed,  and  will  prove  a  hope 
which  shall  never  make  ashamed.2  Well  may  Christians  glory  in 
such  tribulations ;  tribulations  fitted,  and  intended  to  have,  secured 
of  having,  such  glorious  results. 

Still  farther,  and  finally,  they  should  glorify  God  on  account  of 
such  sufferings,  because  their  tendency,  when  endured  in  the  right 
spirit,  was  greatly  to  advance  the  cause  of  Christ.  '  The  blood  of 
the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  church/  Persecution  very  generally 
falls  out  to  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel.  The  patient,  joyful  endur 
ance  of  most  cruel  and  contumelious  wrongs  by  Paul  and  Silas,  prob 
ably  was  highly  influential  in  producing  the  conversion  of  the  Philip- 
pian  jailer.  The  faith  and  patience  of  the  martyrs  amid  their  suffer 
ings,  more  impressively  than  all  their  eloquence,  declared  the  power 
of  Divine  grace,  and  the  efficacy  of  the  gospel ;  made  the  torturers 
ashamed,  and  induced  beholders  to  take  share  with  those  who  were 
tortured.  This  consideration  had  great  influence  on  Paul's  mind,  en 
abling  him  to  glory  in  his  sufferings  as  a  Christian,  and  to  glorify 
God  on  their  behalf  "  I  rejoice  in  my  sufferings  for  you,"  says  he  to 
the  Colossians,  "  and  fill  up  that  which  is  behind  of  the  afflictions  of 
Christ  in  my  flesh  for  his  body's  sake,  which  is  the  church  ;"  and  in 
the  Epistle  to  Timothy,  "I  endure"  patiently,  joyfully  suffer,  "all 
things  for  the  elect's  sake,  that  they  may  also  obtain  the  salvation 
that  is  in  Christ,  with  eternal  glory."  3 

Christians  in  every  country,  and  in  every  age,  are  bound  to  regu 
late  themselves  by  the  direction  we  have  been  endeavoring  to  illustrate. 
From  a  regard  to  the  honor  of  their  religion  and  their  Saviour,  they 
are  bound  carefully  t(?  avoid  everything  which  may  justly  bring  on 

1  Acts  v.  41.     Phil.  i.  29     Acts  ix.  16.    Heb.  xii.  2.     Isa.  1.  6,  7. 

a  Rom.  v.  3-5.  3  Col.  i.  24.     2  Tim.  ii.  10. 


646  DIRECTORY    UNDER    SUFFERINGS.  [DISC.  XX. 

them  contempt  or  punishment,  knowing  that  Christ  has  entrusted  the 
reputation  of  his  religion  to  their  care ;  and  that  its  character  is  so 
identified  with  theirs,  that  the  one  cannot  be  injured  without  affecting 
the  other  ;  while  at  the  same  time  they  are  never,  under  the  influence 
of  a  false  shame,  to  shrink  from  suffering  for  professing  the  faith,  and 
obeying  the  law,  of  their  Lord,  however  ignominious  a  form  that  suffer 
ing  may  wear,  ever  bearing  in  mind  his  impressive  declaration,  "  Who 
soever  shall  be  ashamed  of  me  and  my  words,  in  this  adulterous  and 
sinful  generation,  of  him  also  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  ashamed,  when 
he  cometh  in  the  glory  of  his  Father  with  the  holy  angels."  "  Who 
soever  shall  confess  me  before  men,  him  will  I  confess  before  my 
Father  and  the  holy  angels."  l  He  who  counts  these  faithful  sayings, 
will  not  be  ashamed  of  suffering  as  a  Christian.  He  will  be  disposed 
to  say  with  the  apostle,  "I  suffer  trouble  -as  an  evil-doer,  even  unto 
bonds ;  yet  I  am  not  ashamed — for  I  know  whom  I  have  believed, 
and  I  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  com 
mitted  to  him  against  that  day." 


IV.— PERSEVERING  IN  WELL-DOING,  COMMIT  YOUR  SOULS  TO 
GOD  UNDER  SUFFERINGS. 

The  last  direction  which  the  apostle  gives  to  persecuted  Christians 
is,  "  Persevering  in  well-doing,  commit  the  keeping  of  your  souls  to 
God  under  your  sufferings."  "For  the  time  is  come  when  judgment 
must  begin  at  the  house  of  God :  and  if  it  first  begin  at  us,  what  shall 
the  end  be  of  them  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of  God  ?  And  if  the 
righteous  scarcely  be  saved,  where  shall  the  ungodly  and  the  sinner 
appear  ?  Wherefore,  let  them  that  suffer  according  to  the  will  of 
God,  commit  the  keeping  of  their  souls  to  him,  as  to  a  faithful  Creator." 

A  careful  reader  will  see  that  these  three  verses  are  very  closely 
connected;  that  the  statements  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
verses  are  the  foundation  on  which  the  directions  in  the  nineteenth 
are  based,  or  the  motives  by  which  they  are  enforced.  The  state 
ment  is  twofold.  Severe  afflictions  are  awaiting  the  professors  of  the 
faith  of  Christ,  and  still  more  tremendous  evils  are  impending  over 
those  who  believe  not  the  gospel,  or  who  apostatize  from  the  faith. 
And  the  direction  is  twofold  also.  Commit  your  souls  to  God,  that 
ye  may  be  enabled  to  sustain  those  severe  afflictions ;  and  do  this  in 
well-doing,  in  a  constant  continuance  in  well-doing,  in  a  perseverance 
in  the  faith,  profession,  and  practice  of  Christianity,  that  you  may 
escape  those  tremendous  evils.  Such  seems  the  connection  of  the 
apostle's  thoughts. 

"  The  time  is  come  when  judgment  must  begin  at  the  house  of 
God  ;  a  time  in  which  the  righteous  shall  scarcely  be  saved  :  there 
fore  let  them  who  suffer  by  the  will  of  God,  commit  the  keeping  of 
their  souls  to  him  as  to  a  faithful  Creator."  The  "house  of  God,"  in 
Old  Testament  language,  would  signify  either  the  temple  of  Jerusalem ; 
or — understanding  the  word  figuratively  as  equivalent  to  family,  a 
sense  in  which  it  is  so  often  used — the  Israelitish  people.  In  the 

1  Matt.  x.  82.    Luke  xii.  8. 


PART  IV.]    COMMIT  YOUR  SOULS  TO  GOD  UNDER  THEM.          647 

language  of  the  New  Testament,  it  signifies  the  Christian  church, 
Christians.  "  Know  ye  not,"  says  the  apostle,  "  that  ye  are  the  temple 
of  God  ?"  "  His  house  are  we,  if  we  hold  fast  the  confidence  and  the 
rejoicing  of  the  hope  steadfast  to  the  end."  It  denotes  them  who  obey 
the  gospel  of  Christ,  as  contra-distinguished  from  the  unbelievers  or 
the  apostates,  who  do  not  obey  the  gospel  of  Christ.1  "  The  righteous" 
is  obviously  just  another  appellation  for  the  same  individuals,  and 
describes  their  character  as  opposed  to  the  wicked,  "  the  ungodly,  and 
the  sinner."  The  words  then  signify,  '  a  period  is  arrived,  or  is  just 
at  hand,  when  a  very  severe  trial  of  Christians,  a  trial  of  some  con 
tinuance,  is  about  to  commence  ;  when  judgment  or  rather  the  judg 
ment,2  shall  begin  at  the  house  of  God.'3 

There  seems  here  a  reference  to  a  particular  judgment  or  trial,  that 
the  primitive  Christians  had  reason  to  expect.  When  we  consider 
that  this  epistle  was  written  within  a  short  time  of  the  commence 
ment  of  that  awful  scene  of  judgment  which  terminated  in  the  destruc 
tion  of  the  ecclesiastical  and  civil  polity  of  the  Jews,  and  which  our 
Lord  had  so  minutely  predicted,  we  can  scarcely  doubt  of  the  refer 
ence  of  the  apostle's  expression.  After  having  specified  wars  arid 
rumors  of  wars,  famines,  pestilences,  and  earthquakes,  as  symptoms 
of  "  the  beginning  of  sorrows,"  our  Lord  adds,  "  Then  shall  they  de 
liver  you  up  to  be  afflicted,  and  shall  kill  you :  and  ye  shall  be  hated 
of  all  nations  for  my  name's  sake.  They  shall  deliver  you  up  to 
councils  and  to  synagogues,  and  ye  shall  be  beaten ;  and  ye  shall  be 
brought  before  rulers  and  kings  for  my  sake  :  Ye  shall  be  betrayed  both 
by  parents,  and  brethren,  and  kinsfolk,  and  friends  ;  and  some  of  you 
shall  they  cause  to  be  put  to  death.  And  then  many  shall  be  offended, 
and  shall  betray  one  another,  and  shall  hate  one  another.  And  many 
false  prophets  shall  rise,  and  deceive  many.  And  because  iniquity 
shall  abound,  the  love  of  many  shall  wax  cold  :  but  he  that  shall  en 
dure  to  the  end,  shall  be  saved.  Except  the  Lord  had  shortened 
those  days,  no  flesh  should  be  saved ;  but  for  the  elect's  sake,  whom 
he  hath  chosen,  he  hath  shortened  the  days/' 4 

This  is  the  judgment  which,  though  to  fall  most  heavily  on  the  holy 
land,  was  plainly  to  extend  to  wherever  Jews  and  Christians  were  to 
be  found,  "  for  where  the  carcass  was,  there  we're  the  eagles  to  be 
gathered  together ;"  which  was  to  begin  at  the  house  of  God,  and 
which  was  to  be  so  severe  that  the  "  righteous  should  scarcely,"  that 
is,  not  without  difficulty,  "  be  saved."  They  only  who  stood  the 
trial  should  be  saved,  and  many  would  not  stand  the  trial.  All  the 
truly  righteous  should  be  saved  ;  but  many  who  seemed  to  be  right 
eous,  many  who  thought  themselves  to  be  righteous,  would  not  endure 
to  the  end,  and  so  should  not  be  saved  ;  and  the  righteous  themselves 
should  be  saved,  not  without  much  struggle,  exertion,  suffering ;  "  saved 
as  by  fire."  Some  have  supposed  the  reference  to  be  to  the  Neronian 
persecutions,  which  by  a  few  years  preceded  the  calamities  connected 
with  the  Jewish  wars  and  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 

1  1  Cor.  iii.  16.     Heb.  iii.  6.  2  T<5  *(u>a. 

3  There  seems  here  an  allusion  to  Ezek.  ix.  6.     "  Slay  utterly  old  and  young — and 
begin  at  my  sanctuary? 

4  Matt.  xxiv.  9-13,  22. 


648  DIRECTORY    UNDER    SUFFERINGS.  [DISC.  XX. 

Now,  on  entering  on  this  scene  of  severe  trial,  they  who  were  to 
"  suffer  according  to  the  will  of  God" — a  phrase  marking  the  origin  of 
their  sufferings  rather  than  the  manner  in  which  they  were  sustained; 
nearly  equivalent  to,  '  on  account  of  the  Divine  will/  that  is,  on  ac 
count  of  their  doing  the  Divine  will — are  enjoined  to  "  commit  the 
keeping  of  their  souls  to  God,  as  to  a  faithful  Creator."  To  commit 
their  souls,  that  is,  themselves,  into  the  hands  of  God,  to  be  kept  by 
him,  is  just  under  a  deep  sense  of  their  own  incapacity  to  meet  and 
sustain  the  trial  in  a  way  glorifying  to  God  and  advantageous  to  them 
selves,  to  resign  themselves  entirely  to  the  guidance  of  God's  provi 
dence,  and  word,  and  Spirit,  in  the  expectation  that  he  will  make  their 
duty  obvious  to  them  in  circumstances  of  doubt  and  perplexity  ;  and, 
when  their  duty  is  made  plain  to  them,  enable  them  at  all  hazards  to 
perform  it,  trusting  not  to  their  own  understanding,  but  to  the  Divine 
wisdom ;  relying  not  on  their  own  energies,  but  on  the  power  of  God ; 
trusting  that  he  will  indeed  keep  that  which  they  commit  to  him ; 
protect  them  from  all  real  evil ;  allow  them  to  be  exposed  to  no  un 
necessary,  no  useless  suffering ;  lay  on  them  no  load  of  labor  or  suffer 
ing  which  he  will  not  enable  them  to  sustain  ;  "  not  suffer  them  to  be 
tried  above  what  they  are  able  to  bear,  but,  with  the  temptation,  give 
them  a  way  of  escape ;"  "  deliver  them  from  every  evil  work,  and 
preserve  them  unto  his  heavenly  kingdom."  1 

This  is  obviously  the  general  meaning;  but  there  is  something 
peculiar  and  emphatic  in  the  phrase,  "  Commit  the  keeping  of  your 
souls  to  him/'  They  were  to  commit  the  care  of  their  bodies,  their 
lives,  their  reputation,  their  property,  their  relations,  to  God,  with  a 
distinct  understanding  that  they  may  be  called  on  by  him  to  part  with 
them  all ;  and  well  pleased  to  part  with  them  all,  in  the  assurance  that 
their  souls  are  safe  in  his  keeping ;  safe  in  life,  safe  in  death,  safe  for 
ever;  "  bound  in  the  bundle  of  life  with  the  Lord  their  God."  2 

He  who  thus  commits  the  keeping  of  his  soul  to  God,  is  ready  for 
all  trials,  however  severe.  Such  a  person  will  be  "  anxious  about 
nothing  ;"  and  while  "  in  everything,  by  prayer  and  supplication,  he 
makes  his  requests  known  to  God,"  his  need  shall  be  supplied  accord 
ing  to  God's  glorious  riches  ;  and  "  the  peace  of  God  which  passeth 
all  understanding,  shall  keep  his  heart  and  mind  through  Christ  Jesus."  3 

The  persecuted  Christians  are  encouraged  thus  to  commit  the 
keeping  of  their  souls  to  God,  by  the  consideration  that  he  is  "  a 
faithful  Creator."  He  is  their  Creator.  He  not  only  is  the  "  Father 
of  their  spirits"  and  the  former  of  their  bodies,  as  he  is  of  the  spirits 
and  bodies  of  all  men,  but  He  has  "  of  his  own  will  begotten  them 
by  the  word  of  truth,  through  the  resurrection  of  Christ  Jesus  from 
the  dead,  so  that  they  are  a  kind  of  first-fruits  of  his  creatures."  They 
are  not  only  his  creatures,  but  his  "  new  creatures ;"  his  "  work 
manship  created  anew  unto  good  works."  *  To  whom  should  they 
commit  the  keeping  of  their  souls  but  to  him  ?  They  are  his  prop 
erty  ;  more  his  than  their  own.  He  is  able  to  take  care  of  them. 
He  who  made  them  can  preserve  them.  Conservation  does  not  re 
quire  greater  power  than  creation.  And  he  is  disposed  to  take  care 

1  2  Tim.  iv.  18.  2  1  Sam.  xxv.  29. 

3  Phil.  iv.  6,  7.  *  Heb.  xii.  9.    James  i.  18.     Eph.  ii.  10. 


PART  IV.]    COMMIT  YOl'R  SOULS  TO  GOD  UNDER  THEM.          649 

of  them.  He  hates  none  of  his  creatures  ;  he  loves  all  his  new  crea 
tures  with  a  peculiar,  an  unchangeable,  an  eternal  love.  Looking  at 
him  as  their  Creator,  they  may  well  be  persuaded  that  he  is  able  and 
that  he  is  willing  to  keep  that  which,  in  obedience  to  his  own  com 
mand,  they  have  committed  to  him. 

And  then  he  is  not  only  a  Creator,  but  "  a  faithful  Creator."  l  He 
is  faithful  to  fulfil  the  expectations  of  support  and  protection,  which 
the  very  relation  of  Creator  is  fitted  to  excite  in  the  mind  of  an  intel 
ligent  loyal  creature.  The  new  creature  cannot  but  have  an  expec 
tation,  that  he  who  has  given  it  true  life  will  preserve  it,  will  never  let 
it  perish.  This  is  an  instinct  of  the  new  nature ;  and  "  he  will  fulfil  the 
desire  of  them  that  fear  him,  he  also  will  hear  their  cry  and  save 
them."  "  The  Lord  preserveth  all  them  that  love  him."  Besides, 
he  has  given  to  them  as  his  creatures,  his  new  creatures,  "exceeding 
great  and  precious  promises."  We  will  quote  a  few  of  them  :  "  In 
six  troubles  God  shall  deliver  thee  ;  in  seven  no  evil  shall  touch  thee. 
He  shall  cover  thee  with  his  feathers,  and  under  his  wings  shalt  thou 
trust ;  he  shall  give  his  angels  charge  concerning  thee,  to  keep  thee 
in  all  thy  ways.  The  Lord  is  thy  keeper,  the  Lord  shall  preserve 
thee  from  all  evil,  the  Lord  shall  preserve  thy  soul.  When  thou 
passeth  through  the  waters  I  will  be  with  thee,  and  the  flood  shall 
not  overflow  thee  ;  when  thou  passest  through  the  fire  thou  shalt  not 
be  burnt,  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle  on  thee.  I  give  unto  my  sheep 
eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never  perish  ;  neither  shall  any  one  pluck 
them  out  of  my  Father's  hand.  Neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels, 
nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to 
come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  can  separate" 
those  created  anew  in  Christ  Jesus  "  from  the  love  of  God  which  is 
in  Christ  Jesus  their  Lord."  "  Faithful  is  he  who  hath  promised, 
who  also  will  do  it."  "He  is  not  a  man  that  he  should  lie,  nor 
the  son  of  man  that  he  should  repent.  Hath  he  said  it,  and  shall 
he  not  do  it  ?  Hath  he  promised  it,  and  shall  he  not  make  it  good  ?" 
"  All  these  promises  are  yea,  amen,  in  Christ  Jesus,  to  the  glory  of 
God  by  us."  2 

Nothing  but  this  committing  unreservedly  the  keeping  of  the  soul 
to  God  as  a  faithful  Creator,  could  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  case, 
and  fit  for  so  severe  and  complicated  a  trial.  This  only  would  enable 
the  persecuted  Christians  so  to  endure  the  trial  as  to  "  obtain  the 
crown  of  life  which  the  Lord  hath  promised  to  those  who  love  him." 

Connected  with  the  statement,  that  severe  trials  were  awaiting 
Christians,  the  apostle  makes  an  impressive  announcement  of  the 
dreadful  doom  of  "  those  who  obey  not  the  gospel  of  God."  The  be 
ginning  of  the  judgment  was  to  come  on  the  house  or  family  of  God ; 
the  end  of  it  on  them  who  obey  not  the  gospel  of  God.  The  first 
drops  were  to  fall  on  the  former,  the  collected  tempest  on  the  latter ; 
the  first  were  to  be  chastened,  severely  chastened,  but  on  the  last 
was  to  come  "  wrath  to  the  uttermost."  The  first  were  to  be  "saved 

1  "  The  relation  of  Creator  implies  omnipotent  love ;  the  attribute  of  faithful  eternal 
love  declared  in  his  promises." — BATES. 

2  Job  v.  19-25.      Psal.  xci.;  cxxi.  7,8.     Isa.  xliii.  2.     John  x.  28-30.     Rom.viii.  38,  39; 
1  Thess.  v.  24.    Num.  xxiii.  19.     2  Cor.  i.  20. 


650  DIRECTORY    UNDER    SUFFERINGS.  [DISC.  XX. 

as  by  fire,"  the  others  were  to  be  "destroyed  with  an  everlasting  de 
struction  ;"  the  one  getting  into  a  place  of  safety  with  difficulty,  the 
other  finding  no  place  of  shelter  from  the  "fiery  indignation  which 
was  to  devour  the  adversaries"  of  God.  This  is  more  strongly  ex 
pressed  in  the  interrogative  form  than  it  could  be  by  any  direct  affir 
mation.  "  What  shall  the  end  be  ?  Where  shall  they  appear  ?" 

It  may  be  right  to  remark  in  passing,  that  the  eighteenth  verse  is  a 
quotation  from  the  Greek  version  of  the  thirty-first  verse  of  the 
eleventh  chapter  of  the  book  of  Proverbs.  Our  English  version,  which 
is  an  accurate  rendering-  of  the  Hebrew  text,  gives  a  meaning,  which 
seems  at  first  altogether  different.  "  Behold,  the  righteous  shall  be 
recompensed  on  the  earth,  much  more  the  wicked  and  the  sinner." 
Though  these  words  may,  and  probably  do  mean,  'Even  really  good 
men  are  chastened  for  their  sins,  and,  if  so,  surely  the  wicked  and 
the  sinner  shall  be  punished  with  a  severity  suited  to  the  heinousness 
of  their  guilt,'  a  sentiment  not  materially  different  from  that  in  the 
passage  before  us  ;  at  the  same  time  this  does  seem  an  instance  in 
which  the  inspired  writer  merely  uses  the  words  of  the  Greek  transla 
tion  of  the  Scriptures,  as  the  vehicle  of  his  own  thoughts,  without 
any  particular  reference  to  their  meaning  and  bearing  in  the  place 
from  which  they  are  borrowed. 

If  we  have  not  misapprehended  altogether  the  meaning  of  this  par 
agraph,  the  direct  reference  in  these  words  is  to  the  tremendous  evils 
which  came  upon  the  Jewish  opposers  of  Christianity  very  soon  after 
these  words  were  written.  These  were  "  the  days  of  vengeance," 
days  in  which  there  was  "  such  affliction  as  has  not  been  from  the 
beginning  of  the  creation  which  God  created  till  that  time,  neither 
shall  be.'.'  L  Nor  are  we  called  to  limit  these  words  to  the  calamities 
which  befell  the  unbelieving  and  impenitent  Jews  in  their  own  land 
and  other  lands,  dreadful  as,  we  know  from  the  authentic  narrative 
of  their  own  historian  Josephus,  these  were.  These  to  them  were 
not  "  the  end"  of  the  judgment.  They  were  foreshadowing  symbols 
of  that  everlasting  destruction  in  the  world  to  come,  which  awaited 
them,  along  with  all  who,  like  them,  "  obey  not  the  gospsl  of  God  ;" 
but,  in  opposition  to  all  the  means  used  for  reclaiming  them,  continue 
ungodly  and  sinners. 

As  the  statement  concerning  the  severe  trial  to  which  Christians 
were  to  be  exposed  is  made  the  basis  of  the  exhortation,  "  Commit 
the  keeping  of  your  souls  to  God,  as  unto  a  faithful  Creator ;"  so  this 
statement  respecting  the  perdition  of  ungodly  men  seems  to  us  to  be 
the  basis  of  the  exhortation,  "  Commit  the  keeping  of  your  souls  to 
God  in  well-doing."  It  is  evident  that  "  to  suffer  for  well-doing"  as 
referred  to  at  the  twentieth  verse  of  the  second  chapter,  is  just  equiv 
alent  to  suffering  as  a  Christian,  suffering  on  account  of  the  consis 
tent  profession  of  the  faith  of  Christ.  And  the  "  constant  continu 
ance  in  well-doing,"  in  which  Christians  are  "  to  seek  for  glory,  honor, 
and  immortality,"  is  plainly  just  the  persevering  faith  of  the  doc 
trines  and  practice  of  the  duties  of  Christianity.  The  persecuted 
Christians  were  to  continue  in  well-doing.  They  had  done  well  in 
embracing  the  gospel,  denying  themselves,  and  becoming  followers  of 

1  Mark  xiii.  19. 


DISC.  XX.]  CONCLUSION.  65] 

Christ ;  and  they  must  persevere  in  doing  well,  by  holding  fast  their 
profession. 

Should  they  not  thus  persevere  in  well-doing,  but,  under  the  power 
of  terror  and  shame,  abandon  the  cause  of  Christ,  making  shipwreck 
of  faith  and  a  good  conscience,  they  would  make  a  miserable  ex 
change  of  circumstances.  They  must  in  this  case  take  their  place 
among  the  ungodly  and  sinners,  who  obey  not  the  gospel  of  God. 
However  severe  the  trials  of  Christians  may  be,  they  are  nothing  com 
pared  with  the  punishment  which  awaits  the  impenitent  and  unbe 
lieving.  Even  in  this  world,  some  of  the  apostates  of  that  age,  in 
seeking  to  escape  the  persecution  to  which  Christians  were  exposed, 
involved  themselves  in  still  more  dreadful  calamities.  They  who  in 
Jerusalem  remained  faithful  to  Christ,  following  his  command,  left  the 
doomed  city,  embracing  an  opportunity  very  wonderfully  offered  to 
them,  and  so  were  saved,  saved  with  difficulty ;  while  the  apostates 
continued,  and  perished  miserably  in  the  siege  and  sack  of  that 
city. 

In  the  times  of  the  severest  persecution,  it  is  men's  wisdom,  by 
embracing  the  gospel,  to  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  afflicted  people  of 
God.  That  is  the  only  way  of  escaping  evils  immeasurably  more 
dreadful  than  any  which  the  malignant  ingenuity  of  earth  or  hell  can 
inflict  on  the  saints ;  and  it  is  absolute  madness,  to  purchase  security 
from  persecution,  and  all  that  this  world  can  bestow,  at  the  price  of 
apostasy.  "  For  he  who  turns  back,  turns  back  to  perdition."  Since, 
then,  trials  so  severe  were  awaiting  the  church  of  God,  and  destruc 
tion  so  awful  was  impending  over  those  ungodly  men  and  sinners 
who,  either  by  impenitence  or  apostasy,  were  disobedient  to  the  gos 
pel  of  God,  how  appropriate  and  how  powerfully  enforced  the  in 
junction  of  the  apostle,  "  Wherefore,  let  them  that  suffer  according 
to  the  will  of  God  commit  the  keeping  of  their  souls  to  him  in  well 
doing,  as  to  a  faithful  Creator." 

The  two  injunctions  are  most  intimately  connected.  It  is  only  he 
who  is  continuing  in  well-doing,  that  in  the  day  of  severe  trial  can 
commit  the  keeping  of  his  soul  to  God,  as  to  a  faithful  Creator;  and 
it  is  only  he  who  commits  the  keeping  of  his  soul  to  God,  as  to  a 
faithful  Creator,  that  in  the  day  of  severe  trial  will  continue  in  well 
doing.  All  others  will  become  weary  in  well-doing  under  persecu 
tion;  and  silently  withdraw  from,  or  openly  renounce  connection 
with,  the  oppressed,  persecuted  church  of  Christ. 

There  are  two  general  principles  of  a  practical  kind,  and  of  very 
general  application,  naturally  suggested  by  what  we  have  said,  to 
which  I  would  call  your  attention  for  a  moment  before  we  conclude. 

They  who  obey  the  gospel  may  count  on  varied,  and,  it  may  be, 
severe  trials,  previously  to  their  obtaining  "  the  salvation  that  is  in 
Christ  with  eternal  glory ;"  and  they  who  obey  not  the  gospel  can 
reasonably  count  on  nothing  but  everlasting  perdition. 

They  who  obey  the  gospel  are  as  sure  of  salvation  as  the  love  and 
power,  the  faithfulness  and  wisdom,  of  God  can  make  them.  The 
righteous,  those  "justified  freely  by  God's  grace  through  the  redemp 
tion  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,"  those  sanctified  by  the  Spirit  through  the 


652  DIRECTORY    UNDER    SUFFERINGS.  [DISC.  XX. 

truth,  shall  certainly  be  saved.  When  it  is  said  they  are  "scarcely 
saved,"  the  reference  is  not  to  the  uncertainty  of  their  being  saved, 
but  to  the  difficulties  and  trials  they  may  experience  in  the  course  of 
their  being  saved.  All  Christians  are  not  tried  as  the  Christians  to 
whom  Peter  wrote,  the  Christians  at  the  close  of  the  Jewish  dispen 
sation  ;  but  all  Christians  meet  with  afflictions,  and  meet  with  afflic 
tions  because  they  are  Christians ;  all  suffer,  and  all  suffer  as  Chris 
tians.  We  must  never  think  ill  of  a  cause  merely  because  it  is  per 
secuted,  nor  indulge  dark  thoughts  respecting  the  spiritual  state  and 
prospects  of  men  merely  because  they  are  very  severely  afflicted. 
The  absence  of  trial  is  a  worse  sign  than  what  we  might  be  disposed 
to  think  the  excess  of  trial.  "  If  ye  were  without  chastisement,  of 
which  all  are  partakers,  then  were  ye  bastards,  and  not  sons." l  But 
it  is  not  exposure  to  trial,  it  is  the  endurance  of  trial,  in  "  a  patient 
continuance  in  well-doing,"  that  is  the  characteristic  mark  of  those 
who  obey  the  gospel  of  God.  Let  Christians,  then,  not  wonder  at 
their  trials,  however  severe.  Let  them  not  count  strange  even  the 
fiery  trial,  as  if  some  strange  thing  had  happened  to  them ;  and  let 
them  seek,  by  rightly  improving  their  trials,  to  convert  them  into 
proofs  of  saintship  and  means  of  salvation. 

They  who  obey  not  the  gospel  of  God  can  reasonably  count  on 
nothing  but  unmixed  misery,  everlasting  perdition.  "If  judgment 
begin  at  the  house  of  God,  what  shall  the  end  be  of  those  who  obey 
not  the  gospel  of  God  ?  and,  if  the  righteous  scarcely  be  saved,  where 
shall  the  ungodly  and  the  sinner  appear  ?"  These  words  most  strik 
ingly  bring  before  our  minds  both  the  severity  and  the  certainty  of 
the  punishment  which  awaits  the  wicked.  If  even  the  children  of 
God,  the  objects  of  his  peculiar  love,  are  severely  chastened  for  their 
faults  in  this  season  of  Divine  forbearance,  what  can  those  who  are 
the  objects  of  his  moral  disapprobation  and  judicial  displeasure  ex 
pect,  but  the  unmitigated  punishment  of  their  sin,  under  an  economy 
which  is  the  revelation  of  his  righteous  judgment,  where  justice  is  to 
have  free  course  and  to  be  glorified?  If  the  trials  to  which  the 
righteous  are  exposed  are  so  varied  and  severe,  that,  though  saved, 
they  are  "  saved  as  by  fire,"  saved  with  difficulty,  with  a  struggle, 
after  a  "  great  fight  of  affliction,"  what  shall  be  the  state  of  those  who 
are  not  to  be  saved  at  all — not  saved,  but  destroyed  with  an  everlast 
ing  destruction  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord  and  the  glory  of  his 
power  ?  If  even  children  are  so  severely  chastened,  how  shall  har 
dened  rebels  be  punished  ?  "  If  these  things  are  done  in  the  green 
tree,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry  ?"  Oh !  that  men  who  obey  not 
the  gospel  of  God  could  be  but  induced  to  lay  these  things  to  heart. 
If  they  continue  disobedient  to  the  gospel,  there  is  no  hope ;  for  there 
is  no  atoning  sacrifice,  no  sanctifying  Spirit,  no  salvation,  but  the 
sacrifice,  the  Spirit,  the  salvation  revealed  in  the  gospel. 

But  why  should  they  not  obey  this  gospel  ?  Is  it  not  "  a  faithful 
saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation  ?"  Oh !  why  will  they  reject 
the  counsel  of  Qod  against  themselves  ?  If  they  continue  to  reject 
this  counsel  of  peace  they  must  perish :  but  there  is  no  necessity  of 

1  Heb.  xii.  8. 


DISC.  XX.]  NOTES.  653 

rejecting  this  counsel  of  peace,  but  what  originates  in  their  own  un 
reasonable,  wicked  obstinacy. 

I  conclude,  in  words  full  of  comfort  to  the  first  of  those  classes 
of  whom  I  have  been  speaking,  and  full  of  terror  to  the  second.  May 
God  carry  them  home  with  power  to  the  hearts  of  both  !  "  The  Lord 
knoweth  how  to  deliver  the  godly  out  of  temptations,  and  to  reserve 
the  unjust  unto  the  day  of  judgment  to  be  punished."  "  The  Lord  is 
not  slack  concerning  his  declaration,  as  some  men  count  slackness ; 
but  he  is  long-suffering  to  us-ward,  not  willing  that  any  should  perish, 
but  that  all  should  come  unto  repentance."  "  He  that,  being  often 
reproved,  hardeneth  his  neck,  shall  suddenly  be  destroyed,  and  that 
without  remedy."  l 


NOTE  A.  p.  641. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  there  is  a  strange  disparity  between  "  the  busy-body,"  and 
"  the  thief,"  and  "  the  murderer."  It  is  an  ingenious  conjecture,  but  nothing  more,  of  Dr. 
Mangey,  that  a  very  early  transcriber  may  have  written  dXXoTptoeniffKOTros,  which  appears 
in  all  existing  manuscripts,  for  d\\oTpto£7riK\uiros,  "  a  purloiner  of  other  men's  property." 
There  is  more  weight  in  Bishop  Barrington's  suggestion — "  This  caution  probably  owed  ita 
origin  to  the  temper  and  conduct  of  the  Jews  at  this  period.  They  were  peculiarly  fond 
of  intermeddling  in  the  public  councils  and  concerns  of  other  bodies  of  men."  Josephus, 
de  Bell.  Jud.  lib.  ii.  c.  xviii.  §  7,  8,  gives  an  excellent  comment  on  this  apostolical  prohibi 
tion.  He  relates  that  his  countrymen,  "  needlessly  mixing  with  the  Greeks  assembled  at 
Alexandria  on  their  own  affairs,  and  acting  the  part  of  spies,  greatly  suffered  for  it."  This 
took  place  A.D.  66,  just  about  the  time  this  epistle  was  written. —  Vide  BOWYER'S  Conjec 
tures,  pp.  603,  4. 

NOTE  B.  p.  643. 

Christians  were  persecuted  just  because  they  were  Christians.  The  words  of  Tertullian 
are  remarkable: — "Non  scelus aliquod  in  causa,  sed  nomen  Christianus,  si  nullius  criminis 
reus,  nomen  valde  infestum."  Not  less  remarkable  are  the  words  of  Pliny  to  Trajan 
(Epistt.  x.  97) : — "  Cognitionibus  de  Christianis  interfui  nunquam  ;  ideo  nescio  quid  et  qua- 
tenus  aut  puniri  soleat,  aut  quseri.  Nee  mediocriter  hesitavi  an  nomen  ipsum,  etiamsifla- 
gitiis  careat,  an  flagitia  cohaerentia  nomini  puniantur.  Interim  in  iis  qui  ad  me  tanquam 
Christiani  deferebantur  hunc  sum  secutus  modurn.  Interrogavi  ipsos  an  essent  Christian!  ? 
Confitentes  iterum  et  tertio  interrogavi,  supplicium  minatus.  Perseverantes  duci  jussi ; 
neque  enim  dubitabam,  qualecunque  esset  quod  faterentur,  pervicaciam  certe  et  inflexi- 
bilem  obstinationem  debere  puniri.  Fuerant  alii  similis  amentiae,  quos,  quod  cives  Ro- 
mani  essent,  annotavi  in  urbem  remittendos."  "  It  seems,"  as  Lord  Hailes  observes,  "  that 
Pliny  did  not  know  what  inquiries  ought  to  have  been  made,  and  therefore  he  limited  his 
to  two  words, '  Christianus  es  ?'  It  required  but  other  two,  such  as  '  Ego  quidem,'  or  '  Ita 
sane,'  and  the  cause  was  judged  and  the  culprit  despatched  to  execution.  Blessed  era  in 
which,  without  any  captious  question  as  to  flaws  in  the  indictment,  exceptions  to  the  ver 
dict,  or  motion  for  arrest  of  judgment,  a  trial  for  life  might  be  begun,  carried  on,  and 
brought  to  a  comfortable  issue  by  the  pronouncing  of  about  twenty  letters !  and  what 
mighty  obligations  did  not  the  primitive  Christians  owe  to  their  equitable  and  intelligent 
judges,  who,  by  a  single  and  simple  interrogatory,  relieved  them  from  the  delays  and  sus 
pense  of  a  long  trial !" — Disquisitions  concerning  the  Antiquities  of  the  Christian  Church, 
chap.  iv.  p.  100. 

1  2  Pet.  ii.  9  ;  iii.  9.    Prov.  xxix.  1. 


DISCOURSE    XXL 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIANS  ENJOINED  AND 

ENFORCED. 

1  PET.  v.  1-5. — The  elders  which  are  among  you  I  exhort,  who  am  also  an  elder,  and  a 
witness  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  also  a  partaker  of  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed : 
feed  the  flock  of  God  which  is  among  you,  taking  the  oversight  thereof,  not  by  constraint, 
but  willingly  ;  not  for  filthy  lucre,  but  of  a  ready  mind  ;  neither  as  being  lords  over  God's 
heritage,  but  being  ensamples  to  the  flock  :  and  when  the  chief  Shepherd  shall  appear,  ye 
shall  receive  a  crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away.  Likewise,  ye  younger,  submit  your 
selves  unto  the  elder.  Yea,  all  of  you  be  subject  one  to  another,  and  be  clothed  with  hu 
mility  :  for  God  resisteth  the  proud,  and  giveth  grace  to  the  humble. 

IN  the  preceding  portions  of  this  epistle,  the  apostle  has  instructed 
those  to  whom  he  wrote  in  many  of  their  religious  and  moral  duties 
as  individuals,  and  also  in  many  of  their  duties  as  members  of  do 
mestic  and  civil  society.  In  the  paragraph  which  comes  now  before 
us,  he  writes  to  them  that  they  "  may  know  how  they  ought  to  be 
have  themselves  in  the  house  of  God."  He  gives  them  a  directory 
for  their  conduct  as  office-bearers  or  private  members  of  a  Christian 
church.  The  duties  of  office-bearers  in  the  church  to  those  commit 
ted  to  their  charge,  and  the  duties  of  the  members  of  the  church, 
both  to  their  office-bearers  and  to  each  other,  are  here  very  suc 
cinctly  stated,  and  very  powerfully  enforced. 

With  regard  to  the  office-bearers  of  the  church,  here  termed  "  the 
elders,"  the  whole  of  their  duty  is  represented  as  consisting  in  acting 
the  part  of  shepherds  and  overseers  of  that  portion  of  the  flock  or 
family  of  God  committed  to  their  care  ;  the  temper  or  disposition  in 
which  this  duty  must  be  discharged  is  described,  both  negatively  and 
positively,  "not  by  constraint,  nor  for  filthy  lucre,  not  as  lords  of 
God's  heritage/'  but  "willingly,  of  a  ready  mind,  as  ensamples  of 
the  flock  ;"  and  to  secure  a  conscientious  performance  of  this  duty, 
besides  employing  his  personal  influence  with  them,  as  being  himself 
"  also  an  elder,  and  a  witness  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  a  par 
taker  of  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed,"  the  apostle  turns  their 
attention  to  the  peculiar  character  of  the  church  as  "  the  flock,"  and 
"  heritage  of  God,"  and  to  the  rich  reward  which  shall  be  conferred 
on  the  faithful  under-shepherds  and  overseers,  by  the  chief  Shepherd 
and  Overseer  at  his  "  glorious  appearing,"  and  their  "  gathering  to 
gether  to  him." 

With  regard  to  the  members  of  the  church,  who,  with  a  reference, 
we  apprehend,  to  their  office-bearers  being  termed  "  elders,"  1  are  de- 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OP    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  655 

scribed  by  the  correlative  appellation  "younger,"1  or  juniors,  just 
as  if  the  office-bearers  had  been  termed  fathers,  they  would  have 
been  termed  children  ;  their  duty  to  their  office-bearers  is  described 
under  the  general  word,  "  submission." 

The  duty  of  all  connected  with  the  Christian  church,  whether  as 
officers  or  private  members,  is  enjoined  under  the  expression,  mutual 
subjection.  Humility  is  enjoined  as  necessary  in  order  to  the  right 
discharge  of  all  these  classes  of  duties ;  and  the  cultivation  of  this 
disposition,  so  requisite  to  the  prosperity  and  good  order  of  the  church, 
is  recommended  by  a  strong  statement,  couched  in  the  language  of 
Old  Testament  scripture,  of  the  peculiar  complacency  with  which 
God  regards  the  humble,  and  the  contemptuous  reprobation  with 
which  he  regards  the  proud.  Such  is  a  brief  analysis  of  the  para 
graph,  which  we  shall  find  of  use  in  guiding  our  thoughts  in  our  sub 
sequent  illustrations.  The  peculiar  duties  of  the  rulers  in  the  Chris 
tian  church,  the  peculiar  duties  of  the  members  of  the  Christian  church, 
and  the  duties  common  to  both, — these  are  the  important  topics  to 
which  in  the  sequel  your  attention  will  be  successively  directed. 


I—OF  THE  DUTIES  OF  THE  RULERS  IN  THE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH. 

And  first,  of  the  duties  of  the  rulers  in  the  Christian  church.  For 
the  right  illustration  of  this  part  of  our  subject,  it  will  be  requisite 
that  we  consider,  first,  the  appellation  here  given  to  those  who  rule  in 
the  Christian  church,  and  to  whom  that  appellation  properly  belongs ; 
secondly,  the  duty  which  they  are  required  to  perform ;  thirdly,  the 
manner  in  which  that  duty  ought  to  be  performed ;  and  lastly,  the 
motives  by  which  the  performance  of  this  duty  in  this  manner  is  en 
forced. 


CHAP.  I— THE  APPELLATION  HERE  GIVEN"  TO  THE  RULERS  IN  THE 
CHRISTIAN  CHURCH,  "ELDERS." 

§  I. —  The  origin  and  meaning  of  the  appellation. 

The  appellation  here  given  to  the  rulers  in  the  church,  those  who 
were  to  act  the  part  of  shepherds  to  it,  as  the  flock  of  God,  the  part 
of  overseers  to  it  as  the  family  of  God,  is  that  of  "elders,"  or  presby 
ters,  which  last  term  is  just  the  Greek  word  with  an  English  termi 
nation.  "  The  elders,  or  presbyters,  who  are  among  you,  I  exhort." 
The  word  in  its  literal  signification  describes  the  persons  to  whom  it 
is  given  as  of  comparatively  advanced  age.  As  rule  ought  to  be  com 
mitted  only  to  those  who  are  characterized  by  knowledge  and  wisdom  ; 
as,  in  ordinary  circumstances,  these  are  not  to  be  expected  in  a  high 
degree  in  very  young  persons,  since  both  qualifications  are  generally 
understood  to  be  of  somewhat  difficult  acquirement  and  slow  growth  ; 
as  in  the  simplest  form  of  human  governments,  the  domestic,  the  elder 
members  of  the  society  are  the  ruling  members  in  it ;  and  as,  where 
the  ruling  orders  in  civil  society  are  elective,  they  are  generally 


656  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

chosen  from  among  those  of  at  least  mature  age,  it  is  not  at  all  won 
derful  that  the  appellation,  primarily  significant  merely  of  superior 
age,  should  have  been  very  generally  employed  to  denote  superior 
dignity  and  authority.1  The  Hebrew  ordinary  civil  rulers  are  termed 
"  the  elders  of  Israel."  The  assembled  magistrates  of  Rome  were 
termed  the  senate  or  meeting  of  elders,  and  its  individual  members 
senators.  In  some  of  the  most  extensively  spoken  continental  lan 
guages,  the  title  expressive  of  dignity  and  rule,  and  which  we  would 
render  by  the  word  lord,  actually  signifies  just  elder ; 2  and  the 
English  term  "alderman,"  descriptive  of  municipal  authority  and 
power  in  many  cities,  is  just  an  antiquated  form  of  the  words  "  elder 
man." 

It  has  been  the  opinion  of  some  of  the  most  judicious  and  learned 
students  of  the  history  of  apostolical  and  primitive  Christianity,  that 
the  constitution  of  the  Christian  church  was,  under  apostolic  guidance, 
"  modelled  for  the  most  part  after  that  religious  community  with 
which  it  stood  in  the  closest  connection,  the  Jewish  synagogue  ;  such 
modifications,  however,  taking  place  as  were  required  by  the  nature 
and  design  of  the  Christian  community,  and  the  new  and  peculiar 
spirit  by  which  it  was  animated.  "3  In  this  case  it  would  have  been 
strange  if  the  designation  of  the  managers  of  the  affairs  of  the  Jew 
ish  Synagogue,  "  elders,"  had  not  been  transferred  to  the  superintend 
ents  of  the  Christian  church.  And  we  cease  to  wonder  that  we 
have  no  particular  account  of  the  formal  establishment  of  the  office 
of  elders,  it  being  very  probable,  that  the  existing  order  of  things  in 
ihe  synagogues  for  religious  instruction  and  discipline,  which  had 
been  originally  organized  by  inspired  men,  was  silently,  and  without 
the  formality  of  express  legislative  enactment,  transferred,  under  apos 
tolic  superintendence,  and  with  apostolic  sanction,  to  the  meetings  of 
the  disciples,  the  churches  of  Christ. 

With  the  exceptions  of  "  the  deacons,"  a  term  signifying  ministers 
or  servants,  who  obviously  as  deacons  had  no  part  in  the  government 
of  the  church,  "  the  elders"  appear  to  be  the  only  ordinary  set  of 
office-bearers  in  the  apostolic  and  primitive  churches.  In  an  in 
spired  account  of  the  constitution  of  the  Christian  church,  we  are  in 
formed,  when  her  only  Lord  and  King  ascended  on  high,  "  he  gave," 
that  is,  he  appointed,  and  qualified,  and  commissioned,  "  some  apos 
tles,  and  some  prophets,  and  some  evangelists,  and  some  pastors  and 
teachers,  for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  minis 
try,  for  the  edification  of  the  body  of  Christ."  4  The  office  of  the 
apostles  was  altogether  peculiar,  and  they  who  filled  it  were  intended 
for  the  benefit  of  the  church  in  all  ages.  They  were  the  accredited 
messengers  of  Christ.  They  had  his  mind.5  He  spake  by  them,  and 
wrought  by  them ;  and  though  they  had  long  left  this  world,  in  their 
inspired  writings  they  are  still  in  the  church,  according  to  the  pro 
mise  of  their  Lord,  "sitting  on  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of 

0y  IJLOVOI  rr\v  TTOOJ  TO  ov  nisiv  CLVTM  papTvpoijaiv  ol  ^pijfft//o«,  T/?J/  /?a<7iAi(Ja  rdv  dpcrwv  dX\a  KO.I 
KOUTOV  dvrdv  djri^rjvav  rp£ff/3vTCpov. — Toi>  di  Qpovfiasws  Kal  ffor/>fa?,  r/}f  irpas  TOV  Qcov  /rt'arEwj  cpaa&lvra. 
\iyoi  Tif  av  ivSiicus  tlvai  irpeafivrepov  Trapuvvjioiivra  rrw  rpwrw.  PlIILO.  TIpKafivrtpfivg  merito  et 

sapientia  dici,  non  rebate.     ISIDOR.  HISPALENS.  CARPZOV.  Sac.  Ex.  in  Ep.  ad  Heb.  p.  500. 

Seftor,  seigneur,  of  which  our  own  respectful  compellation  "  Sir"  is  a  contraction. 
*  Vitringo,  Whately,  Neamler.  4  Eph.  iv.  11,  12.  B  2  Cor.  ii.  16. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  657 

the  spiritual  Israel ;"  and  in  the  same  writings  they  are  still  "  going 
into  all  the  world,  proclaiming  the  gospel  ;"  and  their  Lord  by  his 
Spirit  is  with  them,  and  will  continue  to  be  with  them  till  the 
end  of  the  world.  The  prophets  necessarily  disappeared  when  the 
prophetic  spirit  was  withdrawn.  The  evangelists  seem  not  to  have 
been  properly  office-bearers  in  the  church,  but  messengers  from  the 
church  to  the  world  lying  under  the  wicked  one  ;  and  the  missionary, 
in  the  later  ages  of  the  church,  seems  to  fill  a  place  similar  to  that 
occupied  by  the  evangelist  in  the  primitive  age.  The  pastors  and 
teachers,  which  terms  do  not  seem  to  denote  two  distinct  classes  of 
men,  but  two  functions  of  the  same  general  class,  appear  to  be  the 
only  permanent  ordinary  office-bearers  appointed  for  the  putting  and 
keeping  in  fit  order,  for  that  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  rendered 
"  perfecting  the  saints,"  those  sanctified  in  Christ  Jesus ;  called  to  be 
saints,  the  disciples,  the  brethren ;  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for 
the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ ;  and,  as  we  shall  see  by  and  by, 
these  pastors  and  teachers  were  just  the  same  persons  who  are  here 
called  elders.1 

In  another  inspired  account  by  the  same  apostle  of  the  constitution 
of  the  Christian  church,  we  are  informed  that  "  God  hath  set  some 
in  the  church, — first,  apostles ;  secondarily,  prophets  ;  thirdly,  teach 
ers  ;  after  that  miracles :  then  gifts  of  healing,  helps,  governments, 
diversities  of  tongues."  a  Here  it  is  plain  that  the  apostles,  the  pro 
phets,  the  workers  of  miracles  of  various  kinds,  do  not  belong  to  the 
permanent  order  of  the  church.  Fact  has  decided  that  question. 
"  Helps/'  or  helpers,  seem  plainly  the  deacons ;  while  the  teachers 
and  the  governments  are  just  the  same  class  of  persons  as  the  pas 
tors  and  teachers,  their  two  different  functions  of  instruction  and  rule 
being  mentioned  in  an  inverse  order  in  the  two  cases. 

As  this  order  of  men  received  the  appellation  of  elders  on  the 
same  ground  as  rulers  have  generally  been  designated  by  some  such 
title,3  and  as  occupying  in  the  church  materially  the  same  place  as 
the  Jewish  elders  did  in  the  synagogue  ;  so,  from  the  great  design  of 
their  appointment,  they  are  not  unfrequently  termed  bishops,  which 
is  an  anglicised  Greek  word,  disguised  in  this  way  in  our  version  of 
the  New  Testament,  there  is  reason  to  believe,  to  serve  a  purpose,  and 
an  unworthy  one,  but  which  means  neither  more  nor  less  than  our 
English  word  "  overseers ;"  by  which  word  indeed,  to  serve  a  pur 
pose  too,  and  the  same  one,  it  is  in  one  or  two  cases  rendered.  That 
the  only  bishops  known  in  the  New  Testament  are  the  same  class  of 
persons  who  are  termed  elders,  may  be  made  very  plain  in  a  very 
few  words.  Paul,  on  his  journey  from  Macedonia  to  Jerusalem, 
sent  from  Miletus,  and  called  the  elders  of  Ephesus  :  and,  when  these 
elders  had  come,  he  exhorted  them  to  "  take  heed  to  all  the  flock  over 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  had  made  them  overseers,  bishops."  Paul, 

1  It  is  by  no  means  meant  to  throw  any  doubt  on  the  permanence  of  the  order  of 
deacons.  The  obviously,  however,  were  not  intended  to  be  "  rulers"  in  the  church. 

a  1  Cor.  xii.  28. 

3  Hpeffforrpos,  id  est,  senior,  est  nomen  quod  tribuitur  Ministria  Ecclesiae,  sive  quia  olim 
Ministri  Ecclesue  plerumque  deligebantur,  qui  jam  essent  grandioris  ietatis :  sive  potius 
quia  Ministri  Ecclesiae  moribus  senes  referre  debent,  iisque  is  tribuendus  honor,  qui  senibus 
tribui  solet ;  ita  igitur  nomen  non  est  letatis  sed  officii  et  dignitatis. — SUICER. 

42 


658  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

writing  to  Titus,  states,  that  he  had  left  him  in  Crete,  to  ordain  elders 
in  every  city.  He  enumerates  the  qualifications  of  an  elder,  and  then 
adds,  "vfor  a  bishop,"  or  overseer,  "must  be  blameless,"  &C.1  If 
this  does  not  identify  the  bishop  with  the  elder,  what  can  do  it  ?  Sup 
pose  a  law  pointing  out  the  qualifications  of  a  sheriff*  were  to  say  — 
A  sheriff  must  be  a  man  of  good  character,  great  activity,  and  reso 
lute  spirit,  for  it  is  highly  necessary  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  county 
should  be  of  unspotted  reputation,  would  it  be  possible  to  come  to 
any  other  conclusion  than  that,  in  the  eye  of  the  legislature,  the  sher- 
riff  and  the  first  magistrate  of  the  county  were  just  two  names  for 
the  same  officer  ?  How  inconsistent  would  it  be  to  say  to  a  captain 
—  In  appointing  sergeants  you  must  appoint  only  men  of  such  quali 
fications,  specifying  them,  and  then  add,  for  these  are  the  proper 
qualifications  for  a  general  or  a  field-marshal  ?  But  we  need  not  go 
farther  than  the  text  in  search  of  the  identification  of  the  Christian 
elder,  and  the  apostolic  bishop,  and  the  apostolic  pastor.  "  The 
elders  I  exhort  :  Act  the  part  of  pastors  to  the  flock  ;  shepherd 
them,  acting  the  part  of  bishops,  or  overseers."  2  The  elders,  in 
other  words,  are  exhorted  to  act  the  part  of  good  pastors,  good 
bishops. 

The  whole  care  of  a  Christian  church  as  a  spiritual  society,  in 
cluding  instruction,  superintendence,  and  discipline,  was  committed 
to  these  elders,  though  it  is  very  probable  that  in  the  primitive. 
churches,  as  among  us,  there  were  authorized  public  teachers  \vho 
were  not  elders,  and  had  no  share  in  the  management  of  any 
church. 

It  is  plain  there  was  a  plurality  of  such  elders  in  every  church. 
These  formed  the  eldership  or  presbytery  of  that  church.  In  the 
church  of  Jerusalem,  when  met  for  government,  we  find  just  the 
apostles,  extraordinary  officers,  the  elders,  ordinary  officers,  and  the 
brethren  or  church  members  who  listened  to  their  deliberations,  and 
to  whom  their  decision  seemed  good.  We  know  there  were  deacons 
in  that  church  ;  but  their  office  was  not  rule,  and  therefore  they  are 
not  named.  The  church  of  Philippi,  which  was  set  in  order  by  the 
apostle,  was  composed  of  "  the  saints  in  Christ  Jesus,"  the  private 
members;  "the  bishops,"  overseers;  elders,  who  ruled;  and  "the 
deacons,"  who  served.3 

While  the  entire  spiritual  charge  of  the  church  was  committed  to 
the  presbytery  or  meeting  of  elders,  what  we  are  in  the  habit  of  call 
ing  the  session,  there  is  evidence,  not  that  the  elders  were  divided 
into  a  pastor  or  pastors  who  only  taught,  and  bishops  who  ruled  ; 
but  that,  while  all  the  elders  severally  and  in  a  body  superintended 
and  ruled,  there  were  some  of  these  elders  "  who  labored  in  word, 
and  doctrine,"  devoting  themselves  chiefly  to  the  exposition  and  en 
forcement  of  the  doctrine  and  law  of  our  Lord  Jesus. 

It  is  comparatively  a  modern,  at  any  rate  it  is  not  a  New  Testa- 


1  Acts  XX.  17,  28  ;  Tit.  i.  5-7.  'En-et^/  \avBavsi  rovj  TroAXoik  fj  crvvfjdeia, 
SiaQfiKiiSj  roijs  iirwKOTTovs  *pc<r/?vr£f>(n»ff  ovupagovaa,  KOL  rot>?  TrpsaSvTepovs  ct 
ToSro  ii>Tcij9cv  (Acts  XX.  17,  28)  *ai  IK  rf/f  Trpdf  TITOV  moroXifo  ical  CK  rrjs  *po$  Tip6Beov  Trpurt]g.-— 
HpSffj3vT6povs  Kal  rovj  ETIC-KO'TOVS  «c«i  b  TUV  TTpafcuv  /?i/?Xoj  olds  \eyoptvovs.  —  In  hunc  loc.— 
CECUMENIUS. 

8  Hoipdvars  —  iiticKQirovvr^.  Phil,  i  1. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    DF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  659 

ment  usage,  to  apply  the  term  "  pastor"  exclusively  to  those  teach 
ing  elders,  that  term  naturally  expressing  the  whole  work  of  the 
Christian  eldership;  and,  like  the  kindred  term  "bishop,"  being  given 
in  the  New  Testament  to  Christian  elders  indiscriminately.  But  that 
such  a  distinction  as  that  between  elders  who  taught  and  ruled,  and 
elders  who  only  ruled,  existed  from  the  beginning,  is  made  probable 
by  the  reasonableness  and  almost  necessity  of  the  arrangement,  and 
its  obvious  tendency  to  secure  the  gaining  in  the  best  \vay  and  in 
the  greatest  degree  the  ends  of  the  Christian  eldership  ;  and  appears 
to  me  proved  by  the  passage  in  the  First  Epistle  to  Timothy,  v.  17, 
of  which,  after  all  that  has  been  said  for  the  purpose  of  reconciling 
it  to  the  episcopal  or  independent  order  of  church  polity,  I  am  dis 
posed  to  say,  with  Dr.  Owen,  that  "  on  the  first  proposal  of  this  text, 
that  '  the  elders  who  rule  well  are  worthy  of  double  honors,  espe 
cially  those  who  labor  in  word  and  doctrine,5  a  rational  man  who  is 
unprejudiced,  who  never  heard  of  the  controversy  about  ruling  elders, 
can  hardly  avoid  an  apprehension  that  there  are  two  sorts  of 
elders ;  some  of  whom  labor  in  word  and  doctrine,  and  some  who 
do  not  so." 

§  2. — Qualifications  of  Christian  elders. 

With  regard  to  the  qualifications  which  are  necessary  for  filling 
the  office  of  a  Christian  elder,  we  have  full  information  in  the  epistles 
of  Paul  to  Timothy  and  Titus.  "  This  is  a  true  saying/'  says  he,  in 
his  First  Epistle  to  Timothy,  iii.  1,  "  If  a  man  desire  the  office  of  a 
bishop,"  an  overseer,  an  elder,  in  the  Christian  church,  "  he  desireth 
a  good  work.  A  bishop  then  must  be  blameless,  the  husband  of  one 
wife,  vigilant,  sober,  of  good  behavior,  given  to  hospitality,  apt  to 
teach ;  not  given  to  wine,  no  striker,  not  greedy  of  filthy  lucre ;  but 
patient,  not  a  broiler,  not  covetous ;  one  that  ruleth  well  his  own 
house,  having  his  children  in  subjection  with  all  gravity ;  for  if  a 
man  know  not  how  to  rule  his  own  family,  how  shall  he  take  care  of 
the  house,"  the  family,  "  of  God  ?  Not  a  novice,"  a  late  convert,  "  lest 
being  lifted  up  with  pride,  he  fall  into  the  condemnation  of  the  devil. 
Moreover,  he  must  have  a  good  report  of  those  who  are  without ;  lest 
he  fall  into  reproach  and  the  snare  of  the  devil."  "  Ordain  elders," 
says  he  to  Titus,  "  in  every  city,  as  I  had  appointed  thee.  If  any  be 
blameless,  the  husband  of  one  wife,  having  faithful  children,  not  ac 
cused  of  riot,  or  unruly.  For  a  bishop  must  be  blameless,  as  the 
steward  of  God ;  not  self-willed,  not  soon  angry,  not  given  to  wine, 
no  striker,  not  given  to  filthy  lucre ;  but  a  lover  of  hospitality,  a  lover 
of  good  men,  just,  holy,  temperate ;  holding  fast  the  faithful  word  as 
he  hath  been  taught,  that  he  may  be  able  by  sound  doctrine  both  to 
exhort  and  to  convince  gainsayers."  These  are  qualifications  which 
are  requisite  in  all  elders,  though  some  of  them  may  be  required  in 
a  higher  degree  in  those  who,  are  called  to  labor  in  word  and 
doctrine. 

§  3. — Of  the  manner  in  which  Elders  were  invested  with  office. 

With  regard  to  the  manner  in  which  the  elders  were  invested  with 
these  offices  in  the  apostolic  church,  we  have  comparatively  little  in- 


660  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

formation.  We  know  that  Paul  and  Barnabas  ordained  elders*  in 
every  church  which  was  gathered  by  their  ministry ;  and  that  Titus 
was  enjoined  by  Paul  to  ordain  elders  in  every  city  where  the  gospel 
had  taken  root.  But  we  should  undoubtedly  err,  were  we  concluding 
that  these  offices  were  appointed  by  the  apostles  or  evangelists,  what 
ever  their  authority  might  be,  without  consulting  the  brethren.  When 
we  reflect  on  the  nature  and  design  of  a  Christian  church,  and  take 
into  consideration  the  probable  method  of  electing  an  apostle  in  room 
of  Judas,  and  the  distinctly  recorded  facts  respecting  the  election  of 
the  deacons,  we  cannot  doubt  that  the  elders  were  elected  by  the 
brethren  from  among  themselves,  and  presented  by  them  to  the  apos 
tles,  evangelists,  or  other  church  rulers,  who,  with  fasting,  prayer, 
and  laying  on  of  hands,  solemnly  set  them  apart  to  the  discharge  of 
the  functions  of  the  office  to  which  they  had  been  chosen ;  thus,  in 
the  most  impressive  way,  intimating  their  conviction  of  their  fitness 
for  the  office,  and  their  cordial  acknowledgment  of  them  as  fellow- 
laborers,  and  commending  them  to  the  special  care  and  blessing  of 
their  common  Lord.  So  much  for  the  elders  to  whom  the  apostle 
here  addresses  so  solemn  and  affectionate  an  exhortation. 


CHAP  II— OF  THE  DUTIES  OF  CHRISTIAN  ELDERS. 

§  1. — Of  the  figurative  terms  in  which  these  duties  are  described, 
acting  the  part  of  a  shepherd  and  an  overseer. 

Let  us  now,  in  the  second  place,  attend  to  the  duty  which  is  here 
enjoined  on  these  elders.  They  are  enjoined  to  "  feed  the  flock  of 
God,  and  to  take  the  oversight  of  it."  The  two  words  employed  to 
describe  the  elder's  duty,  are  suited  to  the  two  figurative  representa 
tions  here  given  us  of  the  objects  of  their  care.  If  viewed  as  the 
flock  of  God,  they  are  to  feed,  or  rather,  as  the  word  properly  signi 
fies,  they  are  to  act  the  part  of  shepherds  to  them.  If  viewed  as  the 
property  of  God,  or  the  family  of  God,  they  are  to  act  the  part  of 
overseers  in  reference  to  them.  The  Israelitish  people  are  often  in 
Scripture  termed  the  flock  of  God,  and  their  rulers  appointed  by  him, 
their  shepherds ;  they  are  represented  also  as  the  peculiar  property 
and  as  the  family  of  God,  and  their  rulers  as  overseers,  tutors,  go 
vernors,  appointed  by  the  Father.  The  Christian  church  is  the  anti 
type  of  the  Israelitish  people.  The  whole  body  of  believers  are  the 
flock  of  God,  the  property  of  God,  the  family  of  God ;  for  in  the  new 
economy  all  things  are  of  God  by  Christ  Jesus.  We  are  Christ's, 
Christ  is  God's.  Jesus  Christ  who  laid  down  his  life  for  the  sheep,  is 
the  Great  Shepherd,  the  Chief  Shepherd,  whose  own  the  sheep  are. 
To  him  is  committed  the  care  of  the  property  which  was  purchased, 
redeemed  to  God,  by  his  blood ;  and  he,  as  the  Son,  is  intrusted  with 
the  management  of  the  whole  family  called  by  his  name.  He  is  the 
shepherd,  and  bishop  or  overseer,  of  their  souls.1  Christian  elders  are 
here  represented  as  under-shepherds,  subordinate  overseers  ;  and  their 
1  John  x.  11-14.  Heb.  iii.  6.  1  Pet.  ii.  25. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  661 

duty  to  that  portion  of  the  flock  of  God  committed  to  their  care,  is 
what  the  apostle  here  refers  to. 

It  has,  I  believe,  been  very  generally  supposed  by  interpreters,  that 
the  expression  rendered  "  feed"  refers  solely  to  instruction ;  and  that 
rendered  by  "  taking  oversight"  to  discipline  and  government.  If  the 
term  "  feed"  adequately  represented  the  force  of  the  original  term, 
there  might  be  a  good  deal  said  for  this  mode  of  interpretation ;  for, 
no  doubt,  knowledge  is  mental  food,  and  instruction  is  spiritual  feed 
ing  ;  but  the  truth  is,  the  word  signifies,  generally,  act  the  part,  dis 
charge  the  duty,  of  a  shepherd,  and  is  ordinarily,  when  used  in  a 
figurative  sense,  significant  of  ruling,  being  applied  to  kings.1  To 
procure  and  administer  food  to  the  flock  is  an  important  part  of  the 
shepherd's  duty,  but  it  is  not  his  only  duty ;  he  must  strengthen  the 
diseased  and  heal  the  sick,  and  bind  up  the  broken,  aud  bring  again 
that  which  was  driven  away,  and  seek  that  which  was  lost.  He  must 
go  before  them,  and  guide  them,  and  govern  them.  The  whole  duties 
of  the  Christian  eldership  are  included  in  shepherding  the  flock ;  and 
equally  extensive  is  the  other  figurative  representation  of  the  elder 
superintending,  that  is,  taking  care  of.  If  it  refer  to  property,  how 
can  such  a  property,  consisting  of  immortal  minds,  be  taken  care  of? 
Must  not  instruction,  putting  them  in  the  way  of  taking  care  of  them 
selves,  be  a  part  of  the  overseer's  work  ?  and,  if  it  refer  to  a  family, 
must  not  the  good  steward,  tutor,  and  overseer;  the  ruler  over  his 
master's  family,  not  merely  superintend  the  conduct  of  the  house 
hold,  keep  them  at  their  proper  work,  out  of  mischief,  away  from 
danger,  but  "  give  to  every  one  his  portion  of  meat  in  due  season  ?" 2 
The  first  term  does  not,  then,  exclusively  refer  to  instruction ;  nor  the 
second  to  superintendence  and  government.  They  are  two  figurative 
representations,  each  of  them  embracing  the  whole  compass  of  the 
duty  of  the  eldership  of  a  Christian  church. 

§  2. — Of  the  duties  themselves. 

The  whole  of  the  duties  of  the  Christian  eldership  do,  howevei, 
naturally  enough  range  themselves  under  the  two  heads  of  instruction 
and  discipline,  or  superintendence  and  government,  and  to  these  in 
their  order  I  wish  very  briefly  to  call  your  attention. 

(1.)   Instruction. 

First,  then,  Christian  elders  are  to  act  the  part  of  -shepherds  and 
overseers  to  those  under  their  care,  by  providing  and  administering 
instruction  to  them.  It  is  an  important  part  of  the  shepherd's  duty 
to  find  wholesome  nourishing  pasture  for  his  flock.  It  is  an  important 
part  of  the  duty  of  the  overseer  "of  the  family  to  see,  that  every  mem 
ber  of  it  be  furnished  with  a  sufficient  portion  of  suitable  food.  "  The 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,"  the  doctrine  and  the  law  of  Christ,  serve  in 

1  Hoifiaivu  is  a  word  much  more  comprehensive  in  its  meaning  than  #<5o-*&>.    TLoi^v  is 
applied  to  Kings,  Eurip.  Phoen.   1157.     Horn.  II.  i.   263.     Xen.  Mem.  iii  1,  2.     Vide 
Casauboni  Exercitt.  Anti-Baron,  xvi.  §  133,  Xpiordf  roi^f,  Sri  fytas  j^pei. — CHRYSOSTOM. 

2  Luke  xii.  42. 


662  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.   XXI. 

the  spiritual  economy  a  purpose  analogous  to  that  which  food  does  in 
the  animal  economy.  Suitable  wholesome  food  must  be  eaten  and 
digested,  in  order  to  health  and  bodily  growth,  and,  indeed,  to  the 
continuance  of  animal  life  ;  and  Divine  truth  must  be  understood  and 
believed,  and  thus  become  influential  on  the  intellect,  and  conscience, 
and  affections,  in  order  to  the  continuance  of  spiritual  life,  and  to  the 
healthy  exercise  of  the  functions  of  the  new  creature.  The  private 
members  of  the  church,  as  well  as  the  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ,  are 
"  nourished  up  by  the  words  of  faith  and  good  doctrine/'  whereunto 
they  attain  ;  and  the  "  new-born  babes  grow"  by  "  the  sincere  milk  of 
the  word,"  which  the  instincts  of  their  new  nature  lead  them  to 
desire. 

Regularly  and  effectually  to  meet  this  exigence  is  one  leading  ob 
ject  of  the  Christian  eldership ;  and  where  suitable  provision  is  not 
made  for  securing  the  growing  intelligence  of  the  members  of  a 
Christian  church,  there  must  be,  on  the  part  of  the  eldership,  most 
blameable  neglect  of  duty.  When  the  disciples  come  together  on  the 
first  day  of  the  week  to  observe  the  ordinances,  the  ordinance  of 
"doctrine"  or  teaching  must  be  attended  to;  and  the  assembled 
brethren  must  be  taught  to  hold  fast  and  observe  all  things,  whether 
doctrine,  law,  or  institution,  which  the  Lord  has  commanded  them. 
On  these  occasions,  the  elders  who  labor  in  word  and  doctrine  should 
be  prepared,  after  close  study  and  fervent  prayer,  to  present  to  their 
brethren  a  clear  and  impressive  exhibition  of  the  meaning,  evidence, 
and  practical  bearing  of  some  of  our  Lord's  doctrines,  or  a  perspicu 
ous  and  practical  explanation  and  enforcement  of  some  of  our  Lord's 
laws,  having  a  reference  to  what  they  know  to  be  the  necessities  and 
capacities  of  their  audience,  taking  care  not  to  confine  themselves  to 
a  few  topics  to  descant  on  which  may  be  peculiarly  easy  to  them 
selves,  and  palatable  to  their  hearers,  but  endeavoring,  as  much  as 
possible,  to  bring  out  in  the  course  of  these  exercises,  so  far  as  they 
have  discovered  it,  "  the  whole  counsel  of  God ;"  and  withholding 
nothing  that  can  be  profitable,  whether  it  may  be  pleasing  or  other 
wise.  When  we  consider  how  much  the  great  body  of  Christians, 
belonging  to  the  classes  whose  time  is  chiefly  devoted  to  obtaining 
the  necessaries  and  comforts  of  life  for  themselves  and  families,  must 
be  dependent  on  the  instructions  received  on  the  Lord's-day  for  their 
knowledge  of  Christian  truth,  the  importance  of  Christian  teachers 
endeavoring,  on  such  occasions,  to  communicate  the  largest  possible 
amount  of  distinct  impressive  instruction,  both  doctrinal  and  practi 
cal,  must  appear  great  indeed. 

The  Christian  preacher,  if  he  is  really  wise  when  teaching  the 
people  knowledge,  will  give  good  heed  to  his  doctrine  that  it  be  whole 
some  and  nourishing ;  and,  if  possible,  palatable.  He  will  seek  to 
find  out,  first,  true  arid  important  thoughts,  and  then  plain  acceptable 
words  ;  and  he  will  endeavor  that  his  words  be  as  goads,  entering 
readily,  and  as  riveted  nails  when  they  have  entered,  sticking  fast.1 
The  teaching  elder  ill  discharges  this,  his  highest  duty,  who  satisfies 
himself  with  common-place  statement  or  empty  declamation ;  or  who 
spends  the  hours  devoted  to  Christian  instruction  in  metaphysical  dis- 

1  Eccles.  xii.  13. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  663 

cussions,  and  "  questions  that  profit  not."  It  has  been  well  said,  "  To 
preach,  to  show  the  extent  of  our  learning  or  the  subtlety  of  our  wit, 
to  blazon  them  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  with  the  beggarly  accounts 
of  a  few  words  which  glitter,  but  convey  little  light  and  less  warmth, 
is  a  dishonest  use  of  sacred  time ;  it  is  not  to  preach  the  gospel,  but 
ourselves :"  it  is  not  to  feed,  but  to  starve  our  hearers. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  Christian-teaching  elder,  not  only  thus  to  teach 
publicly  on  the  Lord's-day,  but  also,  as  God  gives  opportunity,  to 
teach  from  house  to  house,  taking  such  opportunities  for  presenting 
Christian  truth  in  a  form  more  familiar  than  befits  -the  character  of 
public  instruction,  and  more  suited  to  the  circumstances  of  the  indi 
viduals  addressed.  It  seems  to  me,  also,  that  a  Christian  eldership  are 
but  following  out  the  spirit  of  the  injunction  in  the  text,  when  they 
endeavor  to  secure,  and  earnestly  recommend  for  the  perusal  of  those 
under  their  care,  the  use  of  a  collection  of  really  good  and  appropriate 
books,  fitted  to  promote  the  knowledge  of  Christian  truth,  the  cultiva 
tion  of  Christian  feeling,  and  the  performance  of  Christian  duty,  by 
enabling  their  hearers  better  to  understand  the  Bible. 

The  use  of  all  appropriate  means,  especially  the  preaching  of  the 
word,  for  securing  that  the  brethren  under  their  care  grow  in  accu 
racy  and  extent  of  Christian  knowledge,  must  ever  be  considered,  by 
the  Christian  eldership,  as  the  fundamental  part  of  their  duty.  The 
church  is  the  school  of  Christ,  and  the  elders  are  the  schoolmasters. 
The  maxim,  that  ignorance  is  the  mother  of  devotion,  is  utterly  in 
applicable  to  the  religion  of  Christ.  Knowledge  is  necessary  in  order 
to  faith ;  and  a  well  instructed  Christian  mind  is  the  only  soil  in  which 
can  grow  and  flourish  the  fair  flowers  and  the  rich  fruits  of  devout 
feeling  and  holy  conduct,  "  which  are  by  Christ  Jesus  to  the  praise 
and  glory  of  God." 

The  duty  of  instructing  the  brethren,  lies  with  peculiar  weight  on 
the  teaching  elder.  It  is  his  business,  his  appropriate  work,  to  which 
above  all  things  he  must  give  himself,  and  to  which  he  must  endeavor 
to  make  all  things  subservient.  Whatever  may  be  cursorily  done, 
this  must  be  done  carefully ;  and  he  must  "  study  to  prove  himself  a 
workman  that  needs  not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of 
truth."  At  the  same  time,  every  Christian  elder,  though  not  called  to 
labor  in  word  and  doctrine,  ought  to  endeavor  to  promote  the  instruc 
tion  of  the  brethren.  Every  elder,  or  bishop,  should  be  "apt  to 
teach ;"  both  able  and  disposed  to  communicate  Christian  instruction 
to  his  brethren.  Indeed,  till  "  the  earth  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  Lord  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea,"  it  is  the  duty  of  every  Chris 
tian  man  "  to  teach  his  neighbor,  and  every  man  his  brother,  saying, 
Know  the  Lord."  And  the  Christian  elder,  whose  ordinary  and  prin 
cipal  business  is  to  superintend  and  govern,  is  not  only  warranted, 
but  bound,  to  turn  to  account  his  intercourse  with  the  brethren  in 
discharging  his  appropriate  functions,  for  directly  as  well  as  indirectly 
endeavoring  to  promote  their  progress  in  that  knowledge  of  God  and 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  through  which,  and  through  which  alone, 
grace,  mercy,  and  peace,  can  be  multiplied  to  them ;  through  which, 
and  through  which  alone,  they  can  become  the  holy,  happy,  active, 
useful  persons,  that  all  members  of  a  Christian  church  ought  to  be. 


664  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI, 

This  duty  of  instruction  must  be  performed  to  all  the  flock.  The 
command  of  the  chief  Shepherd  is  not  only,  "  Feed  my  sheep,"  but 
"feed  my  lambs;"1  and  there  does  seem  something  wanting  in  a 
Christian  church,  where  provision  is  not  made,  and  made  by  the 
elders,  directly  or  indirectly,  personally  or  by  guiding  and  superin 
tending  the  exertions  of  others,  for  the  instruction  of  the  younger 
branches  of  the  family.  The  instruction  of  Christian  children  is  the 
appropriate  work  of  Christian  parents,  and  is  never  likely  to  be  so 
efficiently  performed  as  by  them  ;  but  it  seems  plain,  that  not  only  is 
it  the  duty  of  Christian  elders,  in  their  work  of  superintending  and 
governing,  to  see  that  parents  discharge  their  obligations  in  this  re 
spect,  but  also,  by  a  system  of  religious  training,  common  to  all  the 
children  connected  with  the  church,  not  to  supersede,  but  to  assist 
and  supplement,  parental  instruction. 

In  these  remarks,  I  have  been  preaching  chiefly  to  two  individuals : 
"  my  true  yoke-fellow,  who  serves  with  me  as  a  son  in  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,"  and  myself.  The  next  department  of  the  discourse 
will  be  directed  to  the  brethren  of  the  eldership,  who  rule,  though 
they  do  not  labor  in  word  and  doctrine.  But  if  those  illustrations  of 
the  law  of  Christ  in  reference  to  elders,  serve,  as  I  hope  they  will, 
their  proper  purpose  in  us  and  in  them,  the  congregation  are  likely  to 
be  fully  as  much  the  better  for  them,  as  for  any  sermons  they  have 
ever  heard  addressed  more  directly  to  themselves.  The  importance 
and  the  difficulty  of  rightly  instructing  a  Christian  congregation,  es 
pecially  such  a  congregation  as  this,  consisting  of  so  many  individuals, 
placed  in  such  a  variety  of  circumstances,  and  possessed  of  such  a 
variety  of  capacities  and  tastes  for  religious  mental  training,  are,  I 
trust,  justly  estimated  by  your  ministers ;  and  it  is  our  earnest  wish, 
"  by  the  manifestation  of  the  truth,  to  commend  ourselves  to  every 
man's  conscience  in  the  sight  of  God."  We  would  not  willingly 
conceal  nor  corrupt  any  portion  of  the  doctrines  or  the  laws  of  our 
Lord.  We  wish  to  preach  Christ,  the  sole  authoritative  teacher  and 
lawgiver,  the  sole  atoning  Saviour,  the  sole  sovereign  Lord  ;  "  warn 
ing  every  man,  and  teaching  every  man  in  all  wisdom,  that  we  may 
present  every  man  perfect  in  Christ  Jesus."  "  Being  allowed  of  God 
to  be  put  in  trust  with  the  gospel,  we  would  so  speak,  not  as  pleasing 
men,  but  God,  who  trieth  the  hearts."  Sensible  of  the  importance 
of  rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth,  we  would  "  give  attendance  to 
meditation  and  to  reading,"  as  well  as  to  exhortation  and  doctrine ; 
we  would  "shun  profane  and  vain  babblings,  and  speak  the  things, 
and  only  the  things,  that  become  sound  doctrine ;"  in  our  teaching, 
"showing  incorruptness,  and  sound  speech  that  cannot  be  con 
demned."2 

Help  us,  brethren,  with  your  prayers.  Pray  for  us,  that  our  under 
standings  may  be  more  and  more  opened,  that  we  may  understand 
the  Scriptures ;  that,  being  more  thoroughly  and  extensively  taught 
of  God  ourselves,  we  may  be  the  better  fitted  for  teaching  you. 
"  Brethren,  I  beseech  you,  for  the  Lord  Jesus'  sake,  and  for  the  love 

1  John  xxi.  15-17. 

3  2  Cor.  iv.  2.  Col.  i.  28.  1  Cor.  i.  23.  2  Cor.  iv.  5.  1  Thess.  ii.  4.  1  Tim.  iv.  13,  15 
I  Tim.  vi.  20.  Tit.  ii.  1,  8. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  665 

of  the  Spirit,  that  ye  strive  together  with  us  in  your  prayers  for  us 
that  our  minds  and  hearts  may  be  more  and  more  filled  with  the  truth, 
and  the  love  of  it ;  and  that  utterance  may  be  given  us,  that  we  may 
open  our  mouths  boldly,  to  make  known  the  mystery  of  the  gospel ; 
that  the  word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course  and  be  glorified 
among  us ;"  l  that  we  may  speak  it  as  it  ought  to  be  spoken,  with  firm 
faith  and  melting  affection.  It  is  your  interest  as  well  as  ours,  that 
you  should  be  thus  employed.  "  Were  people  much  in  the  duty  of 
prayer  for  their  teachers,  not  only  would  the  ministers  be  the  better 
for  it,  the  people  themselves  would  receive  back  their  prayers  with 
much  gain  into  their  bosom.  They  would  have  the  returned  benefit 
of  it,  as  the  vapors  that  go  from  below  fall  down  again  upon  the  earth 
in  sweet  showers,  and  make  it  fruitful.  If  there  went  up  many 
prayers  for  ministers,  their  doctrine  would  drop  as  the  rain,  and  distil 
as  the  dew,  and  the  sweet  influence  of  it  would  make  fruitful  the 
valleys,  the  humble  hearts  receiving  it."  2  And  we  pledge  ourselves 
to  reciprocate  your  friendly  supplications.  "  God  forbid  that  we 
should  sin  against  the  Lord  by  ceasing  to  pray  for  you."  Daily  will 
we  "  bow  our  knees  unto  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  of 
whom  the  whole  family  in  heaven  and  in  earth  are  named,"  that  the 
gospel  may  come  to  you  not  in  word  only,  but  in  power,  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  much  assurance :  "  that  the  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Father  of  glory,  may  give  to  you  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and 
revelation  in  the  knowledge  of  him ;  that  the  eyes  of  your  under 
standing  being  enlightened,  ye  may  know  what  is  the  hope  of  his 
calling,  and  what  the  riches  of  his  inheritance  in  the  saints,  and  what 
is  the  exceeding  greatness  of  his  power  in  them  that  believe,"  trans 
forming  them  by  the  renewing  of  their  mind,  purifying  their  hearts 
by  faith,  filling  them  with  all  joy  and  peace  in  believing ;  and  "  that 
he  would  grant  you,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  glory,  to  be  strength 
ened  with  might  by  his  Spirit  in  the  inner  man ;  that  Christ  may 
dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faith ;  that  ye,  being  rooted  and  grounded  in 
love,  may  be  able  to  comprehend  with  all  saints  what  is  the  breadth, 
and  length,  and  depth,  and  height ;  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ, 
which  passeth  knowledge,  being  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God/'  * 

(2.)   Superintendence. 

1  proceed  to  remark,  in  the  second  place,  that  Christian  elders  are 
to  act  the  part  of  shepherds  and  overseers  to  those  under  their  care, 
by  superintending  and  governing  them.  The  shepherd  has  but  im 
perfectly  done  his  work  when  he  has  procured  for,  and  administered 
to,  his  flock,  wholesome  nourishment.  He  must  watch  over  them ; 
he  must  not  allow  either  wolves  or  goats  to  mix  with,  them,  and, 
should  such  find  their  way  among  them,  he  must  use  appropriate 
means  to  get  rid  of  them ;  he  must  endeavor  to  prevent  the  sheep 
from  straying,  and,  when  they  do  wander,  he  must  employ  every 
proper  method  to  bring  them  back ;  he  must  endeavor  to  preserve 
them  from  the  attacks  of  disease,  and  administer  suitable  preventives 

1  Rom.  xv.  30.    Eph.  VL  19.     Col.  iv.  3.     2  Thess.  iii.  1. 

2  Leighton.  3  Eph.  i.  17-19  ;  iii.  16-19. 


666  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

and  medicines  for  prevailing  maladies ;  and  even  at  personal  hazard 
he  must  protect  them  from  those  beasts  of  prey  who  go  about  seeking 
to  devour  them.  The  overseer  or  steward  has  but  imperfectly  done 
his  duty,  when  he  has  secured  that  the  children  are  furnished  with 
suitable  instruction.  It  is  his  business  to  see  that  they  pay  a  proper 
attention  to  the  instruction  prepared  for  them,  and  make  due  improve 
ment.  He  must  look  to  the  formation  of  their  character  and  the  di 
rection  of  their  conduct.  He  must  take  care  that  they  are  neither 
idle  nor  mischievous ;  that  they  are  kind  to  each  other,  and  dutiful  to 
all.  Both  the  shepherd  and  the  overseer  must  be  superintendents 
and  governors.  In  like  manner,  the  furnishing  the  flock  and  family 
of  God  with  an  abundance  of  wholesome  spiritual  nourishment, 
though,  as  we  have  seen,  one  most  important  part  of  the  duty  of  chris- 
tian  elders,  is  by  no  means  the  whole  of  it.  The  elders  are  not  only 
to  "  speak  the  word  of  God"  to  their  charge ;  they  are  to  "  have," 
hold,  or  exercise,  "rule  over  them;''  they  are  to  "care"  for  them,  to 
"  watch  for  their  souls."  l 

The  duties  of  rule  or  superintendence  which  devolve  on  Christian 
elders,  may  be  considered  in  reference  either  to  the  Christian  society 
over  which  they  are  placed  viewed  as  a  body,  or  to  the  individual 
members  of  that  body.  The  fundamental  part  of  this  duty,  so  far  as 
the  society  is  concerned,  and  without  a  careful  performance  of  which 
the  other  duties,  whether  to  the  society  or  to  its  members,  can  only 
be  very  unsatisfactorily  discharged,  is  to  take  care  that  it  be  com 
posed  of  the  right  materials.  How  could  a  shepherd  manage  a  flock, 
composed  of  swine  as  well  as  of  sheep  ?  or  how  could  an  overseer 
manage  a  family,  into  which  aliens,  "  strange  children,"  were  con 
tinually  intruding  themselves  ?  Nothing  can  be  plainer  from  the 
New  Testament  than  this,  that  though  Christian  churches  are  the 
grand  means  for  converting  the  world,  the  apparent  conversion  of 
the  worldling  must  precede,  not  follow,  his  admission  into  the  church. 
The  great  ends  to  be  gained  by  Christian  churches,  whether  in  refer 
ence  to  their  Lord,  as  living  manifestations  of  his  truth,  and  holi 
ness,  and  grace  ;  or  in  reference  to  their  members — their  edification 
in  knowledge,  faith,  love,  and  Christian  excellence  and  usefulness 
generally  ;  or  in  reference  to  the  world  lying  under  the  wicked  one 
— their  conviction  and  conversion, — will  be  secured  just  in  the  de 
gree  in  which  these  societies  are  formed  of  men  who  really  know  and 
believe  the  truth,  and  have  felt  its  transforming  efficacy.  The 
churches  of  Christ  must  be  churches,  that  is,  assemblies,  societies, 
of  saints,  "separated  persons,"  "devoted  persons,"  "sanctified  per 
sons,"  separated  from  the  present  evil  world ;  devoted  to  the  service 
of  God  and  his  Son ;  sanctified  by  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Such  are  the  designations  given  the  members  of  the  church  in  the 
apostolic  epistles.  "  Beloved  of  God,  called  to  be  saints,  sanctified  in 
Christ  Jesus,  calling  on  his  name,  brethren,  faithful,  elect,"  that  is,  se 
lected  "  by  a  spiritual  separation  to  the  obedience  of  faith,  and  sprink 
ling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  men  that  have  obtained  like  pre 
cious  faith  with  the  apostles." 

The  office-bearers  are  "  stewards  of  the  mysteries  of  Christ."  It  is 
1  Heb.  xiii  7,  17,  24.  1  Tim.  iii.  5 ;  v.  17. 


PART  I.] 


DUTIES    OF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS. 


667 


their  business  "  to  take  the  precious  from  the  vile."  They  are  build 
ers  of  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  which  ought  to  be  composed  of  "  liv 
ing  stones,"  of  precious  materials ;  and  they  must  take  care  that  the 
materials  they  employ  in  building  it  up  be  not  "  wood,  hay,  and  stub 
ble/'  but  "  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones."  l  Christian  elders  should 
admit  none  to  the  communion  of  the  church  except  those  who  make 
an  intelligent  and  credible  profession  of  the  faith;  who,  in  the 
judgment  of  an  enlightened  charity,  are  Christians  in  the  only  true 
sense  of  that  word ;  and  should,  as  in  every  church  will  be  the  case, 
persons  be  admitted  who  are  not  what  they  appear  to  be,  when  the 
real  character  is  developed,  the  elders  ought,  in  the  exercise  of  an  im 
partial  discipline,  to  exclude  them  from  a  place  they  should  never 
have  occupied ;  and  by  continuing  to  occupy  which,  while  their  char 
acters  remain  unchanged,  they  can  only  do  injury  to  all  the  interests 
which  the  Christian  church  is  meant  to  subserve. 

Christian  elders  are  to  seek  to  promote  this  healthy  state  of  a  Chris 
tian  church,  not  only  by  careful  admission  and  discipline,  but  by  such 
a  clear  and  faithful  exhibition  of  the  holy  doctrines  and  laws  of 
Christ,  and  by  keeping  the  society  so  actively  engaged  in  the  great 
object  of  their  association,  the  promoting  each  other's  edification, 
and  the  advancing  the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  world,  as  will  make  un 
godly  men  little  desirous,  while  they  continue  ungodly,  to  enter  such 
a  society  ;  and  if,  by  a  mistake  on  either  side,  they  have  entered  it, 
will  make  them  soon  feel  that  they  can  be  comfortable  in  it  in  no 
other  way  than  by  imbibing  the  spirit  and  submitting  to  the  law  of 
its  great  Founder. 

It  is  the  duty  of  Christian  elders  not  only  thus  to  endeavor  that  the 
society  be  composed  only  of  right  members,  but  in  all  their  meetings 
to  preside  among  them,  keeping  before  them  the  law  of  Christ,  taking 
care  that  they  "  continue  steadfastly"  in  the  observance  of  Christian 
institutions,  keeping  the  ordinances  committed  to  them  by  the  apos 
tles,  holding  the  traditions  as  taught  in  the  Scriptures,  the  "  apostles' 
doctrine,  the  fellowship,  the  breaking  of  bread,  and  the  prayers ;"  that 
they  do  all  things  as  a  body  which  Christ  Jesus  has  commanded  them, 
and  that  they  do  them  all  "  decently,  and  in  order." 

But  the  Christian  elders  must  not  only  thus  shepherd  the  flock  of 
Christ,  oversee  the  family  of  God,  viewed  as  an  organized  body,  but 
they  must  act  the  part  of  shepherds  and  overseers  to  the  individuals 
of  which  that  flock  and  family  are  composed.  This  is  indeed  neces 
sarily  implied  in  the  right  discharge  of  their  duty  to  the  society  as  a 
society  ;  for  how  can  a  society  be  kept  pure  but  by  its  members  be 
ing  such  as  they  should  be  ;  and  how  can  this  be  secured  but  by  su 
perintending  and  watching  individual  conduct  ?  The  spiritual  shep 
herd  must  "  look  well  to  his  flock,  and  know  the  state  of  his  herd." 
How  otherwise  can  he  "  strengthen  the  diseased,  heal  the  sick,  bind 
up  that  which  is  broken,  and  bring  again  that  which  is  driven  away;" 
how  is  he  to  "  warn  the  unruly,  to  comfort  the  feeble-minded,  and  to 
support  the  weak  ?  2  It  is  the  duty  of  the  Christian  elder  not  imper 
tinently  to  iutrude  into  private  affairs,  but  carefully  and  affec 
tionately  to  watch  the  whole  conduct  of  those  under  his  care,  and 


1  Jer.  xv.  15.    1  Cor.  Hi.  12-15. 


3  Ezek.  xxxiv.  4.     1  Thess.  v. 


668  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

to  administer  caution,  encouragement,  advice,  comfort,  rebuke,  and 
exhortation,  as  circumstances  require ;  and  to  do  all  this  as  an  under- 
shepherd,  an  appointed  overseer,  in  the  name  of  Him,  who,  counting 
him  trust-worthy,  has  put  him  into  this  ministry. 

In  thus  taking  care  of  the  house  of  God  by  ruling  it,  Christian 
elders  are  never  to  forget  the  true  nature  of  their  rule :  they  are 
'•'  men  under  authority/'  They  are  not  arbitrary  despots,  they  are  not 
even  constitutional  law-givers ;  they  are  but  constituted  adminis 
trators  of  the  law  of  the  one  Master,  who  is  in  heaven.  The  flock 
is  to  be  managed  according  to  the  revealed  will  of  the  great,  good, 
Proprietor-Shepherd,  whose  own  the  sheep  are.  The  family  is  to  be 
governed  according  to  the  distinctly  declared  mind  of  the  one  Fa 
ther,  who  is  in  heaven. 

But  Christian  elders,  as  well  as  those  under  their  care,  are  to  re 
member  that  they  are  rulers  under  him,  that  they  must  take  their 
orders  from  him,  that  they  are  accountable  to  him,  that  the  sheep  are 
not  to  dictate  to  the  shepherds,  nor  the  children  to  the  tutors  and 
governors.  If  Christian  elders  seek  to  please  even  the  members  of 
the  church  in  any  other  way  than  by  pleasing  them  for  their  good,  for 
edification,  by  declaring  and  executing  the  law  of  Christ,  they  will 
prove  that  they  are  not  the  servants  of  Christ,  but  the  servants  of 
men.  The  authority  of  Christian  elders,  though  subordinate  and  de 
puted,  is  real  authority ;  so  that,  in  the  right  discharge  of  their  offi 
cial  duties,  "  he  that  despiseth  them  despiseth  not  man  but  God."  He 
that  contemns  the  humblest  subordinate  magistrate,  regularly  ap 
pointed  and  acting  within  the  limits  of  his  delegated  authority,  is 
guilty  of  disobedience  to  the  supreme  power.  Such  is  a  short  view 
of  the  duty  of  Christian  elders,  as  shepherds  of  the  flock,  overseers 
of  the  family  of  God,  duty  included  under  the  two  heads,  instruction, 
and  superintendence  or  government. 


CHAP.  III.— OP  THE  MANNER  IN  WHICH  THESE  DUTIES  ARE  TO 
BE  PERFORMED. 

Let  us  now,  in  the  third  place,  turn  our  attention  to  the  account 
which  the  apostle  gives  of  the  manner  in  which  these  duties  should 
be  performed.  In  discharging  their  duties,  Christian  elders  are  not 
to  act  "  by  constraint,  but  willingly ;  not  for  filthy  lucre,  but  of  a 
ready  mind ;  neither  as  being  lords  over  God's  heritage,  but  being 
ensamples  of  the  flock."  l  We  shall  consider  shortly,  in  their  order, 
these  characteristics  of  the  right  mode  of  performing  the  duties  of 
the  Christian  eldership. 

§  1. — "  Not  by  constraint,  but  willingly.'3 

Christian  elders  are  to  shepherd  the  flock,  and  superintend  the 
family  of  God,  "  not  by  constraint,  but  willingly."  Some  have  sup- 

1  "  Dum  pastores  ad  officium  hortari  vult,  tria  potissimum  vitia  notat,  quae  plurimum 
obesse  solent :  pigritiam,  scilicet,  lucri  captandi  cupidatem  et  lioentiam  dominandi.  Primo 
vitio  opponit  alacritatem  aut  voluntarium  studium :  secundo  liberalem  affectum :  tertio 
moderationem  et  modestiam  qua  seipsos  in  ordinem  cogant."-«  CALVIN. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  669 

posed  that  these  words  refer  rather  to  the  flock  or  family  tnan  to  the 
shepherds  or  overseers ;  that  they  describe  rather  the  means  to  be 
employed  than  the  temper  to  be  cherished  by  Christian  elders ;  that 
they  intimate  that  the  flock  of  Christ  are  to  be  ruled,  not  by  force, 
but  by -persuasion  ;  that  they  are  to  be  drawn,  not  driven ;  and  that  the 
Christian  shepherds  are  to  take  as  beacons,  not  examples,  those  Jewish 
shepherds  who  "  with  force  and  with  cruelty  ruled"  l  the  sheep  of  the 
Lord.  This  is  unquestionably  truth ;  important  truth;  but  it  cannot  be 
brought  out  of  the  apostle's  words  without  using  violence.  The  three 
double  clauses,  all  of  them,  obviously  refer  to  the  state  of  the  mind  of 
the  Christian  elder  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  Even  some  of  those 
interpreters  who  have  seen  this  clearly,  have  yet  fallen  into  a  slight 
misapprehension  as  to  the  precise  meaning  and  reference  of  the 
words  before  us.  From  not  noticing  that  these  words  are  equally 
connected  with  both  the  figurative  injunctions  of  the  duties  of  the 
Christian  elder,  and  from  being  more  occupied  with  the  sound  than 
the  sense  of  the  phrase,  "  taking  the  oversight/'  it  has  been  common 
to  consider  these  words  as  describing  exclusively  the  temper  in  which 
the  office  of  the  eldership  should  be  undertaken,  not  the  disposition 
in  which  its  duties  should  be  habitually  performed.  It  is  obvious, 
however,  that  it  refers  to  "feed  the  flock  of  Christ,"  as  well  as  to 
"  taking  the  oversight ;"  and  it  is  equally  obvious,  that  the  word  ren 
dered  "  taking  the  oversight"  does  not  refer  to  a  person's  entering 
on  the  eldership,  though  very  applicable  to  such  a  person,  but  to  per 
sons  who  are  elders ;  and  might  have  been  still  more  literally  ren 
dered,  "  superintending  them ;"  2  that  is,  not  so  much  undertaking,  as 
exercising,  superintendence. 

The  passage  has  often  been  quoted  to  prove,  that  no  man  should 
be  compelled  by  ecclesiastical  authority  to  take  office  in  the  church 
generally,  or  to  take  office  in  a  particular  church ;  but  its  bearing  on 
this  subject,  though  important,  is  indirect.  The  meaning  is,  that  a 
Christian  elder  should  perform  his  duties,  not  reluctantly,  as  some 
thing  that  he  is  obliged  to  do,  but  cheerfully,  as  something  that  he  de 
lights  to  do ;  not  as  a  task  to  a  hard  master  that  he  must  perform,  but 
as  an  honorable  and  delightful  service,  which  carries  its  reward  in 
the  satisfaction  it  affords.  The  more  the  Christian  elder  is  constrain 
ed  by  a  regard  to  the  authority  of  Christ,  a  sense  of  his  grace,  and 
the  love  of  the  brotherhood,  to  the  discharge  of  these  duties,  so  much 
the  better ;  but  these  are  species  of  constraint  that  not  only  do  not 
interfere  with,  but  necessarily  imply,  willinghood.3  It  is  true  of  duty 
generally,  and  eminently  true  of  the  duties  of  the  Christian  eldership, 
that  they  have  no  value  in  the  estimation  of  God,  and  are  little  like- 


1  Ezek.  xxxiv.  4. — "  Though  most  expositors  apply  pi  dvayKavrus  dXX1  IKOW'MS  to  the 
bishop's  willingness  to  his  work,  yet  Dr.  Hammond  applieth  it  to  the  bishop's  manner 
of  guiding  the  flock,  as  not  constraining  them  by  force  nor  using  violence  in  an  active 
sense.  And  whether  these  words  prove  this  or  not,  other  scriptures,  and  the  nature  of 
the  case,  prove  that  bishops  have  no  power  of  corporal  force,  but  of  ruling  by  God's  word, 
and  that  none  but  volunteers  are  capable  of  church  privileges,  and  communion,  and 
pastoral  conduct." — RICHARD  BAXTER. 

8  Necessitas  incumbit,  1  Cor.  ix.  16.  Sed  hujus  sensum  absorbet  lubentia.  Id  valet  et 
in  suscipiendo  et  in  gerendo  munere.  Nou  sine  reprehensione  sunt  pastores,  qui,  si  rea 
Integra  sit,  mallent  quidvis  potius  esse. — BENGEL. 


670  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

ly  to  be  effectual  for  answering  their  object,  unless  they  proceed  from 
a  willing  mind ;  unless,  as  the  apostle  expresses  it  in  the  epistle  to 
Philemon,  they  are,  "not  as  it  were  of  necessity,  but  willingly."    The 
duties  of  the  eldership  must  be  performed  not  "  grudgingly  or  of  ne 
cessity  ;    for  God  loveth  a  cheerful"   doer,  as   well    as    a  cheerful 
"giver."  l     A  Christian  elder,  if  he  is  what  he  should  be,  will  be  very 
thankful  that  God  has  given  him  a  place  in  his  house  at  all ;  and 
though  sensible  of  the  difficulties  of  his  duties,  and  his  unfitness  for 
their  right  discharge,  he  will  be  still  more  grateful  that  he  has  been 
honored  with  office  there.     He  will  be  disposed  to  adopt  the  apostle's 
words,  "  I  thank  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,  who  has  enabled  me,  for  that 
he  counted  me  trustworthy,  faithful,  putting  me  into  the  ministry." 
And  with  the  psalmist,  "What  shall  I  render  to  the  Lord  for  this 
benefit  ?"     The  spirit  of  the  under  shepherd  should  be  that  of  the 
chief  Shepherd,  who,  when  called  according  to  his  covenant  engage 
ment  to  lay  down  his  life  for  the  sheep,  was  "  not  rebellious,  neither 
turned  away  back,"  but  said  "  Lo,  I  come  ;"  "  I  have  a  baptism  to  be 
baptised  with  ;  and  how  am  I  straightened  till  it  be  accomplished  !  "  2 
"  There  may  be,"  as  Archbishop  Leighton  says,  "  in  a  Christian  elder, 
'i    very  great  reluctance  in  engaging  and  adhering  to  the  work,  from  a 
/    sense  of  the  excellence  of  it,  and  his  unfitness;  and  the  deep  appre- 
)  hension  of  those  high  interests,  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of 
/    souls  ;  and  yet  he  enters  and  continues  in  it  with  this  willingness  of 
(     mind,  with  most  single  and  earnest  desires  of  doing  all  he  can  for 
\    God  and  the  flock  of  God ;  only  grieved  that  there  is  in  him  so  little 
suitableness  of  heart,  so  little  holiness  and  acquaintance  with  God  for 
i    enabling  him  to  it ;  but  might  he  find  that,  he  were  satisfied  ;  and  in 
L  attendance  upon  that,  goes  on  and  waits,  and  is  doing  according  to 
/  his  little  skill  and  strength,  and  cannot  leave  it ;  is  constrained  in- 
S  deed,  but  all  the  constraint  is  love  to  Jesus,  and  for  the  sake  of  the 
souls  He  hath  bought ;  a  constraint  far  different  from  the  constraint 
here  discharged;  yea,  indeed,  that  very  willingness  which  is  opposed 
to  that  other  constraint." 

§  2.  "  Not  for  filthy  lucre,  but  of  a  ready  mind." 

Christian  elders  are  to  shepherd  the  flock,  and  superintend  the 
family  of  God,  not  "  for  filthy  lucre,  but  of  a  ready  mind ;"  as  well  as 
"  not  from  constraint,  but  willingly."  The  former  clause,  as  we  have 
just  seen,  is  equivalent  to — not  reluctantly,  but  cheerfully.  This 
seems  equivalent  to,  not  in  a  self-interested,  mercenary  disposition, 
but  in  a  disinterested  spirit  of  gratitude  to  God  and  love  to  the 
brethren. 

There  is  nothing  wrong  in  a  Christian  elder,  who  devotes  his  time 
and  talents  to  the  promotion  of  the  good  of  the  church  over  which 
he  is  placed,  receiving,  from  the  ^church's  justice  and  gratitude,  their 
sense  of  his  claims  on  them,  and  their  obligations  to  him,  temporal 
support.  It  is  the  command  of  the  apostle,  "  Let  him  who  is  taught, 
communicate  to  him  that  teacheth  in  all  good  things."  It  is  the  ordi 
nation  of  our  Lord,  "  that  they  who  preach  the  gospel  should  live  of 

1  Phil.  H.     2  Cor.  ix.  7.        8  1  Tim.  i.  12:    Isa.  L  5.     PsaL  cxvi.  12.    xl.  7.    Lukexii.  601 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  671 

the  gospel,"  just  as  "  they  who  ministered  at  the  altar  lived  by  the 
altar."  "Who  goeth  a  warfare  any  time  at  his  own  charges?  who 
planteth  a  vineyard,  and  eateth  not  of  the  fruit  thereof?  or  who 
-  feedeth  a  flock,  and  eateth  not  of  the  rnilk  of  the  flock  ?  Say  I  these 
things  as  a  man  ?  or  saith  not  the  law  the  same  also  ?  For  it  is  writ 
ten  in  the  law  of  Moses,  Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  the  mouth  of  the  ox 
that  treadeth  out  the  corn.  Doth  God  care  for  oxen  ?  or  saith  he  it 
altogether  for  our  sakes  ?  For  our  sakes,  no  doubt,  this  is  written, 
that  he  who  ploweth  should  plow  in  hope ;  and  he  that  thrasheth  in 
hope  should  be  partaker  of  his  hope.  If  we  have  sown  unto  you 
spiritual  things,  is  it  a  great  thing  if  we  shall  reap  your  carnal 
things  ?"  l  These  passages  seem  to  refer  to  the  teaching  elder,  whose 
whole  attention  is  to  be  directed  to  reading  and  meditation  in  private, 
and  to  "  word  and  doctrine,"  both  publicly  and  from  house  to  house ; 
but  it  is  plain  that  the  elders  who  rule,  if  they  are  in  circumstances 
in  which  they  cannot  devote  the  time  necessary  to  the  service  of  the 
church,  without  injustice  to  themselves  and  families,  are  equally  en 
titled  to  support.  This  is  implied  in  the  injunction,  "  let  the  elders 
who  rule  well  be  counted  worthy  of  double  honor,"  obviously  not  ex 
cluding  the  honor  of  voluntary  support,  "  especially  those  who  labor 
in  word  or  in  doctrine." 

But  while  all  this  is  true,  it  is  not  less  true  that  the  duties  of  chns 
tian  elders  must  be  performed  "  not  for  filthy  lucre."  No  man  must 
convert  the  Christian  eldership  into  a  trade,  in  this  way  "  making  gain 
of  godliness."  Even  with  those  elders  who  are  entirely  dependent 
on  their  labors,  who  have  no  source  of  income  but  the  effect  of  the 
authority  and  grace  of  Christ  on  the  minds,  and  consciences,  and 
hearts  of  those  to  whom  they  minister,  the  principle  must  be,  "  freely 
we  have  received,  freely  we  give."  And  wherever  sacred  duties  are 
performed  from  a  regard  to  worldly  gain,  in  whatever  form,  whether 
in  the  form  of  fixed  stipend,  or  occasional  gifts,  or  increased  respecta 
bility  of  character  and  worldly  influence,  leading  to  success  in  worldly 
business,  there  is  fearful  desecration.  The  apostle  obviously  lays 
much  stress  on  this  point.  In  his  first  Epistle  to  Timothy,  iii.  3,  he 
says,  a  bishop  must  "  not  be  greedy  of  filthy  lucre,  nor  covetous ;" 
and  in  his  Epistle  to  Titus  i.  7,  he  repeats  the  declaration.  Such  re 
peated  warnings  were  not  more  than  the  case  required.  There  has 
been  too  much  of  this  in  every  age  of  the  church,  and  the  evil  is  not 
unknown  even  in  our  own  times ;  nor  is  it  confined  within  the  limits 
of  richly  endowed  churches,  where  its  existence,  if  not  less  criminal 
than  elsewhere,  is  less  wonderful.  It  is  a  most  deplorable  thing  when 
a  regard  to  secular  interest  is  allowed  to  interfere  either  with  the  de 
claration  of  Christian  doctrine,  or  the  administration  of  Christian  dis 
cipline  ;  when  professed  Christian  teachers  "prepare  war  against  him 
that  putteth  not  into  their  mouths,"  2  and  "  teach  things  that  they 
ought  not  for  filthy  lucre's  sake,  through  covetousness,  with  feigned 
words,  making  merchandize  of  their  people,  having  hearts  exercised 
to  covetous  practices,  serving  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ^  but  their  own 
belly  ;" 3  and  when  the  rulers  of  the  church,  from  secular  considera 
tions,  prefer  one  before  another,  and  do  anything  in  the  administration 

1  1  Cor.  ix.  7-11.  2  Micah.  iii.  5.  3  Tit.  i.  11.     2  Pet.  ?,,  14.     Rom.  xvi.  18. 


672  ECCLESIASTICAL   DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

of  discipline  by  partiality;  when  "the  watchmen  are  greedy  dogs 
that  can  never  have  enough,  all  looking  to  their  own  way,  every  one 
for  his  gain  from  his  quarter.;"  and  when  Malachi's  question  is  an  ap 
propriate  one,  "  Who  is  there  among  you  that  would  shut  the  doors 
for  naught?  neither  do  ye  kindle  the  fire  on  my  altar  for  naught?"1 
Balaam's  resolution  should  be  formed  and  kept,  not  only  as  it  was  by 
him  in  the  letter,  but  as  it  was  not  by  him,  in  the  spirit.  "If  Balak 
would  give  me  his  house  full  of  silver  and  gold,  I  cannot  go  beyond 
the  word  of  the  Lord  my  God,  to  do  less  or  more."  Yet  it  is  very 
delightful  to  perceive  that  so  many  of  our  ministers  are  men  who, 
with  the  same  talents,  and  education,  and  effort,  might  have  secured 
for  themselves  far  higher  secular  advantages  than  they  possess,  or 
ever  can  expect  to  possess,  as  Christian  elders.  And  the  disinterest 
edness  of  many  of  our  Christian  elders  who  rule,  but  do  not  labor  in 
word  and  doctrine,  in  not  only  cheerfully  giving  their  unpaid,  and 
often  ill-estimated  labor  to  the  churches,  but,  in  addition,  being  pat 
terns  to  the  believers  in  liberally  giving  of  their  substance  to  promote 
the  support  and  extension  of  the  cause  of  Christ,  makes  it  very  evi 
dent  that  they  shepherd  the  flock,  that  they  superintend  the  family  of 
God,  "not  for  filthy  lucre,  but  of  a  ready  mind."  The  Christian 
elder,  when  he  becomes  old  and  gray-headed,  should  be  able  to  say 
with  Samuel,  "Behold,  here  I  am;  witness  against  me  before  the 
Lord ;  whose  ox  have  I  taken  ?  or  whose  ass  have  I  taken  ?  or  whom 
have  I  defrauded  ?"  or  with  Paul,  "  I  have  coveted  no  man's  silver  or 
gold  ;  I  seek  not  yours,  but  you."  2 

Disinterestedness,  in  opposition  to  mercenariness,  should  charac 
terize  the  labors  of  the  Christian  elder.  Regard  to  the  Divine  glory, 
gratitude  for  the  Divine  grace,  love  to  the  Saviour  who  died,  and  to 
those  for  whom  he  died,  eager  desire  that  his  name  may  not  be  blas 
phemed,  through  the  inconsistent  conduct  of  those  who  are  called  by 
it,  and  that  it  may  be  glorified  in  the  holiness  and  happiness  of  his 
blood-bought  heritage,  and  in  bringing  down  the  people  in  subjection 
to  him,  making  them  willing  in  the  day  of  his  power ;  these  are  the 
principles  which  should  preside  in  the  mind  and  heart  of  the  Christian 
elder,  and  make  him  alert  and  cheerful  in  all  the  duties,  however  bur 
densome,  of  his  official  calling;  producing  a  forwardness  of  mind  far 
superior  to  what  the  stimulus  of  covetousness  can  create.  Yes,  as 
the  good  Archbishop  says,  "  It  is  love,  much  love,  which  gives  much 
unwearied  care,  and  much  skill  in  this  charge.  How  sweet  is  it  to 
him  that  loves  to  bestow  himself,  '  to  spend  and  be  spent,'  upon  his 
service  whom  he  loves !  Jacob,  in  the  same  kind  of  service,  endured 
all,  and  found  it  light  by  reason  of  love,  the  cold  of  the  nights  and 
the  heat  of  the  days  seven  years  for  his  Rachel,  and  they  seemed  to 
him  but  a  few  days,  because  he  loved  her.  Love  is  the  great  endow 
ment  of  a  shepherd  of  Christ's  flock.  He  says  not  to  Peter,  art  thou 
wise,  or  learned,  or  eloquent  ?  but  '  lovest  thou  me  ?  lovest  thou  me  ? 
lovest  thou  me  ?'  Art  thou  of  a  ready  mind  ?  '  Feed  my  sheep : 
feed  my  lambs.' " 

1  Isa.  Ivi.  11.    Mai.  i.  10. 

3  Numb.  xxii.  18.     1  Sam.  xii.  3.     Acts  xx.  33.     2  Cor.  xii.  14. 


PART  I.J  DUTIES  OF  THE  OFFICE-BEARERS.  673 


§  3. — Not  as  lords  of  God's  heritage,  but  being  ensamples  to  the 

flock. 

Christian  elders  are  to  shepherd  the  flock,  and  oversee  the  children 
of  God,  "  not  as  lords  of  God's  heritage,1  but  being  ensamples  to  the 
flock.  These  duties  are  to  be  performed  not  in  a  proud  overbearing 
spirit.  They  are  duties  of  rule,  and  therefore  there  is  a  temptation  to 
pride  in  performing  them.  But  the  elders  are  to  remember  that, 
though  they  are  rulers  in,  they  are  not  lords  over,  the  family  of  God 
The  Son  alone  is  lord  over  his  own  house.  We  proclaim  not  our 
selves  lords,  says  the  Apostle  Paul ;  "  we  preach  Jesus  the  Lord,"  the 
only  Lord,  the  One  Master  and  Proprietor.  There  were  rulers  in 
Israel ;  but  Jehovah  alone,  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word,  was 
Israel's  king.  The  soil  was  his,  and  so  were  the  people.  Of  the 
spiritual  Israel,  Jehovah- Jesus  is  the  proprietor  and  lord.  He  is  Lord 
of  all :  he  is  our  Lord,  and  we  are  all  brethren.  For  the  good  of  the 
whole,  some  of  the  brethren  are  called  by  him  to  rule  under  him,  to 
administer  his  laws ;  but  this  lays  no  foundation  for  claiming  to  be 
lords  of  their  faith.  "  The  bride  is  the  bridegroom's  ;"  the  church  is 
the  Lord's.  The  church  does  not  belong  to  the  elders,  but  the  elders 
to  the  church.  "  All  things  are  yours,  and  ye  are  Christ's,  and  Christ 
is  God's."  Diotrephes,  who  loved  the  pre-eminence,  is  the  beacon,  not 
the  model,  for  Christian  elders. 

The  Christian  elder,  even  when  he  must  "  come  with  a  rod,"  as  but 
too  often  is  necessary,  should  come  "  in  love,  and  in  the  spirit  of  meek 
ness."  How  beautifully  did  Paul,  though  in  authority,  and  success, 
and  gifts,  "  not  behind  the  very  chiefest  of  the  apostles,"  exemplify 
his  beloved  brother  Peter's  precept  ?  He  did  not  conduct  himself  as 
a  lord  over  God's  heritage.  He  disowned  all  claim  to  personal  lord 
ship  over  their  faith.  He  sought  not  glory,  but,  when  he  might  have 
used  authority  as  an  apostle  of  Christ,  was  gentle  among  the  disci 
ples,  even  as  a  nurse  cherisheth  her  children.  And  the  servant  of  the 
Lord  in  every  age  must  not  be  overbearing  and  ambitious :  "  he  must 
not  strive,  but  be  gentle  to  all  men,  apt  to  teach,  patient ;  in  meek 
ness  instructing  those  who  oppose  themselves."  He  must  never  for 
get  the  words  of  the  Master,  "  Ye  know  that  the  princes  of  the  Gen 
tiles  exercise  dominion  over  them,  and  they  that  are  great  exercise 
authority  upon  them.  But  it  shall  not  be  so  among  you :  but  whoso 
ever  will  be  great  among  you,  let  him  be  your  minister ;  and  whoso 
ever  will  be  chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your  servant ;  even  as  the 
Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to 
give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many." 2 

Instead  of  acting  as  if  they  were  lords  of  God's  heritage,  Christian 
elders  are  to  perform  their  duties  "  as  ensamples  to  the  flock."  In 
the  careful  discharge  of  their  duty  to  those  under  their  care,  they  are 
to  teach  them  by  example  to  perform  the  duties  which  they  owe 
them  and  their  Lord.  By  being  dutiful  to  their  people,  they  are  to 
teach  them  to  be  dutiful  to  them.  By  being  dutiful  to  Christ,  they 

1  Presbyter!  postea  dominatum  sumserunt.     Uncle  ex  Seniore  factus  est  Signore,  in 
Italia  presertim. — BEXGEL. 

3  Matt.  xx.  25-28.     Luke  xxli.  25,  26.     Vide  Note  A. 

43 


674  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

are  to  teach  them  to  be  obedient  to  him.  And  it  deserves  notice, 
that  all  the  duties  Christian  elders  are  called  on  officially  to  discharge, 
are  duties  which  the  Christian  brethren  are  substantially  called  on  to 
perform.  They  are  to  "  exhort  one  another  daily  while  it  is  called 
to-day ;"  they  are  all  of  them  to  "  look  diligently,  lest  any  man  fail 
of  the  grace  of  God/'  And  the  graces,  which  are  required  in  the 
Christian  life,  are  just  those  which  must  be  manifested  in  the  right 
discharge  of  pastoral  duty.1 

A  Christian  elder  cannot  neglect  duty,  cannot  commit  sin  of  any 
kind,  without  doing  more  harm  than  a  common  church  member ;  and 
no  kind  of  neglect  or  fault  is  likely  to  exercise  a  more  malignant  in 
fluence,  than  those  which  refer  to  official  obligations.  The  Christian 
elder,  therefore,  should  seek  to  be  "  an  example  to  the  believers  in 
word,  in  conversation,  in  charity,  in  spirit,  in  faith,  in  purity ;  show 
ing  himself  a  pattern  of  good  works."  What  a  blessed  influence  is 
the  holy  character  and  conduct  of  Christian  elders  calculated  to  dif 
fuse  through  the  church  !  In  certain  cases  they  should  readily  waive 
undoubted  rights,  that  they  may  be  the  better  able  to  give  a  needed 
example.  They  should  imitate  Paul :  "  Yourselves  know,"  says  he, 
to  the  Thessalonians,  "  how  ye  ought  to  follow  us :  for  we  behaved 
not  ourselves  disorderly  among  you ;  neither  did  we  eat  any  man's 
bread  for  naught ;  but  wrought  with  labor  and  travail  night  and  day, 
that  we  might  not  be  chargeable  to  any  of  you  :  not  because  we  have 
not  power,  but  to  make  ourselves  an  ensample  unto  you  to  follow 
us."  2  How  happy  is  it  when  they  can  say,  "  We  beseech  you  be 
followers  of  us  as  dear  children ;  be  followers  of  us  even  as  we  also 
are  of  Christ !"  After  a  Christian  elder  has  said  to  those  under  his 
care,  "  Whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are  honest, 
whatsoever  things  are  just,  whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatsoever 
things  are  lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report;  if  there  be 
any  virtue,  and  if  there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these  things,"  what  a 
powerful  enforcement  is  it  to  the  exhortation,  when  the  eloquence  of 
a  holy  example,  more  persuasive  than  words,  is  felt  in  the  heart  of 
every  hearer,  saying,  "Those  things  which  ye  have  both  learned, 
and  received,  and  heard,  and  seen  in  me,  do :  and  the  God  of  peace 
shall  be  with  you  !"  3 

The  two  parts  of  the  clause  under  remark  throw  light  on  each 
other.  The  elder  who  lords  it  over  his  brethren,  is  not,  cannot  be, 
"an  ensample"  to  the  flock.  He  is  the  very  reverse  of  an  ensample. 
He  exemplifies  the  temper  which  they  ought  most  carefully  to  avoid ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  if  the  elder  acts  as  an  ensample  to  the  flock, 
he  cannot  lord  it  over  them.  The  domineering  elder  cannot  be  an 
exemplary  elder,  and  the  exemplary  elder  cannot  be  a  domineering 
elder.  Nothing  sits  so  gracefully  on  the  ruler  in  the  Christian  church 
as  kind  condescension.  Nothing  is  more  unbecoming  in  him  than 
overbearing  haughtiness.  The  Master  is  the  great  model.  "  Ye  call 

"  Ea  debet  esse  Pastoris  vita  ut  non  solum  quicquid  loquitur,  sed  etiam  quicquid  agit, 
sit  auditorum  doctrina." — GERHARD.  "Monstrosa  res  est  gradus  summus  et  animus 
infimus ;  sedes  prima  et  vita  ima ;  lingua  magniloqua  et  vita  otiosa ;  sermo  multus  et 
fructua  nullus ;  vultus  gravis  et  actua  levis ;  ingens  auctoritas  et  nutans  stabilitas." 
— BERNARD. 

3  Acts  xx.  34..  35.     2  Thess.  iii.  7.  '  Phil.  iv.  8,  9. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  675 

me  Master  and  Lord  :  and  ye  say  well ;  for  so  I  am.  If  I  then,  your 
Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your  feet,  ye  also  ought  to  wash  one 
another's  feet.  For  I  have  given  you  an  example,  that  ye  should  do 
as  I  have  done  to  you.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  The  ser 
vant  is  not  greater  than  his  Lord ;  neither  is  he  that  is  sent  greater 
than  he  that  sent  him.  If  Christian  elders  know  these  things,  happy 
will  it  be  for  themselves  and  for  the  churches  if  they  do  them."  l 

Such  is  the  temper  in  which  the  duties  of  Christian  elders  should 
be  performed,  not  reluctantly,  but  cheerfully ;  not  mercenarily,  but 
disinterestedly,  from  love  to  God  and  love  to  the  brethren;  not 
ambitiously,  to  display  or  establish  superiority  and  rule,  but  humbly, 
for  the  purpose  of  setting  an  example  of  Christian  obedience  ;2  not  to 
glorify  themselves  but  to  edify  the  brethren. 


CHAP.  IV.— OF  THE  MOTIVES  TO  THESE  DUTIES. 

It  still  remains  for  us  on  this  part  of  our  subject  to  attend  to  the 
motives  by  which  the  apostle  urges  Christian  elders  to  discharge  their 
duties  in  this  manner.  These  motives  are  derived  from  considera 
tions  referring  personally  to  the  apostle — "  I  exhort  you ;  I  who  am  a 
fellow-elder,  a  witness  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  a  partaker  of 
the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed ;"  from  considerations  referring  to 
the  church — it  is  "  the  flock  of  God,'"'  "  God's  heritage  ;"  and  from 
considerations  referring  to  the  office-bearers  themselves — if  they  per 
form  their  duties  in  this  way,  "  when  the  chief  Shepherd  appears, 
they  shall  receive  a  crown  of  glory,  which  fadeth  not."  Let  us 
shortly  endeavor  to  bring  out  the  force  of  the  motives  arising  from 
these  three  sources. 

§  1. — Motives  suggested  by  the  apostle's  reference  to  himself. 

(1.)  He  was  also  an  elder. 

And  first,  let  us  consider  the  motives  suggested  by  the  apostle's 
reference  to  himself.  "  The  elders  who  are  among  you  I  exhort,  who 
am  also  an  elder,  and  a  witness  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  a  par 
taker  of  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed."  I  exhort,  says  Peter ; 
and  who  was  he  ?  "  An  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,"  one  of  those  so 
specially  commissioned  by  Christ  Jesus  to  act  the  part  of  ambassadors 
in  his  room,  who  is  the  great  ambassador  from  God ;  as  that  when 
they  exhorted  it  was  "  as  though  God  did  beseech  men"  by  them ; 
to  whom  he  had  said,  "  As  the  Father  had  sent  me,  so  I  send  you ; 
whatsoever  ye  bind  on  earth  is  bound  in  heaven ;  whatsoever  ye 
loose  on  earth  is  loosed  in  heaven ;  he  that  receiveth  you,  receiveth 
me  ;  and  he  that  receiveth  me,  receiveth  him  that  sent  me ;  he  that 
despiseth  you,  despiseth  me :  and  he  who  despiseth  me,  despiseth  him 
that  sent  me ;"  to  whom  the  Son  of  Man,  on  sitting  down  on  the 
throne  of  his  glory,  gave  twelve  thrones,  on  which  they  should  sit  and 

1  John  xiii.  13-17. 

2  "  Tres  sunt  minister!!  ecclesiastic!  pestes,  aepyia,  ala%poKtpfcia.  et  ^tXoTrpwrsta." — GER 

HARD. 


676  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI 

judge,  rule  the  twelve  tribes  of  the  spiritual  Israel ;  who,  along  with 
the  inspired  prophets,  are  the  foundation  on  which  the  church  is  built, 
and  whose  names  are  represented  in  the  Apocalypse  as  engraved  on 
the  jewelled  foundations  of  the  New  Jerusalem.  An  exhortation 
from  such  a  quarter  was  equivalent  to  a  command.  He  that  rejected 
the  apostles,  "rejected  not  men,  but  God,  who  had  given  them  his 
Spirit ;"  while  they  spoke  as  apostles,  Christ,  and  God  in  Christ, 
spoke  by  them.  An  apostolical  exhortation  is  equivalent  to  a  Divine 
command.1 

The  apostles,  though  possessed  of  this  authority,  made  no  unneces 
sary  display  of  it.  It  was  generally  acknowledged  by  the  churches ; 
and  though  they  sometimes  found  it  requisite  to  "  command,"  as  well 
as  to  exhort,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  yet  for  the  most  part, 
"  though  they  might  be  much  bold  in  Christ"  to  enjoin  that  which 
was  convenient,  they  "rather,  for  love's  sake,  besought"  those  whom 
they  addressed.  The  injunction  lost  none  of  its  intrinsic  authority 
from  the  form  it  took ;  and,  while  more  agreeable  to  him  who  gave, 
was  not  likely  to  be  less  influential  on  those  to  whom  it  was  given. 
Peter  not  only  uses  the  word  exhort  instead  of  command,  but,  in 
stead  of  using  the  official  appellation  which  was  peculiar  to  the  high 
est  order  of  the  church  officers,  apostle,  he  employs  that  of  "  elder," 
which  in  its  most  general  acceptation  includes  all  church  rulers.  He 
does  not  take  the  name  which  distinguishes  him  from,  but  that  which 
identifies  him  with,  those  whom  he  addresses. 

Peter  speaks  of  "  the  wisdom  given  to  his  beloved  brother  Paul ;" 
and  it  is  plain  he  himself  had  been  made  partaker  of  the  same  spirit 
of  wisdom  and  of  love.  '  I  am,'  says  the  venerable  apostle,  '  I  am  a 
co-presbyter,  a  fellow-elder.  I  know  what  it  is  to  have  a  charge  in 
the  house  of  God.  I  have  felt  the  responsibilities  arising  out  of  the 
command  to  feed  the  sheep,  to  feed  the  lambs  of  the  great,  good 
Shepherd.  I  know  the  duties  of  the  Christian  pastor;  I  know  his 
difficulties ;  I  know  his  temptations ;  I  know  his  joys ;  I  know  his 
sorrows.  I  know  the  heart  of  the  Christian  elder.  The  exhortation 
comes  from  one  who  can,  who  does,  thoroughly  sympathize  with 
you/  2 

The  kindly  condescending  address  of  the  apostle  was  calculated  to 
give  additional  force  to  his  exhortation,  and  its  peculiar  form  is  surely 
intended  to  teach  elders,  especially  old  elders,  men  who  have  been 
long  in  office  in  God's  church,  to  use  the  influence  which,  if  they 
have  in  any  measure  rightly  discharged  their  duty,  they  must  have 
acquired,  in  exhorting  their  fellow-elders,  especially  those  younger 
than  themselves,  to  diligence  and  fidelity  in  the  duties  of  their  com 
mon  offices.  "  The  duty  of  mutual  exhorting,  which  lies  on  each 
Christian  to  another,  is  little  known  amongst  the  greater  part ;  but 
surely  pastors  should  be,  as  in  other  duties  so  in  this,  eminent  and  ex 
emplary  in  their  intercourse  and  converse,  saying  often  one  to  an 
other,  '  Oh,  let  us  remember  to  what  we  are  called,  to  how  high  and 

1  2  Cor.  v.  20.  Matt.  xvi.  19  ;  xviii.  18.  Matt.  x.  40.  John  xiii.  20.  Matt.  xix.  28. 
Epk  ii.  20.  Rev.  xxi.  14. 


"Est  autem  eximia  modestia,  quod  se  av^p^vrepov,  ipse  nominat,  quern  capul  et 
prmcipem  apostolorum  postea  coufinxerunt,  et  vicedeum  adeo." — SEMLER. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  677 

heavy  a  charge !  to  what  holiness  and  diligence !  How  great  the 
hazard  of  our  miscarriage,  and  how  great  the  reward  of  our  fidelity !' 
whetting  and  sharpening  one  another  by  those  weighty  and  holy  con 
siderations."  It  is  peculiarly  becom'ng  in  old  Christian  elders  to  say 
to  their  young  brethren,  especially  when  the  exhortation  is  enforced 
by  a  protracted  course  of  faithful  services  to  Christ  and  his  church, 
"  Take  heed  to  the  ministry  which  ye  have  received  of  the  Lord, 
that  ye  fulfil  it."  Such  exhortations  given  in  the  right  spirit  seldom 
fail  of  doing  good. 

(2.)  He  was  a  witness  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ. 

To  give  further  weight  to  his  exhortation,  the  apostle  not  only  calls 
himself  a  fellow-elder,  but  "a  witness  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ." 
"  The  sufferings  of  Christ,"  which  the  ancient  prophets  are  in  the 
first  chapter  (v.  11)  represented  as  witnesses  of,  as  testifying  about, 
are  not,  as  I  endeavored  to  show  when  explaining  that  part  of  the 
epistle,  the  personal  sufferings  of  our  Lord,  but  the  "  sufferings  until 
Christ,"  or  "the  sufferings  in  reference  to  Christ,"  as  the  words  lite 
rally  signify,  "  the  sufferings  of  the  present  time,"  to  which  for  a  sea 
son  it  is  needful  that  Christians  be  exposed,  as  contrasted  with  the 
glory  which  is  to  follow,  the  salvation  laid  up  in  heaven,  the  grace  to 
be  brought  to  Christians  at  the  revelation  of  our  Lord  Jesus.  And 
some  have  supposed  that  the  phrase  "  sufferings  of  Christ"  has  the 
same  meaning  here,  and  that  the  apostle  expresses  the  same  senti 
ment  as  the  Apostle  Paul  to  the  Thessalonians,  when  he  says,  "  We 
told  you  before  that  we  should  suffer  tribulation."  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  Peter  as  well  as  Paul,  when  confirming  the  souls  of  the 
disciples,  and  exhorting  them  to  continue  in  the  faith,  did  testify,  that 
"  through  much  tribulation  they  must  enter  into  the  kingdom."  1  We 
find  him  doing  so  in  this  epistle,  and  this  was  in  itself  a  good  reason 
why  he  should  exhort  the  office-bearers  to  a  conscientious  perform 
ance  of  their  duties,  for  that,  important  at  all  times,  becomes  doubly 
so  in  a  time  of  trial.  But  the  expression  here  is  not  the  same  as  that 
in  the  first  chapter,  and  seems  varied  to  show  that  it  refers  to  Christ's 
personal  sufferings,  and  not  to  the  sufferings  of  his  body,  the  church, 
till  he  comes. 

Of  these  sufferings  Peter  was  "  a  witness."  These  words  may 
signify  that  the  sufferings  of  Christ  were  a  principal  subject  of  Peter's 
testimony  as  an  apostle.  The  apostles,  after  they  received  power 
through  the  Holy  Ghost  coming  upon  them,  were,  according  to  their 
Master's  appointment  and  prediction,  "  witnesses  unto  him  both  in 
Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth."  And  wherever  they  went,  the  cross  was  the 
great  theme  of  their  testimony,  The  Messiah  they  proclaimed  was 
the  crucified  Messiah,  "  a  stumbling-block  to  the  Jews,  foolishness  to 
the  Greeks ;  but  to  the  called,  whether  Jew  or  Greek,  the  power  of 
God,  the  wisdom  of  God."  Peter,  judging  of  the  ministry  from  his 
discourses  recorded  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  in  this  epistle, 
had,  as  well  as  Paul,  "  determined  to  know  nothing  among  his  con- 

1  Acts  xiy.  22. 


(578  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

verts  but  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified."  He,  too,  could  say,  "  God 
forbid  that  I  should  glory,  except  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  which  the  world  is  crucified  to  me,  and  I  to  the  world."  l 

It  appears  to  me,  however,  more  natural  to  understand  the  words, 
••a  witness  of  the  sufferings  of  Jesus  Christ,"  in  their  most  obvious 
sense  as  equivalent  to,  I  saw  Jesus  Christ  suffer.  It  is  as  if  he  had 
said,  'He  who  addresses  you,  and  calls  on  you  to  be  faithful  to  Christ, 
and  to  the  church  purchased  by  his  blood,  knows  well  how  strong  are 
his  claims  on  you,  how  strong  is  his  regard  for  them.  With  these 
eyes  I  have  seen  the  Eternal  Word,  the  Lord  of  Glory,  a  poor,  desti 
tute,  afflicted,  tormented,  despised,  dying,  dead  man.  I  heard  his 
groans  in  Gethsemane.  I  saw  his  sweat,  as  it  were  great  drops  of 
blood,  falling  to  the  ground.  I  saw  him  betrayed  by  one  of  his  dis 
ciples,  Judas.  I  saw  him  deserted  by  them  all.  I  saw  him  insulted 
and  abused  before  the  high  priest.  I  saw  how  deeply  he  felt,  and  how 
tenderly  he  forgave,  my  base  denial  of  him.'  And  as  we  can  scarcely 
persuade  ourselves  that  Peter  and  the  other  apostles  were  not  wit 
nesses  of  the  last  scene  of  suffering,  it  is  as  if  he  said,  '  I  saw  him 
affixed,  like  a  felonious  slave,  to  the  cross.  I  heard  the  wail  of  agony, 
"  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me !"  I  heard,  though  I 
then  understood  it  not,  the  mysterious  parting  cry,  "  It  is  finished." 
Having  witnessed  all  this,  is  it  wonderful  that  His  words  who  thus 
suffered  for  me,  for  you,  for  the  flock  committed  to  our  care,  that  his 
words,  Lovest  thou  me  ?  feed  my  lambs ;  Lovest  thou  me  ?  feed  my 
sheep;  Lovest  thou  me?  feed  my  sheep — should  be  continually 
sounding  in  my  ears,  continually  weighing  on  my  heart,  and  that  I 
should  with  deep  earnestness  exhort  you  to  do  that  which  he  so  im 
pressively  commanded  me  to  do  ?' 

"  These,  indeed,  are  things  that  give  great  weight  to  a  man's  words, 
make  them  powerful  and  pressing,  '  a  witness  of  the  sufferings  of 
Christ.'  The  apostles  had  a  singular  advantage  in  this  that  they 
were  eye-witnesses;2  and  Paul,  who  wanted  that,  had  it  supplied  by 
a  vision  of  Christ  at  his  conversion.  But  certainly  a  spiritual  view 
of  Christ  crucified  is  generally,  I  will  not  say  absolutely,  necessary  to 
make  a  minister  of  Christ.  It  is  certainly  very  requisite  for  the  due 
witnessing  of  him,  so  to  preach  the  gospel  as  one  'before  whose 
eyes  Jesus  Christ  had  been  evidently  set  forth  crucified.'  Men  com 
monly  read  and  hear,  and  may  possibly  preach,  of  the  sufferings  of 
Christ  as  a  common  story,  and  in  that  way  it  may  a  little  move  a  man 
and  wring  tears  from  his  eyes ;  but  faith  hath  another  kind  of  sight 
of  them,  and  so  works  another  kind  of  affection.  By  the  eye  of  faith 
to  see  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God,  as  stricken  and  smitten  of  God, 
bearing  our  sorrows  and  wounded  for  our  transgressions ;  Jesus 
Christ,  the  righteous,  reckoned  among  the  unrighteous  and  malefac 
tors  ;  to  see  him  stript  naked,  and  scourged,  and  buffeted,  and  reviled, 
and  dying,  and  all  for  us ;  this  is  the  thing  that  will  bind  upon  us  most 
strongly  all  the  duties  of  Christianity,  and  of  our  callings ;  and  best 
enable  us  according  to  our  callings  to  bind  them  upon  others.'  : 

1  1  Cor.  i.  23.    Gal.  vi.  14.  2  Airfcrrai.  8  Leighton. 


PART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  679 

(3.)  He  was  a  partaker  of  the  glory  to  be  revealed. 

But  still  farther  to  add  cogency  to  his  exhortation,  the  apostle  styles 
himself  "  a  partaker  of  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed."  The  glory 
here  spoken  of  is  obviously  "the  glory  of  Christ."  a  state  of  dignity 
and  happiness  contrasted  with  his  suffering  state.  '  I  am  not  only  a 
witness  of  his  sufferings,  but  a  partaker  of  his  glory,  which  is  to  be 
revealed.'  Some  have  supposed  that  in  these  words  there  is  a  refer 
ence  either  to  our  Lord's  transfiguration,  or  to  his  resurrection  state, 
as  if  Peter  had  said,  '  I  witnessed  and  shared  of  his  sufferings,  and  I 
have  witnessed  and  shared  too  of  his  glory.  I  was  "  with  him  in  the 
Holy  Mount,  when  he  received  from  God  the  Father  honor  and  glory." 
I,  though  fearing,  entered  with  him  into  the  cloud  of  glory,  from  the 
midst  of  which  came  the  voice,  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I 
am  well  pleased."  And  I  too  companied  with  him  after  his  resurrec 
tion,  when  God  had  "  raised  him  from  the  dead  and  given  him  glory." 
I  am  one  of  those  on  whom  he  breathed  and  said,  "  Receive  ye  the 
Holy  Ghost ;"  and  of  whom  he  also  said,  "  The  glory  thou  hast  given 
me  I  have  given  them."  That  glory  is  as  yet  in  this  state  veiled.  It 
is  "  hid  with  Christ  in  God,"  but  it  will  by  and  by  be  manifested.' l 

It  seems  to  me  more  natural  to  consider  the  glory  here  referred  to 
as  the  glory  of  Christ  in  the  celestial  state.  That  glory  at  present 
is  concealed,  and  shall  continue  so  till  the  close  of  the  present  state 
of  things.  The  glories  of  the  holy  of  holies  are  hidden  from  this  outer 
court  of  the  temple  by  the  veil  of  these  visible  heavens,  through 
which  our  Lord  has  passed.  But  this  veil  shall  by  and  by  be  rent 
asunder,  and  all  the  splendors  of  the  inner  sanctuary  burst  on  the 
sight  of  an  amazed  world.  "  Christ,  the  life  of  his  people,  shall  ap 
pear,"2  be  manifested  to  be  what  he  is,  and  they  his  people  shall  be 
manifested  with  him  in  glory.  The  day  of  his  manifestation  as  the 
Son  of  God  shall  be  the  day  of  their  manifestation  as  the  sons  of  God. 
He  shall  be  "glorified  in  his  saints,  and  admired  in  all  them  that  be 
lieve  ;"  and  they  shall  be  glorified  in  him,  admired  in  him.3  His 
glories  shall  be  displayed ;  and  it  shall  be  made  to  appear  that  the 
glory  his  Father  has  given  him  he  has  given  to  his  people. 

Of  this  participation  in  the  revealed  glories  of  Christ,  Peter  was  so 
persuaded  in  reference  to  himself,  that  he  speaks  of  himself  as  already 
a  partaker  of  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed.  Having  the  spirit  of 
faith,  he  was  confident,  "  knowing  that  he  that  raised  up  the  Lord 
Jesus  would  also  raise  up  him  by  Jesus,"  and  that  he  should  be  for 
ever  "  with  him  where  he  is,"  beholding  and  sharing  his  glory,  so  far 
as  the  thing  is  possible,  being  "glorified  together  with  him."4  But  the 
words  are  so  chosen  as,  naturally  enough,  to  convey,  in  addition  to 
this  thought,  that  he  should  be  a  partaker  of  the  glory  of  Christ  at 
the  time  of  its  revelation,  the  idea  that  even  now,  amid  all  the  imper 
fections  and  sorrows  of  the  present  state,  Peter  considered  himself 
as  a  partaker  of  the  glory  of  Christ ;  that  glory  now  concealed,  but 
one  day  to  be  manifested.  He  considered  himself  as  "  planted  to 
gether  with  Christ,"  not  only  "  in  the  likeness  of  his  death,"  but  also 

1  2  Pet.  i.  16-18.     John  xvii.  22.  2  0ai/epu0,7. 

3  Col.  iii.  4.     2  Thess.  i.  10.  4  2  Cor.  iv.  14.    John  xvii.  24.     Rom.  viii.  17. 


680  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

"  in  the  likeness  of  his  resurrection ;"  as  having  fellowship  with  him 
not  only  in  his  death,  but  also  in  his  life,  "  sitting  with  him,  reigning 
with  him,  in  the  heavenly  places  ;"  1  already  a  partaker,  though  in  far 
inferior  measure,  of  that  holiness  and  happiness,  in  the  enjoyment  of 
the  Divine  favor  and  conformity  to  the  Divine  image,  in  the  perfection 
of  which  Christ's  glory  consists.  Peter  was,  and  every  Christian  in 
the  measure  of  his  faith  is,  thus  even  here  "  a  partaker  of  the  glory 
which  is  to  be  revealed." 

The  bearing  of  this  statement,  as  a  motive  on  the  apostle's  exhor 
tation,  is  manifest  when  you  look  forward  to  its  close,  where  he  points 
to  the  crown  of  glory,  which,  when  the  Chief  Shepherd  comes,  that 
is,  at  the  time  of  the  revelation  of  his  glory,  shall  be  conferred  on  the 
faithful  under-shepherds.  The  exhortation  of  a  man,  who,  under  the 
influence  of  the  spirit  of  faith,  believes,  and  therefore  speaks,  and  who, 
when  speaking  of  the  future  rewards  of  the  faithful  minister,  speaks 
of  something  of  which  he  has  already  the  earnest,  and  of  the  full  en 
joyment  of  which  he  is  completely  assured,  is  plainly  fitted  to  be  pe 
culiarly  impressive  and  persuasive.  It  is  as  if  he  had  said,  "  I  speak 
what  I  do  know.  I  testify  what  I  have  seen." 

§  2. — Motives  from  considerations  referring  to  the  church. 

Let  us  now  look  at  the  motives  derived  from  considerations  refer 
ring  to  the  church.  Feed  the  church ;  it  is  the  flock  of  God.  Super 
intend  the  church  ;  it  is  the  heritage  of  God. 

(1.)  It  is  the  flock  of  God. 

The  church  is  the  flock  of  God,  and  every  true  member  of  it  is 
one  of  his  sheep.  This  is  one  of  the  figurative  expressions  by  which 
Jehovah's  peculiar  property  in,  and  care  for,  ancient  Israel  is  often 
expressed.  "  Ye,  my  flock,  the  flock  of  my  pasture,  are  men,  and  I 
am  your  God,  saith  the  Lord  God."  2  Like  most  expressions  of  the 
kind,  it  is  employed  in  an  extended  and  elevated  sense  to  describe  the 
peculiar  relation  in  which  the  true  spiritual  church  stands  to  God. 
They  are  his  peculiar  property,  separated  from  the  rest  of  mankind, 
saved  from  destruction  by  the  good  Shepherd  laying  down  his  life  for 
them ;  protected  by  his  peculiar  providence,  and  blessed  with  the 
tokens  of  his  special  love.  The  good  Shepherd,  who  laid  down  his 
life  to  save  them  from  destruction,  took  it  again  to  complete  their  sal 
vation :  "  He  gathers  the  lambs  in  his  arms,  he  carries  them  in  his 
bosom;"  "He  feeds  them,  and  causes  them  to  lie  down.  He  seeks 
that  which  was  lost,  and  brings  again  that  which  was  driven  away ; 
and  binds  that  which  was  broken,  and  strengthens  that  which  is 
sick."  Hear  what  he  himself  says,  "  I  give  unto  my  sheep  eternal 
life,  and  they  shall  never  perish ;  neither  shall  any  pluck  them  out 
of  my  hand.  My  Father,  who  gave  them  me,  is  greater  than  all ; 
and  none  can  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's  hand." 3  Should  not 
we  count  it  a  great  honor,  and  feel  it  a  most  responsible  trust,  to  have 

i  Rom.  vL  5.    Eph.  ii.  6.  a  Ezek  xxxiv.  31> 

Isa.  xl.  11.    Ezek.  xxxiv.  11-14.    John  x.  28. 


FART  I.]  DUTIES    OF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  681 

those  who  stand  in  so  close  a  relation  to  God,  in  whom  he  takes  so 
peculiar  an  interest,  committed  to  our  care  ?  Should  we  not  care 
for  those  for  whom  he  cares  ?  Should  we  not  watch  for  those  for 
whom  his  Son  died  ? 

(2.)  It  is  God's  heritage. 

Substantially  the  same  ideas  with  regard  to  the  church  are  sug 
gested  by  its  being  termed  God's  heritage.  The  term  here  used  has 
a  reference  to  the  manner  in  which  the  Israelites  obtained  their  pos 
sessions,  which  were  heritages  transmitted  from  generation  to  gener 
ation.  It  is  borrowed  from  the  fact  that  these  possessions  were  ori 
ginally  fixed  by  lot,  so  that  lot  and  possession  are  often,  in  Scripture, 
convertible  terms.  Like  the  former  figure,  it  is  often  used  to  express  Je 
hovah's  peculiar  relation  to  Israel,  "  The  Lord's  portion  is  his  people  ; 
Israel  is  the  lot  of  his  inheritance  ;"  l  and  both  designations  are  trans 
ferred  to  the  spiritual  church  under  the  new  economy.  Christians 
are  called  "  the  purchased  possession/'  the  peculiar  property  of  God, 
"  the  chosen  generation,  the  holy  nation,  the  peculiar  people."  2  To 
be  employed  to  take  care  of  his  ancient  people  was  a  great  honor. 
To  be  the  king  of  Israel  was  greater  honor  than  to  be  king  of  Egypt, 
Assyria,  or  Babylon.  How  far  above  all  Pagan  legislators  stands 
Moses  the  servant  of  the  Lord  !  How  low  the  rank  of  heathen  sages 
compared  with  that  of  Hebrew  prophets  !  The  most  honorable  and  re 
sponsible  situation  man  can  occupy,  is  that  of  a  teacher  and  ruler  in 
that  spiritual  family  of  which  God  is  the  head,  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
elder  brother,  and  holy  angels  the  willing  ministers.  Should  not 
God's  most  valued  property  be  well  cared  for  ?  Should  not  the  edu 
cation  of  his  children  be  well  attended  to  ?  Is  there  not  great  honor 
involved  in  the  charge  being  intrusted  to  us  ?  Must  there  not  be 
high  responsibility  incurred  by  our  undertaking  it  ?  Such  seems  the 
force  of  the  motives  derived  from  a  reference  to  the  church. 

It  is  but  right  to  remark,  before  leaving  this  particular,  that  the 
precise  meaning  of  the  expression,  rendered  "God's  heritage,"  is 
somewhat  doubtful.  You  will  observe  the  word  God's  is  in  italics, 
which,  as  you  know,  indicates  that  there  is  no  term  answering  to  it 
in  the  original.  The  word  is  in  the  plural,  the  lots  or  possessions. 
Not  lording  it  over  "  the  lots."  3  The  term  lot  or  possession,  in  the 
singular,  is  applied  to  the  church,  as  the  lot  or  possession  of  Jehovah ; 
but  nowhere  else  in  the  plural.  This  has  led  some  to  suppose  that 
it  refers  to  the  possessions,  the  property,  of  the  church ;  not  treating 
the  church  property,  as  if  it  were  their  own,  as  if  they  were  the  pro 
prietors  of  it.  There  is  no  reason  to  think  that  at  this  early  period 
the  churches  had  anything  like  fixed  property ;  and  there  is  no  proper 
contrast  in  this  case  between  the  two  obviously  antithetic  clauses 
of  the  sentence.  It  is  a  much  more  probable  opinion  that  consid 
ers  the  lots  or  possessions  as  referring  to  the  separate  flocks  of  differ 
ent  elders  or  elderships.  Not  lording  it  over  the  (or  their)  lots  or  pos 
sessions,  the  flocks  allotted  to  them  by  the  great  Shepherd,  but  show 
ing  them  an  example.  In  this  case,  the  motive  folded  up  in  the  phrase 

1  Deut.  xxxii.  9.  3  Epb.  i.  18.     1  Pet.  ii.  9.  3  See  note  B. 


682  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

is,  You  have  had  a  specific  work  assigned  you  by  the  great  Shepherd. 
Each  has  his  appointed  sphere  of  labor.  Let  the  laborers  see  that 
their  own  vineyard  be  well  kept,  and  their  own  flock  be  well  shepherd 
ed.  Yet  a  little  while,  and  the  great  Husbandman  will  take  account 
of  his  servants,  and  then  woe  to  the  unprofitable,  double  woe  to  the 
unfaithful  servant. 

§  3. — Motives  from  considerations  referring  to  the  Office-bearers 

themselves. 

It  only  remains  now  that  we  attend  a  little  to  the  motives  derived 
from  a  reference  to  the  office-bearers  themselves.  The  words  of  the 
apostle  express  much ;  they  suggest  more.  They  describe  the  reward 
of  the  faithful  Christian  elder ;  they  dimly  shadow  forth  the  punish 
ment  of  the  unfaithful  Christian  elder. 

(1.)   The  reward  of  the  faithful  Christian  elder. 

The  words  describe  the  reward  of  the  faithful  Christian  elder :  "  He 
shall  receive  a  crown  of  glory,  which  fadeth  not  away,  when  the 
chief  Shepherd  shall  appear."  Jesus  Christ  is  the  chief  Shepherd ; 
he  is  the  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  the  good  Shepherd,  the  great  Shep 
herd,  the  proprietor  Shepherd,  whose  own  the  sheep  are;  the  Shep 
herd  of  the  shepherds  as  well  as  of  the  sheep.  He  is  even  now  really 
present  in  his  church.  The  faithful  Witness  did  not  lie  when  he  said, 
"  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway."  "  Where  two  or  three  are  met  in  my 
name,  I  am  in  the  midst  of  them."  : 

His  presence,  however,  is  spiritual,  not  bodily.  The  heavens  have 
received  him,  and  we  see  him  no  more.  But  when  he  disappeared, 
the  most  explicit  declarations  were  given  that  he  should  re-appear. 
"I  will  come  again,"  said  he  himself;  "and  receive  you  to  myself, 
that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also."  "  This  same  Jesus,"  said 
the  angels  to  the  apostles,  when  they  stood  gazing  up  towards  heaven, 
in  the  clouds  of  which  their  Lord  had  just  disappeared,  "  This  same 
Jesus  who  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like 
manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven." 2  This  re-appearance, 
which  is  to  be  a  glorious  manifestation  of  what  he  is,  both  essentially 
and  officially,  a  revelation  of  his  glory,  is  a  leading  subject  of  the 
apostolic  testimony,  and  has  been  all  along  the  great  object  of  the 
church's  hope.  Their  "  blessed  hope"  is,  and  has  all  along  been,  "  the 
glorious  appearing  of  Him  who  is  the  great  God  and  their  Saviour."  3 
The  day  of  his  coming  is  to  be  the  day  of  their  "  gathering  together 
to  him." 

When  He  shall  come,  he  shall  come  in  his  character  of  the  chief 
Shepherd,  to  collect  his  flock  together,  and  to  conduct  them  all  in  a 
body  into  the  heavenly  fold.  One  purpose  of  his  coming  shall  be  to 
take  account  of  his  under- shepherds,  and  to  render  to  them  according 
to  their  work.  To  the  faithful,  laborious  servant,  who  has  affection 
ately  and  wisely  shepherded  and  superintended,  fed  and  guided,  the 
flock  committed  to  him,  not  grudgingly,  but  cheerfully ;  not  merce- 

1  Matt,  xxvii.  20  ;  xviii.  20.  8  Acts  i.  10,  11.  3  Tit.  ii.  13. 


PART  I.J  DUTIES    OF    THE    OFFICE-BEARERS.  683 

narily,  but  disinterestedly ;  not  ambitiously,  seeking  to  be  a  lord,  but 
humbly,  striving  to  be  an  ensample ;  "  he  will  then  give  a  crown  of 
glory  which  shall  never  fade." 

The  language  is  figurative,  but  the  meaning  is  plain.  He  will 
visibly  reward  his  faithful  services,  by  bestowing  on  him  a  large  meas 
ure  of  the  highest  kinds  of  happiness-  and  honor  of  which  his  nature 
is  capable  ;  blessings  which  shall  endure  forever,  and  forever  retain 
undiminished  their  power  to  satisfy  their  possessors.  In  what  the 
peculiarity  of  the  rewards  of  the  faithful  Christian  elder  shall  consist, 
we  can  form  but  inadequate  and  indistinct  ideas.  There  is  much, 
however,  to  lead  us  to  believe,  that  a  portion,  and  probably  no  small 
portion  of  it,  is  to  consist  in  witnessing  the  holy  happiness  of  those 
to  whose  spiritual  interests  he  ministered  on  earth ;  and  to  know  most 
certainly,  that  to  his  labors  and  instrumentality  their  happiness  has 
been  owing.  Such  is  the  view  which  the  apostle's  words  naturally 
lead  us  to  take,  when  he  calls  the  Philippian  Christians  his  "joy  and 
his  crown ;"  and  when  to  the  Thessalonians  he  says,  "  What  is  our 
hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing  ?  Are  not  even  ye  in  the  presence 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  his  coming  ?  for  ye  are  our  glory  and 
our  joy."  l 

The  Christian  pastor  will,  according  to  his  measure,  be  admitted 
into  the  joy  of  his  Lord,  when  he  sees  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  is 
satisfied.  This  is  an  exceeding  great,  and  a  peculiarly  appropriate 
reward ;  a  reward  which  will  be  enjoyed  just  in  proportion  as  the  in 
dividual  Christian  pastor  has  been  filled  with  the  spirit  of  his  office, 
and  discharged  its  duties.  What  a  high,  what  a  holy  satisfaction  to 
know,  that  we  have  efficiently  co-operated  towards  the  accomplish 
ment  of  the  favorite  purpose  of  Deity,  to  reconcile  all  things  to 
himself  by  Jesus  Christ ;  that  we  have  been  the  means  of  sav 
ing  souls  from  death,  of  covering  multitudes  of  sins,  of  increasing 
the  joys  of  angels,  of  ministering  to  the  satisfaction  of  Him  who 
loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood !  What  a 
reward  ! 

To  borrow'  the  words  of  the  holy  Leighton,  "  It  is  a  crown  of  glory, 
pure,  unmixed  glory,  without  any  ingrediency  of  pride  or  sinful  vanity, 
or  any  danger  of  it ;  and  a  crown  that  fadeth  not,  formed  of  such  flowers 
that  wither  not ;  not  a  temporary  garland  of  fading  flowers,  as  all  here 
are.  Though  made  of  flowers  growing  in  a  rich  valley,  their  glorious 
beauty  is  fading  ;  but  this  is  fresh,  and  in  perfect  lustre,  to  all  eternity. 
May  they  not  well  trample  on  base  gain,  and  vain  applause,  that  have 
this  crown  to  look  to  ?  Joys  of  royal  pomp,  how  soon  do  they  van 
ish  as  a  dream  ?  But  this  day  begins  a  triumph  and  a  feast,  that 
shall  never  either  end  or  be  wearied  of.  All  things  here,  even  the 
choicest  pleasures,  cloy,  but  satisfy  not.  Those  above  shall  always 
satisfy,  but  never  cloy.  What  is  to  be  refused  in  the  way  to  this 
crown  ?  All  labor  for  it  is  sweet.  And  what  is  there  here  to  be  de 
sired  to  stay  our  hearts,  that  we  should  not  most  willingly  let  go,  to 
rest  from  our  labors,  and  receive  our  crown?  Was  ever  any  man 
sad  that  the  day  of  his  coronation  drew  nigh  ?  In  that  day  when  he 
on  whose  head  are  many  crowns,  shall  bestow  many  crowns,  there 

1  Phil.  iv.  1.     1  Thess.  ii.  19. 


684  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

will  be  no  envy,  no  jealousies  ;  all  kings,  each  having  his  own  crown, 
and  each  rejoicing  in  the  glory  of  another,  and  all  in  His,  who  that 
day  shall  be  all  in  all." 

(2.)   The  doom  of  the  unfaithful  Christian  elder. 

These  words  of  the  apostle,  while  they  describe  the  final  destiny 
of  the  faithful  Christian  pastor,  naturally  suggest  the  awful  truth  re 
specting  the  Christian  elder  who  has  not  fed  the  flock  of  God,  who  has 
not  superintended  aright  his  heritage.  What  is  to  become  of  him 
who  has  done  his  work  by  constraint,  not  willingly,  for  filthy  lucre, 
not  of  a  willing  mind,  who  has  lorded  it  over  God's  heritage,  and  has 
not  been  an  ensample  to  the  flock;  shall  he  be  crowned?  No;  he  has 
not  "  striven,"  or,  at  any  rate,  "  not  striven  lawfully."  The  doom  of 
the  unprofitable,  the  doom  of  the  unfaithful,  servant  will  be  his.  Ex 
pelled  from  the  family  of  God,  he  will  be  cast  into  outer  darkness ; 
there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.  His  portion  is  with 
the  hypocrites,  a  class  peculiarly  hateful  to  him  who  desires  truth  in 
the  inward  part;  with  the  perfidious,  who  have  broken  their  engage 
ments  both  to  God  and  to  man.  And  it  is  his  fit  place ;  for  the  honor 
of  God,  the  cause  of  truth,  the  interests  of  souls,  were  put  into  his 
hands ;  he  accepted  the  trust,  and  basely  betrayed  them  all.  In  the 
prison  of  hell,  with  "  the  basest,  the  lowermost,  the  most  dejected, 
most  underfoot  and  down-trodden  vassals  of  perdition,"  l  must  he  have 
his  everlasting  abode  ?  "  This  pertaineth  to  him  as  the  portion  of  his 
cup."  What  Christian  elder  can  think  of  these  things,  can  realize 
them  to  his  mind,  without  having  new  nerve  given  to  his  resolution 
to  be  "  faithful  to  him  who  has  appointed  him  ;"  "  faithful  to  death," 
that  he  may  "  obtain  the  crown  of  life,"  and  escape  the  brand  of 
everlasting  shame  and  contempt ;  that  he  may  be  greeted  with  the  in 
vitation,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,"  come  up  hither ;  in 
stead  of  meeting  the  heart-withering  denunciation,  "  Depart,  depart, 
I  never  knew  you."  You  called  me,  Lord ;  but  I  never  considered 
you  as  my  servant,  for  I  knew  you  were  not. 

Thus  have  I  brought  to  a  close  my  illustrations  of  the  first  part  of 
this  paragraph,  that  part  of  it  which  refers  to  the  duties  of  the  office 
bearers  of  the  Christian  church  to  those  committed  to  their  care.  But 
ere  proceeding  farther,  I  would  press  on  my  own  mind,  and  on  the 
minds  of  my  brethren  in  the  eldership  in  this  congregation,  the  solemn 
considerations  which,  in  the  illustration  of  this  passage  of  Scripture, 
have  been  placed  before  us.  Let  us  remember,  that  this  word  of  ex 
hortation  is  as  really  addressed  to  us,  as  it  was  to  those  to  whom  the 
epistle  was  originally  written.  Let  us  humble  ourselves,  under  the 
consciousness  how  very  imperfectly  we  have  discharged  the  inesti 
mably  important  duties  of  our  most  responsible  situation.  Let  us 
cast  ourselves  on  our  Master's  kindness,  for  the  forgiveness  of  all 
that  has  been  wanting  and  wrong  in  our  official  conduct ;  and  while 
in  our  inmost  hearts  saying,  "Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?"  let 
us,  undiscouraged  though  not  unwarned  by  our  former  failures,  cherish 
an  overgrowing  resoluteness  of  determination,  by  his  grace,  to  be 

1  Milton. 


PART  II.]  DUTIES    OF    MEMBERS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  685 

"  steadfast  and  immovable,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  our  Lord/ 
assured  that  our  labors  shall  not  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord. 

Holy  brethren,  partakers  of  this  high  vocation,  elders,  suffer  the 
words  of  exhortation  from  one  who  also  is  an  elder.  They  shall  be 
the  words  of  the  holy  apostles  of  our  common  Lord:  "  I  charge  you 
before  God,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  elect  angels,  that  ye 
take  heed  to  yourselves  and  to  all  the  flock  over  which  the  Holy 
Ghost  has  made  you  overseers.  Hold  the  mystery  of  faith  in  a  pure 
conscience.  Be  examples  to  the  believers  in  word,  in  conversation, 
in  charity,  in  spirit,  in  faith,  in  purity.  Let  no  man  despise  you.  O 
men  of  God,  flee  pride,  strife,  evil  surmisings,  perverse  disputings,  and 
that  love  of  money  which  is  the  root  of  all  evil.  Follow  after  right 
eousness,  godliness,  faith,  love,  patience,  meekness.  Fight  the  good 
fight  of  faith  ;  lay  hold  on  eternal  life.  Hold  fast  the  form  of  sound 
words.  Hold  fast  what  you  have  attained ;  let  no  man  take  your 
crown.  I  give  you  charge  in  the  sight  of  God,  who  quickeneth  all 
things,  and  before  Christ  Jesus,  who  before  Pontius  Pilate  witnessed 
a  good  confession,  that  you  observe  these  things,  without  preferring 
one  before  another,  doing  nothing  by  partiality.  Keep  this  command 
ment  without  spot,  unrebukable,  until  the  appearing  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ :  which  in  his  times  he  shall  show,  who  is  the  blessed 
and  only  Potentate,  the  King  of  kings,  and  the  Lord  of  lords ;  who 
only  hath  immortality,  dwelling  in  the  light  which  no  man  can  ap 
proach  unto ;  whom  no  man  hath  seen,  neither  can  see  :  to  whom 
honor  and  power  everlasting.  Amen."  l 


II.— OF  THE  DUTIES  OF  THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH  TO 
THEIR  OFFICE-BEARERS. 

I  go  on  now  to  call  your  attention  to  the  view  which  the  text  gives 
us  of  the  duties  of  the  members  of  Christian  churches  towards  their 
office-bearers.  This  is  contained  in  the  first  clause  of  the  fifth  verse, 
"  Likewise,  ye  younger,  submit  yourselves  to  the  elder."  Before  pro 
ceeding  farther,  however,  it  will  be  proper  that  I  endeavor  to  satisfy 
you  that  these  words  are,  indeed,  an  injunction  of  the  duties  of  church- 
members  to  their  office-bearers,  and  not,  as  many  have  supposed,  of 
the  duties  of  the  young  to  the  aged.  Were  we  merely  looking  at  the 
words,  without  taking  into  consideration  the  connection  in  which  they 
are  introduced,  this  last  mode  of  viewing  them  would  probably  be 
that  which  would  first  occur  to  every  reader ;  but  it  requires  only  a 
little  reflection  to  see :  first,  that  the  connection  by  no  means  leads 
us  to  expect  here  an  injunction  of  the  duties  of  the  young  to  the 
aged,  and  that  the  language  by  no  means  obliges  us  thus  to  under 
stand  it ;  and,  secondly,  that  the  connection  does  lead  us  to  expect  an 
injunction  of  the  duties  of  the  private  members  of  the  church,  as 
contra-distinguished  from  the  office-bearers ;  and,  still  farther,  that 
while  there  is  nothing  in  the  language  which  is  inconsistent  with  this 
mode  of  interpretation,  there  is  something  which  cannot  be  satisfac 
torily  explained  on  any  other  supposition. 

1  2  Tim.  iv.  1.  Acts  xx.  28.  1  Tim.  i.  19  ;  iii.  9  ;  iv.  12.  Tit.  ii  15.  1  Tim.  vi.  11,  12 
2  Tim.  i.  13.  Rev.  iii.  11.  1  Tim.  vi.  13-16. 


(58G  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  first  four  verses  of  the  chapter  re 
fer  to  the  duties  of  Christian  office-bearers ;  and  as  little,  that  the  in 
junction  in  the  fifth  verse  has  a  close  connection  with  the  injunctions 
contained  in  these  verses,  a  connection  intimated  by  the  connective 
particle  "  likewise  ;"  l  a  word  which  seems  to  intimate  that  the  duties 
enjoined  are  correlative,  or,  at  any  rate,  belong  to  the  same  general 
family  of  duties.  In  enjoining  domestic  duties,  after  stating  the 
duties  of  servants,  the  apostle  says,  "  Likewise,  ye  wives,  be  in  sub 
jection  to  your  own  husbands  ;"  and  after  stating  the  duties  of  wives, 
he  says,  "  Likewise,  ye  husbands,  dwell  with  your  wives  according 
to  knowledge,  giving  honor  unto  the  wife,  as  unto  the  weaker  vessel, 
and  as  being  heirs  together  of  the  grace  of  life :  that  your  prayers 
be  not  hindered."  2  The  word  certainly  leads  you  to  expect  the  in 
junction  of  some  kindred,  some  ecclesiastical,  duty,  not  the  injunc 
tion  of  a  duty  belonging  to  an  entirely  different  class. 

It  is  the  ordinary  practice  of  the  apostles,  a  practice  plainly  dic 
tated  by  the  proprieties  of  the  case,  to  enjoin  the  duties  rising  out  of 
mutual  relations  in  succession ;  thus,  "  Wives,  submit  yourselves  to 
your  own  husbands ;  husbands,  love  your  wives."  "  Children,  obey 
your  parents  ;  fathers,  provoke  not  your  children  to  anger."  "  Ser 
vants,  be  obedient  to  them  that  are  your  masters ;  masters,  do  the 
same  thing  to  them."  3  When,  therefore,  we  meet  with  an  injunc 
tion  to  elders  to  do  their  duty  to  a  certain  class  clearly  defined,  and 
then  find  a  certain  class,  not  quite  so  clearly  defined,  called  on  to  do 
their  duty  to  elders,  we  naturally  conclude  that  the  objects  of  the  first 
exhortations  are  the  subjects  of  the  second,  and  not  some  other  class 
altogether. 

Had  the  office-bearers  been  represented  as  spiritual  fathers,  and 
had  the  injunction  run  thus,  '  Fathers  in  Christ,  carefully  superintend 
and"  instruct  the  family  of  God  committed  to  your  care ;'  and  been 
followed  by  the  command,  '  Likewise,  ye  children,  be  submissive 
to  the  fathers  ;'  would  not  every  one  at  once  have  seen  that,  in  the 
latter  clause,  it  was  not  the  duty  of  children  to  their  parents  that 
was  enjoined,  but  that  of  spiritual  children  to  their  spiritual  fathers 
— or  in  other  words,  of  the  members  of  the  church  to  the  office 
bearers  of  the  church  ? 

It  seems  very  unnatural,  without  a  strong  reason,  to  suppose  the 
elders  of  the  fifth  verse  to  be  a  different  class  of  men  from  the  elders 
of  the  first  verse  ;  *  and,  if  they  are  the  same  class,  it  seems  strange 
that  young  persons  alone  should  be  called  on  to  perform  to  them  a 
duty  which  is  owing  to  them  by  all  to  whom  they  stand  in  official 
relation.  Besides,  had  the  apostle  meant  to  enjoin  the  duties  of  the 
young  to  the  old,  he  would  have  used  some  other  word  for  the  old 
than  that  which  he  had  just  used  to  express  office.  Still  further,  the 
duty  enjoined  is  one  due  to  all  official  elders,  from  their  office  ;  and 
not  due  to  any  old  man,  merely  from  his  age.  It  is  not  submission, 
but  respect,  that  is  due  from  the  young  to  the  old.  "  Thou  shalt  rise 

1  'O/m'ois  manifeste  ostendit  eosdem  hie  significari  presbyteros:  sicut  antea  Petrus  de 
presby terorum  erga  suas  oves,  sic  nunc  de  ovium  erga  suos  Trjaoeorwraf  officio  dissent  • 
quamobrem  etiam  recte  Syrus  interpres  addidit  affixum  vestris.— BEZA. 

•  1  Pet.  iii.  1,  7.  3  Eph.  v.  22,  25  ;  vi.  1,  4,  5,  9.     Col.  iii.  18-22  ;  iy.  1. 

ilpeaftvTEoot. 


PART  II.]  DUTIES    OF    MEMBERS    OP    THE    CHURCH.  687 

*. 

up  before  the  hoary  head,  and  honor  the  face  of  the  old  man,  and  fear 
thy  God  :  I  am  the  Lord."  l 

We  consider  ourselves,  then,  as  not  only  warranted,  but  shut  up 
to  interpret  "  the  younger,"  or  the  juniors  here,  as  a  general  name 
for  the  ordinary  church  members,  as  contra-distinguished  from  their 
elders,  in  the  same  way  as  they  are  termed  sheep,  or  a  flock,  when 
their  office-bearers  are  termed  shepherds  ;  scholars,  or  disciples,  when 
they  are  termed  teachers  ;  and  as  John  the  elder  speaks  of  his  con 
verts  as  his  children,  "  I  have  no  greater  joy  than  to  hear  that  my 
children  walk  in  truth."2  I  am  not  aware  of  the  designation  "young 
er"  being  used  in  any  other  part  of  the  New  Testament  in  the  sense 
which  it  seems  to  bear  here,  though  there  is  a  passage  where  it  is 
employed  in  a  somewhat  analogous  way :  "He  that  is  greatest  among 
you,  let  him  be  as  the  younger ;  and  he  that  is  chief,  as  he  that 
doth  serve."  3 

That  the  younger  here  are  those  who  stand  in  some  relation  to  the 
presbyters  or  elders  just  mentioned,  is  so  evident,  and  its  reference  to 
the  young  in  age  is  so  unnatural,  *  that  we  find  a  number  of  commen 
tators  supposing  that  the  term  refers  to  the  six  inferior  orders  of 
clergy,*  as  they  were  called,  after  the  simplicity  of  the  primitive 
Christian  polity  was  departed  from  ;  and  that  submission  referred  to 
their  duties  to  the  bishops.  The  use  of  such  an  expression  for  church 
members  was  natural  in  the  primitive  times,  when  their  official  elders 
were  generally  not  young  men,  certainly  not  young  Christians  ;  it  be 
ing  matter  of  statute  that  the  elders  should  not  be  novices,  but  tried 
men,  old  disciples ;  so  that  the  great  body  of  the  church  members 
were  both  naturally  and  spiritually  their  juniors.  Indeed  still,  in  or 
dinary  cases,  the  great  body  of  the  members  of  a  church  are 
younger  than  their  elders. 

On  the  supposition  that  the  younger,  the  juniors,  are  the  private 
members  of  the  church,  the  whole  passage  has  a  character  of  close 
connection  and  complete  consistency.  We  have  first  the  duties  of 
the  office-bearers ;  then  the  duty  of  the  private  members  of  the 
church  to  their  office-bearers  ;  and  then  the  duty  of  all  connected 
with  the  church,  whether  officers  or  private  members,  clearly  stated 
and  powerfully  enforced.  The  duties  enjoined  are  just  the  duties 
belonging  to  those  who  respectively  occupy  those  ecclesiastical  re 
lations.  On  the  other  supposition  all  is  disjointed.  An  injunction 
of  the  duties  of  Christian  pastors  is  followed  by  an  injunction  of  the 
duties  of  the  young  to  the  old  ;  and  this  followed  by  an  injunction  of 
the  duty  which  every  man  owes  to  every  man ;  and  the  duties  en 
joined  in  the  two  last  cases  are  not  those  which  we  expect ;  for, 
though  the  young  are  bound  to  respect  the  aged,  they  are  not  bound 
to  submit  to  them ;  and,  though  every  man  is  to  be  kind  and  just  to 
every  other  man,  every  man  is  not  bound  to  be  subject  to  every  man  ; 
though  there  is  an  important  sense,  in  which  every  Christian  man 
should  be  subject  to  every  other  Christian  man  ;  every  church  mem 
ber  to  every  other  church  member.  Even  Leighton,  who  follows  the 
common  mode  of  interpretation,  acknowledges  that  the  words  have 

1  Lev.  xix.  32.  2  3  John  4.  3  Luke  xxii.  26. 

4  See  note  C.  s  Salmeron. 


688  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

"  some  aspect  to  the  relation  of  those  that  are  under  the  discipline 
and  government  of  the  elders."  The  good  archbishop  was  forgetful 
of  the  wise  saying  of  Dr.  Owen  :  "  If  Scripture  have  more  meanings 
than  one,  it  has  no  meaning  at  all."  If  the  younger  means  the  mem 
bers  of  the  church,  it  cannot  mean  the  young  properly  so  called. 

Having  thus  ascertained  that  the  injunction  before  us  is  an  injunc 
tion  to  church  members  to  perform  their  duty  to  their  office-bearers, 
!et  us  proceed  now  to  inquire  into  the  meaning  of  the  injunction. 
What  is  the  duty  of  church  members  to  their  office-bearers,  as  here 
described  ?  The  duty  here  enjoined  is  substantially  the  same  as  that 
enjoined  by  the  Apostle  Paul,  in  his  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians  and 
Hebrews.  "  We  beseech  you,  brethren,  to  know,  or  acknowledge, 
them  which  labor  among  you,  and  are  over  you  in  the  Lord,  and  ad 
monish  you ;  and  to  esteem  them  very  highly  in  love  for  their  work's 
sake."  "  Obey  them  that  have  the  rule  over  you,  and  submit  your 
selves  :  for  they  watch  for  your  souls,  as  they  who  must  give  account ; 
that  they  may  do  it  with  joy,  and  not  with  grief:  for  that  is  unprofit 
able  for  you."  l 

It  is  quite  plain,  from  these  passages,  that  obedience  and  submission 
are  required  from  church  members  to  their  office-bearers.  It  is  un 
happily  too  certain,  that  much  mischief  has  been  done,  and  much 
good  prevented,  by  church  officers  assuming  a  power  and  authority 
that  do  not  belong  to  them,  but  to  the  one  Lord,  and  encroaching  on 
the  liberties  which  every  Christian  possesses  in  unalienable  right,  by 
virtue  of  the  gift  of  this  one  Lord ;  and  by  church  members  impiously 
permitting  such  an  usurpation,  and  tamely  submitting  to  such  en 
croachments  on  their  privileges.  But  it  is  just  as  unhappily  no 
torious,  that  much  mischief  has  been  done,  and  much  good  prevented, 
in  the  Christian  church,  by  anarchy  as  well  as  tyranny :  by  church 
members  refusing  to  obey  them  that  are  over  them  in  the  Lord,  and 
by  church  officers  allowing  themselves  to  be  denuded  of  the  authority 
with  which  their  Master  has  clothed  them,  and  without  the  exercise 
of  which  the  great,  and  salutary  ends  of  their  office  cannot  be  gained. 

A  Christian  church  is  a  very  free  society ;  but  they  mistake  the 
matter  who  consider  it  as  a  democracy.  It  is  a  monarchy,  adminis 
tered  by  inferior  magistrates,  chosen  by  their  fellow-subjects,  who  are 
to  execute  the  King's  laws,  being  guided  solely  by  his  word,  and 
neither  by  their  own  judgment  or  caprice,  nor  by  the  opinions  and 
will  of  those  whom  they  govern.  Christ  is  the  Lord,  and  he  admin 
isters  his  government  by  officers  appointed  according  to  his  ordinance, 
and  regulated  by  his  laws.  It  is  of  great  importance,  both  to  the 
office-bearers  and  private  members  of  a  Christian  church,  that  they 
have  distinct  scriptural  views  on  this  subject,  that  the  former  may 
not  exact  what  they  have  no  right  to,  and  that  the  latter  may  not  re 
fuse  what,  by  the  law  of  Christ,  they  are  bound  to  give. 

It  is  an  elementary  principle  in  the  Christian  polity,  that  the  office 
bearers  of  every  Christian  church  should  be  chosen  by  the  members 
of  that  church.  No  man  should  become  an  office-bearer  in  the 
Christian  church,  but  thus  by  the  suffrage  of  his  brethren :  and  every 
individual,  in  joining  a  Christian  church  which  has  office-bearers,  by 

1  1  Thess.  v.  12.  13.     Heb.  xiiL  17. 


.  PART  II.]  DUTIES    OF    MEMBERS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  689 

doing  so  chooses  them  as  his  ecclesiastical  superiors.  Pastors  and 
teachers  are  Christ's  gifts.1  The  Holy  Ghost  constitutes  all  true  ec 
clesiastical  overseers ; 2  but  he  does  this,  not  by  miraculous  interpo 
sition,  but  by  endowing  them  with  the  suitable  qualifications,  and  in 
clining  their  brethren  to  call  them  to  the  exercise  of  these  gifts.  The 
primitive  church  elected  their  own  officers.  The  apostles  ordained 
them,  but  those  ordained  by  them  were  chosen  by  the  brethren.3 

The  power  of  election  was  with  them,  and  continued  to  be  so,  till 
the  church  became  so  corrupted  as  scarcely  to  deserve  the  name. 
So  important  is  this  consideration,  in  my  apprehension,  that  I  could 
not  plead  for  obedience  or  submission  as  an  ecclesiastical  duty  from 
Christian  men  in  their  social  capacity,  to  a  person  imposed  on  them 
from  without,  either  by  civil  or  ecclesiastical  authority.  Non-intru 
sion  is  the  fundamental  principle  of  the  administrative  polity  of  the 
Christian  church.  Where  a  man,  claiming  rightly  or  wrongly  the 
character  of  an  elder  in  Christ's  church,  is  not  chosen  explicitly  or 
implicitly  by  me  to  be  over  me  in  the  Lord,  I  am  not  bound  to  sub 
mit  to  him  as  my  pastor. 

Even  to  those  elders  whom  the  members  of  a  church  have  ex 
plicitly  or  implicitly  chosen  to  be  their  elders,  the  obedience  due  is 
obedience  within  certain  clearly  defined  limits.  It  is  only  in  the  dis 
charge  of  the  duties  of  their  office  that  they  are  to  be  submitted  to ; 
and  even  in  the  discharge  of  these  duties,  they  are  to  be  submitted  to 
only  as  far  as  they  administer  the  law  of  the  one  Lord.  It  is  not  to 
the  arbitrary  will  of  your  elders  that  you  are  bound  to  submit.  It  is 
to  them  declaring  and  executing  the  will  of  Christ.4  "Pastors"  (that 
is,  elders)  says  Mr.  Fuller,  "  are  that  to  a  church  which  the  executive 
powers  or  magistrates  of  a  free  country  are  to  the  people  at  large ; 
the  organs  of  the  law.  Submission  to  them  is  submission  to  the  law." 
If  elders  teach  doctrine  inconsistent  with  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  or 
enjoin  anything  inconsistent  with  his  law,  they  are  not  to  be  submitted 
to,  but  on  the  contrary  opposed ;  opposed  to  the  face,  for  they  are  to 
be  blamed.  But  when  the  Christian  eldership  keep  themselves  within 
the  proper  bounds  of  their  office,  it  is  the  duty  of  all  private  mem 
bers  of  the  society  to  submit  to  and  obey  them ;  and  they  cannot  do 
otherwise  without  disturbing  the  peace  of  the  society,  interfering  with 
the  edification  both  of  themselves  and  of  their  fellow  church  mem 
bers,  and  drawing  down  upon  themselves  that  disapprobation  with 
which  the  one  Lord,  who  is  the  Author  of  order  and  not  confusion, 
must  regard  all  who  resist  his  ordinances. 

The  truth  on  the  subject  of  church  authority  has  never  been  bet 
ter  stated  than  by  the  learned  and  judicious  Dr.  Owen :  "  The  obe 
dience  due  to  church  rulers  is  not  a  blind,  implicit  obedience.  A 
pretence  hereof  has  been  abused  to  the  ruin  of  the  souls  of  men ;  but 
there  is  nothing  more  contrary  to  the  whole  nature  of  gospel  obe 
dience,  which  is  our  reasonable  service.  It  has  respect  unto  them 

1  Eph.  iv.  11.  2  Acts  xx.  28.  3  Acts  vi.  3,  4. 

4  "  This  power"  (the  power  given  to  church  officers)  "  is  wholly  ministerial,  without 
domination, — without  coaction  :  and,  therefore,  one  of  the  requisites  of  a  bishop  is — "  he 
musf  be  no  striker :"  lie  has  no  arms  put  into  hi.s  hands  for  this  purpose ;  the  ecclesias 
tical  state  being  furnished  "auctoritate  suadendi  magis  quarn  jubendi  potestate." — Jta. 
TAYLOR,  Ductor  Dubitantium. 

44 


690  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI 

in  their  office  only,  and  while  they  teach  the  things  which  the  Lord 
Christ  hath  appointed  them  to  teach;  when  they  depart  from  these, 
there  is  neither  obedience  nor  submission  due  to  them.  Wherefore, 
in  the  performance  of  these  duties,  there  is  supposed  a  judgment  to 
be  made  of  what  is  enjoined  or  taught  by  the  word  of  God.  Our 
obedience  unto  them  must  be  obedience  to  God.  On  these  supposi 
tions  their  word  is  to  be  obeyed,  and  their  rule  submitted  to,  not  only 
because  they  are  true  and  right  materially,  but  also  because  they  are 
theirs,  and  conveyed  from  them  unto  us  by  Divine  institution."1 

Keeping  these  general  remarks  in  view,  let  us  proceed  to  consider 
a  little  more  particularly  what  is  included  in  that  submissive  obedience 
which  the  Christian  people,  according  to  the  law  of  the  Lord,  owe  to 
the  office-bearers  whom  they  themselves  have  chosen,  And  here, 
with  a  reference  to  the  view  taken  of  the  official  duties  of  the  elder 
ship  in  a  former  part  of  this  discourse,  I  shall  show,  in  succession,  how 
the  members  of  the  church  are  to  submit  themselves  to  the  elders 
teaching,  and  to  the  elders  superintending  or  governing.  But  before 
entering  on  this  illustration,  I  have  to  solicit  your  attention,  for  a- 
moment,  to  two  things  which  may  be  considered  as  necessary  pre 
requisites,  in  order  to  any  individual  rightly  discharging  his  duty  to 
the  eldership,  in  either  of  these  aspects.  These  are,  first,  a  reverence 
for  church  government  as  an  ordinance  of  Christ ;  and  secondly,  a 
respect  for  the  persons  who,  in  the  church  of  which  the  individual  is 
a  member,  are  invested  with  office. 


§  1. — Preliminary  requisites  to  the  discharge  of  the  duty  of  subjec 
tion  to  Elders. 

(1.)   Conviction  of  the  Divine  authority  of  church  order. 

To  fit  a  man  for  the  right  discharge  of  the  duty  here  enjoined,  it  is 
not  necessary  that  he  should  be  persuaded  that  every  arrangement  in 
the  church  with  which  he  is  connected  is  of  Divine  authority ;  but  it 
is  of  great  importance  that  he  should  be  persuaded  that  the  Christian 
church  is  a  divine,  not  a  human,  institution;  and  that  its  office-bear 
ers,  properly  chosen,  are  authorized  by  its  Divine  Head  to  execute 
his  laws,  and  administer  his  ordinances.  Without  such  a  conviction, 
ecclesiastical  obedience,  as  a  religious  duty,  is  impossible.  The  indi 
vidual  may  comply  with  the  arrangements  as  expedient,  but  he  must 
feel  himself  at  liberty,  whenever  he  thinks  them  inexpedient,  which 
is  nearly  equivalent  to  whenever  he  feels  them  to  be  inconvenient,  to 
decline  compliance  with  them.  A  Christian  church  is  a  voluntary 
society,  inasmuch  as  no  man  can  lawfully  be  compelled  either  to 
enter  into  its  fellowship  or  to  continue  in  it ;  but  it  is  not  a  voluntary 
society,  either  in  the  sense  that  a  Christian  man  can,  without  impro 
priety,  continue  unconnected  with  it ;  or,  having  connected  himself 
with  it,  is  not  bound  to  submit  to  the  laws  of  its  Lord  and  King, 
administered  by  office-bearers  appointed  according  to  his  revealed 
will. 

1  Owen  on  the  Hebrews. — Vol.  iv.  p.  260.     Fol.  ed. 


PART  II.]  DUTIES    OP    MEMBERS    OP    THE    CHURCH.  691 

A  great  deal  of  the  insubordination  which  prevails  in  Christian 
churches  originates  in  the  want  of  just  views  and  settled  convictions 


resists  the  ordinance  of  God,  and  receives  to  himself  condemnation ;" 
and  this  holds  good,  whatever  form  ecclesiastical  government  may 
assume,  provided  only  the  rights  of  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Head  of  the 
Church,  and  the  privileges  of  his  people,  the  members  of  it,  are 
secured. 

(2.)    Personal  respect  for  those  invested  with  office. 

Inferior  in  importance  to  this,  but  only  inferior  to  it,  is  the  second 
pre-requisite  to  the  right  discharge  of  the  duty  of  submission  or  obe 
dience  to  church  officers :  A  personal  respect  for  the  individuals  in 
vested  with  office.  To  discharge  the  duties  of  civil  obedience  with 
out  this,  is  difficult.  Without  this,  to  discharge  the  duties  of  ecclesi 
astical  obedience  is  impossible.  No  man  ought  to  become  a  member 
of  a  church  where  the  office-bearers,  as  a  body,  do  not  command  his 
respect  for  their  personal  qualifications.  He  sports  with  his  own 
edification  if  he  does  so.  Nor  ought  he  to  continue  a  member  of  a 
church,  where,  as  a  body,  they  forfeit  their  claims  on  his  respect. 
This  is  obvious ;  for  how,  in  this  case,  can  he  have  Christian  fellow 
ship  with  them  ? 

In  churches,  in  any  good  measure  rightly  constituted,  the  office 
bearers  are  likely  to  be  men  worthy  of  esteem  for  their  own  sake,  as 
well  as  for  their  work's  sake.  If  they  are  not  it  must  reflect  much 
discredit  on  those  who  placed  them  in  a  situation  so  prominent  and 
so  responsible  ;  a  station  which  men  of  low  Christian  attainments,  and 
doubtful  spiritual  character,  cannot  occupy  without  dishonor  to  Chris 
tianity,  and  injury  to  the  edification  of  the  church.  This  considera 
tion  o'ught  to  have  a  powerful  effect  on  the  minds  of  church  members 
in  electing  office-bearers,  and  of  Christians  fixing  on  a  particular  re 
ligious  society  with  which  permanently  to  connect  themselves.  They 
ought  to  see  to  it  that  the  elders  of  the  church  they  belong  to,  be  such 
men  as  that  nothing  in  their  private  character  and  deportment  shall 
throw  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  discharge  of  the  duty  due  to  them 
as  public  officers ;  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  the  respect  which  they 
cannot  but  feel  for  their  worth  as  Christian  brethren,  shall  make  it  a 
very  easy  thing  to  render  to  them  the  honor  and  submission  due  to 
them  as  Christian  elders. 

§  2. — Subjection  to  the  elders  as  teachers. 

Let  me  now  a  little  more  particularly  consider  what  this  honor  and 
submission  is,  in  reference  to  the  two  great  departments  of  the  elders' 
official  duty,  explained  in  a  former  part  of  this  discourse :  Teaching 
and  superintendence.  And  first,  of  the  submission  which  church 
members  owe  to  their  elders  as  teachers.  Now,  church  members  are 
certainly  not  bound  to  believe  everything  their  elders  teach,  nor  to 
do  everything  they  enjoin ;  nay,  they  are  not  bound  to  believe  any- 


692  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI 

thing  they  teach,  merely  because  they  teach  it;  to  do  anything  they 
enjoin,  merely  because  they  enjoin  it.  But  they  are  bound  to  submit 
to  their  teaching,  both  by  regularly  and  conscientiously  waiting  on 
their  instructions,  and  by  receiving  these  instructions  in  the  candid, 
humble  spirit  of  discipleship. 

Attendance  on,  and  attention  to,  his  teaching,  is  what  every  Chris 
tian  teaching  elder  is  entitled  to  from  those  under  his  care.  It  is  the 
duty  of  the  Christian  teacher  to  "  wait  on  his  teaching."  l  The  Chris 
tian  teaching  elder,  who,  without  a  very  sufficient  reason,  is  not  in 
his  own  place  when  the  church  assembles  to  observe  the  ordinances 
of  Christ,  among  which  attention  to  the  doctrine  of  the  apostles  is  one 
of  the  most  important,  is  in  fault.  He  ought  to  be  there,  prepared  to 
expound  and  enforce  the  doctrine  and  law  of  the  Lord,  like  a  house 
holder  with  a  well-furnished  store,  out  of  which  he  is  ready  to  dis 
tribute  things  new  and  old,  "to  give  to  each  of  the  household  his  por 
tion  in  due  season."  But  the  same  authority  which  requires  the 
elders  to  be  present  to  teach,  requires  the  brethren  to  be  present  to 
be  taught.  The  pulpit  must  not  only  be  filled,  but  in  every  case 
where  there  is  not  a  sufficient  reason  for  absence,  filled  by  its  proper 
occupant ;  and  so  ought  the  pew.  Regular  attendance  on  the  public 
instructions  of  the  teaching  elders  is  the  fundamental  part  of  submis 
sion  to  them.  If  you  do  not  hear  your  own  elders,  how  can  you  be 
taught  by  them  so  as  to  be  "  obedient  to  them  in  the  Lord  ?"  And  it 
is  of  importance  that  there  should  be  attendance  at  the  hour  as  well 
as  on  the  day  of  public  instruction.  Punctuality  as  well  as  regularity 
should  be  attended  to.  It  should  be  said  of  every  Christian  assembly 
as  of  Peter's  congregation  in  the  house  of  Cornelius,  when  the  minis 
ter  rises  to  address  them,  "  They  are  all  present  before  God,  to  hear 
all  things  that  are  commanded  him  of  God."  2 

The  remark  respecting  attendance  on  the  instruction  of  the  elders, 
applies  not  only  to  their  public  teaching,  but  also  to  their  ministra 
tions  from  house  to  house.  It.  is  obviously  the  duty  of  the  church 
members,  so  far  as  it  is  practicable,  to  afford  the  elders  an  opportunity 
of  giving  them  those  instructions  more  appropriate  to  their  individual 
character  and  circumstances,  which  it  would  be  unsuitable  to  com 
municate  in  public  addresses. 

But  there  must  be  attention  as  well  as  attendance ;  church  mem 
bers  must  show  their  submission  to  their  elders'  teaching,  not  only  by 
a  regular  personal  waiting  on  their  instructions,  but  also  by  giving 
them  the  ready  attention  and  the  respectful  consideration  they  de 
serve.  They  are  to  listen,  and  to  listen  not  in  the  temper  of  captious 
critics,  but  of  humble  docile  disciples ;  as  persons  who  are  come  to 
learn  the  doctrine  and  law  of  the  Lord,  and  who  consider  the  teaching 
eldership  as  his  appointed  ordinance  for  bringing  and  keeping  this 
doctrine  and  law  before  their  mind.  It  is  one  of  the  many  advan 
tages  of  a  stated  ministry,  that  they  who  have  placed  themselves  un 
der  it,  are  in  a  great  measure  freed  from  temptation  to  indulge  in  that 
critical  mode  of  hearing,  in  which  the  hearer  acts  the  part  rather  of 
the  judge  than  of  the  disciple  ;  seeking  to  form  an  opinion  respecting 
the  powers  of  the  mind,  the  orthodoxy  of  the  doctrine,  or  the  qualities 
1  Rom.  xii.  7.  3  Act?  x.  33. 


PART  II.]  DUTIES    OF    MEMBERS    OP    THE    CHURCH.  693 

of  the  style  and  manner  of  the  preacher,  rather  than  to  derive  spirit 
ual  improvement.  The  church  member,  in  listening  to  the  teacher 
whom  he  has  chosen,  with  whose  character  and  qualifications  he  is 
satisfied,  with  whose  style  and  manner  he  is  familiar,  is,  no  doubt,  to 
judge  of  the  accordance  of  what  he  hears  with  the  t)ivine  infallible 
exhibition  of  the  doctrine  and  law  of  Christ,  like  one  whose  spiritual 
senses  are  exercised  to  discern  good  and  evil ;  but  he  is  to  come,  ex 
pecting  to  hear  nothing  reprehensible,  disposed  to  give  a  candid  con 
sideration  to  everything  that  is  said,  anxious  to  hear  what  God  the 
Lord  will  say  to  him,  and  expecting  to  hear  this  through  the  medium 
of  his  own  elders,  the  instructors  of  his  own  unbiassed  choice,  the 
divinely-appointed  organs  of  instruction,  and  determined  to  "  receive 
with  meekness  the  word,"  which,  if  "  engrafted"  into  him,  will  indeed 
"  save  his  soul." 

Instead  of  taking  offence  when  the  elder  in  teaching  comes  very 
close  to  his  conscience,  the  church  member  should  readily  and  thank 
fully  receive  "the  reproof"  which  gives  "wisdom  ;"  and,  instead  of 
rising  in  inward  rebellion  against  the  preacher,  should  accept  the 
warning  ?  i  rebuke  which  through  his  instrumentality  is  administered 
by  his  Master  and  ours.  The  church  member  who  treats  the  in 
structions  of  the  elders  in  an  opposite  spirit,  violates  the  law  in  the 
text,  forgets  his  place  in  the  body  of  Christ,  and  throws  almost  invin 
cible  obstacles  in  the  way  of  their  usefulness,  and  his  own  edification. 
It  is  a  just  observation  of  Mr.  Fuller,  "  If  men  attend  preaching 
merely  as  judges  of  its  orthodoxy,  they  will  receive  no  advantage  to 
themselves,  and  may  do  much  harm  to  others.  It  is  the  humble  Chris 
tian  who  hears  that  he  may  be  instructed,  corrected,  and  quickened 
in  the  ways  of  God,  who  will  obtain  that  consolation  which  the  gospel 
affords." 

§  3. — Submission  to  the  elders  as  superintendents. 

It  only  remains  now  that  we  say  a  few  words  on  the  duty  of  sub 
mission  due  by  church  members  to  their  elders  as  superintendents,  as 
those  who  are  "  over  them  in  the  Lord,"  who  "  have  the  oversight  of 
them,"  who  "  have  the  rule  over  them."  And  here  I  will,  first,  attend 
to  the  submission  which  is  due  to  the  eldership  in  their  corporate 
capacity,  and  then  to  that  which  is  due  to  individual  elders  when 
performing  their  duties  as  superintendents. 

(1.)    Submission  to  the  eldership  as  a  body. 

Submission  to  the  eldership  as  a  body,  or  to  the  session,  as  we  call 
that  body,  has  a  reference  to  the  two  great  functions  that  body  has 
to  perform  :  the  preservation  of  external  order  in  the  society,  and  the 
exercise  of  spiritual  discipline  in  the  society.  It  is  plain  that  in  such 
a  society  as  a  Christian  church,  there  are  certain  arrangements  with 
respect  to  the  time  and  place  of  meeting,  and  the  order  and  minor  cir 
cumstances  of  the  services,  that  must  be  made  and  attended  to.  It 
belongs  to  the  eldership  to  make  such  regulations,  and  it  is  the  duty 
of  the  members  of  the  church  to  observe  them.  These  arrangements 
may  not  in  every  case  seem  to  individual  members  to  be  the  best ; 


(J94  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

they  may  not  be  the  best.  It  is  quite  right  in  private  members  to  sug 
gest  to  the  elders  what  they  think  would  be  an  improvement ;  but  it 
is  for  the  elders  to  judge  of  such  things ;  and  their  judgment,  in 
every  case  where  conscience  is  not  concerned,  should  be  submitted 
to.  If  this  be  not  attended  to,  there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  order  in 
a  church. 

The  other  form  of  submission  to  the  eldership,  submission  to  them 
as  the  administrators  of  the  discipline  of  the  society,  requires  some 
what  more  extended  illustration.  The  admission  of  members  into 
the  body,  the  dealing  with  such  members  as  have  violated  the  laws 
of  the  society,  and  the  exclusion  of  obstinate  offenders  from  the  so 
ciety,  are  important  official  duties  of  the  eldership.  In  the  right  dis 
charge  of  these  functions,  the  members  of  the  society  have  a  deep 
interest,  and  every  member  of  the  church  should  show  that  he  is 
aware  of  this.  The  province  of  the  members  is  not,  however,  di 
rectly  to  do  these  things ;  but  to  furnish,  where  they  have  it  in  their 
power,  the  means  to  the  eldership  to  do  them  to  the  best  advantage. 
It  is  their  duty,  when  they  are  aware  that  individuals  are  applying  for 
admission  into  the  society,  to  give  their  elders  any  information  which 
may  help  them  to  a  right  decision  in  a  question  of  vital  importance 
to  the  body ;  and  in  the  same  way,  when  offences  occur,  after  having 
used  in  vain  the  means  appointed  by  our  Lord  (Matt,  xviii.)  for 
having  them  removed  privately,  to  bring  the  subject  before  the  as 
sembly  of  the  eldership,  and  to  give  them  all  the  assistance  in  their 
power  to  have  it  properly  disposed  of.  Every  member  of  a  church 
is  bound  "  to  look  diligently  lest  any  fellow  church  member  fail  of  the 
grace  of  God ;  lest  any  root  of  bitterness  springing  up  trouble  the 
body,  and  many  be  defiled."1 

In  the  decisions  of  the  eldership,  as  to  admission,  discipline,  and 
exclusion,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  members  of  the  church  to  acquiesce, 
except  in  cases  where  they  have  satisfactory  evidence  that  the  law  of 
Christ  has  not  been  rightly  administered;  and  even  where  they  may 
suppose  that  this  has  been  the  case,  they  are  not  to  take  it  on  them 
to  judge  and  condemn  those  whom  they  themselves  have  elected  to 
judge  in  such  matters;  far  less  are  they  to  blazon  their  view  of  the 
matter  before  the  church,  least  of  all  before  the  world.  They  are  re 
spectfully  to  remonstrate  with  the  eldership,  and,  if  they  cannot  ob 
tain  satisfaction,  they  are  to  apply  to  those  larger  associations  of 
elders,  which,  under  the  name  of  presbyteries  and  synods,  our  church 
polity,  in  harmony,  as  we  think,  with  the  great  leading  principles  of 
order  laid  down  in  the  New  Testament,  provides ;  and  if  even  then 
they  cannot  obtain  satisfaction,  if  the  matter  is  of  such  importance 
as  to  require  it,  after  giving  testimony  against  what  they  consider  as 
a  violation  of  the  law  of  Christ,  they  should  peaceably  retire  from  the 
society.  For  private  members  of  the  church  to  counterwork  the  el 
dership  in  the  legitimate  discharge  of  their  functions;  to  attempt,  by 
producing  popular  commotions,  to  overawe  their  deliberations,  or  in 
terfere  with  and  overthrow  their  judgments,  is  plainly  inconsistent 
with  everything  like  good  order,  and  directly  opposed  to  that  submis 
sion  here  enjoined  by  the  supreme  authority  in  the  church. 

1  Heb.  xii.  16. 


PART  II.]  DUTIES    OP    MEMBERS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  695 

Before  leaving  this  part  of  the  subject,  I  must  say  a  word  or  two 
as  to  the  duty  of  submission  which  a  member  of  the  church  owes  to 
the  eldership  when  he  himself  unhappily  becomes  a  subject  of  dis 
cipline.  Such  a  person,  though  innocent,  may,  through  mistake,  or 
even  through  malignity,  be  regularly  brought  before  the  session  as  an 
accused  person.  In  such  circumstances,  the  individual  concerned  is 
not  to  refuse  to  submit  the  case  to  trial.  He  is  not  to  behave  as  if  he 
thought  the  eldership  were  acting  an  unkind  part  to  him,  in  doing 
what  they  are  imperatively  bound  to  do,  to  examine  every  question 
connected  with  the  purity  of  the  body,  regularly  brought  before 
them ;  he  is  to  furnish  them  with  the  means  of  vindicating  his  char 
acter  and  that  of  the  body,  if  he  has  been  unjustly  accused ;  and  if 
he  have  really  committed  a  fault,  he  is  readily  to  acknowledge  it,  not 
carping  at  every  mistake  that  may  have  been  committed  either  by 
his  accusers  or  judges,  but  by  confession,  penitence,  and  reformation, 
putting  it  in  the  power  of  the  elders,  with  as  little  delay  as  possible, 
to  restore  him. 

It  is  a  very  hazardous  thing  for  offending  members  of  a  church 
not  to  submit  themselves  to  their  elders,  when,  in  the  impartial  ad 
ministration  of  the  wise  and  benignant  law  of  Christ,  they  are  en 
deavouring  to  heal  their  backslidings,  and  wipe  off  the  stain  their  con 
duct  has  cast  on  the  worthy  name,  and  remove  the  stumbling-block 
it  has  cast  before  both  the  church  and  the  world.  It  is  no  light  mat 
ter  to  set  at  naught  the  authority  of  an  assembly  of  elders  met  in  the 
name  of  Christ,  and  intelligently  and  honestly  administering  his  laws. 
A  deeper  solemnity  hangs  over  such  an  assembly,  however  humble 
in  worldly  ranks  may  be  its  members,  than  over  the  highest  court 
which  refers  merely  to  the  affairs  of  this  world.  He  that  despiseth 
them,  despiseth  their  Lord  ;  and  he  \vho  despiseth  him,  despiseth  also 
him  who  sent  him. 

(2.)  Submission  to  the  elders  as  individuals. 

A  very  few  remarks  on  the  duty  of  submission  due  from  the 
cnurch  members  to  the  individual  elder,  in  discharging  his  function 
of  superintendence,  shall  conclude  these  discussions.  It  is  the  duty 
of  the  elder  to  watch  for  the  souls  of  those  placed  under  his  more  im 
mediate  superintendence,  to  see  that  those  duties  on  which  their 
church  membership  is  suspended  be  carefully  performed.  I  refer  to 
such  duties  as  attendance  on  public  worship,  the  religious  govern 
ment  and  education  of  their  families,  the  maintenance  of  family  wor 
ship,  &c.  It  is  also  their  duty  to  see  that  they  be  generally  acting  as 
becometh  saints  ;  walking  so  as  to  please  God,  and  adorning  the  doc 
trine  of  God  our  Saviour  in  all  things. 

To  enable  himself  to  perform  these  duties,  the  elder  must  seek  a 
more  intimate  acquaintance  with  those  under  his  care,  than  the  mere 
common  intercourse  of  society  can  give  ;  and  must  make  inquiries 
which,  from  a  stranger,  would  be  justly  counted  intrusive  and  im 
pertinent.  The  inquiries  of  the  elder  should  be  kindly  taken,  as 
originating  in  a  desire  to  preserve  a  good  conscience  to  himself,  and 
to  promote  the  highest  interests  both  of  the  individual  and  of  the  so- 


696  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

ciety.  And  when  he  finds  it  necessary  to  exhort,  and  warn,  and 
even  rebuke  privately,  all  this  proceeding  from  a  regard  to  Christ's 
law,  and  being,  indeed,  but  an  execution  of  it,  is  to  be  met  in  a  be 
coming  spirit,  not  submitted  to  as  a  hardship,  but  received  as  a  privi 
lege.  ^The  proper  discharge  of  these  private  duties  of  the  elder,  and 
the  meeting  them  in  a  right  spirit,  would  mightily  promote  the  edifi 
cation  of  the  body,  and  most  happily  lighten  the  disciplinary  labors 
of  the  eldership. 

"  It  has  long  appeared  to  me,"  says  that  wise  and  good  man  An 
drew  Fuller,  "  that  there  are  some  species  of  faults  in  church  mem 
bers,  which  are  not  proper  objects  of  church  censure,  but  of  private 
pastoral  admonition"  by  the  elders ;  "  such  as  spiritual  declension, 
hesitation  on  important  truth,  occasional  neglect  of  religious  duties, 
worldly  anxieties,  and  the  early  approaches  to  any  evil  course.  A 
faithful  elder,1  with  an  eye  of  watchful  tenderness,  will  perceive  the 
first  symptoms  of  spiritual  disorder,  and  by  a  timely  hint  will  coun 
teract  its  operations."  The  church  member  may  be  aware  that  this 
is  very  self-denying  work  to  the  elder,  who  would  much  rather  visit 
him  with  the  smile  of  affectionate  congratulation  than  with  a  coun 
tenance  which  says,  '  My  child,  I  stand  in  doubt  of  you.'  And  they 
ought  not  to  render  that  disagreeable  but  important  part  of  his  work 
more  disagreeable,  by  manifesting  an  irritable  and  resentful  disposi 
tion,  but  receive  the  warning  and  the  reproof  which  Christian  love 
dictates,  and  which  Christian  law  requires,  with  candor,  and  even 
with  gratitude.  "  Correction  may  be  grievous  to  him  that  forsaketh 
the  way,  but  he  that  hateth  reproof  shall  die."  2 

Such  is  a  short  view  of  the  duty  of  church  members  to  their  office 
bearers,  as  here  enjoined  by  the  apostle.  It  is  indeed  what  Arch 
bishop  Leighton  terms  it,  just  "  the  obedience  due  to  the  discipline 
of  God's  house.  This  is  all  we  plead  for  on  this  point.  And  know, 
if  you  refuse  it,  and  despise  the  ordinance  of  God,  he  will  resent  the 
indignity  as  done  to  him.  And  oh,  that  all  that  have  that  charge  of  his 
house  upon  them  would  mind  his  interest  wholly,  and  not  rise  in  con 
ceit  of  their  power,  but  wholly  employ  and  improve  it  for  their  Lord 
and  Master ;  and  look  on  no  respect  to  themselves,  as  for  themselves 
desirable,  but  only  so  far  as  is  needful  for  the  profitable  discharge  and 
advances  of  the  work  in  their  hands.  What  are  the  differences  and 
regards  of  men  ?  How  empty  a  vapor!  and  whatsoever  it  is,  nothing 
is  lost  by  single  and  entire  love  of  our  Lord's  glory,  and  total  aiming 
at  that.  Them  that  honor  him  He  will  honor,  and  those  that  despise 
Him  shall  be  despised." 

I  shall  conclude  this  part  of  the  subject  by  briefly  illustrating  the 
argument  by.  which  the  apostle,  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  enforces 
compliance  with  an  injunction  of  parallel  meaning.  "  Obey  them  that 
have  the  rule  over  you,  and  submit  yourselves  ;  for  they  watch  for 
your  souls.,  as  they  that  must  give  account;  that  they  may  do  it  with 
joy,  and  not  with  grief:  for  that  is  unprofitable  for  you."  *  Think  of 
the  work  in  which  they  are  engaged  ;  think  of  the  character  which 
they  bear  in  performing  it ;  think  of  the  effect  which  your  obedience 

Pastor  is  Mr.  F.'s  word;  but,  -we  have  seen,  pastor  and  elder  are  synonymous. 
*  Prov.  xv.  10.  »  Heb.  xiii.  17. 


PART  II.]  DUTIES    OF    MEMBERS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  697 

or  disobedience  will  have  on  the  manner  in  which  this  work  will  be 
performed  ;  and  think  of  the  influence  which  the  manner  in  which 
their  work  is  performed  will  have  on  your  own  interests. 

Think  of  the  work  of  your  elders.  They  watch,  they  watch  for 
you,  they  watch  for  your  souls.  They  watch  ;  their  work  requires 
constant  solicitude ;  they  must  be  ever  on  the  alert,  to  observe 
danger  and  to  prevent  evil.  They  watch  for  you.  Your  best  inter 
ests  are  the  object  of  their  solicitude.  They  are  not  watching  for 
their  own  emolument  or  fame,  but  for  your  happiness.  Others  are 
watching  against  you ;  they  are  watching  for  you.  Satan  is  watch 
ing  you  as  a  wolf  the  sheep-fold,  to  steal  and  to  destroy.  Your  elders 
watch,  as  faithful  shepherds,  to  protect  and  save  you.  The  world  is 
watching  you  with  a  malignant  eye,  waiting  for  your  halting.  Your 
elders  are  watching,  with  the  solicitude  of  parents,  to  keep  you  from 
falling.  They  watch  for  your  souls — for  that  which  is,  of  all  you 
possess,  most  precious.  Surely  those  who  are  benevolently  engaged 
in  a  work  so  full  of  solicitude,  and  labor  to  promote  your  highest  in 
terests  should  not  be  counteracted  by  you,  as  they  will  be  if  you  be 
not  subject  to  them  in  the  Lord. 

Then  think  of  the  character  they  bear  in  doing  this  work.  They 
watch  as  they  who  must  give  account.  They  are  commissioned  and 
responsible.  What  they  do,  they  do  by  the  authority  of  him  who  has 
appointed  them.  Do  not'  resist  them  in  their  proper  work,  as  you 
would  not  offend  Him  ;  and  remembering  that  they  must  give  account 
to  him,  recollecting  what  a  stake  they  have  in  the  matter,  do  not 
wonder  that  they  should  hazard  offending  you  by  the  discharge  of 
their  duty,  rather  than  run  the  risk  of  being  ashamed  before  him  at 
his  coming,  as  they  must  be  if  they  act  not  the  part  of  faithful  watch 
men. 

Consider,  still  further,  the  effect  which  your  submission,  or  non- 
submission,  is  likely  to  have  on  their  discharge  of  their  work.  If  you 
do  not  submit  yourselves,  they  will  perform  their  work  with  grief. 
There  are  few  bitterer  sorrows  than  that  of  a  faithful  elder,  laboring 
among  a  people  who  counteract  his  attempts  to  promote  their  spirit 
ual  improvement.  Even  Moses,  one  of  "  the  elders,  who  by  faith  re 
ceived  a  good  report,"  when  the  Israelitish  people  were  disobedient 
and  rebellious,  was  tempted  to  wish  that  God  would  kill  him  out  of 
hand  rather  than  continue  to  cause  him  to  see  his  wretchedness.1 
Slothful,  selfish,  cold-hearted,  cavilling,  conceited,  contentious^congre- 
gations,  have  broken  the  spirit  of  many  a  faithful  minister  of  Christ, 
and  made  him  go  mourning  to  the  grave. 

And  if  you  do  submit  yourselves,  they  will  perform  their  work  with 
joy.  They  will  have  a  holy  satisfaction  in  it.  Their  work  will  be 
their  reward.  Their  hearts  will  be  lifted  up  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord. 
The  joy  of  the  Lord  will  be  their  strength.  All  good  Christian  elders 
can  say  with  John  the  elder,  "  We  have  no  greater  joy  than  to  see 
our  children  walk  in  truth." 

And  then,  finally,  think  of  the  influence  which  the  manner  in  which 
the  work  is  performed  will  have  on  your  own  interests.  If  it  is  per 
formed  with  grief,  that  will  be  unprofitable  for  you.  The  labors  of  a 

1  Num.  xi.  15. 


698  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

disheartened  spiritual  teacher  or  superintendent  are  not  likely  to  be 
effective.  Even  where  there  is  the  highest  degree  of  spiritual  holy 
principle,  the  hands  will  wax  feeble  when  the  heart  is  discouraged  ; 
and  the  blessing  of  the  great  Master  is  not  likely  to  be  imparted  when 
his  commands  are  disregarded,  and  his  servants  misused.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  your  elder's  work  is  performed  with  joy,  it  will  be  profit 
able  to  you.  He  will  be  enabled  to  do  all  his  work  in  the  most  satis 
factory  way.  His  best  affections  will  be  strongly  drawn  out  to  those 
who  rightly  estimate  his  labors,  and  show  a  regard  to  the  law  of  the 
Lord  ;  and  he  will  pray  for  you,  and  preach  to  you  with  double  fer 
vor  and  impressiveness.  Seeing  of  the  travail  of  his  Master's  soul, 
and  of  his  own,  he  will  be  satisfied ;  and  he  will  become  more  and 
more  desirous  that  those  in  whom  the  good  work  is  going  forward, 
under  his  instrumentality,  may  grow  in  all  holy  attainments ;  he  will 
become  ingenious  in  devising,  and  unwearied  in  executing,  plans  for 
their  spiritual  improvement ;  and  the  great  Head  of  the  church,  re 
garding  with  a  benignant  smile  the  affectionate  laborious  eldership, 
and  the  docile  obedient  church,  will  pour  out  on  them  in  rich  abun 
dance  of  the  selectest  influences  of  his  grace,  and  bless  them,  and 
make  them  blessings.  Happy  elders  !  Happy  church !  In  their  ex 
perience  is  verified  the  ancient  oracle,  "  Then  shall  thy  light  break 
forth  as  the  morning,  and  thine  health  shall  spring  forth  speedily  ;  and 
thy  righteousness  shall  go  before  thee  ;  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
thy  rere-ward.  And  the  Lord  shall  guide  thee  continually,  and  satisfy 
thy  soul  in  drought,  and  make  fat  thy  bones  :  and  thou  shalt  be  like  a 
watered  garden,  and  like  a  spring  of  water,  whose  waters  fail  not."  l 


III— OF  THE  DUTY  WHICH  ALL  IN  A  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH  OWE  TO 
EACH  OTHER,  "MUTUAL  SUBJECTION." 

There  still  remains  to  be  considered  the  duty  which  all  in  a  Chris 
tian  church,  whether  office-bearers  or  private  members,  owe  to  each 
other,  as  stated  by  the  apostle  in  these  words,  "  Yea,  all  of  you  be 
subject  one  to  another,  and  be  clothed  with  humility :  for  God  re- 
sisteth  the  proud,  and  giveth  grace  to  the  humble/' 

It  has  been  supposed  by  some  interpreters,  that  these  words  are  not 
to  be  considered  as  having  any  particular  reference  to  Christians  in 
their  ecclesiastical  relations,  but  as  an  injunction  referring  to  all  the 
relations  of  human  life ;  and  that  the  subjection  one  to  another  re 
quired,  is  either  that  mutual  kindly  consideration  of  each  other's  in 
terests,  and  that  readiness  to  submit  to  inconvenience  to  promote 
these  interests,  which  is  required  by  the  law,  "  Whatsoever  ye  would 
that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  also  to  them,"  and  which  is  equally 
due  in  all  the  relations  of  society,  from  all  to  all ;  or  that  the  apostle 
meant  to  intimate,  that  not  only  in  the  ecclesiastical  relation,  but  in 
all  the  relations  of  life,  subjection  to  superiors  is  a  Christian  duty ;  that 
not  only  is  the  church  member  to  be  subject  to  the  church  ruler,  but 
the  member  of  the  state  to  the  state  ruler,  the  member  of  the  family 
to  the  family  ruler ;  the  wife  to  the  husband,  the  child  to  the  parent, 

1  Isa.  Iviii.  8,  11. 


PART  III.]  MUTUAL    DUTIES.  699 

the  servant  to  the  master ;  that,  in  one  word,  wherever  the  relation 
of  inferior  and  superior  is  established  by  God,  there  the  duty  of  sub 
jection  finds  place,  as  in  Ephesians  v.  21,  where  the  general  command, 
"  Submit  yourselves  to  one  another,"  is  followed  and  illustrated  by 
the  particular  injunctions,  'Wives,  submit  yourselves  to  your  hus 
bands  ;  children,  obey  your  parents  ;  servants  be  obedient  to  your 
masters.'  Either  of  these  important  moral  truths  might,  without  vio 
lence,  be  brought  out  of  the  words  before  us,  viewed  by  themselves ; 
but  considered  as  a  part  of  a  closely  connected  paragraph,  there  can 
be  no  reasonable  doubt,  that  the  term  "  all  of  you,"  refers  to  the  elders 
and  to  the  juniors  just  mentioned,  the  office-bearers  and  members  of 
the  church  ;  and  that  the  duty  enjoined  is  a  duty  equally  owing  by 
the  elders  to  each  other,  by  the  members  to  each  other,  and  by  the 
elders  and  members  to  each  other. 

It  may  be  of  use  in  enabling  you  to  perceive  the  precise  import  and 
bearing  of  the  apostle's  words,  to  remark,  that  their  literal  rendering 
is,  "  But  let  all  of  you,  being  subject  one  to  another,  be  clotheo^  with 
humility ;  for  God  resisteth  the  proud,  but  he  giveth  grace  to  the  hum 
ble."  As  if  he  had  said,  '  While  it  is  the  duty  of  church  officers  to 
exercise  the  rule  with  which  Christ  has  invested  them,  and  for  church 
members  to  yield  the  obedience  which  Christ  has  enjoined  on  them, 
there  is  a  kind  of  mutual  subjection  which  all  church  members  owe 
to  all  church  members ;  which  all  church  officers  owe  to  all  church 
officers ;  ay,  which  all  church  officers  owe  to  all  church  members  ; 
in  order  to  the  discharge  of  which,  it  is  necessary  to  cherish  and  dis 
play  that  humility  which  is  in  a  remarkable  degree  the  object  of  the 
Divine  approbation.' 

There  are  obviously  three  topics  which  the  apostle's  words  bring 
before  the  mind,  and  which  must  be  successively  considered.  1.  The 
duty  which  all  connected  with  the  Christian  church,  whether  as  office 
bearers  or  members,  owe  to  each  other — mutual  subjection.  2.  The 
means  which  are  necessary  to  the  discharge  of  this  duty — the  being 
clothed  with,  that  is,  the  cherishing  and  manifesting  humility ;  and, 
3.  The  motive  urging  the  use  of  this  means,  its  being  the  object  of 
the  peculiar  approbation  of  God — "  God  resisteth  the  proud,  and  giveth 
grace  to  the  humble." 

CHAP.  I— OF  THE  MUTUAL  SUBJECTION  WHICH  ALL  IN  A  CHRISTIAN 
CHURCH  OWE  TO  EACH  OTHER. 

§  1. — What  this  does  not  imply. 

Let  us  first,  then,  inquire,  what  is  that  MUTUAL  SUBJECTION  which 
the  apostle  here  enjoins  on  all  Christians,  whether  office-bearers  or 
private  members.  It  is  so  plain  as  scarcely  to  require  to  be  noticed, 
that  the  subjection  here  required  is  by  no  means  the  same  thing, 
though  expressed  by  the  same  word,  as  the  submission  which,  in  the 
preceding  clause,  the  juniors  are  enjoined  to  yield  to  the  elders,  the 
church  members  to  the  church  rulers.  It  is  obvious  that  church 
members  are  not  bound  to  submit,  to  be  subject,  to  their  fellow 
church  members,  as  they  are  to  their  elders ;  still  less,  if  possible,  can 


700  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

elders  be  bound  to  submit  or  be  subject  to  the  members,  as  the  mem 
bers  are  to  be  to  them.  This  is  obviously  impossible ;  and  to  at 
tempt  it,  were  just,  in  other  words,  to  annul  church  government,  and 
to  introduce  all  the  disorders  of  ecclesiastical  anarchy. 

Nor  does  the  command  before  us  enjoin  anything  that  in  any  de 
gree  involves  in  it  a  compromise  of  conscientious  conviction  respect 
ing  truth  or  duty.  Christians  must  not  submit  to  each  other  by  tak 
ing  each  other's  conscience  as  a  guide  in  matters  of  faith  or  duty. 
Every  man  must  give  account  of  himself  to  God  ;  and,  so  far  as  fel 
low-men  or  fellow-Christians  are  concerned,  every  man  must  think, 
inquire,  judge,  act,  for  himself.  "  One  is  our  Master,  even  Christ." 

The  Christian  elder  must  not,  in  teaching  or  administering  the  law 
of  Christ,  fashion  his  conduct  in  subservience  to  the  views  and  wishes 
of  those  committed  to  his  care.  He  must  speak  what  he  knows  to 
be  true,  because  it  is  Christ's  doctrine,  whatever  they  may  think  of 
it.  He  must  do  what  he  knows  to  be  right,  because  it  is  Christ's  law, 
whatever  they  may  think  of  it.  He  must  not,  in  this  way,  be  a  ser 
vant 'of  men,  even  of  Christian  men.  Were  he  to  serve  men  in  this 
way  he  could  not  be  a  servant  of  Christ.  Were  he  to  serve  them  in 
this  way  he  would  disserve  them  in  a  more  important  way. 

No  Christian  man  must  submit,  in  matters  of  conscience,  to  be  led 
by  another,  to  avow  or  conceal  what  he  wishes  him  to  avow  or  con 
ceal  ;  to  do  or  refrain  from  doing,  what  he  wishes  him  to  do  or  refrain 
from  doing.  Instead  of  being  thus  subject  to  one  another,  when  any 
such  submission  is  sought,  either  on  the  part  of  fellow  church  mem 
bers,  or  of  church  office-bearers,  we  are  not  to  give  subjection  to  such 
usurpation,  <;  no,  not  for  an  hour."  Our  submission  to  one  another  is 
to  be  submission  "  in  the  fear  of  God." 

§  2. — What  this  does  imply. 

The  mutual  subjection  referred  to  obviously  implies  a  distinct 
recognition  of,  and  a  sacred  regard  to,  our  mutual  rights  as  Christians 
and  church  members.  Every  encroachment  by  elders  on  the  rights 
of  church  members,  every  encroachment  by  church  members  on  the 
rights  of  their  elders,  every  encroachment  by  church  members,  either 
individually  or  collectively,  on  each  other's  rights — and  there  has 
been  a  great  deal  too  much  of  all  these  kinds  of  encroachment  in  the 
history  of  Christianity — is  inconsistent  with  this  mutual  subjection. 
Every  Christian  man,  official  or  unofficial,  is  to  be  yielded  to,  submit 
ted  to,  in  the  exercise  of  his  legitimate  rights.  This  is  most  reasonable ; 
it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the  peace  of  the  society  ;  and,  if  carefully 
and  uniformly  attended  to,  would  go  very  far  to  secure  that  peace. 

This  regard  for  mutual  rights  must  be  connected  with  a  just,  and, 
because  a  just,  a  high  estimate  of  the  honor  due  to  Christians  as 
Christians.  No  man  will  ever  perform  well  the  duties  of  civil  life 
who  has  not  learned  to  "  honor  all  men ;"  to  honor  man  as  man,  and 
to  see  that  the  circumstances  which  distinguish  one  man  from  an- 
other  are  as  nothing  when  compared  with  those  which  distinguish  all 
men  from  the  lower  creation.  In  like  manner,  the  higher  a  Christian 
estimates  those  privileges  which  are  possessed  by  all  Christians  as  Chris- 


PART  III.]  MUTUAL    DUTIES.  701 

tians,  and  those  spiritual  characteristics  which  belong  to  every  Chris 
tian,  and  which  can  belong  to  none  but  a  Christian,  the  better  will 
he  be  prepared  to  perform  the  duty  here  enjoined.  Every  Christian, 
just  because  he  is  a  Christian,  in  relation  and  character  a  child  of  God, 
will  be  an  object  of  his  respectful  affection  ;  and  he  will  find  it  impos 
sible  intentionally  to  treat  him  unjustly,  contemptuously,  or  unkindly. 

The  disposition  to  mutual  submission  is  greatly  strengthened  by 
that  generous  appreciation  of  the  personal  Christian  excellences  of 
those  with  whom  we  are  associated  in  church  fellowship,  to  which 
Christian  principle  naturally  leads.  Christians  should  be  eagle-eyed 
towards  each  other's  good  qualities,  "  in  honor  preferring  one  another," 
each  "esteeming  others  better  than  themselves."1  When  this  state 
of  rnind  prevails,  "being  subject  to  one  another"  follows  as  a  matter 
of  course.  There  is  a  disposition  to  oblige,  a  backwardness  to  occa 
sion  pain.  While  there  is  a  mutual  teaching,  admonition,  and  ex 
hortation,  there  is  a  mutual  submission  to  instruction,  admonition,  and 
exhortation.  And  while  a  brother  does  not  so  hate  his  brother  in  his 
heart  as  to  suffer  sin  on  him,  his  brother  reproved  says  by  his  conduct. 
"  Let  the  righteous  smite  me,  it  shall  be  a  kindness ;  and  let  him  re 
prove  me,  it  shall  be  an  excellent  oil,  which  shall  not  break  my  head/' 
Even  Archippus,  the  office-bearer,  will  be  subject  to  him,  whether  an 
official  or  only  a  Christian  brother,  who  in  the  right  spirit  says  to  him, 
"  Take  heed  to  the  ministry  which  thou  hast  received  of  the  Lord,  to 
fulfil  it."2  There  is  a  kindly  yielding  to  each  other  in  matters  which 
do  not  involve  conscience ;  and  there  is  a  serving  one  another  in 
love,  a  readiness  to  submit  to  labor  and  inconvenience  to  promote  one 
another's  true  happiness.  Instead  of  insisting  on  having  everything 
our  own  way,  we  have  a  satisfaction  in  pleasing,  every  one  his  neigh 
bor,  to  his  edification.  We  not  only  bear  with  the  infirmities  of  our 
brethren:  We  bear  their  infirmities,  not  pleasing  ourselves.  We 
"  forbear  one  another  in  love,"  and  "seek  not  every  man  his  own,  but 
every  man  his  neighbor's  wealth."  3 

Such  was  the  temper  and  conduct  of  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gen 
tiles.  Though  free  from  all,  he  became  the  servant  of  all.  He  most 
willingly  both  spent,  and  was  spent,  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his 
brethren ;  and  declares  that  he  would  neither  eat  flesh  nor  drink 
wine,  while  the  world  stood,  if  by  this  means  his  brother  were  likely 
to  be  offended,  or  made  weak.  •'  Who  was  weak,  and  he  was  not 
weak ;  who  was  offended,  while  he  did  not  burn.  To  the  weak  he 
became  as  weak,  that  he  might  gain  the  weak.  To  the  Jew  he  be 
came  as  a  Jew,  that  he  might  gain  the  Jew;  to  them  who  were  under 
the  law,  as  under  the  law,  that  he  might  gain  them  who  were  under 
the  law ;  to  them  who  were  without  law,  as  without  law,  not  being 
without  law  to  God,  but  under  the  law  to  Christ,  that  he  might  gain 
them  without  law.  He  became  all  things  to  all  men,  that  he  might 
gain  some."  4  Nor  was  this  disposition  in  him  confined  to  fellow- 
Christians  ;  he  was  willing  to  be  thus  subject  to  every  man,  if  that 
might  but  promote  his  happiness,  secure  his  salvation. 

Such  was  the  temper  and  conduct  of  the  great  apostle's  infinitely 

1  Rom.  xii.  10.     Phil.  ii.  3.  5  Psal.  cxli,  5.     Col.  iv.  17. 

8  Rom.  xv.  2.     Eph.  iv.  2.     Col.  iii.  13.     1  Cor.  x.  24.          *  1  Cor.  ix.  20,  21. 


702  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DLSC.  XXI. 

greater  Lord  and  Master,  and  ours.  He,  though  "  Lord  of  all,"  be 
came  "the  servant  of  all."  Amid  his  disciples,  he  was  as  "  one  who 
served."  "  The  Son  of  man,"  said  he,  and  the  whole  of  his  life  was 
an  illustration  of  the  saying,  "  The  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  min 
istered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many."  l 
Never  was  the  lesson  here  given  by  the  apostle  so  strikingly  taught, 
and  so  powerfully  recommended,  as  in  the  conduct  of  our  Lord  in 
that  memorable  night  in  which  he  was  betrayed,  of  which  we  have 
so  touching  a  narrative  in  the  evangelical  history.  "  Now,  before 
the  feast  of  the  passover,  when  Jesus  knew  that  his  hour  was  come, 
that  he  should  depart  out  of  this  world  unto  the  Father,  having  loved 
his  own  which  were  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  to  the  end.  And 
there  was  a  strife  among  the  disciples,  which  of  them  should  be  ac 
counted  the  greatest.  And  supper  being  ended,  'or  rather  being 
come/  Jesus  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given  all  things  into  his 
hands,  and  that  he  was  come  from  God,  and  went  to  God ;  he  riseth 
from  supper,  and  laid  aside  his  garments ;  and  took  a  towel,  and 
girded  himself,  '  clothing  himself  with  humility.'  After  that  he  pour- 
eth  water  into  a  basin,  and  began  to  wash  the  disciples'  feet,  and  to 
wipe  them  with  the  towel  wherewith  he  was  girded.  So  after  he 
had  washed  their  feet,  and  had  taken  his  garments,  and  was  set  down 
again,  he  said  unto  them,  Know  ye  what  I  have  done  to  you  ?  The 
kings  of  the  Gentiles  exercise  lordship  over  them ;  and  they  that  ex 
ercise  authority  upon  them  are  called  benefactors.  But  ye  shall  not 
be  so.  But  he  that  is  greatest  among  you,  let  him  be  as  the  younger ; 
and  he  that  is  chief,  as  he  that  doth  serve.  For  whether  is  greater, 
he  that  sitteth  at  meat,  or  he  that  serveth  ?  is  not  he  that  sitteth  at 
meat  ?  but  I  am  among  you  as  he  that  serveth.  Ye  call  me  Master 
and  Lord :  and  ye  say  well ;  for  so  I  am.  If  I,  then,  your  Lord  and 
Master,  have  washed  your  feet,  ye  also  ought  to  wash  one  another's 
feet.  For  I  have  given  you  an  example,  that  ye  should  do  as  I  have 
done  unto  you.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  'The  servant  is  not 
greater  than  his  Lord  ;  neither  he  that  is  sent  greater  than  he  who 
sent  him.  If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them."  2 

This  kind  of  mutual  subjection,  readiness  to  serve  one  another, 
should  characterize  all  the  members  of  the  church  in  their  conduct 
to  one  another ;  but  it  should  be  especially  prominent  in  the  char 
acter  and  conduct  of  the  office-bearers  of  the  church.  They  ought 
never  to  forget,  that  though  they  are  over  their  brethren  in  the  Lord 
in  one  sense,  in  another  they  are  not  their  lords ;  Christ  Jesus  is  the 
Lord  ;  they  are  their  "servants  for  Jesus'  sake."  3  Our  Lord,  aware 
of  the  tendency  of  superiority  of  rank  to  produce  arrogance,  warns 
his  official  servants  against  this  hazard.  "  Be  not  ye  called  Rabbi ; 
for  one  is  your  Master,  even  Christ ;  and  all  ye  are  brethren.  Neither 
be  ye  called  masters  :  for  one  is  your  Master,  even  Christ.  But  he 
that  is  greatest  among  you  shall  be  your  servant."  4  The  same  truth 
is  suggested  by  the  peculiar  form  of  expression  in  the  passage  before 
us.  "  Ye  juniors,  submit  yourselves  to  the  elders"  in  the  discharge 
of  their  official  functions ;  "  but" 5  this  is  not  the  only  kind  of  submis- 

1  Matt.  xx.  28.  3  John  xiii.  1-17.     Luke  xxii.  24-27.  3  2  Cor.  iv.  5. 

4  Matt,  xxiii.  8,  10,  11.  •  <5e. 


PART  III.]  MUTUAL    DUTIES.  703 

sion  that  is  required  in  the  church — among  Christians;  "let  all  of 
you/'  whether  elder  or  younger,  seniors  or  juniors,  official  rulers  or 
private  members,  "  let  all  of  you  be  subject  one  to  another."  Mutually 
do  service  ;  and  let  him  who  is  most  esteemed  in  the  church  be  the 
readiest  to  serve. 


CHAP.  II— OF  THE  MEANS  OF  PERFORMING  THIS  DUTY,  "  THE 
BEING  CLOTHED  WITH  HUMILITY." 

Let  us  now,  in  the  second  place,  consider  the  means  by  whicn 
Christians  are  to  be  enabled  thus  to  be  subject  to  one  another.  It  is 
by  being  "clothed  with  humility."  "Let  all  of  you,  being  subject 
one  to  another,  be  clothed  with  humility."  The  idea  plainly  is,  cherish 
and  manifest  humility  ;  that  will  dispose  and  enable  you  to  be  subject 
one  to  another.  But  there  is  something  peculiarly  beautiful  and  in 
structive  in  the  manner  in  which  the  idea  is  brought  out.  The  apostle, 
in  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  calls  on  Christians  to  "put  on," 
among  other  Christian  virtues,  "humbleness  of  mind,"  the  same  word 
rendered  here  "  humility,"  as  necessary  to  their  "  forbearing  one  an 
other,  and  forgiving  one  another,"  which  are  just  particular  forms  of 
being  subject  to  one  another.1  The  figure  there  is  just  the  general 
one  common  in  all  languages.  The  cultivation  and  display  of  a  dis 
position  is  represented  as  the  putting  on  and  wearing  a  garment 
But  there  is  more  in  the  phrase  before  us.  The  word  rendered  "  Be 
clothed,"  is  a  remarkable  one,  occurring  nowhere  else  in  Scripture 
It  is  borrowed  from  a  piece  of  dress  worn  by  servants  when  they  were 
doing  menial  offices,  a  kind  of  apron  fastened  by  strings,  a  piece  ot 
dress  which  at  once  intimated  their  station,  and  fitted  them  for  the 
performance  of  its  duties.3  The  apostle  calls  on  Christians,  viewed  as 
servants  to  each  other,  to  put  on  humility  as  this  piece  of  dress,  to  tie 
it  on  ;  just  as  he  calls  on  them,  as  soldiers  of  the  Captain  of  Salvation, 
to  put  on  faith  as  a  breastplate,  and  hope  as  an  helmet.  Cultivate 
humility,  which  will  mark  you  as  mutual  servants,  and  fit  you  for 
mutual  service.  And  it  is  difficult  not  to  entertain  the  thought,  that 
our  Lord  on  the  occasion  already  adverted  to,  putting  on  the  towel 
like  the  servant's  apron,  and  tying  it  around  him,  the  visible  emblem 
of  his  humility,  and  his  readiness  under  its  influence  to  serve,  was  be 
fore  the  apostle's  mind  ;  and  that  he  then  remembered  the  words  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  words  he  was  not  likely  to  forget,  "  I  have  given  you 
an  example  that  ye  should  do,  as  I  have  done  to  you."  All  that  is 
necessary  here  in  the  way  of  illustration,  is  shortly  to  show  what  that 
humility  is  which  the  apostle  enjoins,  and  then  in  a  few  words  to 
point  out  how  it  fits  Christians  for  being  "  subject  one  to  another." 3 

§  1. — Humility  explained. 

Humility,  or,  as  the  same  word  is  elsewhere  rendered  more  literally, 
"  humbleness  of  mind,"  "  lowliness  of  mind,"  is  expressive  of  a  low 
because  a  just  estimate  of  ourselves — of  our  nature,  of  our  character, 
of  our  condition,  of  our  deserts. 

1  Col.  iii.  12.  2  See  note  D.  3  Col.  iii.  12.    Phil.  ii.  3. 


704  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

The  humble  man  has  just,  and  therefore  lowly,  views  of  his  own 
nature,  as  a  creature  infinitely  inferior  to,  entirely  dependent  on,  God  ; 
greatly  inferior  to  angels,  belonging  to  the  lowest  order  of  God's  in 
telligent  offspring;  and,  as  a  sinner,  the  proper  object  not  only  of  the 
judicial  displeasure  of  God,  but  of  the  moral  disapprobation  of  all  good 
and  wise  intelligences ;  inexcusably  guilty,  thoroughly  depraved, 
righteously  doomed  to  everlasting  destruction ;  who,  if  saved  at 
all,  must  owe  his  salvation  to  the  riches  of  free  grace,  sovereign 
mercy. 

The  humble  man  has  also  just,  and  therefore  lowly,  views  of  his 
own  individual  character.  He  is  sensibly  impressed  with  the  heinous- 
ness  and  aggravation  of  his  own  sins ;  he  feels  his  own  heart  to  be 
deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately  wicked ;  he  knows  that  in 
him,  that  is,  in  his  flesh,  dwells  no  good  thing.  If  his  inward  and  out 
ward  man,  his  character  and  conduct,  have  been  brought  into  any 
measure  of  conformity  to  the  mind  and  will  of  God,  he  is  aware  that, 
so  far  as  he  is  a  new  creature,  he  is  "  God's  workmanship,  created  of 
him  unto  good  works ;."  that  "  by  the  grace  of  God  he  is  what  he  is  ;" 
that  the  work  of  renovation  is  very  imperfect  in  him;  and  there  is 
still  very  much  wanting,  very  much  wrong ;  and  that,  while  he  has 
much  for  which  to  be  thankful,  he  has  much  of  which  to  be  ashamed, 
nothing  of  which  to  be  proud. 

And  not  only  does  the  humble  man  form  a  low  estimate  of  his  na 
ture  generally,  and  of  himself  individually,  when  he  tests  human  na 
ture,  and  his  own  character  and  conduct,  by  the  law  of  God,  but  he 
cherishes  a  humble  opinion  of  himself,  intellectually,  morally,  spirit 
ually,  in  comparison  with  others.  His  tendency  is  to  notice  the  ex 
cellences,  rather  than  the  faults,  of  others ;  while  he  looks  at  his  own 
faults  rather  than  at  his  excellences,  and  "in  lowliness  of  mind  he  es 
teems  others  better  than  himself."  He  knows  his  own  deficiencies 
and  faults  much  more  extensively  and  thoroughly  than  he  can  know 
those  of  other  men  ;  and  the  charity  which  always  accompanies  true 
humility,  leads  him  to  attribute  what  seems  to  be  good  in  other  men 
to  the  best  principle  which  can  reasonably  be  supposed  to  have  pro 
duced  it;  while  it  leads  him,  from  the  necessary  ignorance  of  their 
motives,  to  make  allowances  for  their  defects  and  failings,  which  he 
cannot  make  for  his  own.  Humility  does  not  lead  a  man  to  overlook 
or  disclaim  what  God  has  done  in  him  or  by  him,  but  leads  him  to 
give  all  the  glory  to  Him  to  whom  it  is  due  ;  and  while  he  cannot  but 
see  that  God  has  made  him  to  differ  from  others,  and  be  deeply  grate 
ful  for  this,  he  at  once  feels  that  it  is  God  alone  who  has  done  this ; 
and  is  so  sensible  of  the  manner  in  which  he  has  counterworked  the 
Divine  operations  for  his  sanctification,  that  he  is  very  ready  to  be- 
Ueve  and  acknowledge,  that  any  other  person  blessed  with  his  helps 
and  advantages,  would  have  greatly  surpassed  him  in  his  attainments. 
When  he  thinks  of  what  he  is  in  comparison  of  what  he  ought  to  have 
been,  in  comparison  of  what  he  might  have  been,  when  he  thinks  of 
what  others  with  far  inferior  advantages  have  attained  to,  and  recol 
lects  that  whatever  is  spiritually  good  in  him  has  been  put  into  his 
heart  by  the  invincible,  but  not  unresisted,  efficacious  operation  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  he  not  only  feels  that  he  ought  to  lie  very  low  before 


PART.   /II.]  MUTUAL    DUTIES.  705 

God,  but  that,  even  in  reference  to  his  fellow-men,  he  has  nothing  to 
boast  of. 

Humility  has  been  well  described  as  consisting  in  "  the  not  being 
deluded  with  a  false  conceit  of  what  we  have  not,  not  purled  up  with 
a  vain  conceit  of  what  we  really  have,  nor  affecting  to  be  esteemed 
by  others,  either  in  their  imagining  us  to  be  what  we  are  not,  or  dis 
cerning  us  to  be  what  we  are/' l  Humility  will  not  make  us  uncon 
scious  of  what  is  good  in  us,  but  it  will  make  us  beware  of  imagining 
that  to  be  good  which  is  not,  or  that  which  is  good  to  be  better  than 
it  is ;  and  it  will  constantly  keep  before  the  mind,  that  whatever  good 
is  in  us,  has  been  put  into  us,  is  not  so  much  ours  as  God's,  the  gift  of 
his  grace,  the  work  of  his  Spirit,  and  thus  make  the  very  conscious 
ness  of  our  sanctification,  instead  of  puffing  us  up,  a  means  of  deepen 
ing  the  conviction,  that  no  flesh  may  '•'  glory  in  his  presence,"  but  that 
"  he  who  glorieth  must  glory  in  the  Lord."  2  Such  is  the  humility 
with  which  the  apostle  exhorts  all  Christians  to  .be  clothed,  that  they 
may  be  all  subject  one  to  another. 

§  2. —  The  tendency  of  humility  to  secure  mutual  subjection. 

I  have  already  adverted  to  the  peculiar  force  of  the  expression,  "  Be 
clothed."  The  command  does  not  refer  so  much,  if  at  all,  to  the  mani 
festation  of  this  disposition  in  demeanor  and  language,  but  rather  to 
the  cherishing  of  it  in  the  heart,  to  the  maintaining  of  it  in  all  circum 
stances,  as  that  which  fits  a  Christian  for  being  subject  to  his  fellow- 
Christians,  by  serving  them  in  love,  like  the  servant  who  fastened  his 
serving  robes  about  him  as  necessary  for  the  proper  discharge  of  his 
duty  as  a  servant.  Humility  is  to  the  Christian,  as  the  servant  of  all 
his  brethren,  what  the  appropriate  dress  for  service  was  to  the  ser 
vant  in  common  life.  A  proud,  self-conceited  man,  is  not  disposed, 
is  not  qualified  for  serving  others.  He  is  continually  making  demands 
on  others  for  service.  It  is  their  duty,  in  his  estimation,  to  serve  him, 
not  his  to  serve  them.  A  haughty  mind  ill  comports  with  becoming 
all  things  to  all  men,  pleasing  our  neighbor  to  his  edification,  in  love 
serving  each  other,  bearing  one  another's  burdens,  and  so,  in  one 
word,  fulfilling  the  law  of  Christ :  just  as  a  gaudy  dress,  a  rich  flow 
ing  robe,  does  not  suit,  is  at  once  incongruous  and  inconvenient  in 
one  that  serves.  On  the  other  hand  the  humble-minded  man  is  ready 
to  serve,  feels  honored  in  being  permitted  to  do  any  office  which  can 
promote  the  honor  of  his  Lord  in  the  welfare  of  his  brethren.  Like 
the  plainly,  suitably-attired  servant,  he  is  like  his  work,  and  fit  for  it. 
He  is  ready  to  loose  the  latchets  of  his  Lord's  sandals,  and  to  wash 
his  brethren's  feet. 

The  importance  of  humility,  in  order  to  the  discharge  of  those  of 
fices  which  are  so  closely  connected  with  the  peace  and  spiritual 
prosperity  of  a  church,  is  very  strikingly  manifested  in  the  following 
exhortations  of  the  apostle  Paul:  "Be  like-minded,  having  the  same 
love,  being  of  one  accord,  of  one  mind.  Let  nothing  be  done 
through  strife  or  vain-glory;  but  in  lowliness  of  mind  let  each  esteem 
other  better  than  themselves.  Look  not  every  man  on  his  own 

1  Leighton.  2  1  Cor.  i.  29-31. 

45 


706  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [DISC.  XXI. 

things,  but  every  man  also  on  the  things  of  others.  Let  this  mind  be 
in  you,  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus,"  the  disposition  to  humble  himself 
that  he  might  serve  others.  "  Put  on,  therefore,  as  the  elect  of  God, 
holy  and  beloved,  bowels  of  mercy,  kindness,  humbleness  of  mind, 
meekness,  long-suffering ;  forbearing  one  another,  and  forgiving  one 
another,  if  any  man  have  a  quarrel  against  any."  l 


CHAR  III— OF  THE  MOTIVE  URGING  CHRISTIANS  TO  CULTIVATE 

HUMILITY. 

The  only  other  topic  in  the  text  which  requires  consideration,  is 
the  motive  employed  by  the  apostle  to  urge  Christians  to  cultivate  that 
humility  which  was  so  necessary  to  their  mutually  serving  each  other. 
"  Be  clothed  with  humility :  for  God  resisteth  the  proud,  and/'  or 
rather  but,3  "giveth  grace  to  the  humble."  The  leading  idea  is,  'hu 
mility  is  the  object  of  the  approbation  of  God,  and  pride  of  his  dis 
approbation  ;  and  he  makes  this  very  manifest  in  his  dispensations  re 
spectively  to  the  proud  and  to  the  humble/  As  to  any  disposition  or 
action,  the  first  question  with  every  man  ought  to  be,  the  first  ques 
tion  with  a  Christian  will  be,  What  is  the  estimate  God  forms  of 
them  ;  what  effect  will  the  cultivation  of  the  one  and  the  perform 
ance  of  the  other  have  on  my  relations  towards  him  ?  and  the 
resolution  of  that  question  ought  to  have  more  influence  with  every 
man,  with  every  Christian  will  have  more  influence,  than  all  other 
things  taken  together,  as  to  his  checkng  or  cherishing  the  disposition, 
following  or  avoiding  the  course  of  conduct.  This  matter  is  very  clear 
as  to  pride  and  humility,  "  God  resisteth  the  proud,  but  giveth  grace 
to  the  humble."  This  is  a  quotation  from  the  book  of  Proverbs,  iii.  34, 
according  to  the  Greek  version  in  common  use  at  the  time ;  in  our  ver 
sion,  which  is  a  literal  rendering  of  the  Hebrew  original,  it  runs  thus, 
"  Surely  he  scorneth  the  scorners,  but  giveth  grace  to  the  lowly." 

"  God  resists  the  proud."  He  sets  himself  to  oppose  them.  It  is 
impossible,  in  the  nature  of  things,  that  God  should  not  disapprove  of 
pride,  for  it  is  a  disposition  which,  just  in  the  degree  in  which  it  pre 
vails,  unfits  a  man  for  his  duty  to  God  and  to  man,  makes  him  a  rebel 
to  the  one  and  an  oppressor  to  the  other ;  and,  in  any  view  we  can 
take  of  it,  it  counteracts  God's  design  to  glorify  himself  in  making 
his  creatures  happy.  The  Divine  disapprobation  against  pride  is 
strongly  marked  in  an  endless  variety  of  ways.  It  is  deeply  impress 
ed  on  the  constitution  of  man  as  God's  work,  whether  you  consider 
the  misery  it  inflicts  on  its  subjects,  or  the  disapprobation  and  dislike 
it  produces  in  all  who  witness  it.  An  apocryphal  writer  has  said, 
"  Pride  was  not  made  for  man."  3  It  may  be,  with  equal  truth  said, 
Man  was  not  made  for  pride.  It  is  a  disposition  he  cannot  indulge 
without  making  himself  unhappy.  They  sadly  err  who  "  count  the 
proud  happy."  There  is  harmony  in  all  God's  works,  and,  to  make 
man  happy,  his  disposition  must  correspond  to  his  condition ;  a  proud 
being,  who  is  at  the  same  time  a  dependent  being,  entirely  dependent 
on  God,  to  a  great  extent  dependent  on  his  fellow-men,  must  be  mis- 

1  Phil.  ii.  2-5.     CoL  iii.  12,  13.  2  Ae  »  Ecclus.  x.  18. 


PART  III.]  MUTUAL    DUTIES.  707 

erable.     His  whole  life  is  a  struggle  to  be  and  to  appear  to  be  \vhat 
he  is  not,  what  he  never  can  be. 

The  disapprobation  of  pride  by  God  is  evident,  not  only  in  hiis 
having  so  constituted  man  a^  that  the  proud  man  cannot  be  happy, 
but  in  his  so  constituting  man  as  that  the  proud  man  is  the  natural 
object  of  disapprobation  and  dislike  to  all  other  men.  No  class  of 
men  are  more  disliked  than  proud  men.  And  how  could  God  more 
distinctly  mark  his  disapprobation  of  pride,  than  by  constituting  hu 
man  nature  so,  that  the  display  of  pride  should  excite  in,  and  draw 
forth  from  men,  sentiments  directly  opposite  to  those  which  the  proud 
man  wishes  ?  He  seeks  admiration,  he  meets  with  contempt.  No 
one  really  wishes  to  gratify  the  proud,  and  his  mortification  affords 
general  satisfaction. 

In  the  ordinary  course  of  his  providential  dispensations,  God  so 
often  shows  his  opposition  to  pride,  that  it  has  become  a  proverb,  that 
'  a  haughty  spirit  goeth  before  a  fall ;'  and  He  has  sometimes  depart 
ed  out  of  his  usual  mode  of  procedure,  and  miraculously  shown  how 
much  he  disapproves  of  haughtiness  in  man.  Nebuchadnezzar,  the 
proud  king  of  Babylon,  walked  in  the  palace  of  his  kingdom  ;  and  as 
he  walked,  he  spake  and  said,  "  Is  not  this  great  Babylon,  which  I 
have  built  for  the  house  of  the  kingdom,  by  the  might  of  my  power,  and 
for  the  honor  of  my  majesty  ?"  How  strikingly  and  effectually  did 
God  resist  this  proud  man,  and  show  that  He,  the  King  of  heaven, 
all  whose  works  are  truth,  and  his  ways  judgments,  is  able  to  abase 
those  who  walk  in  pride  !  While  the  word  was  in  the  king's  mouth, 
there  fell  a  voice  from  heaven,  "  O  king  Nebuchadnezzar,  to  thee  it 
is  spoken,  The  kingdom  is  departed  from  thee :  And  they  shall  drive 
thee  from  men,  and  thy  dwelling  shall  be  with  the  beasts  of  the  field : 
they  shall  make  thee  to  eat  grass  as  oxen,  and  seven  times  shall  pass 
over  thee,  until  thou  know  that  the  Most  High  ruleth  in  the  kingdom  of 
men,  and  giveth  it  to  whomsoever  he  will.  The  same  hour  was  the 
thing  fulfilled  upon  Nebuchadnezzar ;  and  he  was  driven  from  men 
and  did  eat  grass  as  oxen,  and  his  body  was  wet  with  the  dew  of 
heaven,  till  his  hairs  were  grown  like  eagles'  feathers,  and  his  nails 
like  birds'  claws."  Take  another  example  :  "  Upon  a  set  day  Herod, 
arrayed  in  royal  apparel,  sat  on  his  throne,  and  made  an  oration. 
And  the  people  gave  a  shout,  '  It  is  the  voice  of  a  god,  and  not  of  a 
man.'  And  immediately  the  angel  of  the  Lord  smote  him,  because 
he  gave  not  God  the  glory  :  and  he  was  eaten  up  of  worms,  and  gave 
up  the  ghost."  l 

The  plan  of  salvation  through  Christ  is  so  framed  as  strikingly  to 
show  that  "  God  resisteth  the  proud."  No  man  can  become  a  par 
taker  of  its  blessings  who  doos  not  '•'  deny,"  renounce,  "  himself."  It 
is  only  as  a  being  deserving,  capable  of  deserving,  nothing  but  pun 
ishment,  and  deeply  sensible  of  this,  that  any  man  can  obtain  the 
pardon  and  peace,  the  holiness  and  comfort,  of  the  Christian  salva 
tion.  "  The  rich"  in  their  own  estimation  "  are  sent  empty  away/' 
Men,  who  are  all  naturally  proud,  must  be  "  converted,  and  become" 
humble  "like  little  children,"  else  they  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.2  And  just  in  that  degree  in  which  pride  prevails,  even  in 

1  Dan.  iv.  29-33.    Acts  xii.  21-23.  a  Luke  i.  53. 


708  ECCLESIASTICAL    DUTIES.  [tISC.  XXI. 

a  regenerate  man,  will  he  fail  to  enjoy  the  consolation  that  is  in  Christ. 
The  declarations  of  Scripture  on  this  subject  are  very  explicit, 
"  Pride  and  arrogancy  I  hate.  The  Lord  knoweth  the  proud  afar 
off.  The  lofty  looks  of  men  shall  be  humbled,  and  the  haughtiness 
of  man  shall  be  bowed  down;  and  the  Lord  alone  shall  be  exalted. 
For  the  day  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  shall  be  upon  every  one  that  is 
proud  and  lofty,  and  upon  every  one  that  is  lifted  up,  and  he  shall 
be  brought  low."  l  "  God,"  to  borrow  the  words  of  Archbishop 
Leighton,  "  singles  out  pride  as  his  great  enemy,  and  sets  himself  in 
battle  array  against  it,  as  the  word  is.2  It  breaks  the  ranks  of  men  in 
which  he  hath  set  them,  when  they  are  not  subject,  as  the  word  is 
before ; 3  yea,  it  not  only  breaks  rank,  but  rises  up  in  rebellion  against 
God,  and  doth  what  it  can  to  dethrone  him  and  usurp  his  place. 
Therefore,  he  orders  his  force  against  it ;  and  so  be  sure,  if  God  be 
able  to  make  his  party  good,  pride  shall  not  escape  ruin.  He  will 
break  it,  and  bring  it  low ;  for  he  is  set  upon  that  purpose,  and  will 
not  be  diverted." 

While  God  thus  resists  the  proud,  "  he  giveth  grace" — that  is,  he 
shows  favor — "  to  the  humble."  Humility  is  the  object  of  his  appro 
bation,  and  he  shows  this  by  his  conduct  to  those  who  are  charac 
terized  by  it.  An  humble  state  of  mind,  as  in  accordance  with  truth, 
and  calculated  to  promote  the  true  happiness  both  of  the  individual 
who  cherishes  it,  and  of  all  with  whom  he  is  connected,  must  be  the 
object  of  the  Divine  approbation ;  and  we  have  just  to  reverse  the 
representation  given  of  the  manifestation  of  the  state  of  the  Divine 
mind,  in  reference  to  the  proud,  to  see  how  he  shows  favor  to  the 
humble.  He  does  so  in  the  quiet  and  peace  of  mind  which,  from  the 
very  constitution  of  human  nature,  humility  produces ;  and  in  the 
comparative  freedom  from  ill-will,  and  enjoyment  of  the  esteem  and 
good  wishes  of  others,  which  from  the  same  constitution  it  secures. 
The  more  deeply  a  man  realizes  his  insignificance  as  a  creature,  and 
his  demerit  as  a  sinner,  his  guilt  and  depravity  and  helplessness,  the 
more  readily  does  he  embrace  the  gospel  of  God's  grace,  "  the  word 
of  the  truth  of  the  gospel,"  and  in  it  obtain  possession  of  all  heavenly 
and  spiritual  blessings.  It  is  the  man  who  knows  and  believes  that 
he  is  a  fool,  that  is  made  wise;  the  man  who  has  no  hope  in  himself, 
that  obtains  "  good  hope  through  grace ;"  the  man  who  sees  and  feels 
that  he  is  nothing  but  sin,  that  is  "  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in 
Christ;"  the  man  who  loathes  himself,  that  is  "sanctified  wholly  in 
the  whole  man — soul,  body  and  spirit."  It  is  the  man  who  most  feels 
his  own  weakness,  that  is  most  "strengthened  with  all  might  in  the 
inner  man,"  and  experimentally  understands  the  spiritual  paradox, 
"  When  I  am  weak,  then  am  I  strong."  It  is  a  remark,  by  one  who 
was  very  intimately  acquainted  with  the  hidden  life,  '•'  It  is  undoubt 
edly  the  secret  pride  and  selfishness  of  our  hearts  that  obstructs  much 
of  the  bounty  of  God's  hand,,  in  the  measure  of  our  graces  and  the 
sweet  embraces  of  his  love,  which  we  should  otherwise  find.  The 
more  that  we  let  go  of  ourselves,  still  the  more  should  we  receive  of 
himself.  Oh,  foolish  we,  that  refuse  so  blessed  an  exchange !"  4  The 

1  Prov.  viii.  13.     Psai  cxxxviil  6.     Isa.  ii.  11,  la  2  'A«Tira»«reraf. 

I  TToraaaocvoi,  * 


PART  III."]  MUTUAL    DUTIES.  709 

passages  of  Scripture  in  which  God  declares  his  approbation  of  hu 
mility,  and  his  delight  in  the  humble,  are  very  numerous.  "  Though 
the  Lord  be  high,  he  has  respect  to  the  lowly.  He  forgets  not  the 
cry  of  the  humble,  he  hears  their  desire ;  he  prepares  their  hearts, 
he  causes  his  ear  to  hear.  Thus,  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One  who 
inhabits  eternity,  whose  name  is  Holy,  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy 
place,  with  him*  also  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit,  to  revive 
the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the  contrite  one." 
And  this  is  the  'declaration  of  Him  who  came  to  reveal  the  character 
and  will  of  his  Father,  and  who  was  himself  meek  and  lowly  in  spirit, 
"  Whosoever  shall  exalt  himself  shall  be  abased ;  but  he  that  shall 
humble  himself  shall  be  exalted.  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit;  for 
theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  1 

Leighton's  paraphrase  on  "  God  giveth  grace  to  the  humble,"  is 
characteristically  beautiful.  "  He  pours  it  out  plentifully  on  humble 
hearts.  His  sweet  dews  and  showers  slide  off  the  mountains,  and 
fall  on  the  low  valley  of  humble  hearts,  and  make  them  pleasant  and 
fertile.  The  swelling  heart,  puffed  up  with  a  fancy  of  fulness,  has  no 
room  for  grace,  is  not  hollowed  and  fitted  to  receive  and  contain  the 
graces  that  descend  from  above.  And  again,  as  the  humble  heart  is 
most  capable,  as  emptied  and  hollowed  out  it  can  hold  most ;  so  it  is 
most  thankful,  acknowledges  all  as  received.  But  the  proud  cries  all 
is  his  own.  The  return  of  glory  that  is  due  for  grace,  comes  most 
freely  and  plentifully  from  a  humble  heart.  God  delights  to  enrich  it 
with  grace,  and  it  delights  to  return  to  him  glory.  The  more  he  be 
stows  on  it,  the  more  it  desires  to  honor  him  withal ;  and  the  more  it 
doth  so,  the  more  readily  he  still  bestows  more  upon  it.  And  this  is 
the  sweet  intercourse  between  God  and  the  humble  soul.  This  is  the 
noble  ambition  of  humility,  in  respect  of  which  all  the  aspirings  of 
pride  are  low  and  base.  When  all  is  reckoned,  the  lowliest  mind  is 
truly  the  highest ;  and  these  two  agree  so  well,  that  the  more  lowly 
it  is,  it  is  thus  the  higher ;  and  the  higher  thus,  it  is  still  the  more 
lowly." 

Surely  this  is  a  powerful  motive  for  the  cultivation  of  humility. 
What  so  much  to  be  feared  as  God's  disapprobation,  and  what  so 
much  to  be  desired  as  his  favor  ?  The  command,  "  be  ye  clothed  with 
humility,"  has  great  additional  force  from  the  consideration,  that  this 
was  the  chosen  garb  of  our  Lord  and  King,  and  chosen  by  him  as 
that  in  which  he  could  both  best  serve  his  Father  and  his  people. 
Surely,  to  use  the  words  of  an  old  divine,  "  It  is  meet  that  we  should 
remember,  that  the  blessed  Saviour  of  the  world  hath  done  more  to 
prescribe,  and  transmit,  and  secure  this  grace,  than  any  other,  his 
whole  life  being  a  great  continued  example  of  humility ;  a  vast  de 
scent  from  the  glorious  bosom  of  his  Father  to  the  womb  of  a  poor 
maiden  ;  to  the  form  of  a  servant,  to  the  miseries  of  a  sinner,  to  a 
life  of  labor,  to  a  state  of  poverty,  to  a  death  of  malefactors,  to  an 
untimely  grave,  to  all  the  intolerable  calamities  which  we  deserved ; 
and  it  were  a  good  design,  and  yet  but  reasonable,  that  we  should 
be  as  humble  in  the  midst  of  our  calamities  and  base  sins,  as  he  was 

1  Paal.  cxxxviii.  6  ;  x.  12,  17.    Isa.  Ivii.  15  ;  Ixvi.  2.    Matt,  xxiii.  12 ;  v.  3. 


710  NOTES  [DISC.  xxi. 

in  the  midst  of  his  fulness  of  the  Spirit,  great  wisdom,  perfect  life, 
and  most  admirable  virtues."  l 

And  while  the  thought,  that  it  is  only  by  thus  putting  on  humility 
that  Christians  can  be  mutually  subject  to  and  serve  each  other,  and 
thus  promote  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  church  on  earth,  should 
be  felt  as  a  powerful  incentive  to  grow  in  this  grace  ;  we  should  re 
member,  also,  that  the  cultivation  of  this  grace  is  a  necessary  prepa 
ration  for  the  holy  delights  of  the  church  above.  They  to  whom,  on 
that  day  when  men's  destinies  shall  be  finally  fixed,  the  universal 
Judge  will  say,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,"  are  those  who  can 
scarcely  recognize  their  own  actions  in  those  eulogized  by  him.2 
And  the  exercises  of  heaven  are  such  as  only  the  humble  can'engage 
in  with  satisfaction.  They  fall  down  on  their  faces  there  before  the 
throne  and  Him  who  sits  on  it;  they  cast  their  crowns  at  his  feet. 
The  only  worthiness  they  celebrate  is  the  worthiness  of  the  Lamb 
that  was  slain;  and  the  whole  glory  of  their  salvation  is  ascribed  to 
Him,  of  whom,  and  through  whom,  and  to  whom,  are  all  things. 
"  Salvation  to  our  God  and  to  the  Lamb  forever  and  ever."  We 
must  be  formed  to  the  temper  of  heaven  if  we  would  be  sharers  in 
its  joys.  We  must  have  the  same  mind  in  us  as  is  in  the  holy  angels 
and  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect,  if  we  would  be  admitted  to 
their  society,  and  participate  in  their  delights.  Were  we  to  carry 
pride  with  us  to  heaven,  it  would  soon  cast  us  out  again,  as  it  did  the 
angels,  who  kept  not  their  first  estate.  Let  us  then  earnestly  covet  a 
large  measure  of  this  heavenly  temper.  Let  it  be  our  constant 
prayer,  that  the  Spirit  of  all  grace  would  so  bring  the  truth  before 
our  minds,  and  keep  it  there,  respecting  our  condition  and  character 
as  creatures  and  sinners,  sinners  lost  by  their  own  inexcusable  guilt, 
saved  solely  by  the  sovereign  grace  of  God,  as  that  every  rising  of 
undue  self-complacency  may  be  repressed,  and  that  we  may  be 
enabled  to  "walk  worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith  we  are  called, 
with  all  lowliness  and  meekness ;  with  long-suffering,  forbearing  one 
another  in  love,  endeavoring  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
bond  of  peace."  Oh,  how  happy  the  church,  where  all  the  elders 
and  all  the  members  are  habitually  under  the  influence  of  Christian 
humility !  May  that  blessing,  through  the  grace  of  Him  who  is 
exalted  to  be  "  Head  over  all  things  to  his  church,"  be  increasingly 
ours !  And  to  his  name  be  all  the  glory. 


NOTE  A,  p.  673. 

How  different  was  the  spirit  which  animated  those  who  pretended  to  be  Peter's  suc 
cessors,  appears  strikingly  in  a  remarkable  story  told  in  the  Clementine  Homilies : — "  Peter, 
wishing  to  establish  in  a  bishopric,  Zaccheus,  who  was  backward  to  accept  of  it,  cast  him 
self  at  his  feet,  and  entreated  him  to  administer  rnv  doy'> — the  princedom.  'I  would 
readily  do,'  said  Zaccheus,  '  whatever  a  prince  ought  to  do ;  but  I  am  afraid  to  bear  the 
name,  because  it  exposes  to  so  much  envy  as  to  be  dangerous.'  Peter  consented  that 
Zaccheus  should  not  take  the  name  of  prince  ;  but  he  gave  him  all  the  authority  of  one. 

1  Jeremy  Taylor.  2  Matt.  xxv.  37-39. 


DISC.  XXI.]  NOTES.  711 


Kat  ffov  [icv  tpyov,  said  lie,  KC^SVCIV'  T£V  Si  dfatyuv  vntiKuv  Kal  fi.r\  dxeiQeiv.  '  It  19  your  business 
to  command  ;  and,  as  to  the  brethren,  it  is  theirs  to  submit  to  and  obey  you.'  "  It  is  uni 
versally  admitted  that  the  Clementine  Homilies  are  forgeries  ;  but  they  are  very  authen 
tic  evidences  of  the  spirit  of  the  Roman  Church  at  the  time  of  their  production.  The 
bishops  are  there  represented  as  Awaarai,  0a<n\els,  fcaxoral,  xvpiot.  How  strangely  does 
all  this  contrast  with  the  words  of  the  One  Master,  —  "  Call  no  man  master  oa  earth  :  be 
not  ye  called  masters."  —  Horn.  Clem.  iii.  63,  64,  66,  p.  646. 


NOTE  B,  p.  681. 


"  TMV  K\fipuv  plurale  :  singulare  irofpT??.  ILtpj?  /no.  Grex  unus  sub  uno  Pastore  prm- 
cipe  Christo  :  sed  K\fjpoi  portiones  multae,  pro  numero  locorum  et  antistitum.  —  BENGEL. 
This  view  throws  light  on  the  whole  passage.  Among  the  Nomadic  tribes  wealth  con 
sisted  almost  entirely  in  flocks  and  herds.  The  great  proprietors  were  just  shepherds  on 
a  great  scale.  'A-pxixoipeves,  iroipeves  wv  cial  TO.  irp6/3ara  1'Jja.1  The  whole  iroi^vrj  belonged 
to  them  :  but  under  them  there  were  wipeves,  each  of  whom  had  his  own  xAfJpo?.  The 
'Apx,"roip>iv  was  often  absent  —  but,  on  his  coming  to  see  his  flocks,  he  would  notice  the 
manner  in  which  the  under-  shepherds  had  treated  his  property,  and  deal  with  them  ac 
cordingly. 

"  Vetustus  quirlemfuit  ille  loquendi  modus,  ut  totum  ordinem  ministrorum  clerum  voca- 
rent  :  sed  utinam  Patribus  nunquam  venisset  in  mentem  ita  loqui  :  quia  quod  toti  Ecclesiea 
Bcriptura  communiter  tribuit,  minime  consentaneum  fuit  ad  paucos  homines  restringere." 
—  CALVIN. 

"  Clerus  temporibus  Apostolorum  erant  plebeii,  quod  apparet  ex  prima  Petri  Epistola 
majestuosa."  —  SCALIGER. 

"  Cleros  vocat  non  diaconos  aut  presbyteros,  sed  gregem  qui  cuique  forte  contigit  guber- 
nandus  ne  quis  existimet,  Episcopis  in  Clericos  interdictum  dominium,  in  ceteros  esse  per- 
missum.  Et  presbyteros  hie  Episcopos  vocat.  Nondum  enim  increverat  turba  sacerdotum  ; 
sed  quot  erant  Presbyteri,  totidem  erant  Episcopi."  —  ERASMUS. 

"  Olim  populus  Isracliticus  K\rjpos,  sors,  sive  patrimonium  Dei,  Deut.  iv.  20  ;  ix.  29. 
Nunc  populus  Christianus;  cujus  singulse  partes  ut  fieri  solet  iv  b^oy^vidci  idem  nomen 
participant."  —  GROTIUS. 

"  K\f>povs  hereditates  vocat  Ecclesias  singulas,  quibus  singuli  pastores  preeficiuntur."  — 
SUICER. 

"  All  believers  are  God's  clergy."  —  LEIGHTOX 

It  deserves  notice,  that  it  is  a  verb  derived  from  K\f\pov<;  which  is  used,  Acts  xvii.  4,  to 
describe  the  association  of  the  believers  with  Paul  and  Silas  at  Thessalonica  —  npoaeK\^p6dr]ffav. 
Our  translators  have  preserved  the  reference  in  their  version  "  consorted." 

"  KAfjpovff  multi  Latinorum  interpretantur  clericos  ;  veruntamen  longe  probabilius  est, 
per  cleros  intelligi  gregis  dominici  portiones,  quse  singulis  Episcopis  pascendae  ac  regendae 
velut  sortito  obtigerunt,  juxta  id  quod  Cyprianus  dicit,  Ecclesiam  esse  unam,  cujus  singu 
las  portiones  singuli  Episcopi  in  solidum  tenent."  —  ESTIUS. 

VATER  takes  a  singular  view  of  the  meaning  of  the  term  here  :  "  KA^wj/  plurali  numero, 
non  nisi,  Acts  i.  26,  eodemque  forsan  significatu  et  hie."  In  this  case  KaraKvpttstv  raiv 
K\f\(>wv  would  signify  arbitrarily  to  overrule  the  votes,  to  disregard  the  will  of  the  church, 
when  manifested  by  their  giving  forth  their  K\fipov$. 


NOTE  C,  p.  687. 

A  word  of  similar  meaning  (NeavicKoi)  is  apparently  used  in  the  New  Testament  to 
signify  common  soldiers,  Mark  xiv.  51,  as  well  as  in  the  profane  Greek  (Polyb.  ir.  16  ; 
iii.  62).  A  similar  usage  prevails  in  the  Latin  language,  as  to  the  word  of  corresponding 
meaning  (Juvenis).  We  find  the  same  thing  in  the  Hebrew  language :  Abraham's  armed 
servants  are  called  "the  young  men"  (D*n3>3).  Gen.  xiv.  24.  We  have  the  same  use 
^  of  the  word,  Jos.  ii.  1 ;  2  Sam.  ii.  14 ;  Gen.  xviii.  7  ;  Psal.  ex.  3  :  "  The  word  '  young,' 
possesses,  in  the  Christian  usage  of  various  languages,  the  sense  of  '  lay' — see  Bolten." — 
STEIGER. 

"NtMTtpvi  hie  non  videntur  esse  natu  minores;  nam  opponuntur  doctoribus,  sed  potius 
auditores  et  discipuli,  eodem  fere  sensu,  quo,  Luc.  xxii.  26,  6  /uf^W  et  o  vsurcpos  sibi  op 
ponuntur." ROSENMULLER. 

1  John  x.  12.     Gen.  xlvii.  6.     1  Sam.  xxL  7. 


712  NOTES.  [DISC.  xxi. 


opponuntur  TrpetrBvrepois  et  ex  lege  oppositions  intelligendi  sunt  omnes  reli- 
qui  qui  exceptis  Presbyteris  ecclesiam  constituerent."  —  KUTTNER. 

SCHOTANUS,  thousrh  obviously  very  averse,  "  a  communi  Doctorum  sententia  discedere 
videri,"  states  very"distinctly,  and  defends  very  successfully,  -what  appears  to  me  the  true 
meaning:—"  Hie  per  juniores  intelligimus  totam  ecclesiam.  Id  autem  probamus  (1.)  ex 
repetitione  verbi  presbyteri  ;  (2.)  ex  collatione  in  verbis  :  similiter  ;  (3.)  quia  summissionem 
regimini  opponit  ;  (4.)  quia  passim  Apostoli  quando  agunt  de  officiis  in  quibus  mutuus  est 
respectus,  solent  utrumque  urgere.  Si  autem  quis  dicat  nomen  illud  juniores  repugnari, 
respondents—  nequam.  Nonne  Apostolus  Paulus  totam  Ecclesiam  Galaticam  '  filiolos' 
vocat,  Gal.  iv.  19,  et  haec  ratio  est,  quia  turn  temporis  prsecipue  Ecclesite  praficiebantur 
qui  provectioris  setatis  erant." 

"  Per  juniores  autem  hoc  loco  maxime  intelligitur  Grex  qui  pendet  a  pastoribus,  quia 
pastores  et  presbyteri,  maxima  ex  parte,  electi  fuerunt  ex  senioribus  retate,  et  proindo 
maxima  pars  gregis  constabat  ex  junioribus."  —  AMESIUS.  "  Sicut  nomen,  senior,  prjefectum 
significat,  etiam  si  cetate  sit  minor,  ita  nomen,  junior,  sive  adolescens,  recte  interpretante 
Beda,  subditum  omnem,  tametsi  estate  superiorem  designat."  —  HESSELIUS. 


NOTE  D,  p.  703. 

"  Ko///?o$  nodus  vinculum  quo  illigabantur  manicae  praesertim  in  vestitu  servorum." — 
BENGEL.  Grotius  gives  the  following  quotation  from  Pollux,  lib.  iv.,  which  is  quite  to  the 
point: — Tj  r&v  JoCXwi'  £|cj^i'J(  Kal  IfJiariSidv  ri  npovKKirai  \CVKOV,  S  s-yK6^(3u^jia  Aeycrui.  Putting 
on  the  eyxfy/^a,  was  preparing  in  a  becoming  manner  to  act  as  a  servant ;  assuming  the 
appearance  and  preparing  for  the  duties  of  the  servile  state.  "  'EyKfy/?a)/ja  vestis  humilis 
et  servorum  erat:  qui  cum  breves  tunicas  quas  £7ra>/u'Ja?  vocant  gestarent,  super  has 
tyKfy/Jw^a  induere  solebant ;  palliolum  vilissimum  sed  candiduin  ;  quod  et  «7ri/?A^a  ut  ob 
servant  antiqui  dicebant." — HEINSIUS.  Sac.  Exercit.  p.  577. 


DISCOURSE    XXII. 

TWO  VIEWS  OF  AFFLICTION  AND  ITS  DUTIES. 

1  PET.  v.  6,  7. — Humble  yourselves  therefore  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  that  he  may 
exalt  you  in  due  time ;  casting  all  your  care  upon  him ;  for  he  careth  for  you. 

THERE  are  few  practical  questions  of  deeper  and  more  extensive 
interest,  than  how  should  we  conduct  ourselves  amid  the  afflictions 
of  life,  so  as  to  be  best  sustained  under  them,  most  improved  by  them, 
and  soonest  and  most  certainly  delivered  from  them  ?  This  is  a  ques 
tion  which  concerns  us  all ;  for,  however  we  may  differ  in  other  points 
of  view,  here  we  all  occupy  common  ground.  We  are  all  sufferers. 
It  is  not  less  universally  true  that  "man  is  born  of  a  woman,"  than 
that  he  is  "  born  to  trouble."  It  is  certain,  too,  that  affliction, 
though  in  all  forms  in  itself  an  evil,  is  far  from  being  an  unmixed  evil ; 
that  by  means  of  it,  men,  constituted  and  circumstanced  as  they  are, 
may  be  made  wiser  and  better,  and  ultimately  happier,  than  they  could 
have  become  without  it.  "  It  has  been  good  for  me  that  I  have  been 
afflicted,"  says  the  Psalmist.  "Chastisement  yieldeth  peaceable  fruits," l 
says  the  apostle.  And  there  is  "  a  great  crowd  of  witnesses"  of  the 
wisest  and  the  best,  in  every  age,  all  of  whom  have  set  to  their  seal 
that  this  testimony  is  true. 

It  is,  however,  just  as  certain  that  there  have  been  many  sufferers 
who  could  not  truly  make  the  psalmist's  declaration  their  own.  It 
has  not  been  good  for  them  that  they  have  been  afflicted.  They 
were  bad  when  affliction  seized  them ;  they  did  not  improve  under  its 
grasp ;  and  now  that  it  has  let  them  go,  they  are  worse  than  ever. 
Indeed,  the  waters  sent  forth  from  the  fountain  of  affliction  seem  in 
themselves  poisonous  as  well  as  bitter.  The  infusion  of  a  foreign  in 
gredient  into  them  appears  to  be  necessary  to  make  them  salutary,  or 
even  safe.  Their  effects  are  usually  powerful ;  but  they  often  aggra 
vate  rather  than  mitigate  moral  disease. 

The  different  effects  of  affliction  on  different  individuals,  depend 
hnainly  on  their  being,  or  their  not  being,  under  the  influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit ;  and  that  is  chiefly  manifested  in  the  views  they  entertain 
of  affliction,  and  in  the  dispositions  they  cherish  under  affliction,  two 
things  which  are  very  closely  connected  with  each  other.  The  in 
fluence  of  affliction  on  the  mind  and  character  of  a  man  who  con 
siders  his  sufferings  as  the  effect  of  blind  chance  or  unintelligent  ne 
cessity,  or  of  intelligent  but  malignant  power;  and  who  is  inconsid 
erate,  or  proud,  or  fretful,  or  desponding  under,  them — must  be  very 

1  Job  xiv.  1.    PsaL  cxix  71.  Heb.  xii.  11. 


714  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  XXII. 

different  from  its  influence  on  the  mind  of  a  man  who  considers  his 
sufferings  as  proceeding  from  the  appointment,  and  inflicted  by  the 
agency,  of  the  infinitely  powerful,  wise,  righteous,  and  benignant 
Sovereign  of  the  universe  ;  as  tokens  of  displeasure  against  sin,  yet 
means  of  reclaiming  sinners;  as  important  parts  of  God's  mysterious 
economy  for  making  foolish,  depraved,  miserable  man,  wise,  and  good, 
and  happy ;  and  wlio  cultivates  a  thoughtful,  submissive,  prudent,  de 
vout,  patient,  hopeful  disposition  under  them. 

The  moral  effect  of  affliction  on  an  irreligious  or  superstitious  mind 
cannot  but  be  mischievous,  though  it  will  vary  with  the  variety  of 
character  and  circumstance,  and  take  the  form,  in  one  case,  of  stupid 
insensibility  ;  in  another,  of  querulous  fretfulness  ;  in  another,  of  hope 
less  despondency ;  in  another,  of  hardened  impiety.  It  will  in  every 
such  case  drive  men  from  God,  not  draw  them  towards  him.  It  will 
make  them  worse  and  more  miserable,  not  better  and  happier  ;  it  will 
fit  them  for  hell,  not  for  heaven. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  moral  effect  of  affliction  in  a  mind  enlight 
ened  with  heavenly  truth,  and  a  heart  pervaded  by  holy  influence, 
must  be  in  a  very  high  degree  advantageous.  Every  principle  of  the 
new  life,  such  as  faith,  hope,  penitence,  patience,  humility,  self-sacri 
fice,  is  exercised  and  strengthened  ;  and  the  result  is,  increased  con 
formity  in  mind,  and  will,  and  choice,  and  enjoyment,  with  the  all- 
wise,  the  all-holy,  the  all-benignant,  the  ever  blessed,  God.  Who 
would  not  wish  that  his  afflictions  might  have  this  result  ?  We  must 
be  chastened  ;  this  is  a  settled  point.  "  To  each  his  sufferings,  all 
are  men."  l  Who  would  not  tremble  to  be  so  chastened  as  to  be  de 
stroyed  with  the  world  ?  who  would  not  desire  to  be  so  chastened  as 
to  be  made  partakers  of  God's  holiness  ?  It  is  this  book  that  alone 
can  so  instruct  us  in  the  true  nature  of  afflictive  dispensations,  and  in 
the  right  way  of  dealing  with  these  dispensations  ;  as  that  it  may  be 
secured  that,  in  our  case,  the  last,  and  not  the  first,  result  shall  be 
realized.  We  must  go  to  the  school  of  revelation,  in  order  to  lea-rn 
how  to  behave  ourselves  in  the  school  of  affliction  so  as  to  obtain  im 
provement  there ;  and  a  most  instructive  lesson  of  this  kind  may  be 
derived  from  that  interesting  passage  of  inspired  Scripture  which  has 
been  read  as  the  subject  of  discourse.  May  the  great  Teacher,  who 
makes  all  whom  he  teaches  apt  to  learn,  enable  us  so  to  improve  it, 
as  that  "  his  rod  and  reproof,"  when  he  sees  meet  to  subject  us  to  them, 
may  more  than  ever  "  give  wisdom  !" 

These  words  present  us  with  two  interesting  views  of  affliction ; 
first,  as  a  state  of  subjection  to  the  mighty  hand  of  God ;  and,  sec 
ondly,  as  a  state  of  anxiety  and  carefulness ;  and  with  two  corre 
sponding  views  of  the  duty  of  the  Christian  under  affliction,  each  ac 
companied  with  its  appropriate  motive.  In  the  first  view  of  affliction, 
the  Christian  is  to  humble  himself  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God ; 
and  he  is  to  do  this  because  humility  is  well-pleasing  to  God,  because 
it  is  the  hand  of  God,  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  that  he  is  under,  and 
because  doing  so  is  the  appointed  way  to  be  exalted  in  due  time ;  and 
in  the  second  view  of  affliction,  the  Christian  is  to  cast  all  his  cares 
on  God,  and  he  is  to  do  this  because  God  cares  for  him.  This  is  the 

1  Gray. 


PART  I.]  THE    MIGHTY    HANI     OF    GOD.  715 

outline  I  mean  to  fill  up  in  the  remaining  part  of  the  discourse  ;  and, 
in  doing  this,  I  shall  not  first  consider  the  two  views  of  affliction, 
then  the  two  views  of  the  duty  of  the  Christian  under  affliction,  and 
then  the  two  views  of  motive  urging  to  the  performance  of  these  du 
ties,  but  I  shall  successively,  as  the  apostle  does,  take  up  each  con 
nected  view  of  affliction,  duty,  and  motive. 

Before  entering  on  this,  however,  it  may  be  proper  to  say  a  word 
or  two  on  the  manner  in  which  these  two  verses  are  connected  with 
the  immediately  preceding  context.  In  the  close  of  his  directory  re 
specting  ecclesiastical  duties,  the  apostle  recommends  the  cultivation 
of  humility  as  necessary  to  that  mutual  subjection  by  which  all  in 
Christian  fellowship,  whether  office-bearers  or  private  members, 
whether  elders  or  juniors,  should  be  distinguished ;  calling  them  to 
put  it  on  as  their  appropriate  dress  when  in  love  they  served  each 
other ;  and  he  strengthens  his  recommendation  by  quoting  an  Old 
Testament  oracle,  in  which  God's  complacent  approbation  of  the 
humble,  and  his  indignant  reprobation  of  the  proud,  are  strongly  ex 
pressed.  "God  resisteth  the  proud,  and  giveth  grace  to  the  humble." 
And  in  proceeding  to  offer  them  some  advices  suited  to  those  circum 
stances  of  persecution  and  trial  to  which,  by  the  appointment  of  God, 
and  through  the  direct  and  indirect  agency  of  the  great  adversary 
the  devil,  they  were  already  exposed,  and  were  likely  soon  to  be  still 
more  exposed,  he  naturally,  in  so  high  a  recommendation  of  humility 
as  a  disposition  peculiarly  pleasing  to  God,  finds  a  ground  for  enjoin 
ing  on  them  the  cultivation  and  display  of  this  virtue,  in  reference  to 
their  afflictions,  viewed  as  the  work  of  God's  hand  :  "  God  resisteth 
the  proud,  and  giveth  grace  to  the  humble.  Humble  yourselves 
therefore  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God."  The  quotation  from  the 
Old  Testament  is  brought  forward  as  a  motive  to  enforce  equally  the 
injunction  that  precedes  it,  and  the  injunction  that  follows  it. 


I— FIRST  VIEW  OF  AFFLICTION,  AND  ITS  DUTY. 

§  1. — Affliction  is  subjection  to  the  mighty  hand  of  God.1 

The  first  view  here  given  us  of  a  state  of  affliction  is,  that  it  is  a 
state  of  subjection  to  the  mighty  hand  of  God.  The  words  of  the 
apostle  are  equivalent  to,  Being  in  affliction,  ye  are  under  the  mighty 
hand  of  God ;  humble  yourselves  under  it.  "  The  hand  of  God,"  like 
"  the  arm  of  the  Lord/'  is  a  figurative  expression  for  the  power  of 
God  in  action,  as  men  put  forth  their  power  by  their  arm  and  hand. 
He  is  said  to  have  brought  his  people  from  Egypt  "  by  strength  of 
hand  ;"  that  is,  by  the  exertion  of  power.  It  is  said,  "  None  can  stay 
his  hand,"  none  can  prevent  or  control  the  exertion  of  his  power. 
When  Job  expresses  a  wish  that,  by  an  act  of  Divine  power,  he  might 
be  destroyed,  he  says,  "  Oh  that  it  would  please  God  to  let  loose  his 
hand,  and  cut  me  off;"  and,  speaking  of  the  power  of  God  as  the  ef 
ficient  cause  of  all  things,  he  says,  "  The  hand  of  the  Lord  hath  done 
this,  in  whose  hand  is  the  soul  of  every  living  thing,  and  the  breath 

i  Vide  Note  A. 


716  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  XXII. 

of  all  mankind."  l     The  epithet  "  mighty"   is  added  to  suggest  the 
idea  of  great,  resistless  energy. 

To  have  the  hand  of  God  on  a  person,  to  be  in  his  hand,  or  under 
his  hand,  does  not  necessarily  indicate  being  in  a  state  of  affliction. 
It  merely  means  that  the  power  of  God  is  exercised  with  regard  to 
that  person.  Jehovah  is  said  by  Moses  "  to  love  his  people  ;"  and 
in  a  parallel  case  he  adds,  "  All  his  saints  are  in  thy  hand,"  pro 
tected  by  thy  power.  "  The  hand  of  our  God,"  says  Ezra,  "is  upon 
all  them  for  good  that  seek  him ;  but  his  power  and  his  wrath  is 
against  all  them  that  forsake  him.  The  hand  of  our  God  was  upon 
us,  and  he  delivered  us  from  the  hand  of  the  enemy."  The  power 
ful  inspiring  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  described  as  the  hand  of 
the  Lord  being  on  the  prophets,  in  the  cases  of  Elijah  and  Ezekiel. 
But  the  phrase  is  very  often  used  in  a  more  specific  sense,  as  de 
scriptive  of  the  power  of  God  put  forth  for  punishment  or  chastise 
ment.  It  is  said,  "the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  heavy  on  the  men  of 
Ashdod,"  when  he  visited  them  with  a  severe  judgment.  "  The  hand 
of  the  Lord  is  on  thy  cattle,"  said  Moses  to  Pharaoh,  when  he  an 
nounced  the  plague  of  murrain.  "  Have  pity  on  me,"  says  Job, 
"  Have  pity  on  me,  O  my  friends,  for  the  hand  of  God  hath  touched 
me."  "  Day  and  night,"  says  the  psalmist,  "  thy  hand  was  heavy  on 
me.  Thine  arrows  stick  fast  in  me ;  thy  hand  presseth  me  sore."  2 
"  Let  me  not  fall  into  the  hand  of  man,  but  into  the  hand  of  the 
Lord,"  said  David,  when  called  to  choose  whether  war,  or  famine, 
or  pestilence,  was  to  be  the  punishment  of  his  son.  Some  interpret 
ers  consider  the  phrase  before  us,  "  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God," 
as  merely  referring  generally  to  the  being  entirely  at  the  disposal  of 
God,  completely  in  his  hand  ;  but  the  use  of  the  epithet  -mighty,  and 
the  contrast  of  the  depressed  state  of  the  person  under  the  mighty 
hand  of  God,  with  the  state  of  elevation  promised  him  if  the  temper 
of  his  mind  should  properly  correspond  with  his  circumstances,  as 
well  as  the  succeeding  context,  all  convince  me  that  the  apostle  had 
in  his  eye  "  the  manifold  trials,"  "the  afflictions,"  to  which;  as  a  part  of 
the  Christian  brotherhood  in  the  world,  those  to  whom  he  wrote  were 
exposed.  The  thought  which  he  wished  to  bring  strongly  before  their 
mind  is  this  :  '  Those  afflictions  to  which  you  are  exposed  are  the  re 
sult  of  the  Divine  appointment  and  agency.'  Let  us  shortly  illus 
trate  that  thought ;  it  is  an  important  one. 

"Affliction  cometh  not  forth  of  the  dust;  trouble  doth  not  spring 
from  the  ground."  They  "come  down  from  above;"  they  "come 
forth  from  Him  who  is  wonderful  in  counsel,  and  excellent  in  work 
ing."3  There  are  many  who  think  and  feel  in  reference  to  afflictive 
dispensations,  as  the  Philistines  of  old  did,  when  they  said,  "  a  chance 
hath  happened  us."  But  there  is  neither  blind  chance,  nor  unintelli 
gent  necessity,  in  God's  world.  "  He  worketh  all  things  according  to 
the  counsel  of  his  own  will."  No  event  occurs  apart  from  his  plan, 

1  Job  vi.  9  ;  xii,  10. 

'  Deut.  xxxiii.  3.     Ezra  viii.  22,  31.     1  Kings  xviii.  46.     Ezek.  i.  3.     1    Sam.  v.  1L 
Exod.  ix.  3.    Job  xix.  21.     Psal.  xxxii.  4  ;  xxxviii.  2.     1  Chron.  xxi.  13. 
1  Job  v.  6.    James  i.  17.     Isa.  xxviii.  29. 


PART  I.]  THE    MIGHTY    HAND    OF    GOD.  717 

and  the  execution  of  his  plan.     "  His  counsel  stands,  and  he  doth  al 
his  pleasure."  l 

The  doctrine  of  providence,  a  particular  providence  (for  it  is  not 
very  easy  to  understand  what  is  meant  by  a  general  providence  as 
opposed  to  a  particular  one),  is  supported  by  numerous  and  powerful 
arguments,  deduced  from  rational  principles,  as  well  as  from  the  de 
clarations  of  inspired  Scripture.  Admit  the  wisdom,  the  power,  and 
the  omnipresence  of  the  Divine  Being,  and  you  cannot  consistently 
deny  his  providence.  "  Are  not  two  sparrows,"  says  our  Lord,  "  sold 
for  a  farthing  ?  yet  one  of  them  shall  not  fall  on  the  ground  without 
your  father :  even  the  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered."  2  Can 
He  who  cares  for  sparrows,  and  numbers  the  hairs  of  our  head,  can 
he  be  inattentive  to,  or  unconcerned  in,  what  so  closely  concerns  the 
honor  of  his  character,  and  the  highest  interests  of  his  people,  as 
their  afflictions  ? 

The  agency  of  God  in  the  afflictions  of  his  people  is  not  only  de- 
ducible  from,  or  more  properly  involved  in,  the  doctrine  of  his  uni 
versal  providence ;  but  it  is  taught  in  the  most  explicit  terms  which 
language  can  furnish :  "  Shall  there  t^e  evil,"  that  is,  suffering,  afflic 
tion,  in  any  form,  "  in  a  city,  and  the  Lord  hath  not  done  it  ?"  "  I 
am  the  Lord,  and  there  is  none  else ;  there  is  no  god  beside  me.  I 
form  the  light,  and  create  the  darkness  ;  I  make  peace,  and  create 
evil.  I,  the  Lord,  do  all  these  things/'  "  The  Lord  killeth,  and 
maketh  alive  :  he  bringeth  down  to  the  grave,  and  bringeth  up.  The 
Lord  maketh  poor,  and  maketh  rich  :  he  bringeth  low,  and  he  lifteth 
up."  "  See  now  that  I,  even  I,  am  he,  and  there  is  no  god  with  me. 
I  kill,  and  I  make  alive ;  I  wound,  and  I  heal :  neither  is  there  any 
who  can  deliver  out  of  my  hand."  "  He  maketh  sore,  and  bindeth 
up ;  he  woundeth,  and  his  hands  make  whole."  The  person  acci 
dentally  killed,  as  we  phrase  it,  is  by  Moses  said  to  be  "  delivered  by 
God  into  the  hands"  of  the  person  who  unintentionally  deprived  him 
of  life.3 

And  we  are  to  consider  those  afflictions  as  proceeding  from  the 
hand  of  God,  not  merely  when  there  appears  to  us  no  intermediate 
agent,  whether  physical  or  intelligent,  as  in  the  case  of  sudden  death, 
or  unaccountable  accident ;  but  whatever  be  the  immediate  occasion, 
whether  they  occur  from  the  operation  of  what  we  call  natural  causes, 
in  the  course  of  the  established  order  of  things,  or  from  the  agency 
of  intelligent  beings,  human,  angelic,  or  infernal,  they  are  to  be  con 
sidered  as  coming  forth  from  him  "  of  whom,  and  through  whom,  and 
to  whom  are  all  things."*  The  miraculous  slaughter  of  Korah,  Da- 
than,  and  Abiram,  for  whose  punishment  the  Lord  "made  a  new 
thing,"  and  the  death  of  those  who  through  disease  or  old  age  were 
cut  off  in  the  wilderness,  were  equally  the  works  of  the  Lord.  Wars 
which  spring  from  human  passions,  and  are  carried  on  through  human 
instrumentality,  equally  with  the  famine  and  the  pestilence,  are  num 
bered  among  the  works  of  God;  and  their  ravages  are  "desolations 
which  he  makes  in  the  earth/'5  When  adversity  mingles  its  bitter 

i  1  Sam.  vi.  9.     Eph.  i.  11.    Isa.  xlvi.  10.  3  Matt.  x.  29,  30. 

8  Amos  iii.  6.     Isa.  xlv.  7.     1  Sam.  ii.  6.    Deut.  xxxii.  39.    Job  v.  18.     Exod.  xxi.  13. 
4  Rom.  xi.  36.  6  Psal.  xlvi.  8. 


718  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  XXII. 

ingredients  in  our  cup,  whatever  these  ingredients  are,  let  us  never 
forget  that  it  is  God  who  puts  that  cup  into  our  hand.  It  matters  not 
whether  our  affliction  springs  from  those  disastrous  visitations  in 
which  the  agency  of  man  has  no  part,  and  over  which  it  has  no  con 
trol,  like  that  mysterious  blight  which  has  lately  turned  into  rotten 
ness  so  large  a  portion  of  the  produce  of  our  fields,  and  the  food  of 
the  people ;  or  arises  from  the  improvidence,  the  injustice,  or  the 
cruelty  of  human  beings  ;  in  either  case  it  forms  a  part  of  the  ad 
ministration  of  Him  whose  kingdom  ruleth  all.  Job  spoke  like  a 
philosopher  as  well  as  a  saint ;  his  words  were  those  of  wisdom  as 
well  as  of  piety,  when,  after  the  Sabeans  had  carried  away  his  oxen, 
the  fire  of  God  falling  from  heaven  had  consumed  his  sheep,  the 
Chaldeans  had  robbed  him  of  his  camels,  and  murdered  his  servants, 
and  a  great  wind  from  the  wilderness  had  buried  his  children  in  the 
ruins  of  his  eldest  son's  house,  he  said,  "It  is  the  Lord."  The  light 
ning  and  the  tempest,  the  Sabeans  and  the  Chaldeans,  he  considered, 
and  rightly,  as  the  instruments  (the  human  beings,  the  guilty  instru 
ments)  of  the  execution  of  God's  most  holy  and  righteous  appoint 
ment.  "  The  Lord/'  said  he,  "  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away  ; 
blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord."  :  And  He  of  whose  faith  and 
patience  Job's  afford  but  a  faint  resemblance,  amid  his  unparalleled 
sufferings,  proceeding  in  a  great  measure  directly  from  the  malignant 
agency  of  men  and  devils,  looked  beyond  Judas  and  his  band,  Caia- 
phas  and  the  chief  priests,  the  denial  of  Peter  and  the  flight  of  the 
disciples,  Pontius  Pilate  and  the  Roman  soldiers,  the  prince  of  dark 
ness  and  his  hosts,  to  Him  whose  high  and  holy  determination  all 
these  were  unconsciously  and  most  wickedly  carrying  into  accom 
plishment,  and  with  meek  reverence  and  devout  submission  said, 
"  The  cup  which  my  Father  giveth  me  to  drink,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ?"  2 

This  important  principle,  that  our  afflictions  are  the  work  of  God, 
seems  the  principal  truth  intended  to  be  taught  by  the  representation 
before  us ;  a  truth,  the  apprehension  of  which  is  absolutely  neces 
sary  to  the  deriving  of  any  spiritual  advantage  from  affliction.  A 
conviction  of  this  will  persuade  us  that  our  afflictions  are  not  the 
effect  of  caprice,  or  of  cruelty ;  that  they  are  the  result  of  design, 
wise  design,  benignant  design,  sent  to  serve  a  purpose,  a  holy  and 
benevolent  purpose. 

The  words,  however,  seem  farther  to  indicate,  what  we  are  very 
ready  to  forget,  that  in  affliction  God  is  very  near  us.  He  is  always 
so,  ever  at  our  right  and  left  hand,  intently  looking  on  us ;  but  in 
affliction,  to  rouse  us  to  the  fact  of  his  nearness,  He,  as  it  were,  lays 
his  hand  on  us  ;  and  we  are  stupid  indeed  if  we  still  continue  inap- 
prehensive  of  his  presence. 

Affliction,  as  a  laying  God's  hand  on  us,  intimates  not  only  that  he 
is  near  us,  but  that  he  is  actually  dealing  with  us ;  he  has  business 
with  us,  he  has  to  do  with  us,  and  we  have  to  do  with  him.  He  has 
accounts  to  settle  with  us ;  He  is  not  satisfied  with  us ;  we  are  not 
what  he  would  have  us  to  be.  If  we  were,  he  would  not  indeed  let 
us  alone ;  that  were  a  dreadful  evil ;  but  he  would  interfere  only  to 
give  new  proofs  of  his  love  in  new  gifts  of  his  grace ;  his  hand  would 

1  Jofe  i.  21.  2  John  xviii.  11. 


PART  I.]  THE  MIGHTY  HAND  OF  GUD.  719 

never  be  on  us  for  chastisement ;  it  would  be  on  us  only  for  good. 
He  does  not  afflict  willingly.  If  he  gives  us  a  blow,  assuredly  we 
deserve  it.  We  have  provoked  it.  It  comes  from  a  reluctant  hand. 
Still  farther,  in  the  case  of  God's  own  people,  and  it  is  of  them 
the  apostle  is  speaking,  affliction,  viewed  as  laying  his  hand  on  them, 
is  a  manifestation  of  kind  interest  in  them.  He  has  not  given  them 
up ;  He  means  to  make  something  of  them ;  He  smites  because  he 
loves  them ;  He  "  chastens  them  for  their  profit."  It  is  not  the  stroke 
of  a  cruel  one ;  it  is  not  the  hand  of  the  destroyer.  To  vary  the 
figure,  affliction  with  them  is  as  "  the  refiner's  fire,  and  the  fuller's 
soap."  "  He  sits  as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of  silver ;  and  he  shall 
purify  them  and  purge  them  as  gold  and  silver,  that  they  may  offer  to 
the  Lord  an  offering  of  righteousness."  l 

§  2. — Our  duty  in  affliction  is  to  "  humble  ourselves  under  the 
mighty  hand  of  God." 

Having  thus  considered  the  Christian's  state  of  affliction  as  a  state 
of  sirbjection  to  God's  chastening  hand,  let  us  now  consider  the  cor 
responding  view  the  apostle  gives  of  their  duty :  Christians  are  to 
"humble  themselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God."  The  command 
is  equivalent  to  "despise  not  the  chastening  of  the  Lord."  Rebel 
not  against  it,  fret  not  under  it,  murmur  not  at  it,  call  not  in  question 
either  Jehovah's  right,  or  the  manner  in  which  he  asserts  it.  Beware 
of  doubting  the  wisdom,  or  the  righteousness,  or  the  kindness  of  the 
visitation.  "  Be  still,  and  know  that  He  is  God."  "  Glorify  the  Lord 
in  the  fires."  "  Sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  your  heart."  "  Hear  the 
rod,  and  Him  who  has  appointed  it." 2  The  whole  truth  on  this  sub 
ject  may  be  comprehended  in  the  three-fold  injunction — humble 
yourselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  as  creatures  under  the 
hand  of  their  Creator;  as  subjects  under  the  hand  of  their  Sovereign; 
as  children  under  the  hand  of  their  Father. 

(1.)  As  creatures  under  the  hand  of  the  Creator. 

Christians  in  affliction  should  humble  themselves  as  creatures  under 
the  hand  of  their  Creator.  Pride,  impatience,  murmuring,  and  re 
bellion  under  affliction,  which  all  flow  from  pride,  are  absolutely 
monstrous  in  a  creature  under  the  hand  of  the  Creator.  What  is  the 
creature  but  what  the  Creator  has  made  him  ?  What  has  he  but 
what  God  has  given  him  ?  Is  not  he  and  all  that  he  has  far  more 
the  Creator's  property  than  his  own  ?  Is  he  not,  must  he  not  be, 
ought  he  not  to  be,  entirely  dependent  on,  submissive  to,  Him  who 
made  him  ?  "  Hath  not  the  potter  power  over  the  clay  ?"  "  Shall 
the  clay  say  to  him  who  fashioned  it,  What  makest  thou  ?  or  the  work 
to  him  who  formed  it,  Thou  hast  no  hands  ?"  "  Shall  the  axe  boast 
itself  against  him  that  heweth  therewith  ?  or  shall  the  saw  magnify 
itself  against  him  that  shaketh  it  ?  as  if  the  rod  should  shake  itself 
against  them  that  lift  it  up,  or  as  if  the  staff  should  lift  up  itself,  as  if 
it  were  no  wood?"3  In  affliction  we  feel  the  touch  of  that  hand 

1  Heb.  xii.  10.     Mai.  iii.  3.  2  Psal.  xlvi.  10.     Isa.  xxiv.  15  ;  viii.  13.    Mic.  vi.  9. 

3  Rom.  ix.  22.    Isa.  xlv.  9;  x.  15. 


720  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  XXII. 

which  made  us,  and  which  can  easily  turn  us  to  dust  again.  Surely, 
in  these  circumstances,  it  is  meet  to  acknowledge  that  we  are  "  nothing, 
less  than  nothing  and  vanity,"  before  him  "  who  was,  and  is,  and  is 
to  come,  the  Almighty;"  "of  whom,  through  whom,  to  whom,  are 
all  things."  We  should  even  wonder  that  he  takes  so  much  notice 
of  us  as  to  send  us  salutary  afflictions.  "  Lord,  what  is  man,  that 
thou  takest  knowledge  of  him !  or  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  makest 
account  of  him !  that  thou  shouldest  visit  him  every  morning  and  try 
him  every  moment  ?  Man  who  is  like  unto  vanity ;  whose  days  are 
as  a  shadow  that  passeth  away  !"  l 

(2.)  As  subjects  under  the  hand  of  their  Sovereign — rebel  subjects 
under  the  hand  of  their  righteously  offended  Sovereign. 

Christians  should  humble  themselves  in  affliction  as  subjects  under 
the  hand  of  their  Sovereign,  as  rebel  subjects  under  the  hand  of  their 
righteously  offended  Sovereign.  If  creatures  should  be  humble  just 
because  they  are  creatures,  sinful  creatures  are  tenfold  bound  to  be 
humble.  In  the  being  sinners,  everything  base  and  degrading  is 
necessarily  included.  There  is  no  folly  like  sin,  no  baseness  like  sin. 
Affliction  is  intended  to  bring  sin  to  remembrance.  We  should  never 
forget  our  guilt  and  depravity,  and  the  state  of  condemnation  and  de 
basement  into  which  they  have  brought  us ;  but  in  the  day  of  afflic 
tion  we  should  especially  say,  "I  remember  my  faults  this  day,"  I  lay 
my  hand  on  my  mouth,  my  mouth  in  the  dust,  unclean,  unclean.  I 
have  no  ground  of  complaint,  I  can  have  none.  I  deserve  no  good. 
I  deserve  all  evil.  "  It  is  of  the  Lord's  mercies  I  am  not  consumed."  2 
Does  it  not  become  rebels  justly  doomed  to  death,  spared  by  the  clem 
ency  of  their  insulted,  injured  sovereign,  yet  bearing  ever  on  them 
distinct  marks  of  their  crime,  and  both  of  his  unmerited  clemency  and 
just  displeasure,  does  it  not  become  them  to  be  humble  ?  Deep  self- 
abasement  is  the  becoming  temper  in  him  who  knows  that  he  has  in 
curred  the  righteous  displeasure  of  God  by  innumerable,  unprovoked 
violations  of  "the  law  that  is  holy,  just,  and  good ;  and  that  in  him, 
that  is,  in  his  flesh,  dwells  no  good  thing.  Deep  self-abasement  is  the 
temper  which  becomes  him  at  all  times,  and  especially  when  he  is 
under  the  mighty  hand  of  God.  However  severe  the  afflictions,  why 
should  he  murmur  ?  Why  should  he  complain  ?  "A  man  for  the 
punishment  of  sins,"  a  man  punished,  but  punished  far  less  than  his 
iniquities  deserve  ?  "  Surely  it  is  meet  to  be  said  unto  God,  I  have 
borne  chastisement,  I  will  not  offend  any  more :  that  which  I  see  not, 
teach  thou  me ;  if  I  have  done  iniquity,  I  will  do  so  no  more."  The 
language  of  his  heart  should  be,  "  Righteous  art  Thou,  O  Lord,  when 
I  plead  with  thee."  "  Behold,  I  am  vile ;  what  shall  I  answer  thee  ? 
O,  thou  Preserver  of  men."  "  I  have  sinned,  I  have  committed  in 
iquity,  I  have  done  wickedly,  I  have  rebelled  by  departing  from  thy 
precepts  and  from  thy  judgments.  O  Lord,  righteousness  belongeth 
to  thee,  but  to  me  confusion  of  face,  because  I  have  sinned  against 
tkee."  3  Thus  does  it  become  the  sinner,  under  the  mighty  hand  of 

1  Psal.  cxliv.  3,  4.  2  Lam.  iii.  22. 

8  Lam.  iii.  39.     Job  xxxiv.  31,  32.     Jer.  xii.  1.     Job  xl.  4;  vii.  20.     Dan.  ix.  6,  7. 


PART  I.]  THE   MIGHTY   HAND    OP    GOD.  721 

God,  to  "sit  alone  and  keep  silence,  to  put  his  mouth  to  the  dust,  if 
so  be  there  may  be  hope"  ?  This  kind  of  humbling  a  person's  self 
is  just  as  becoming  the  converted  as  the  unconverted  man.  It  will 
forever  continue  a  fact  that  he  has  broken  God's  holy  law,  and  had 
a  thoroughly  depraved  nature ;  and  the  recollection  of  these  facts, 
which  affliction  is  intended  to  recall  to  the  mind,  should  forever  hide 
pride  from  the  Christian's  eyes. 

(3.)  As  children  under  the  hand  of  their  Father. 

But  the  Christian  stands  to  God  in  the  relation,  not  only  of  a  crea 
ture  to  the  Creator,  not  only  of  a  subject  to  his  sovereign,  but  also  of 
a  child  to  his  father.  This  is  the  peculiar  relation  in  which  the 
Christian  stands  to  God ;  and  in  this  relation  he  ought,  in  the  season 
of  affliction,  to  "  humble  himself  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God." 
Of  all  men,  it  least  becomes  the  Christian  to  question  the  wisdom,  or 
righteousness,  or  kindness  of  the  Divine  afflictive  dispensations,  to 
be  fretful  or  unsubmissive  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God.  He  knows 
the  character  of  him  who  inflicts  chastisement ;  he  knows  how  richly 
he  deserves  chastisement ;  he  knows  how  much  he  stands  in  need  of 
chastisement ;  he  knows  the  true  nature  and  design  of  chastisement ; 
and  therefore  he  ought  to  be  distinguished  by  the  humility  of  rever 
ence,  the  humility  of  acquiescence,  the  humility  of  gratitude.  He 
should  humbly  acknowledge  the  right  of  him  who  inflicts ;  he  has 
done  nothing  but  what  he  has  a  good  right  to  do.  He  should  hum 
bly  acknowledge  that  the  affliction  was  not  uncalled  for ;  he  has  got 
nothing  but  what  he  deserves ;  and  that,  however  heavy,  it  might 
have  been  much  heavier,  without  affording  him  cause  either  of  sur 
prise  or  complaint ;  and  he  should  humbly  acknowledge  his  obliga 
tions  to  his  Father  in  heaven,  both  for  afflicting  him  and  afflicting 
him  in  measure ;  for  sending  the  very  afflictions  in  kind  and  degree, 
which  infinite  wisdom  saw  he  needed,  and  which  infinite  faithfulness 
secures  shall  serve  their  purpose.  I  cannot  conclude  this  part  of  the 
subject  better  than  in  the  words  of  the  apostle  in  his  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews,  when  he  bids  them  not  forget  "the  exhortation  which 
speaketh  unto  them  as  to  children,  My  son,  despise  not  thou  the 
chastening  of  the  Lord" — that  is,  in  other  words,  humble  yourself 
under  his  mighty  hand.  "  For  whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth, 
and  scourgeth  every  son  whom  he  receiveth.  If  ye  endure  chasten 
ing,  God  dealeth  with  you  as  with  sons ;  for  what  son  is  he  whom 
the  father  chasteneth  not?  But  if  ye  be  without  chastisement, 
whereof  all  are  partakers,  then  are  ye  bastards,  and  not  sons.  Fur 
thermore,  we  have  had  fathers  of  our  flesh  which  corrected  us,  and 
we  gave  them  reverence :  shall  we  not  much  rather  be  in  subjection 
unto  the  Father  of  spirits  and  live  ?" 

§  3. — Motives  to  humbling  ourselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God. 

The  motives  which  either  implicitly  or  explicitly  are  here  urged  by 
the  apostle  for  Christians  thus  humbling  themselves  under  the  mighty 

1  Heb.  xii.  6-9. 
46 


722  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  xxn. 

hand  of  God,  come  now  to  be  considered.  They  are  the  following : 
"We  ought  thus  to  humble  ourselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God, 
for  this  is  just  a  particular  form  of  that  humility  which  God  so  com 
placently  approves,  and  the  opposite  of  which  he  so  indignantly  con 
demns.  God  resisteth  the  proud,  but  giveth  grace  to  the  humble. 
Humble  yourselves  therefore,  for  this  reason,  under  the  mighty  hand 
of  God.  We  should  humble  ourselves  under  the  hand  of  God  just 
because  it  is  the  hand  of  God.  We  should  humble  ourselves  under 
the  mighty  hand  of  God,  because  it  is  the  mighty  hand  of  God. 
Finally,  we  should  humble  ourselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God, 
becaiise  this  is  the  appointed  way  of  being  exalted  in  due  time. 

(1.)  It  is  a  part  of  the  humility  which  God  so  complacently 

approves. 

We  s"bould  humble  ourselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  for 
this  is  a  course  of  which  God  complacently  approves  ;  while  the  op 
posite  is  a  course  which  he  indignantly  condemns.  uHe  giveth 
grace,"  he  manifests  favor,  towards  those  who  humble  themselves 
under  his  mighty  hand ;  while  he  resists,  he  treats  as  enemies,  those 
who  despise  his  chastening,  and  rebel  under  the  rod.  This  is  a  most 
powerful  motive.  What  makes  anything  duty  but  its  being  accord 
ing  to  the  will  of  God,  made  known  to  us ;  what  makes  anything 
sin  but  its  being  opposed  to  the  will  of  God,  made  known  to  us  ? 
Besides,  the  conscious  possession  of  the  cordial  love,  the  complacent 
approbation  of  the  greatest,  and  wisest,  and  best  Being  in  the  uni 
verse,  arising  out  of  constant  manifestations  of  his  favor,  is  the 
highest  happiness  a  creature  can  enjoy.  It  is  the  essence  of  the  hap 
piness  of  holy  angels  and  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect.  On 
the  other  hand,  to  be  resisted,  opposed,  treated  as  an  enemy  by 
Him,  is  the  greatest  evil  a  creature  can  be  exposed  to  ;  it  is  the  es 
sence  of  the  miseries  of  devils  and  lost  human  beings. 

(2.)  It  is  the  hand  of  God  we  are  called  to  humble  ourselves 

under. 

We  should  humble  ourselves  under  the  hand  of  God,  just  because 
it  is  the  hand  of  God.  We  should  be  humble  in  reference  to  God, 
because  he  is  God,  infinitely  great,  wise,  and  holy ;  because  he  is  our 
Creator,  our  Governor,  our  Judge,  our  Father ;  because  we  are  entire 
ly  dependent  on  him ;  because  we  are  pensioners  on  his  bounty ; 
because  we  have  incurred  his  displeasure,  and  are  completely  at  his 
mercy.  Humility  should  therefore  be  our  habitual  temper  towards 
God ;  but  when  we  are  visited  with  affliction,  when  his  hand  is  on 
us,  these  truths  are  more  directly  and  powerfully  presented  to  the 
mind.  We  are  brought  near  God.  He  who  despises  the  chastise 
ment  of  the  Lord,  as  it  were,  insults  the  Sovereign  at  a  personal  in 
terview.  He  defies  the  Almighty  even  when  he  appears  whetting 
his  sword  and  bending  his  bow.  "  He  stretcheth  out  his  hand  against 
God,  and  strengtheneth  himself  against  the  Almighty.  He  runneth 
on  him,  even  on  his  neck,  on  the  thick  bosses  of  his  buckler."  ] 

1  Job  xv.  26. 


PART  I.]  THE  MIGHTY   HAND   OF   GOD.  72-3 

(3.)  It  is  Jx  mighty  hand  of  God  ive  are  called  to  humble  ourselves  under. 

Christians  ought  to  humble  themselves  under  the  hand  of  God,  for 
that  hand  is  mighty ;  mighty  to  smite  still  harder,  if  the  strokes  given 
do  not  serve  their  purpose ;  mighty  to  deliver  from,  as  well  as  to  in 
flict,  evil.  There  is  no  striving  with  success  against  him.  As  Arch 
bishop  Leighton  says,  "  It  is  a  vain  thing  to  flinch  and  struggle,  for 
he  doth  what  he  will ;  and  his  hand  is  so  mighty,  that  the  greatest 
power  of  the  creature  is  nothing  to  it ;  yea,  it  is  all  indeed  derived 
from  him,  and  therefore  cannot  do  any  whit  against  him.  If  thou 
wilt  not  yield,  thou  must  yield  ;  if  thou  wilt  not  lead,  thou  shalt  be 
pulled  and  drawn  ;  therefore,  submission  is  your  only  course." 

(4.)  To  humble  ourselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God.  is  the  appointed 
way  of  our  being  in  due  time  exalted. 

Finally,  Christians  should  humble  themselves  under  the  mighty 
hand  of  God,  for  this  is  the  appointed  way  to  their  being  exalted. 
"  Humble  yourselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  that  ye  may  be 
exalted."  That  humility  leads  to  exaltation,  as  pride  to  degradation, 
is  a  sentiment  often  expressed  in  Scripture.  "Before  honor  is  hu 
mility."  "  A  man's  pride  shall  bring  him  low ;  but  honor  shall  uphold 
the  humble  in  spirit."  "  He  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased ;  but 
he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted."  l  In  the  providential  deal 
ings  of  God,  as  recorded  in  his  "Word,  we  have  many  very  remark 
able  instances  of  humbling  a  person's  self  imder  the  mighty  hand  of 
God  leading  to  deliverance  from  calamity,  and  restoration  to  pros 
perity.  When  the  princes  of  Israel,  on  the  desolations  occasioned 
by  the  invasion  of  Shishak  king  of  Egypt,  "  humbled  themselves,  and 
said,  The  Lord  is  righteous ;"  "the  Lord  saw  that  they  had  humbled 
themsslves,"  and  he  said,  by  his  prophet  Shemaiali,  "  They  have  hum 
bled  themselves ;  therefore  will  I  not  destroy  them,  but  I  will  grant 
them  some  deliverance."  When  their  prince,  king  Eehoboam,  "  hum 
bled  himself,  the  wrath  of  God  turned  from  him  :  also  in  Judea  things 
went  well."  When  the  king  of  Nineveh  and  his  people  humbled  them 
selves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God  lifted  up  to  smite  them,  "  He  re 
pented  of  the  evil  he  had  said  he  would  do  to  them,"  and  the  impend 
ing  stroke  was  averted.  When  Hezekiah  "  humbled  himself  for  the 
pride  of  his  heart,"  in  the  matter  of  the  Babylonian  ambassadors,  the 
threatened  wrath  of  the  Lord  came  not  on  him.  When  Manasseh 
was,  for  his  enormous  transgressions,  bound  with  fetters  and  taken  to 
Babylon,  he  in  affliction  besought  the  Lord  his  God,  and  humbled 
himself  greatly  before  the  God  of  his  fathers,  and  prayed  to  him ;  and 
He  was  entreated  of  him,  and  heard  his  supplication,  and  brought  him 
again  to  Jerusalem  into  his  kingdom.  Then  Manasseh  knew  that 
the  Lord  he  was  God."  When  even  Ahab,  to  whom  "  there  was  none 
like,  who  did  sell  himself  to  do  wickedness  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord," 
humbled  himself,  Jehovah  said  to  Elijah,  "  because  he  humbleth  him 
self  before  me,  I  will  not  bring  the  evil  in  his  days."  And,  to  notice 
but  one  other  instance,  when  Nebuchadnezzar,  who,  for  his  pride,  was 
1  Prov.  xv.  33 ;  xxix.  23.  Luke  xiv.  11. 


724  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  .1X11. 

bereft  both  of  his  reason  and  of  his  power,  employed  the  first  effort 
of  returning  intelligence  in  humbling  himself  under  the  mighty  hand 
of  God,  "  the  glory  of  his  kingdom,  his  honor  and  brightness  return 
ed  to  him  ;  he  was  established  in  his  kingdom ;  and  excellent  maj 
esty  was  added  to  him."  3 

This  part  of  the  Divine  government  is  beautifully  described  by 
Elihu.  "  To  hide  pride  from  man,  he  is  chastened  with  pain  upon  his 
bed,  and  the  multitude  of  his  bones  with  strong  pain ;  so  that  his  life 
abhorreth  bread,  and  his  soul  dainty  meat.  His  flesh  is  consumed 
away,  that  it  cannot  be  seen ;  and  his  bones  which  were  not  seen  stick 
out.  Yea,  his  soul  draweth  near  to  the  grave,  and  his  life  to  the  de 
stroyer.  If  there  be  a  messenger  with  him,  one  among  a  thousand, 
to  show  unto  him  His,"  that  is,  God's  "uprightness;  then  he  is  gra 
cious  to  him,  and  saith,  Deliver  from  going  down  to  the  pit ;  I  have 
found  a  ransom.  His  flesh  shall  be  fresher  than  a  child's :  he  shall 
return  to  the  days  of  his  youth.  He  shall  pray  to  God,  and  he  shall 
be  favorable  to  him ;  and  he  will  see  his  face  with  joy.  He  looketh 
upon  man ;  and  if  any  say,  I  have  sinned,  and  perverted  that  which 
was  right,  and  it  profited  me  not ;  he  will  deliver  his  soul  from  going 
unto  the  pit,  and  his  life  shall  see  the  light.  Lo,  all  these  things  worketh 
God  oftentimes  with  man,  to  bring  back  his  soul  from  the  pit,  to  be 
enlightened  with  the  light  of  the  living."  "  If  men  be  bound  in  fetters, 
and  be  holden  in  cords  of  affliction ;  then  he  showeth  them  their  work, 
and  their  transgressions  wherein  they  have  exceeded.  He  openeth 
also  their  ear  to  discipline,  and  commandeth  that  they  return  from 
iniquity^  If  they  obey  and  serve  him,  they  shall  spend  their  days  in 
prosperity,  and  their  years  in  pleasure ;  but  if  they  obey  not,  they 
shall  perish  by  the  sword,  and  they  shall  die  without  knowledge." 

Nor  is  the  psalmist's  description  less  striking  and  instructive. 
"  Such  as  sit  in  darkness,  and  in  the  shadow  of  death,  being  bound 
in  affliction  and  iron ;  because  they  rebelled  against  the  words  of 
God,  and  contemned  the  counsel  of  the  Most  High :  therefore  he 
brought  down  their  heart  with  labor:  they  fell  down,  and  there  was 
none  to  help.  Then  they  cried  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble,  and 
he  saved  them  out  of  their  distresses.  He  brought  them  out  of 
darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death,  and  brake  their  bands  in  sunder. 
Oh,  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness,  and  for  his 
wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men  !  For  he  hath  broken  the 
gates  of  brass,  and  cut  the  bars  of  iron  in  sunder.  Fools,  because  of 
their  transgression,  and  because  of  their  iniquities,  are  afflicted :  their 
soul  abhorreth  all  manner  of  meat ;  and  they  draw  near  unto  the 
gates  of  death.  Then  they  cry  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble,  and 
he  saveth  them  out  of  their  distresses.  He  sent  his  word,  and  healed 
them,  and  delivered  them  from  their  destructions.  Oh  that  men 
would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness,  and  for  his  wonderful  works 
to  the  children  of  men !  And  let  them  sacrifice  the  sacrifices  of 
thanksgiving,  and  declare  his  works  with  rejoicing."  a 

The  Christian's  humbling  himself  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God 

1  2  Chron.  xii.  7, 12.     Jonah  ii.  5-10.     2  Chron.  xxxii.  26  :  xxxiii.  12.     1  Kings  xxi. 
29.     Dan.  iv.  34-37. 

a  Job  xxsiii.  17-29 ;  xxxvi  8-12.     Psal.  cvii.  10-22. 


PART  I.]  THE  MIGHTY  HAND  OP  GOD.  725 

always  leads  to  Ms  exaltation.  Frequently,  the  affliction,  having 
served  one  of  its  leading  purposes,  which  was  to  humble  him,  and 
make  him  humble  himself  before  God,  is  removed,  and  prosperity 
comes  in  the  room  of  adversity.  At  other  times,  though  the  affliction 
may  not  be  removed,  or  though  it  may  be  one  of  those  irreparable 
losses  we  so  often  meet  with,  the  heaviness,  the  painful  depression 
which  it  occasioned,  is  removed. 

Humility  brings  in  its  train  patience,  long-suffering,  and  hope ; 
and,  even  though  not  delivered  from  suffering,  he  who  has  humbled 
himself  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  is  so  lifted  up  by  that  hand 
as  to  "  joy  in  tribulation."  "  His  heart  is  lifted  up  in  the  good  ways 
of  the  Lord."  The  Christian,  who,  while  he  could  not  humble  him 
self,  could  not  bring  his  mind  to  God's  mind,  his  will  to  God's  will, 
was  tossed  as  in  a  sea  of  trouble,  is  no  sooner  enabled  to  humble  him 
self  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  to  kiss  the  rod,  to  say  "  Even 
so  Father,  for  so  it  seems  good  in  thy  sight,"  than  the  storm  is 
turned  into  a  calm ;  and  it  may  be,  amid  unabated  external  suffer 
ing,  he  has  perfect  peace,  submitting  himself  to  God,  staying  him 
self  on  God. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  God  ultimately  to  exalt  his  people  far  above  the 
reach  of  evil,  in  all  its  forms  and  in  all  its  degrees.  The  humble, 
patient  suffering  of  his  will,  equally  with  active,  persevering  doing  of 
his  will,  is  the  appointed  way  to  that  final  exaltation  ;  and  the  degree 
in  which  the  people  of  God  are  to  be  exalted,  will  be  proportioned  to 
their  attainments  in  holiness,  among  which,  humbling  themselves  un 
der  his  mighty  hand  occupies  an  important  place.  This  is  an  exer 
cise  that  not  only  precedes,  but  prepares  for,  that  exaltation  to  which 
it  is  his  purpose  to  raise  them. 

The  exaltation  promised  as  the  result  of  humbling  ourselves  under 
the  mighty  hand  of  God,  is  said  to  be  exaltation  "in  due  time." 
When  the  affliction  has  served  its  purpose,  "  when  they  shall  confess 
their  iniquity,"  says  Jehovah,  in  reference  to  his  cast-off  people : 
when  their  uncircumcised  hearts  shall  be  humbled,  "  and  they  accept 
of  the  punishment  of  their  iniquity,  then  will  I  remember  my  cove 
nant."  "  In  due  time,"  in  God's  time.  "  Not  thy  fancied  time,"  as 
Leighton  says,  "  but  his  own  wisely-appointed  time.  Thou  thinkest, 
I  am  sinking ;  if  he  help  not  now,  it  will  be  too  late.  He  can  let  thee 
sink  still  lower,  and  yet  bring  thee  up  again.  He  doth  but  stay  till  the 
most  fit  time.  '  He  waiteth  to  be  gracious.'  Doth  he  wait,  and  wilt 
not  thou  ?  If  he  should  see  fit  to  keep  us  under  a  cloud  all  our  days 
on  the  earth,  what  then  ?  it  is  but  a  moment  of  wrath,  to  be  succeeded 
by  an  endless  life-time  in  his  favor ;  it  is  but  sorrow  for  a  night,  and 
in  the  due  time  comes  joy  in  the  morning ;  that  eternal  morning 
without  clouds,  to  which  no  night  succeeds  forever."  1  So  much  for 
an  illustration  of  the  apostle's  view  of  the  Christian's  state  of  afflic 
tion  as  a  state  of  subjection  to  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  and  of  the 
corresponding  view  of  his  duty  in  this  state,  and  the  motives  which 
urge  to  its  performance. 

1  Psal.  xxx.  5. — "Non  omnes  intelligunt,  quod  scriptura  est  a  Davide,  Psal.  xxx.  5. 
Quid  igitur  dicit?  Nisi  vehementer  failor  hoc  dicit :  'Benevolentia  ipsiusdiu  durat:' 
Contrarium  illius  quod  prascedit  'momentum  in  ira  ejus.'  Affine  est  quod  in  Latio 
usitamus,  aetatem.  vivere,  pro,  diu  vivere." — DIUJSIUS. 


726  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  xxn. 

These  remarks  have  been  addressed  almost  exclusively  to  the 
people  of  God.  But  I  cannot  conclude  this  part  of  the  subject  with 
out  expressing  my  sympathy  with  those  irreligious  men  who  are  un 
der  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  and  of  offering  them  a  word  of  counsel. 
It  is  an  awful  thing  to  be  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  while  we 
are  tying  under  the  curse  of  his  holy  law.  Such  a  person  is  in  the 
grasp  of  an  almighty  hand,  which  can,  and  which,  unless  a  change 
take  place  in  his  spiritual  state  and  character,  will  cast  him  into  hell. 
All  he  suffers  now,  is  nothing  in  comparison  to  what  he  shall  suffer 
forever  and  ever.  The  bed  of  sickness,  languishing,  and  pain,  is  ill 
to  bear.  How  will  it  be  with  you  when  you  must  make  your  bed  in 
hell  ?  God's  hand  is  heavy  now.  What  will  it  be  then  ?  He  lays 
it  on  you  now,  irreligious  sufferers,  that  he  may  not  require  to  lay  it 
on  you  then.  For  he  has  no  pleasure  in  your  death.  Alas !  how 
often  does  "  God  speak  once,  yea  twice,  yet  man  regardeth  it  not." 
Even  when  he  lays  his  hand  on  men,  few  say,  "  Where  is  God  my 
maker?"  They  do  not  pray  to  him  when  they  are  constrained  to 
"  howl  upon  their  beds."  Oh  that  they  were  wise ! :  Hear  the 
rod.  Its  voice  to  every  thoughtless  sufferer  is,  '  Humble  thyself,  ac 
knowledge  thy  guilt,  thy  depravity,  thy  helplessness,  and  cry  for 
mercy.  Submit  to  the  will  of  God.'  There  is  no  hope  for  thee  but 
in  this.  Submit  to  his  will,  as  to  the  way  of  salvation  through  his 
Son ;  as  to  the  requisitions  of  his  law,  holy  and  good  ;  as  to  the  dis 
pensations  of  his  righteous  and  wise  providence.  Humble  yourselves 
in  submission  to  this  will  of  God,  and  all  will  yet  be  Well  with  you, 
well  with  you  forever.  No  affliction  will  then  be  intolerable.  Every 
affliction  will  produce  sweet  and  salutary  fruit ;  fruit  to  holiness,  and 
the  end  will  be  everlasting  life.  But  what  will  be  the  consequence 
if  you  do  not  humble  yourselves  under  his  mighty  hand ;  if  you 
do  not  unreservedly  submit  to  the  overtures  of  his  mercy,  to  the 
injunctions  of  his  law,  to  the  appointments  of  his  providence  ? 

Take  the  truth  in  the  forcible  words  of  a  divine  of  a  former  age : 
"  His  hand,  to  which  ye  will  not  submit,  is  a  mighty,  an  almighty, 
hand.  '  Have  ye  an  arm  like  God  ?  or  can  ye  thunder  with  a  voice 
like  him  ?'  He  whose  will  you  oppose  is  incontrollably  powerful. 
His  will  must  prevail  one  way  or  other,  either  with  your  will,  or 
against  it ;  either  so  as  to  bow  and  satisfy  us,  or  so  as  to  break  and 
plague  us  ;  for  '  my  counsel,'  saith  he,  '  shall  stand,  and  I  will  do  all 
my  pleasure.' 2  As  to  his  dispensations,  we  may  fret,  we  may  wail, 
we  may  bark  at  them  ;  but  we  cannot  alter  or  avoid  them.  Sooner 
may  we  by  our  moans  check  the  tides,  or  by  our  cries  stop  the  sun  in 
his  course,  than  divert  the  current  of  affairs,  or  change  the  state  of 
things  established  by  God's  high  decree.  What  he  layeth  on,  no  hand 
can  remove.  What  he  hath  destined,  no  power  can  reverse.  Our 
anger,  therefore,  will  be  ineffectual ;  our  patience  will  have  no  other 
fruit  than  to  aggravate  our  guilt,  and  augment  our  grief.  As  to  his 
commands,  men  may  lift  up  themselves  against  him  ;  they  may  fight 
stoutly ;  they  may  in  a  sort  prove  conquerors  ;  but  it  will  be  a  miser 
able  victory,  the  trophies  whereof  will  be  erected  in  hell,  and  stand 
on  the  ruins  of  their  happiness ;  for  while  they  insult  over  abused 

1  Job  xxxiii.  14 ;  xxxv.  10.    Hos.  vii.  14.  a  Isa.  xlvi.  12. 


PART  H.]  A   STATE    OF    CAREFULNESS.  727 

grace,  they  must  fall  under  incensed  justice.  If  God  cannot  fairly 
procure  his  will  of  men  in  the  way  of  due  obedience,  he  will  surely 
execute  his  will  upon  them  in  the  way  of  righteous  vengeance ;  if  we 
do  not  surrender  our  wills  to  the  overtures  of  his  goodness,  we  must 
submit  our  backs  to  the  strokes  of  his  anger.  He  must  reign  over 
us ;  if  not  as  over  loyal  subjects  to  our  comfort,  yet  as  over  stubborn 
rebels  to  our  confusion  ;  for  this,  in  that  case,  will  be  our  doom,  and 
these  will  be  the  last  words  God  will  deign  to  spend  upon  us : '  Those, 
mine  enemies,  which  would  not  that  I  should  reign  over  them,  bring 
them  hither  and  slay  them  before  me.' "  * 

"  Enter  into  the  rock,  and  hide  thee  in  the  dust,  for  fear  of  the 
Lord,  and  for  the  glory  of  his  majesty.  The  lofty  looks  of  man  shall 
be  humbled,  and  the  haughtiness  of  men  be  bowed  down  ;  and  the 
Lord  alone  be  exalted."  "Hear  ye,  and  give  ear  ;  be  not  proud:  for 
the  Lord  hath  spoken.  Give  glory  to  the  Lord  your  God,  before  he 
cause  darkness,  and  before  your  feet  stumble  on  the  dark  mountains, 
and,  while  ye  look  for  light,  he  turn  it  into  the  shadow  of  death,  and 
make  it  gross  darkness.  What  wilt  thou  say  when  he  shall  punish 
thee?"  To  all,  then,  whether  saints  or  sinners,  when  visited  with 
calamitous  dispensations  of  providence,  we  proclaim,  "Humble  your 
selves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  that  he  may  exalt  you  in  due 
time." 

II. — SECOND  VIEW  OF  AFFLICTION  AND  ITS  DUTY. 

Let  us  now  contemplate,  for  a  little,  affliction  in  the  second  view 
here  given  us  of  it,  as  a  state  of  anxiety  and  carefulness  ;  the  appro 
priate  duty  of  the  Christian  in  this  state,  casting  all  his  care  on  God ; 
and  the  motive  for  performing  this  duty,  God  cares  for  him. 

§  1. — Affliction  is  a  state  of  anxiety  and  carefulness. 

Let  us,  then,  for  a  little,  consider  affliction  as  a  state  of  careful 
ness  ;  a  state  fitted  to  excite  painful  anxieties  and  fears.  When  the 
afflicted  Christian  is  called  to  cast  all  his  cares  on  God,  it  is  obvious 
ly  supposed  that  he  has  cares,  many  cares,  distressing  cares,  cares 
which  he  feels  that  he  cannot  himself  bear.  The  life  of  man,  the 
life  of  the  Christian  man,  even  in  its  most  prosperous  state,  is  not 
without  its  cares  and  anxieties.  Its  enjoyments  are  at  once  imper 
fect  and  uncertain.  Man  has  by  no  means  all  the  things  necessary  to 
his  happiness,  nor  any  one  of  them  in  the  measure  in  which  he  feels 
to  be  desirable  ;  so  that  he  naturally  wishes  for  what  he  has  not,  and 
his  wishes,  in  proportion  to  their  -ardor,  and  the  difficulties  which 
seem  to  lie  in  the  way  of  their  being  gratified,  become  painful  anxie 
ties.  Besides,  the  tenure  by  which  he  holds  most  of  these  things  is 
very  precarious ;  they  may  soon,  they  may  suddenly,  be  diminished, 
or  entirely  withdrawn  from  him  ;  so  that,  if  the  mind  is  not  under  the 
influence  of  that  thoughtlessness  which  blinds  it  to  all  possible  or  prob 
able  hazard,  or  of  that  enlightened  religious  principle  which  raises 
it  above  the  fear  of  such  hazards  when  distinctly  discerned,  even  a 

1  Barrow.  2  lsa.  jj.  IQ.    Jer.  xiii.  16,  21. 


728  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  XXII. 

life  of  prosperity  would  seem  necessarily  to  be  a  life  of  carefulness. 
But  while  every  situation  in  human  life  may  afford  occasion  for  care 
fulness,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  season  of  affliction  is  peculiarly 
calculated  to  excite  painful  anxieties.  The  mind  gets  into  an  anxious 
state ;  everything  assumes  a  dark,  discouraging,  alarming  aspect. 
1  How  am  I  to  sustain  present  evils,  or  how  am  I  to  escape  from  them  ? 
How  am  I  to  avert  apparently  coming  evils  ?  and;  if  they  cannot  be 
averted,  How  am  I  to  endure  them  ?'  These  are  questions  which 
force  themselves  on  the  suffering  mind;  and  most  sufferers  will 
readily  acknowledge  that  the  fruitless  attempt  to  get  satisfactory 
answers  to  them,  has  often  greatly  aggravated  the  pressure  of  exter 
nal  calamity,  and  that  the  anxieties  occasioned  by  affliction  have 
been  felt  to  be  a  more  insupportable  burden  than  the  affliction 
itself.1 

The  case  of  affliction  which  the  text  naturally  brings  before  the 
mind,  that  of  a  Christian  exposed  to  persecution  on  account  of  his 
religion,  is  one  which  is  calculated  to  be  peculiarly-  fertile  in  harass 
ing  cares  and  perplexing  anxieties.  '  Spoiled  as  I  am  already,  or  am 
likely  soon  to  be,  of  my  goods,  how  am  I  to  meet  my  engagements, 
and  provide  things  honest  in  the  sight  of  all  men  ?  What  is  to  be 
come  of  my  family,  to  provide  for  whom  is  one  of  the  most  clearly- 
enjoined,  strongly-enforced,  of  Christian  duties  ?  How  am  I  to  be 
enabled  to  sustain  the  sufferings  to  which  I  am  likely  to  be  exposed  ? 
How  am  I  to  be  enabled  distinctly  to  see  my  duty  ?  How  am  I  to  be 
enabled  determinedly  to  do  my  duty  ?  I  am  afraid  I  shall  not  be  able 
to  stand  in  the  evil  day.  I  am  afraid  my  faith  will  fail,  and  that  I 
shall  make  shipwreck  of  a  good  conscience ;  and  then,  what  will  be 
the  fearful  result  of  this  to  the  cause  of  truth  ?  Ho\v  will  its  enemies 
exult  ?  How  will  its  friends  be  ashamed  ?  What  will  be  the  more 
fearful  result  of  this  to  my  own  weak,  guilty  soul  ?  The  anguish  of 
an  outraged  conscience,  the  frown  of  an  insulted  Saviour ;  and  all 
this  forever.'  And  anxieties  of  this  kind  could  not  be  confined  to 
the  individual's  own  case ;  they  naturally  extended  to  the  whole  broth 
erhood,  and  to  the  great  cause.  This  is  the  case,  I  apprehend,  more 
immediately  in  the  apostle's  view ;  and  it  is  easy  to  see  that  persons 
placed  in  these  circumstances  were  likely  to  have  anxieties,  many 
anxieties,  oppressive  anxieties.  But  it  is  obvious  that  affliction  in  all 
its  forms  is  a  natural  source  of  painful  carefulnesss  to  all,  even  to  the 
Christian.  The  questions,  How  shall  I  be  strengthened  to  endure 
those  afflictions  ?  how  shall  I  be  enabled  to  conduct  myself  aright 
towards  God  and  man  under  them  ?  am  I  ever  to  be  delivered  from 
them  ?  and  if  so,  how  ?  and  if  not,  what  are  likely  to  be  their  con 
sequences  to  me  and  to  others  ?  These  are  inquiries  which  are  in 
voluntarily  pressed  on  the  consideration  of  the  mind,  and  it  becomes 
careful  and  troubled,  perplexed  and  fearful,  oppressed  and  downcast. 

1  This  state  of  mind  is  very  beautifully  described  by  the  poet : — 

"  Magno  curarum  fluctuat  sestu, 
Atque  animum  celerem  nunc  hue  nunc  dividit  illuc, 
In  partesque  rapit  varias,  perque  omnia  versat." — VIRGIL. 


PART  II.]  A   STATE    OF    CAREFULNESS.  729 

§  2. — The  duty  of  the  Christian  under  affliction  is  to  "  cast  all  his  care 

on  God." 

The  duty  of  the  Christian  under  the  pressure  of  affliction,  viewed 
in  this  aspect,  is  to  "  cast  all  his  care  on  God."  The  language  is  fig 
urative,  strongly  figurative.  These  harassing  cares  and  anxieties  are 
represented  as  a  burden,  which  is  felt  to  be  oppressively  heavv  ;  and 
the  sinking  sufferer  is  represented  as  so  transferring  them  to  God,  as 
to  obtain  relief  from  their  painful  pressure.  The  figure  is  still  more 
fully  brought  out  in  the  passage  in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures 
here  referred  to,  "  Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  sus 
tain  thee." 1  Casting  our  cares  on  God,  is  descriptive  of  such  actings 
of  the  mind  towards  God  as  shall  have  an  effect  in  giving  it  a  relief, 
analogous  to  that  ease  of  body  which  the  transference  of  a  load  to 
another  person  procures  to  him  who  was  previously  bent  down  by 
it.  The  figurative,  expression  "cast,"  not  lay,  seems  to  intimate  that 
the  duty  enjoined  is  one  that  requires  an  effort ;  and  experience  tells 
us  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  throw  off  the  burden  of  carefulness.  To 
describe  the  state  of  mind  indicated  by  this  figurative  expression, 
and  show  how  the  Christian  is  to  find  his  way  into  it,  are  the  objects 
I  have  in  view  in  the  following  observations. 

To  think  rightly  on  this  subject,  it  is  of  primary  importance  that 
we  have  distinct  ideas  respecting  the  true  nature  of  those  cares,  all 
of  which  the  afflicted  Christian  is  called  on  to  cast  on  God.  There 
are  cares  and  anxieties  which  originate  in  cherishing  false  views  as 
to  what  is  necessary  and  conducive  to  happiness  in  ourselves  and 
others ;  and  in  unlawful,  inordinate  desires,  corresponding  with  these 
false  views.  There  are  very  many  such  cares  and  anxieties  in  the 
world.  Indeed,  they  are  all  but  universal.  "  Surely  every  man 
walketh  in  a  vain  show  ;  they  disquiet  themselves  in  vain."  2  Men 
are  anxious  to  obtain  what,  if  they  thought  and  felt  rightly,  they  would 
never  have  desired;  and  that  is  the  object  of  fear,  which,  were  they 
not  blinded  by  passion  and  false  views  of  interest,  would  occasion 
no  alarm,  but  rather  be  the  object  of  hope.  This  is  the  character  of 
the  greater  part  of  the  worldling's  anxieties,  and  it  is  the  character 
also  of  but  too  many  of  the  Christian's.  These  cares  are  not  to  be 
cast  on  God  ;  they  are  to  be  cast  away  from  us.  We  are  not  to  go 
to  him  in  the  hope  that  he  will  gratify  such  desires,  disappoint  such 
fears,  realize  such  hopes.  To  ask  him  to  do  this  were  to  insult  him. 
If  we  take  them  to  him  at  all,  and  we  cannot  do  better,  it  ought  to 
be  as  his  enemies  and  ours,  to  slay  them  before  his  face. 

There  are  other  cares  which  we  are  not  warranted  to  cast  on  God, 
for  another  reason.  God  has  laid  them  on  us,  and  he  expects  that 
we  shall  bear  them.  God  would  have  his  people  without  carefulness, 
in  the  sense  of  painful,  useless  anxiety.  But  he  would  not  have  them 
without  thoughtfulness,  in  the  sense  of  considerate  reflection.  We 
are  bound  to  exercise  those  faculties  God  has  given  us,  for  discover 
ing  what  is  truth  and  what  is  falsehood,  what  is  right  and  what  is 
wrong,  what  is  good  and  what  is  evil.  We  are  not  to  resign  our 
selves  to  mental  inactivity,  and  to  expect  that,  in  some  miraculous 

1  Psal.  lv.  22.  3  Psal.  xxxix.  6. 


730  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  XXIL 

way,  without  our  own  agency,  God  is  to  lead  us  unto  truth,  and  pre 
serve  us  from  error ;  show  us  what  is  dutj^,  and  what  is  sin ;  give  us 
what  is  fitted  to  make  us  happy,  and  defend  us  from  all  that  is  fitted 
to  injure  us.  It  is  in  the  eager,  I  had  almost  said  anxious,  employ 
ment  of  our  faculties  as  intelligent  beings,  on  the  revelation  which 
God  has  made  of  his  will,  in  his  word,  and  in  his  providence,  that 
we  are  to  expect  to  find  out  what  is  the  course  of  conduct  we  should 
follow  in  any  particular  case ;  and  it  is  in  the  persevering,  diligent 
employment  of  our  faculties  as  active  beings,  carrying  into  effect  the 
conclusion  to  which  we  have  arrived, that  we  are  to  expect  to  obtain 
the  desired  results.  We  are  warranted  to  look  up  to  him  for  the  aids 
of  his  good  Spirit,  both  in  our  inquiries  and  in  our  exertions.  But 
we  are  not  to  expect  him  to  do  that  directly  which  his  infinitely  wise 
plan,  and  our  real  interests,  equally  require  should  be  done  by  us. 
The  apostle  does  not  mean  to  encourage  inconsideration,  indolence, 
or  presumption,  when  he  enjoins  Christians  to  cast  all  their  cares  on 
God.  It  has  been  well  said,  '  We  must  not  cast  our  work  on  God, 
and  presume  that  he  will  save  us  in  the  way  of  sloth  and  carnal  in 
dulgence  ;  on  the  contrary,  we  are  commanded  to  "work  out  our 
Ovvn  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling."  '  It  is  only  in  "  well-doing" 
that  we  can  "  commit  the  keeping  of  our  souls  to  God."  1 

The  cares  and  anxieties  spoken  of  here  have  a  reference  to  what 
properly  belongs  to  God,  what  lies  beyond  the  range  of  human 
agency.  All  a  Christian's  cares,  of  this  kind,  whether  in  a  state  of 
affliction  or  otherwise,  whether  respecting  secular  or  spiritual  things, 
the  body  or  the  soul,  time  or  eternity,  must  refer,  I  apprehend,  either 
to  duties  or  to  events. 

As  to  duties,  the  Christian  is  apt  to  be  anxious  and  careful  about 
the  discovery  of  what  is  duty,  and  the  discharge  of  what  is  known 
to  be  duty.  In  regard  to  the  first,  he  is  carefully  to  use  the  means 
.God  has  appointed  for  discovering  his  duty.  He  is  to  read  his 
Bible,  he  is  to  attend  to  the  aspect  of  Providence,  he  is  to  compare 
the  one  with  the  other,  he  is  to  ask  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit,  he  is 
to  guard  against  false  biases,  he  is  to  see  that  his  eye  be  single,  that 
his  whole  body  may  be  full  of  light ;  but  he  is  not  to  be  anxious  as 
if,  doing  all  this,  he  shall  yet  be  left  in  darkness,  and  allowed  to  fall 
into  error  or  sin.  He  is  to  cast  all  such  cares  on  the  Lord.  They 
refer  to  his  work,  and  he  has'  pledged  himself  to  do  it :  and  we  may 
be  assured  he  will  not  fail  to  do  as  he  has  said. 

But  the  Christian  may  be  anxious  also  about  the  performance  of 
known  duty.  In  this  case  he  is  carefully  to  guard  against  tempta 
tions  to  neglect  duty  ;  but  he  is  not  to  indulge  in  any  anxiety  as  to 
whether  he  will  be  enabled,  trusting  in  God,  to  perform  any  duty, 
however  difncult,  to  which  God  may  be  pleased  to  call  him.  That  is 
God's  concern;  why  does  he  burden  himself  with  it?  He  will  look 
after  the  accomplishment  of  his  own  promise — "  My  grace  is  suffi 
cient  for  thee,  and  my  strength  shall  be  perfected  in  weakness;"  and 
let  the  Christian,  in  the  full  assurance  of  this,  with  an  earnest,  de 
termined,  but  unanxious  mind,  set  about  the  performance  of  the  dif 
ficult,  perhaps,  at  the  time,  apparently  impossible,  work. 
i  PhiL  ii.  12.  1  Pet.  iv.  19. 


PART  II.]  A  STATE    OF    CAREFULNESS.  731 

As  to  events,  they,  properly  speaking,  belong  entirely  t(>  God. 
Man  proposes ;  God  disposes.  To  man  some  events  seem  desirable, 
others  undesirable ;  and,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned  in  the  matter, 
we  are  to  use  such  lawful  means  as  seem  to  us  best  fitted  to  further 
events,  which,  with  the  widest  and  most  accurate  view  we  can  take 
of  them,  seem  to  be  desirable  ;  and,  when  we  have  done  this,  anx 
iety  should  cease.  Our  care  should  be  cast  upon  God,  who  "  work- 
eth  all  things  according  to  the  counsel  of  his  own  will,"  whose  "  work 
is  perfect,"  "  most  honorable  and  glorious."  ]  This  is  the  duty  of 
the  Christian  respecting  all  the  events  of  time,  and  all  the  events  of 
eternity,  both  in  reference  to  himself  individually,  and  to  all  with 
whom 'he  is  connected  ;  with  regard  to  the  church,  and  with  regard 
to  the  world.  Eespecting  duty,  we  ought  to  cast  on  him  all  our  care 
and  anxiety  as  to  skill  to  discover  it,  and  strength  to  perform  it ; 
respecting  events,  we  ought  to  trust  him  with  them  entirely. 

In  order  to  thus  casting  our  cares  on  God,  there  are  plainly  re 
quired  three  things  : — 1.  A  persuasion  that  God  has  complete  con 
trol  in  reference  to  those  things  which  excite  our  anxiety ;  2.  A  per 
suasion  that  he  will  use  this  control  in  the  best  manner,  abstractly 
considered  ;  and  3.  A  persuasion  that  he  will  use  this  control  in  the 
best  possible  manner,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned. 

(1.)  A  persuasion  that  God  has  power  to  control  what  excites  our 

anxiety. 

I  could  not  get  rid  of  painful  anxiety  by  casting  it  on  God,  if  I 
did  not  believe  he  could  sustain  it.  What  lies  at  the  very  founda 
tion  here  is,  the  conviction  that  God  is  Sovereign  of  the  universe, 
uncontrolled  and  uncontrollable,  "  whose  kingdom  rules  over  all," 
"who  can  do  everything,"  "  whose  arm  none  can  stay,  ^  to  whom 
none  dare  say,  Whcit  doest  thou  ?"  whose  ends  his  enemies  further 
by  opposing  them,  who  "  makes  their  wrath  to  praise  him,  and  who 
restrains  the  remainder  thereof."  * 

(2.)  A  persuasion  that  Gfod  will  employ  his  controlling  power  in  the 

lest  possible  way. 

But  though  I  had  entire  conviction  of  the  Divine  power,  I  could 
not  cast  my  care,  all  my  care,  on  him,  unless  I  believed  that  his  power 
was  guided  by  wisdom  and  righteousness,  and  influenced  by  benig 
nity.  A  belief  in  the  existence  of  a  being  possessed  of  infinite 
power,  if  I  were  not  sure  that  this  being  is  possessed  of  infinite  wis 
dom,  and  righteousness,  would  increase,  not  diminish,  my  anxieties. 
But  the  clear  apprehension  that  He  who  has  all  things  under  his 
control  is  perfect  in  knowledge,  infinite  in  wisdom,  glorious  in  holi 
ness,  plentiful  in  justice,  and  full  of  kindness,  must  persuade  me 
that  his  management  of  everything  must  be  the  best  possible. 

1  Eph.  i.  11.    Psal.  cxi.  3.  a  Peal.  ciii.  19;  Ixxvi.  10.     Dan.  iv.  35. 


732  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  xxn. 

(3.)  A  persuasion  that  he  ivill  employ  his  controlling  power  in  the 
best  possible  way  for  us. 

•  It  might  be  thought  that  this  conviction  of  absolute  intellectual 
and  moral  perfection,  in  combination  with  almighty  power,  should 
be  quite  enough  to  enable  me,  quite  enough  morally  to  compel  me, 
to  cast  all  my  care  on  God;  that  in  the  presence  of  such  convictions, 
anxieties  of  every  kind  would  cease.  But  no !  I  am  a  sinner.  I 
have  offended  this  infinitely  powerful,  and  wise,  and  excellent  Be 
ing,  and  the  very  excellence  of  his  nature  may  render  certain  those 
events,  anxiety  about  which  can  only  be  quieted  by  an  assurance  that 
they  never  shall  take  place.  I  must  be  persuaded  that  this  control 
which  he  possesses  will  be  exercised  not  only  in  the  best  possible  way 
in  the  abstract,  but  in  the  best  way  for  me.  In  other  words,  I  must 
know  and  believe  him  to  be  my  Friend.  I  must  know  that  he  is 
"  pacified  towards  me  for  all  the  iniquity  which  I  have  done."  I  must 
believe  his  own  testimony,  that  he  has  no  pleasure  in  my  death ; 
that  he  is  "in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  to  himself;"  that  "for  the 
great  love  wherewith  he  loves  men,  he  blesses  them  with  all  heav 
enly  and  spiritual  blessings."  I  must,  on  the  faith  of  his  testimonjr, 
lay  hold  of  his  promise,  and  believe  that  to  me,  trusting  in  him,  he 
will  do  all  that  he  has  said,  make  all  things  work  for  my  good,  and 
bestow  on  me  "  the  salvation  that  is  in  Christ  with  eternal  glory." 

Wherever  there  is,  and  in  the  degree  in  which  there  is,  the  pos 
session  of  this  threefold  persuasion,  we  learn  to  cast  our  cares  on 
God ;  and  we  find  that,  by  doing  so,  we  are  relieved  of  them.  When 
we  are  thus  "  anxious  about  nothing,  but  in  everything  by  prayer 
and  supplication  make  our  requests  known  to  God,  the  peace  of 
God,  which  passeth  all  understanding,  keeps  our  hearts  and  minds 
by  Christ  Jesus."  It  is  then,  in  believing  prayer,  that  the  afflicted, 
anxious  Christian  is  to  cast  his  cares  on  God. 

"  This  is  the  way,"  as  good  Leighton  says,  "to  walk  contentedly 
and  cheerfully  homewards,  leaning  and  resting  all  the  way  on  him 
who  is  both  our  guide  and  our  guard,  our  wisdom  and  our  strength, 
who  hath  us  and  all  our  good  in  his  gracious  hand.  The  more  ten 
der  and  weak  we  are,  the  more  tender  will  he  be  of  us,  the  more 
strong  will  he  be  in  us.  He  feeds  his  flock  as  a  shepherd,  and  the 
weakest  he  is  most  careful  of.  They  go  in  his  arms  and  bosom,  and 
it  is  easy  for  the  feeblest  so  to  go." 

In  reference  to  events,  the  more  completely  we  rid  ourselves  of  all 
anxiety,  we  act  the  more  reasonably  and  wisely.  It  is  entirely  his 
province  to  manage  them.  If  we  meddle  with  it,  and  we  are  con 
stantly  meddling  with  it,  we  displease  him,  and  disquiet  ourselves. 
This  sin  carries  its  punishment  in  its  bosom.  "  If  thou  wilt,"  says 
the  piou^s  prelate,  "be  struggling  with  that  which  belongs  not  to 
thee,  and  poising  at  that  burden  which  is  not  thine,  what  wonder, 
yea,  I  may  say,  what  pity,  if  thou  fall  under  it  ?  Is  it  not  j  ust,  if  thou 
wilt  do  for  thyself,  and  bear  for  thyself,  what  thy  Lord  calls  for  to  bear 
for  thee,  is  it  not  just  that  thou  feel  the  weight  of  it  to  thy  cost?" 

There  is  just  one  other  thought  to  which  I  would  solicit  your  at 
tention'  before  closing  this  part  of  the  subject.     The  Christian  must 


^.]  A   STATE   OF   CAREFULNESS.  733 

beware  of  laying  his  cares  on  any  but  God.  He  must  cast  all  his 
cares  on  God.  He  may  seek  the  sympathy  and  the  advice  of  his 
fellow-Christians ;  but  he  must  never  cast  his  cares,  or  place  his  con 
fidence  on  them.  They  cannot  bear  the  burden.  They  are  obliged 
to  cast  their  own  cares  on  God.  "  Cursed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in 
man,  and  maketh  flesh  his  arm."  He  well  understood  the  blessed  art 
of  casting  all  his  care  on  God,  who  said,  "  My  soul,  wait  thou  only  on 
God  ;  for  my  expectation  is  from  him.  He  only  is  my  rock  and  my 
salvation ;  he  is  my  defence ;  I  shall  not  be  moved.  In  God  is  my 
salvation  and  my  glory :  the  rock  of  my  strength,  and  my  refuge,  is 
in  God.  Ye  people,  place  your  confidence  in  him  continually :  pour 
out  your  heart  before  him  ;  God  is  a  refuge  for  us.  Surely  men  of 
low  degree  are  vanity,  and  men  of  high  degree  are  a  lie  ;  to  be  laid 
in  the  balance"  with  God,  as  the  object  of  confidence,  "they  are  alto 
gether  lighter  than  vanity."  1 

Finally,  here,  in  the  right  state  of  mind  under  affliction,  the  two 
things  recommended  by  the  apostle  must  be  conjoined,  "  Humbling 
ourselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,"  and  "  Casting  all  our  cares 
upon  him."  Our  self-abasement  must  not  lead  to  despondency,  but 
to  deeper  dependence,  greater  confidence ;  and  our  reliance  on  God, 
and  consequent  ease  of  mind,  must  not  be  presumptuous.  A  sense  of 
sin  must  not  prevent  the  use  of  privilege,  and  a  continuous  enjoyment 
of  privilege  must  not  diminish  self-abasement. 

§  3. — The  motive  to  casting  our  care  on  God  is,  that  he  cares  for  us. 

It  is  time  now  that  I  proceed  to  turn  your  attention  to  the  motive 
by  which  the  apostle  urges  the  Christian  to  cast  all  his  care  on  God. 
"  Casting  all  your  care  on  God  ;  for  he  careth  for  you."  And  here  I 
shall  very  briefly  state  the  evidence  of  this  truth,  that  God  cares  for 
his  people ;  and  then  show  how  the  belief  of  this  truth  should  lead 
them  to  cast  their  care  on  him. 

It  is  quite  obvious  that  the  apostle  is  not  here  speaking  of  the  gen 
eral  providential  care  which  God  has  of  men  as  his  creatures,  but  of 
the  peculiar  care  which  he  has  of  those  who  are  in  a  peculiar  sense 
his  children,  his  people,  his  inheritance,  his  purchased  possession.  He 
cares  for  them  in  another  way  than  he  does  for  the  world.  On  those 
who  are  elect  according  to  the  foreknowledge  of  God,  by  a  spiritual 
separation,  and  who  are  made  obedient  to  the  truth  and  sprinkled 
with  the  blood  of  Jesus,  are  bestowed  peculiar  "  heavenly  and  spirit 
ual  blessings ;"  to  them  who  have  obtained  like  precious  faith  with 
the  apostles,  are  given  "  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises."  It 
is  the  care  of  God  for  this  peculiar  people,  that  I  mean  to  establish  as 
a  ground  why  this  peculiar  people  should  cast  all  their  care  on  him. 

1  Psal.  Ixii.  5-9. — Hengstenberg  very  justly  remarks  that  the  words  "Pour  ye  out 
your  heart  before  him — God  is  a  refuge  for  us" — are,  as  to  sense,  quite  parallel  to  that 
before  us. — Amat  gives  the  meaning  of  "pour  out" — '  completely  empty  your  heart  of 
all  that  is  distressing  it' — pour  it  out  before  the  Lord !  What  a  beautiful  example  have 
we  of  "  pouring  out  the  heart  before  God,"  "  casting  all  care  on  him,"  in  Psal.  cxlii.  1-5. 
Hannah,  too, — 1  Sam.  i.  10-17 — shows  us  what  the  mental  exercise  is,  expressed  by  these 
significant  figures — and  h«r  experience  shows  how  "  he  on  whom  we  cast  our  cares" 
"  cares  for  us,"  and  relieves  us  of  our  cares. 


734  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  .XXII. 

It  deserves  notice  that  the  word  "  caretli"  in  this  last  clause  is  a 
word  of  a  very  different  meaning  from  that  used  in  the  first  clause, 
though,  rendered  by  the  same  English  word.1  The  word  in  the  first 
clause  denotes  painful  anxiety  ;  in  the  second,  kind  interest.  It  is 
said,  "  the  hireling  fleeth  when  the  wolf  cometh  ;  for  he  careth  not 
for  the  sheep."  It  is  said,  Judas  "cared  not  for  the  poor."  a  "He 
cares  for  you"  is  equivalent  to,  '  He  takes  a  kind  interest  in  you.' 

Now  that  God  does,  must,  take  a  peculiar  and  most  benignant  in 
terest  in  his  people,  will  be  very  plain,  if  we  attend  for  a  moment  to 
the  peculiar  relation  in  which  he  stands  to  them,  the  peculiar  works 
he  has  done  for  them,  the  peculiar  privileges  he  has  bestowed  on  them, 
and  the  peculiar  "  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises"  he  has 
made  to  them. 

What  is  the  relation  in  which  God  stands  to  them  ?  He  is  their 
God  and  Father  ;  they  are  his  people  and  children,  in  a  sense  quite 
peculiar.  They  were  "  predestinated  to  the  adoption  of  children;" 
and  when  he  called  them  out  of  the  world,  by  the  power  of  his  Spirit 
attending  the  invitation  of  his  word,  he  said,  "  I  will  be  a  father  to 
you,  and  ye  shall  be  my  sons  and  daughters."  "Behold,"  may  "this 
chosen  generation,  this  holy  nation,  this  peculiar  people,"  say,  "  Be 
hold  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed  on  us,  that  we 
should  be  called  the  sons  of  God  1"  3  The  title  is  not  an  empty  name. 
There  is  great  force  in  the  apostle's  argument,  "  If  children  then 
heirs."  4  If  you  stand  in  the  relation  of  children  to  God,  you  may  be 
sure  of  the  treatment  of  children.  Is  it  possible  that  our  Father  in 
heaven  should  not  care  for  his  children  ?  "If  ye,  being  evil,"  says 
our  Lord,  "  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to  your  children  ;  how  much 
more  shall  your  Father  in  heaven  give  good  gifts  to  them  that  ask 
him  ?"  "  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pities  them 
that  fear  him.  He  knows  their  frame  ;  he  remembers  they  -are  dust."  B 

What  has  God  done  for,  what  has  he  given  to,  his  peculiar  people  ? 
He  "  chose  them  before  the  foundation  of  the  world."  He  "  com 
mended  his  love  to  them,  in  that,  when  they  were  yet  sinners,  Christ 
died  for  them."  He  "  spared  not  his  Son,  but  delivered  him  up  for 
their  offences,  and  raised  him  again  for  their  justification,"  and  set 
him  at  his  own  right  hand,  that,  ever  living  to  make  intercession  for 
them,  he  might  be  able  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost.  For  them  he 
poured  out  the  Holy  Ghost  in  his  miraculous  and  inspiring  influence, 
and  diffused  his  gospel  and  established  his  ordinances  throughout  the 
earth.  This  is  a  specimen  of  what  he  has  done  for  them.  And  what 
has  he  given  them?  He  has  "  blessed  them  with  all  heavenly  and 
spiritual  blessings;"  he  has  bestowed  on  them  "redemption  in  Christ 
through  his  blood,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace  ;"  he  has  made 
them  "  accepted  in  the  beloved;"  he  has  conferred  on  them  "  an  in 
heritance  incorruptible  and  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not,  reserved  in 
heaven  for  them,"  while  he  keeps  them  by  his  power,  through  faith, 
unto  salvation  ;  he  has  given  them  the  holy  Scriptures  as  the  charter, 
and  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  his  sanctifying  and  comforting  influences,  as 


.  2  John  x.  13;  xii. 

3  Eph.  i.  6.     2  Cor.  vi.  17,  18.     1  Johniii.  1.  *  Bom.  viii.  17. 

Matt.  vii.  11.    Psal.  ciii.  13,  14. 


PART  H.]  A    STATE    OF    CAREFULNESS.  735 

the  seal  and  the  earnest,  of  their  inheritance ;  he  has  sent  forth  his 
angels,  who  excel  in  strength,  as  "  ministering  spirits,  to  minister  to 
them  as  heirs  of  this  great  salvation  ;"  he  has  delivered  them  from  the 
present  evil  world,  and  from  the  power  of  the  wicked  one,  and  given 
them  "  everlasting  consolation  and  good  hope  through  grace."  Surely 
he  who  has  done  all  this  for  them,  and  given  all  this  to  them,  does, 
must,  care  for  them.  For  these  "  gifts  and  callings  are  without  re 
pentance."  He  "  rests  in  his  love,"  and  is  "the  same  yesterday,  to 
day,  and  forever." 1 

Still  farther,  what  has  he  promised  them,  or  rather,  what  has  he 
not  promised  them,  which  could  show  his  care  for  them  ?  He  has 
promised  that  he  will  "  withhold  no  good  thing  from  them ;"  that  "  it 
shall  be  well  with  them;"  that  "  their  desire  shall  be  granted,"  and 
that  "  their  hope  shall  be  gladness."  He  has  declared  that  theirs  is 
the  world,  and  that  they  "  shall  inherit  all  things ;"  and  promised  to 
"  supply  all  their  need  according  to  his  riches  in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus." 
He  has  a  promise  which  meets  every  anxiety  which  can  arise  in  their 
hearts.  Are  they  anxious  as  to  strength  to  perform  duty  ?  he  says, 
"  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  you."  "  God  will  work  in  you  to  will  and 
to  do  of  his  good  pleasure."  "  I  will  strengthen  them  in  the  Lord, 
and  they  shall  walk  up  and  clown  in  my  name."  Are  they  anxious  as 
to  guidance  in  difficulty  ?  "I  will  lead  the  blind  in  a  way  that  they 
know  not ;  I  will  make  darkness  light  before  them."  "  I  will  instruct 
thee  and  teach  thee  in  the  way  that  thoushouldest  go."  Are  they  afraid 
of  falling  before  their  spiritual  enemies,  and  ultimately  coming  short 
of  eternal  life?  He  who  is  the  Father's  substantial  image  says,  "  I 
give  to  my  sheep  eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never  perish  ;  neither 
shall  any  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand.  My  Father  which  gave  them 
me,  is  greater  than  all ;  and  none  can  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's 
hand."  "  God  who  is  faithful,  will  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above 
what  ye  are  able  to  bear  ;  and  will  with  the  temptation  also  make  a 
way  of  escape,  that  ye  maybe  able  to  bear  it."  "Satan  shall  be 
bruised  under  your  feet  shortly."  And  as  to  events ;  Are  they  anxious 
about  affliction?  "  He  shall  deliver  thee  in  six  troubles,  in  seven  no 
evil  shall  touch  thee."  "  When  thou  passest  through  the  waters  I 
will  be  with  thee,  and  through  the  floods  they  shall  not  overflow  thee. 
"When  thou  passest  through  the  fire  thou  shalt  not  be  burnt ;  neither 
shall  the  flames  kindle  on  thee."  "  All  things  shall  work  together  for 
good  to  them  that  love  God."  In  every  situation  in  life  fitted  to  ex 
cite  anxiety  there  are  appropriate  promises  which  I  cannot  stop  to 
enumerate.  To  his  people,  when  in  poverty,  in  famine,  bereaved  of 
relations,  spoiled  of  their  possessions,  misrepresented  and  calumniated, 
promises  singularly  suited  to  their  circumstances  are  made,  all  prov 
ing  that  he  cares  for  them,  that  "  in  all  their  afflictions  he  is  afflicted," 
and  that  "  they  who  touch  them,  touch  the  apple  of  his  eye."  2 

Are  they  anxious  about  death,  and  about  what  is  to  follow  death  ? 

1  Epli.  i.  4.    Rom.  v.  8  ;  viii.  32  ;  iv.  25.    Heb.  vii.  25.    Epli.  i.  3,  6,  7.    1  Pet.  i.  4,  5 
Eph.  i.  13.     Psal.xci.il.     Heb.  i.  14.     Gal.  i.  4.     2  Thess.  ii.  16.     Rom.  xi.  29. 

2  Psal.   Ixxxiv.   11.     Eccles.  viii.  8.     Isa.   iii.  10.  Psal.  cxlv.  19.     Prov.  x.  24,  28. 
1  Cor.  iii.  22.     Rom.  iv.  13.     Rev.  xxi.  7.     Phil.  iv.  19.     2  Cor.  xii.  9.     Phil.  ii.  13. 
Zech.  x.  12.     Isa.  xlii.  16.    Psal.  xxxii.  8.   John  x.  28,  29.    1  Cor.  x.  13.    Rom.  xvi.  20. 
Job  v.  19.     Isa.  xlii.  2;  Ixiii.  9.     Rom.  viii.  28.     Zech.  ii.  8. 


736  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  XXII. 

He  shows  that  he  cares  for  them  by  promising,  that  when  they  "  walk 
through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  he  will  be  with  them ;  his 
rod  and  his  staffj  they  shall  sustain  them."  "  He  will  swallow  up 
death  in  victory."  "  1  will  ransom  them  from  the  power  of  the  grave  I 
I  will  redeem  them  from  death.  0  death !  I  will  be  thy  plagues :  O 
grave  !  I  will  be  thy  destruction."  "This  corruptible  shall  put  on 
incorruption,  and  this  mortal  must  put  on  immortality ;  and  death 
shall  be  swallowed  up  in  victory."  The  Saviour  shall  come  from 
heaven,  and  "  change  these  vile  bodies,  and  fashion  them  like  unto 
his  own  glorious  body  ;"  and  they  "  shall  be  caught  up  in  clouds  to 
meet  the  Lord  in  the  air,  and  they  shall  be  forever  with  the  Lord." 
"  He  who  testifieth  these  things  is  a  true  and  faithful  witness."  He 
cannot  be  deceived;  he  cannot  deceive.  "He  is  not  a  man  that 
he  should  lie."  He  means  all  he  says;  he  can  and  will  do  all  he 
promises.1 

Does  he  not,  then,  care  for  his  people  ?  Do  not  the  relations  he 
has  assumed  towards  them,  the  works  he  has  performed  for  them,  the 
privileges  he  has  bestowed  on  them,  and  the  promises  so  exceeding 
great  and  precious  that  he  has  made  about  them  and  to  them,  abun 
dantly  prove  the  assertion  in  the  text,  "  He  cares  for  them"  ? 

It  will  not  require  many  words  to  show,  that  this  truth,  so  abun 
dantly  demonstrated,  is  a  most  powerful  and  appropriate  motive  to 
the  Christian's  casting  his  care,  all  his  care,  upon  God.  Why  should 
he  allow  the  burden  that  so  oppresses  and  depresses  him,  that  so  in 
terferes  both  with  his  duty  and  with  his  comfort,  to  remain  on  him  ? 
He  knows  very  well  that  these  anxieties  can  be  of  no  use  to  him  ; 
they  refer  to  matters  that  he  cannot  control.  His  anxieties,  however 
intense,  do  not  bring  him  one  whit  nearer  the  object  of  his  hope,  or 
remove  him  one  whit  farther  from  the  object  of  his  fear.  But,  to  ob 
tain  relief  from  anxiety,  I  must  not  only  be  convinced  that  my  anxiety 
is  useless.  A  conviction  of  this,  if  I  do  not  see  some  way  of  getting 
rid  of  the  evils  which  occasion  it,  will  but  fix  the  burden  more  firmly 
on  me.  But  the  Christian  who  knows  that  God  cares  for  him,  knows 
that  his  anxieties  are  not  only  useless,  they  are  needless.  God  who 
has  the  entire  management  of  those  matters  which  excite  his  anxieties, 
God  cares  for  him.  And  who  is  this  who  cares  for  the  Christian? 
He  is  the  all- wise,  "  the  only  wise  God,"  who  never  can  be  deceived 
as  to  what  is  the  Christian's  true  interest,  and  who  knows  how  to 
make  "  all  things  work  together  for  good."  He  never  can  fall  into 
any  mistake  as  to  what  is  good  for  his  people,  nor  as  to  the  means 
best  fitted  for  securing  this  good  to  them.  Then  he  is  God  Almighty, 
the  all-powerful  God.  "  Whatsoever  he  pleassth,  that  doeth  he  in 
heaven,  in  the  earth,  and  in  all  deep  places."  He  never  can  want 
power  to  execute  what  his  wisdom  deems  to  be  best  for  those  he  cares 
for.  When  a  Christian  is  "  afraid  of  a  man  that  shall  die,  and  of  the 
son  of  man  who  shall  be  made  as  the  grass,"  surely  it  is  in  momen 
tary  forgetf ulness  that  He  who  cares  for  him  is  "  the  Lord  his  maker, 
who  stretched  forth  the  heavens,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth ; 
the  Lord  God  who  divided  the  seas,  whose  waters  roared ;  the  Lord 

1  Psal.  xxiii.  4.  Isa.  xxr.  8.  Hos.  xiii.  14.  1  Cor.  xv.  53-57.  Phil  iii.  20,  2L 
1  Thess  iv  17. 


PART  II.]  A  STATE  OP  CAREFULNESS.  737 

of  hosts  is  his  name.  Then  he  is  God,  ever  present,  omnipresent ; 
nothing  can  overtake  you  in  his  absence.  The  connection  in  the 
parallel  passage  in  Philippians  iv.  5,  6,  deserves  to  be  marked.  "  The 
Lord  is  at  hand  ;  be  careful  for  nothing."  Then  still  farther ;  He  is 
"  the  God  of  all  grace  ;"  "  the  Father  of  mercies."  He  who  cares  for 
you,  has  his  wisdom  and  power  influenced  and  guided  by  infinite  love, 
infinite  love  to  you.  Hear  his  own  words,  which  are  as  true  in  refer 
ence  to  every  one  of  his  people  individually,  as  in  reference  to  their 
collective  body,  the  church.  "  Can  a  woman  forget  her  sucking  child, 
that  she  should  not  have  compassion  on  the  son  of  her  womb  ?  yea, 
she  may  forget,  yet  will  not  I  forget  thee."  This  love  will  keep  wis 
dom  ever  wakeful,  power  ever  active,  in  reference  to  the  true  inter 
ests  of  its  objects.  Is  not  anxiety,  then,  on  the  part  of  the  Christian, 
a  very  needless,  and  therefore  a  very  unreasonable  thing  ?  Surely  it 
is  very  unwise  in  him  not  to  cast  his  care  on  God.1 

But  it  is  worse  than  unwise,  it  is  ungrateful  and  undutiful.  When 
God  says,  '  Leave  these  matters  which  you  cannot  manage  to  my 
management,'  if  we  refuse  what  is  it  but  to  insult  our  Divine  bene 
factor  by  discovering  doubts  of  his  sincerity,  or  of  his  wisdom,  or  of 
bis  power  ?  Whether  would  the  ingratitude  or  the  folly  of  the  Levite 
of  Mount  Ephraim  have  been  greater,  if  he  had  met  the  generous  in 
vitation  of  the  hospitable  old  man  of  Gibeah,  "  Let  all  thy  wants  lie 
on  me,  only  lodge  not  in  the  street,"  with  a  sullen  refusal  ?  And 
when  the  greatest  and  best  of  all  beings  says  to  us,  who  are  but  dust 
and  ashes,  '  Let  all  your  wants  lie  upon  me/  wants,  we  well  know,  we 
cannot  supply,  but  he  can,  where  shall  we  find  words  to  describe  the 
baseness  and  the  absurdity  of  putting  away  from  us  so  generous,  so 
needed  a  boon  ?  Is  it  a  fitting  return  for  all  his  kindness,  to  insist  on 
keeping  hold  of  a  burden  from  which  he  is  willing  to  release  us,  when 
getting  rid  of  that  burden  is  necessary  to  enable  us  to  yield  him  the 
cheerful,  ready,  joyful  service  he  so  well  deserves  ?  Surely  when  he 
says,  '  I  would  have  you  without  carefulness,  that  you  may  serve  me 
without  fear  in  righteousness  and  holiness  all  the  days  of  your  lives/ 
the  sense  of  his  kindness  and  the  desire  of  his  glory  should  equally 
lead  us  to  comply  with  the  command,  "  Cast  all  your  care  on  God." 
Indeed,  wherever  the  proposition,  '  God  the  infinitely  powerful,  wise, 
and  benignant  Sovereign  of  the  universe  cares  for  me,  is  interested  in 
my  welfare,  and  has  pledged  himself  to  secure  it/  is  understood  and 
believed,  in  the  degree  in  which  it  is  understood  and  believed,  it  does, 
it  must,  banish  carefulness  and  anxiety  from  the  mind.  Here,  as  in 
*o  many  other  cases,  it  is  with  a  man  according  to  his  faith.  Oh,  how 
*iappy,  oh,  how  holy,  should  we  be !  how  easy  should  labor  be,  how 
light  affliction !  could  we  but,  believing  that  God  cares  for  us,  "  cast 
all  our  care  on  him,"  saying,  "  I  am  poor  and  needy ;  but  the  Lord 
thinketh  on  me  !  Thou  art  my  help  and  deliverer,  O  my  God !"  2 

Thus  have  I  turned  your  attention  to  affliction  as  a  state  calculated 
to  excite  anxiety  and  carefulness ;  to  the  afflicted  Christian's  duty  in 
reference  to  this  view  of  affliction, — to  cast  all  his  anxieties  on  God  ; 
and  to  the  motive  urging  him  to  this  course, — God  cares  for  him. 

This  is  the  duty  of  the  Christian  at  all  times,  and  the  motive  is 

1  Psal.  cxxxv.  6.     Isa.  li.  12,  15;  xlix.  15.  2  psal  xl.  17. 

47 


738  AFFLICTION.  [DISC.  XXII 

equally  powerful  in  all  circumstances.  The  inward  ear  of  the  Chris 
tian  should  ever  be  open  to  these  words  of  the  great  Master,  so  full 
of  wisdom,  so  full  of  love  : — "  Take  no  thought ;  be  not  careful," 
anxious  "for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink ;  nor 
for  your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on  :  Is  not  the  life  more  than  meat, 
and  the  body  than  raiment  ?  Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air :  for  they 
sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns ;  yet  your  hea 
venly  Father  feedeth  them.  Are  ye  not  much  better  than  they  ? 
Which  of  you,  by  taking  thought,"  by  anxiety,  "  can  add  one  cubit  to 
his  stature,"  or,  as  it  has  been  explained,  "one  moment  to  his  life  ? 
And  why  take  ye  thought  for  raiment  ?  Consider  the  lilies  of  the 
field,  how  they  grow :  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin ;  and  yet  I 
say  unto  you,  that  even  Solomon,  in  all  his  glory,  was  not  arrayed  as 
one  of  these.  Wherefore,  if  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field, 
which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven ;  shall  he  not 
much  more  clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ?  Therefore,  take  no 
thought,  be  not  anxious,  saying,  What  shall  we  eat  ?  or  what  shall 
we  drink  ?  and  wherewithal  shall  we  be  clothed  ?  (for  after  all  these 
things  the  Gentiles  seek),  for  your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye 
have  need  of  all  these  things.  But  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  his  righteousness ;  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  to  you. 
Fear  not,  little  flock ;  it  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you 
the  kingdom."  l 

There  is  a  class,  a  large  class  of  men,  and  it  is  very  likely  there 
are  some  of  them  here,  to  whom  I  can  address  neither  the  exhorta 
tion  nor  the  encouragement  in  the  text  in  the  true  sense,  that  which 
I  have  endeavored  to  bring  out  to  you  ;  to  whom  I  dare  not  say,  Cast 
your  care,  all  your  care,  ay,  any  of  your  care,  on  God ;  to  whom  I 
cannot  say,  God  cares  for  you  in  the  way  in  which  he  cares  for  his 
own,  for  them  who  know  and  love  him,  for  those  I  refer  to  are  none 
of  his.  His  creatures  they  are,  but  his  disobedient  creatures;  his 
subjects,  but  his  rebellious  subjects ;  they  are  not  his  children,  they 
are  not  his  people.  There  are  men  whose  anxieties  are  all  engaged 
about  worldly,  many  of  them  about  sinful,  objects.  Even  with  their 
very  low  notions  of  the  Divine  character,  they  themselves  would  be 
ashamed  to  take  their  cares  and  anxieties  to  God  in  prayer,  and  try 
to  cast  them  on  him.  They  feel  that  it  would  be  to  insult  him  to  do 
so.  Their  inward  feeling  is,  the  less  God  hears  of  such  things  the 
better.  They  are  cares  he  would  never  take  off  their  hand,  and  un 
dertake  for.  And  though  there  is  a  sense  in  which  God's  mercies, 
God's  tender  mercies,  are  over  all  his  works,  in  which  he  cares  for 
all ;  yet,  with  regard  to  those  who  are  living  in  unbelief  and  diso 
bedience,  it  is  quite  plain  that,  remaining  in  that  state,  what  they  have 
to  depend  on  is  not  pledged  covenant  love.  Their  dependence,  if 
they  have  any,  must  be  a  presumptuous  dependence  on  insulted  kind 
ness,  or  severely  tried  patience  and  long-suffering.  Such  persons  are 
proper  objects  of  deep  sympathy,  shutting  themselves  out,  as  they 
do,  from  all  rational  support  and  consolation,  amid  the  anxieties,  and 
perplexities,  and  sorrows  of  life.  Oh  !  that  we  could  awaken  even 
one  such  person  to  carefulness  about  that  of  which  he  has  no  care — the 

1  Luke  xii.  22-32- 


DISC.  XXII. J  NOTES.  739 

salvation  of  the  soul ;  to  anxiety  about  that  regarding  wliich  he  is 
not  at  all  anxious — the  miseries  of  eternity.  Oh !  that  we  could  hear 
him,  like  Ephraim,  bemoaning  himself  and  saying,  "  What  is  a  man 
profited  if  he  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  Who 
can  dwell  with  devouring  fire  ?  who  can  dwell  with  the  everlasting 
burnings  ?  How  shall  I  come  before  the  Lord  ?  How  shall  I  stand 
before  this  holy  Lord  God  ?  Oh  !  how  shall  I  escape,  or  how  shall  I 
endure  the  wrath  to  come  ?  What,  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?" 
Then  when  he  is  beginning  to  despair  we  should  begin  to  hope  of 
him.  Then  should  we  say,  with  all  the  intensity  of  earnestness  we 
could  throw  into  our  language  and  voice, — for  however  desirable  such 
anxiety  is,  in  comparison  of  stupid  inconsideration  or  presumptuous 
confidence,  its  continuance  is  not  a  desirable  thing  ;  the  sooner  it  is 
removed,  if  aright  removed,  the  sooner  it  is  got  quit  of,  if  safely  dis 
posed  of,  the  better, — then  we  should  say,  Poor  overburdened  one, 
cast  thy  care  on  God,  the  God  of  salvation.  He  cares  for  thee,  he 
alone  can  release  thee.  In  the  belief  of  the  truth  respecting  his  gra 
cious  character,  manifested  in  consistency  with,  in  glorious  illustra 
tion  of,  his  immaculate  holiness  and  infinite  justice  in  the  atoning 
death  of  his  Son,  the  just  One,  in  the  room  of  the  unjust,  you  may 
obtain,  you  shall  obtain  relief  at  once,  from  a  burden  of  guilt,  which 
will  certainly,  if  unremoved,  sink  your  soul  to  hell,  as  well  as  from  a 
burden  of  anxiety,  which,  if  unremoved,  may  lay  your  body  in  an  un 
timely  grave.  And  in  getting  relief  from  that  anxiety,  a  foundation 
is  laid  for  getting  relief  from  all  anxieties ;  and  henceforward  we 
could  with  unfaltering  voice  address  to  him  the  words  of  the  text,  in 
all  the  blissful  immeasurable  breadth  and  depth  of  meaning  which  be 
longs  to  them.  "  Cast  all  your  care  on  God,  for  he  cares  for  you." 
Oh !  that  it  may  be  so  with  some  poor  thoughtless  sinner,  anxious 
about  everything  but  that  about  which,  above  all  other  things,  he  has 
cause  to  be  anxious.  Amen. 


NOTE  A,  p.  715. 

The  following  views  of  affliction,  in  u  work  not  likely  to  come  into  the  hands  of  many 
of  my  readers,  discover  so  deep  and  accurate  an  acquaintance  with  human  nature,  scripture 
doctrine,  and  religious  experience,  that  I  count  on  thanks  for  giving  them  a  place  here  : — 

"That  supposed  greatness  of  soul  which  considers  suffering  as  a  plaything,  upon  which 
one  should  throw  himself  with  manly  courage,  is  not  to  be  met  with  on  the  territory  of 
Scripture ;  upon  that,  everywhere,  appear  faint,  weak,  and  dissolving  hearts,  finding  their 
strength  and  consolation  only  in  God.  This  circumstance  arises  from  more  than  one 
cause — 

"  I.  Suffering  has  quite  another  aspect  to  the  members  of  God's  church  than  to  the 
world.  While  the  latter  regard  it  only  as  the  effect  of  accident,  which  one  should  meet 
with  manly  courage,  the  pious  man  recognizes  in  every  trial  the  visitation  of  an  angry 
God,  a  chastisement  for  his  sins.  This  is  to  him  the  real  sting  of  the  suffering,  from  which 
it  derives  its  power  to  pierce  into  the  marrow  and  bone.  '  Rightly  to  feel  sin,'  says 
Luther,  'is  the  torture  of  all  tortures.'  He  who  considers  suffering  in  that  light  cannot, 
without  impiety,  attempt  to  cast  it  to  the  winds.  He  must  regard  it  as  his  duty  to  allow 
it  to  go  to  his  heart,  and  if  this  is  not  the  case,  even  that  must  become  again  the  object 
of  his  pungent  sorrow.  To  make  light  of  tabulation  is  all  one,  in  the  reckoning  of  Scrip 
ture,  with  making  light  of  God. 


740  NOTES.  [DISC.  xxn. 

"  II.  The  tenderer  the  heart,  the  deeper  the  pain.  Living  piety  makes  the  heart  soft' 
and  tender,  refines  all  its  sensibilities,  and,  consequently,  takes  away  the  power  of  re 
sistance  which  the  world  possesses  from  the  roughness  of  its  heart.  Many  sources  of  pain 
are  opened  up  in  the  Christian,  which  are  closed  in  the  ungodly.  Love  is  much  more 
deeply  wounded  by  hatred  than  hatred  itself;  righteousness  sees  wickedness  in  a  quite 
different  light  from  what  wickedness  itself  does ;  a  soft  heart  has  goods  to  lose  which  an 
hard  one  never  possessed. 

"  III.  The  pious  man  has  a  friend  in  heaven,  and,  on  that  account,  no  reason  to  be  vio 
lently  overcome  by  his  sorrow.  He  permits  the  floods  of  this  quietly  to  pass  over  him, 
gives  nature  its  free  spontaneous  course,  knowing  well  that,  besides  the  natural  principle, 
there  is  another  also  existing  in  him,  which  always  unfolds  its  energy  the  more,  the  more 
that  the  former  has  its  rights  reserved  to  it,  that  according  to  the  depths  of  the  pain,  i3 
the  height  of  the  joy  which  is  derived  from  God — that  every  one  is  consoled  after  the 
measure  in  which  he  has  borne  suffering — that  the  meat  never  comes  but  from  the  eater, 
and  honey  from  the  terrible.  On  the  contrary,  whosoever  lives  in  the  world  without  God, 
he  perceives  that  for  him  all  is  lost,  when  he  is  lost  himself.  He  girds  himself  up, 
gnashes  at  his  pain,  does  violence  to  nature,  seeks  thereby  to  divert  himself,  and  to  gain 
from  nature  on  the  one  side  what  it  abstracts  from  him  on  the  other,  and  thus  he  succeeds 
in  obtaining  the  mastery  over  his  pain,  so  long  as  God  pleases. 

"  IV.  The  pious  man  has  no  reason  to  prevent  himself  and  others  from  seeing  into  his 
heart.  His  strength  is  in  God,  and  so  he  can  lay  open  his  weakness.  The  ungodly  man, 
on  the  other  hand,  considers  it  as  a  reproach  to  look  upon  himself  in  his  weakness,  and 
to  be  looked  upon  by  others  in  it.  Even  when  smarting  with  pain  inwardly,  he  feigns 
freedom  from  it  so  long  as  he  can. 

"  "What  is  the  proper  place  of  sufferings,  is  manifest  from  the  consequences  to  both 
classes.  The  pious  man,  while  he  regards  all  suffering  as  a  punishment,  takes  that  as  the 
means  of  leading  him  to  repentance,  and  derives  from  it  the  fruit  of  righteousness.  He, 
on  the  other  hand,  who  looks  upon  suffering  merely  as  the  sport  of  accident,  thereby  de 
prives  himself  of  all  blessing  from  it ;  and  while,  in  this  respect,  he  is  not  the  better  for 
his  suffering,  he  is  decidedly  the  worse  in  another.  He,  therefore,  only  throws  himself 
on  his  own  resources,  only  raises  himself  above  his  suffering,  awakening  as  much  as  possi 
ble  the  fancy  of  his  own  worth,  dignity,  and  excellence,  and,  in  the  same  proportion  that 
he  calls  pride  into  exercise,  his  love  decays — hardness  becomes  his  inseparable  companion, 
so  that  he,  in  reality,  feeds  upon  his  own  fat,  and  quenches  his  thirst  with  his  own  heart's 
blood ;  and  the  question  here  also  is  applicable,  '  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  should 
gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?'  But  suffering,  when  borne  with  faith,  serves 
to  free  the  heart  of  its  natural  hardness,  to  make  it  soft,  and  open  it  to  love. 

"Finally,  it  is  possible,  even  at  so  dear  a  cost,  to  find  consolation  out  of  God  only  for 
smaller  sufferings.  While  nothing  can  happen  amiss  to  the  righteous,  however  much  may 
befall  him  of  evil — for  he  strengthens  himself  in  God,  whose  power  is  infinite — the  man 
who  trusts  in  himself  bears  up  only  so  long  as  '  fate,'  or  in  truth,  he  who  sends  the  afflic 
tion  permits.  Every  moment  he  maybe  precipitated  into  the  abyss  of  despair.  He  who 
never  fainted,  who  used  to  mock  at  the  faintings  of  believers,  and  to  speak  in  a  contemp 
tuous  tone  of  the  '  plaintive  psalms,'  must  then  feel  utterly  undone.  Human  strength, 
and  whatever  besides  he  can  summon  to  his  aid,  is  still  but  a  limited  resource ;  it  finds  its 
proper  antagonist  only  in  what  wounds  the  heel,  and  gives  way  when  the  resistance  is  too 
strong  and  violent  to  be  contended  with  on  feigned  ground.  Nothing  is  better  fitted  to 
show  the  insufficiency  of  all  human  power,  in  the  struggle  against  suffering,  than  the  valu 
able  confession  of  King  Frederick  II.,  who  spared  no  cost  to  elevate  this  power,  and  whose 
great  and  mighty  soul  certainly  did  the  utmost  that  can  generally  be  accomplished  in  that 
field.  He  says,  among  other  places  in  the  Ep.to  D'Alembert,  sec.  12,  p.  9  :  '  It  is  unhappy, 
that  all  who  suffer  must  flatly  contradict  Zeno ;  as  there  is  none  but  will  confess  pain  to 
be  a  great  evil.'  P.  12 :  '  It  is  noble  to  raise  one's  self  above  the  disagreeable  accidents  to 
which  we  are  exposed,  and  a  moderate  stoicism  is  the  only  means  of  consolation  for  the 
unfortunate.  But  whenever  the  stone,  the  gout,  or  the  bull  of  Phalaris  mix  in  the  scene, 
the  frightful  shrieks  which  escape  from  the  sufferers  leave  no  doubt  that  pain  is  a  real  evil.' 
Again,  p.  16:  '  When  a  misfortune  presses  us,  which  merely  affects  our  person,  self-love 
makes  a  point  of  honor  to  withstand  vigorously  this  misfortune  ;  but  the  moment  we  suffer 
an  injury,  which  is  forever  irreparable,  there  is  nothing  left  for  us  in  Pandora's  box  which 
can  bring  consolation,  except,  perhaps  for  a  man  of  my  advanced  years,  the  strong  convic 
tion  that  I  must  soon  be  with  those  who  have  gone  before  me  (i.  e.  in  the  land  of  nothing 
ness).  The  heart  is  conscious  of  a  wound.  The  stoic  freely  confesses;  '  I  should  feel  no 
pain,  but  I  do  feel  it  against  my  will ;  it  consumes,  it  lacerates  me  •  an  internal  feeling 
overcomes  my  strength,  and  extorts  from  me  complaints  and  fruitless  groans.' " — HENO- 
STKNBERG'S  Commentary  on  the  Psalms.  Vol.  i.  p.  90-92 


DISCOURSE    XXIIL 

THE  CHRISTIAN'S   GREAT  ENEMY—HIS  DUTY  IN   REFERENCE 
TO  HIM,  AND  HIS  ENCOURAGEMENT  TO  DISCHARGE  IT. 

1  PET.  v.  8-11. — Be  sober,  be  vigilant ;  because  your  adversary  the  devil,  as  a  roaring 
lion,  walketh  about,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour ;  -whom  resist  stedfast  in  the  faith, 
knowing  that  the  same  afflictions  are  accomplished  in  your  brethren  that  are  in  the  world. 
But  the  God  of  all  grace,  who  hath  called  us  unto  his  eternal  glory  by  Christ  Jesus,  after 
that  ye  have  suffered  a  little  while,  make  you  perfect,  stablish,  strengthen,  settle  you  :  to 
him  be  glory  and  dominion  forever  and  ever.  Amen. 

THERE  is,  perhaps,  no  article  of  revealed  truth  which  has  been 
more  generally  ridiculed  by  infidels,  and  probably,  for  that  reason 
more  frequently  attempted  to  be  explained  away  by  philosophizing 
Christians,  than  the  doctrine  of  the  existence  and  agency  of  evil 
spirits.  That  among  professed  Christians  highly  absurd  notions  on  this 
subject  have  been  entertained,  and  to  a  certain  extent,  are  still  enter 
tained,  I  am  not  disposed  to  question :  but  surely  revelation  cannot 
be  fairly  charged  with  the  errors  and  absurdities  of  those  who  profess 
to  believe  it,  unless  it  can  be  satisfactorily  proved  that  it  gives 
sanction  to  these  errors  and  absurdities. 

In  the  present  instance  it  will  be  no  difficult  task  to  show  that  no 
such  sanction  is  afforded,  and  that  in  the  doctrine  of  the  existence 
and  agency  of  evil  spirits,  as  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  there  is 
nothing  irrational  or  ridiculous.  For  what  is  their  doctrine  on  this 
subject  ?  It  may  be  thus  briefly  stated  :  '  There  exists  a  numerous 
race  of  unembodied  intelligent  beings,  occupying  a  higher  place  than 
man  in  the  general  scale  of  existence,  who  have  lost  the  moral  integ 
rity  in  which  they  were  created,  and  who,  though  under  the  control 
of  the  supreme  Providence,  are  constantly  engaged  in  an  attempt,  by 
a  variety  of  methods,  and  particularly  by  influencing,  in  a  malignant 
manner,  the  minds  of  men,  to  uphold  and  extend  the  empire  of  evil 
in  the  universe  of  God/  Now,  what  principle  of  reason,  what  ap 
pearance  in  nature,  what  well-established  fact,  what  declaration  of 
Scripture,  is  contradicted  by  this  doctrine  ?  I  know  of  none.  Let 
us  look  at  the  subject  a  little  more  closely. 

That  there  should  be  morally  imperfect,  that  is,  wicked,  creatures, 
in  a  world  which  owes  its  origin  and  continued  existence  to  an  all-per 
fect  Being,  infinite  in  power  and  wisdom,  holiness  and  benignity;  and 
that  a  being,  capable  of  moral  judgment,  and  possessed  of  free  agen 
cy,  should  refuse  the  greatest  good,  and  choose  the  greatest  evil,  are 
mysterious  facts,  for  which  no  man  can  fully  account,  but  of  which 
surely  no  rational  man  can  seriously  doubt.  Every  man  has  their 


742  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  xxiu. 

evidence,  alas  !  but  too  abundant,  around  him  and  within  him.  Man 
certainly  is  a  depraved  intelligent  being;  and  if  it  be  certain  that 
there  are  depraved  embodied  spirits,  it  would  be  difficult  to  prove- that 
there  cannot  be  depraved  unembodied  spirits. 

The  mode  in  which  these  immaterial  agents  influence  human  cha 
racter,  and  conduct,  and  destiny,  may  safely  be  acknowledged  to  be 
inexplicable ;  but  the  fact  that  they  do  possess  and  exert  such  influ 
ence,  is  not  on  this  ground,  if  supported  by  appropriate  and  adequate 
evidence,  incredible.  The  mode  in  which  one  human  mind  influ 
ences  another,  though  no  sane  person  can  doubt  of  the  fact,  is  in 
volved  in  equal  mystery.  It  is  not  more  wonderful,  nor  on  sufficient 
evidence  more  difficult  to  be  believed,  in  some  points  of  view  it  is  less 
so,  that  one  spiritual  being  should  act  on  another,  without  the  inter 
vention  of  bodily  organs,  than  that  by  certain  conventional  sounds 
conveyed  to  the'5  ear,  or  certain  arbitrary  characters  presented  to  the 
eye,  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  one  embodied  spirit  should  be  com 
municated  to  another  embodied  spirit,  and  become  the  instruments  of 
altering  opinion,  exciting  desire,  stimulating  to  action. 

The  agency  of  the  evil  spirits  on  the  human  mind  is  no  more  in 
consistent  with  the  freedom  of  human  action,  than  the  influence  ex 
erted  by  objects  presented  to  the  mind  by  the  senses,  or  by  the 
reasonings  and  persuasions  of  our  fellow-men  ;  and  to  him  to  whom 
nothing  can  be  difficult,  since  the  resources  of  his  power  and  wisdom 
are  infinite  and  inexhaustible,  there  can  be  no  more  difficulty  in  over 
ruling  the  agency  of  devils,  than  in  overruling  the  agency  of  wicked 
mem,  to  the  promotion  of  the  great  ends  of  his  righteous  and  benig 
nant  government. 

These  remarks  go  no  farther,  and  were  intended  to  go  no  farther, 
than  to  show  that  the  doctrine  of  the  existence  and  agency  of  evil 
spirits  is  not,  abstractly  considered,  an  absurd  tenet ;  that  the  attempt 
to  put  it  down  by  ridicule,  is  altogether  unworthy  of  men  who  lay 
claim  to  the  honorable  appellation  of  philosophers,  lovers  of  wisdom ; 
and  that  there  is  no  necessity  to  have  recourse  to  metaphor  and  al 
legory  to  explain  away  those  passages  of  Scripture  which,  in  their 
obvious  and  literal  sense,  explicitly  teach  this  doctrine. 

The  evidence  of  the  existence  and  agency  of  evil  spirits  is  to  be 
sought  for  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  It  is  entirely  a  matter  of  super 
natural  revelation ;  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  asserting,  that  such 
evidence  is  to  be  found  there  in  such  abundance  and  explicitness,  that 
an  unprejudiced  reader,  who  believes  the  authenticity  and  inspiration 
of  the  sacred  volume,  and  interprets  its  declarations  on  the  principles 
which  he  applies  to  written  language  generally,  will  find  it  as  difficult 
to  doubt  of  the  existence  and  doings  of  such  a  being  as  Satan  or  the 
devil,  and  his  subordinate  agents,  as  of  the  existence  and  doings  of 
such  men  as  Moses  and  Samuel,  Peter  or  Paul. 

The  passage  before  us  is  one,  out  of  a  multitude,  which  clearly 
proves  the  existence  and  wide  extent  of  malignant  spiritual  agency ; 
and,  in  common  with  the  most  of  such  passages,  shows  that  this  doc 
trine  is,  like  the  doctrines  of  revelation  generally,  not  a  mere  matter 
of  curiosity  or  speculation,  but  calculated  and  intended  to  exert  a 
powerful  and  a  salutary  influence,  in  forming  the  character  and  guiding 


PART  I.]  WHO    IS    HE  ?  743 

the  conduct  of  Christians  during  their  present  disciplinary  and  pre 
paratory  state,  The  fact  is  distinctly  asserted,  that  the  "  devil,  their 
adversary,  as  a  roaring  lion,  walketh  about,  seeking  whom  he  may 
devour/'  This  assertion  is  made,  that  they  may  be  induced  to  resist 
him  ;  and,  that  in  order  to  their  successfully  resisting  him,  they  may 
be  sober,  and  watchful,  and  steadfast  in  the  faith ;  and  they  are  en 
couraged,  under  the  sufferings  in  which  the  attempts  of  their  power 
ful,  and  crafty,  and  cruel,  and  active  adversary  may  involve  them,  by 
the  consideration,  that  such  sufferings  have  been  the  common  lot  of 
the  faithful  in  all  ages,  that  they  have  been  enabled  to  endure  them, 
and  in  due  season  have  been  delivered  from  them,  and  by  the  promise 
of  a  divine  support  under,  and  a  glorious  triumph  over,  them.  To 
these  interesting  topics,  then,  it  is  my  intention  to  turn  your  minds,  in 
the  remaining  part  of  the  discourse.  The  Christian's  adversary  ;  the 
Christian's  duty  in  reference  to  this  adversary  ;  and  the  Christian's  en 
couragement  while  engaged  in  performing  this  duty. 


I— THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY. 

Let  us  first,  then,  consider  the  statement  made  respecting  the  Chris 
tian's  adversary.  "  Your  adversary,  the  devil,  as  a  roaring  lion,  walk 
eth  about,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour."  There  are  two  questions 
which  here  require  attention.  Who  is  this  adversary  ?  and  what  is 
here  stated  in  reference  to  him  ? 


CHAP.  I— WHO  IS  HE?    THE  DEVIL. 

To  the  first  question,  who  is  this  adversary  ?  the  answer  is,  he  is 
"the  devil."  The  word  translated  devil,  properly  signifies  accuser, 
slanderer,  calumniator,  and  is  given  to  the  chief  of  evil  spirits  as  an 
appropriate  designation.  The  same  being  is  termed  "  satan,"  a  word 
of  similar  meaning  with  devil,  signifying  enemy  or  accuser;  "the 
wicked  one,"  to  mark  his  depravity  generally,  and  especially  his  ma 
lignity ;  "belial,"  a  term  signifying  low,  abject,  describing  both  his 
character  and  situation  ;  "  the  tempter ;"  "  the  god  and  the  prince  of 
this  world  ;"  "  the  chief  of  the  demons  ;"  "  beelzebub,"  the  lord  of  the 
flies,  "  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air ;"  "  apollyon,"  the  destroyer  ; 
"  he  that  hath  the  power  of  death  ;"  "  the  great  dragon ;"  and  "  the 
old  serpent."  l 

With  regard  to  this  very  remarkable  being,  our  information,  all  of 
course  derived  from  revelation,  though  very  limited,  is  abundantly 
distinct.  He  is  a  being  of  the  angelic  order,  formed,  as  all  intelligent 
beings  were,  and  must  have  been,  in  a  state  of  moral  integrity,  who, 
at  a  period  anterior  to  the  fall  of  man,  in  consequence  of  violating  the 
Divine  law,  in  a  manner  of  which  we  are  not  informed,  was,  along 
with  a  large  number  of  other  spirits,  who,  it  would  appear,  in  conse 
quence  of  being  seduced  by  him,  were  partakers  of  his  guilt,  cast  out 

1  Chron.  xxi.  1.  Job  i.  6.  Eph.  vi.  16.  2  Cor.  vi.  15.  Matt.  iv.  5.  1  Thess.  ii.  5. 
2  Cor.  iv.  4.  John  xii.  31.  Matt.  xii.  24.  Eph.  ii.  2.  Rev.  ix.  11.  Heb.  ii  14, 
Rev.  xii.  3,  9. 


744  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  xxm. 

of  heaven,  his  "  original  abode,"  placed  in  a  state  of  degradation  and 
punishment,  and  reserved  to  deeper  shame  and  fiercer  pains  "  at  the 
day  of  the  revelation  of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God."  Through  his 
malignity  and  falsehood,  man,  who  was  innocent,  became  guilty  ; 
man," who  was  holy,  became  depraved;  man,  who  was  happy,  became 
miserable ;  man,  who  was  immortal,  became  liable  to  death. 

Over  the  minds  of  the  human  race,  while  they  continue  irregener- 
aie,  he  exercises  a  very  powerful,  though  not  physically  irresistible 
influence,  "  working  in  the  children  of  disobedience,  and  leading  them 
captive  at  his  wi;l  ;"  and  even  over  their  bodies,  he  has  in  many  in 
stances  exercised  a  malignant  power.  He  exerts  himself,  by  his  num 
erous  agents,  infernal  and  human,  in  counteracting  the  Divine  benig 
nant  plan  for  the  salvation  of  men.  Error,  sin,  and  misery,  in  all  their 
forms,  are,  ultimately,  his  work ;  his  animating  principle  is  hatred  of 
God,  and  his  leading  object  the  maintenance  and  extension  of  the 
power  of  evil. 

During  that  period  of  holy  light  and  happiness,  the  millennium,  to 
which  the  church  and  the  world  have  so  long  looked  forward  with 
eager  desire,  his  power  and  opportunities  to  do  evil  will  be  greatly 
diminished,  if  not  entirely  taken  away.  In  the  period  immediately 
preceding  the  general  judgment,  he  will  again  manifest  his  unchanged 
hostility  to  the  benignant  designs  of  God  respecting  man  ;  and  when 
the  mystery  of  God  is  finished,  will,  along  with  those  angels  and  men 
who  have  chosen  him  for  their  leader  in  preference  to  God,  be  cut 
off  forever  from  all  intercourse  with  the  unfallen  and  restored  part  of 
the  intelligent  creation,  and  "  punished  with  everlasting  destruction 
from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  the  glory  of  his  power." 


CHAP.  II.— WHAT  IS  HE  ? 

§  2. — He  is  an  adversary — their  adversary. 

Let  us  now  inquire,  in  the  second  place,  what  is  said  of  this  extra 
ordinary  being  in  the  passage  before  us.  He  is  the  Christian's  adver 
sary  ;  "  your  adversary  the  devil."  He  is  "  the  adversary  ;"  the  friend 
of  none,  the  enemy  of  all.  Enmity,  malignity,  is  the  very  element  of 
his  moral  being.  He  hates  God,  and  men,  and  holy  angels  ;  and  the 
only  tie  apparently  existing  between  him  and  his  subordinate  agents, 
is  a  common  enmity  against  God,  and  all  that  is  God's.  He  is  the 
adversary  of  all  men.  He  has  deeply  injured  the  race  ;  and  he  does 
not  pity,  but  hate,  those  whom  he  has  injured.  Murderer,  manslayer, 
is  his  name  from  the  beginning.1 

But  he  is  peculiarly  the  adversary  of  that  portion  of  mankind,  who 
have  been  led  by  the  good  Spirit  to  revolt  from  his  usurped  dominion, 
to  place  themselves  under  the  guidance  of  the  Captain  of  the  Lord's 
host,  and  to  become  fellow- workers  under  him  in  the  accomplish 
ment  of  his  great  enterprise,  which  is  "  to  destroy  the  works  of  the 
devil."  Both  as  individuals  and  as  a  body,  true  Christians  are  the 
objects  of  the  peculiar  enmity  of  the  evil  one.  This  is  the  truth 
which  is  taught  us  in  the  Apocalypse,  when  we  are  told,  that  "  the 
1  John  viii.  44.  ' 


PART  I.]  WHAT    13    HE  ?  745 

dragon  persecuted  the  woman  who  was  clothed  with  the  sun,  and  had 
the  moon  under  her  feet,  and  upon  her  head  a  crown  of  twelve  stars ; 
being  wroth  with  her,  and  making  war  with  the  remnant  of  her  seed, 
which  keep  the  commandments  of  God,  and  have  the  testimony  of 
Jesus  Christ."  "  They  were,"  as  Archbishop  Leighton  says,  "  once 
under  his  power ;  and  now,  being  escaped  from  him,  he  pursues  them, 
as  Pharaoh  with  all  his  forces,  as  a  prey  that  was  once  in  his  den, 
and  under  his  paw ;  and  now  that  it  is  rescued,  he  rages  and  roars 
after  it."  His  object  is  the  destruction  of  the  Christian  cause  ;  the 
cause  of  truth  and  holiness,  of  God's  glory  and  man's  happiness ;  and 
therefore  he  cannot  but  be  the  adversary  of  those  who  seek  to  pro 
mote  that  cause.  He  exerts  himself,  by  craft  or  violence,  to  induce 
them  to  abandon  that  cause,  by  doing  which  their  sharing  his  destruc 
tion  would  be  secured ;  or,  if  he  cannot  succeed  in  this  object,  he 
endeavors  to  make  as  miserable  as  he  can  in  this  world,  those  whom 
he  knows  he  will  have  no  opportunity  of  tormenting  in  the  next. 

Of  the  manner  in  which  their  adversary  manifests  his  enmity  to 
them,  we  have  a  very  picturesque  account  in  these  words,  "  As  a 
roaring  lion,  he  walketh  about  seeking  whom  he  may  devour."  Under 
the  influence  of  inflamed  malignity,  which  will  not  let  him  rest,  com 
pared  to  the  lion's  appetite  for  blood,  sharpened  by  hunger,  he,  in  the 
exercise  of  his  power  and  craft,  both  of  which  are  indicated  by  the 
figure,  the  lion  being  at  once  strong  and  wily,  is  constantly  endeavor 
ing  to  do  them  mischief.  It  is  highly  probable  that  the  apostle  had 
immediately  in  his  eye  the  attempts  which  the  wicked  one  was  then 
making,  by  means  of  his  agents,  both  infernal  and  human,  to  produce 
those  fearful  persecutions  on  the  part  of  the  Roman  pagan  empire,  by 
which  the  faith  and  patience  of  the  saints  were  so  severely  tried,  by 
which  multitudes  were  induced  to  make  shipwreck  of  faith  and  a  good 
conscience  ;  turning  back  to  perdition,  becoming  his  prey,  body  and 
soul,  forever.  And  multitudes  more,  who  were  faithful  to  the  death, 
and  obtained  a  crown  of  life,  were,  "  by  the  devil,  cast  into  prison,  and 
suffered  tribulation :"  "  they  had  trial  of  cruel  mockings  and  scourg- 
ings :  they  were  stoned,  they  were  slain  by  the  sword  ;  they  wan 
dered  about  in  sheep-skins  and  goat-skins ;  being  destitute,  afflicted, 
tormented ;  they  wandered  in  deserts  and  in  mountains,  and  in  dens 
and  in  caves  of  the  earth."  While  I  have  little  doubt  that  this  is  the 
immediate  reference  of  the  words,  they  bring  before  the  mind  certain 
general  truths  respecting  our  great  spiritual  enemy,  of  which  it  is  of 
great  importance  that  Christians,  in  all  countries  and  ages,  should  be 
habitually  mindful.  They  lead  us  to  think  of  him  as  subtle,  active, 
cruel,  and  powerful. 

§  2. — He  is  a  subtle  adversary. 

This  passage  leads  us  to  think  of  our  great  adversary  as  subtle. 
The  lion,  like  all  other  beasts  of  prey,  is  endowed  with  a  high  degree 
of  sagacity,  to  enable  it  to  discover  and  surprise  its  prey.  When 
David  would  convey  to  our  minds  an  idea  of  the  cunning  of  his 
enemies,  he  compares  them  to  the  lion.  "  He  sitteth  in  the  lurking- 
places  of  the  villages  •  in  the  secret  places  doth  he  murder  the  inno- 


746  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  xxm. 

cent :  his  eyes  are  privily  set  against  the  poor.  He  lieth  in  wait 
secretly  as  a  lion  in  his  den :  he  Heth  in  wait  to  catch  the  poor  :  he 
doth  catch  the  poor,  when  he  draweth  him  into  his  net.  He  croucheth, 
and  humbleth  himself,  that  the  poor  may  fall  by  his  strong  ones."  l 
The  figure  naturally  thus  suggests  the  idea  of  subtlety.  This  is  one 
of  the  leading  thoughts,  too,  suggested,  when  the  devil  is  represented 
as  the  old  serpent :  for  "  the  serpent  was  more  subtle  than  any  beast  of 
the  field  which  the  Lord  God  had  made." 

Subtlety  is  one  of  the  most  striking  characters  of  our  great  spirit 
ual  enemy.  He  originally  belonged  to  that  order  of  beings  whose 
wisdom  is  proverbial — "  wise  as  an  angel  of  God ;"  and,  when  he  lost 
his  moral  purity,  we  have  no  reason  to  think  he  lost  his  intellectual 
energy.  It  took  a  new  direction,  but  with  unabated  force.  From  the 
change  of  its  object,  it  ceased  indeed  to  deserve  the  name  of  wisdom. 
The  appropriate  appellation  henceforward  was  craft  or  subtlety.  We 
have  a  melancholy  proof  of  his  cunning,  in  the  method  he  followed 
in  his  successful  attempt  to  deceive  the  mother  of  mankind.  With 
what  consummate  address  does  he  whet  her  curiosity,  quiet  her  fears, 
and  flatter  her  vanity,  till  he  has  accomplished  his  great  purpose,  the 
ruin  of  our  race  !  Ever  since  he  obtained  that  victory  over  our  first 
parents,  he  has  been  engaged  in  tempting  their  children ;  and  the  ex 
perience  of  nearly  six  thousand  years,  added  to  his  natural  cunning, 
must  have  rendered  him  expert  indeed  in  the  art  of  deceiving,  that  he 
may  destroy.  Accordingly,  we  find  the  apostle  terming  those  sug 
gestions,  by  which  he  endeavors  to  lead  men  astray  from  God,  "  the 
wiles,  the  devices  of  the  devil."2 

He  has  no  power  indeed  of  obtaining  directly  a  knowledge  of  the 
human  heart.  That  is  the  peculiar  prerogative  of  Him  who  made  it. 
"  I  the  Lord  search  the  heart,  I  try  the  reins."  3  But  he  carefully  ob 
serves  our  conduct,  and  shrewdly  draws  conclusions  respecting  our 
prevailing  dispositions.  His  temptations  are  regulated  by  the  infor 
mation  he  thus  obtains.  He  suits  the  snare  to  the  habits  of  the  bird 
he  means  to  entrap.  He  draws  the  voluptuary  into  the  way  of  in 
iquity  by  the  lure  of  pleasure,  the  avaricious  by  the  promise  of  gain, 
the  ambitious  by  the  prospect  of  glory.  He  goes  round  about  his 
victims,  that  he  may  espy  where  is  the  quarter  in  which  they  are 
weakest,  or  least  afraid  of  attack,  that  he  may  assault  them  there. 
He  takes  advantage  of  everything  in  their  temper,  age,  and  condition, 
to  give  effect  to  his  suggestions. 

He  keeps  himself  as  much  as  possible  out  of  view,  and  manages 
his  approaches  so  as,  that  when  danger  is  at  length  apprehended, 
there  is  scarce  a  possibility  of  escape.  He  even  occasionally  trans 
forms  himself  into  an  angel  of  light,  and  employs  as  his  instruments, 
often  while  they  themselves  are  unaware  of  it,  the  very  persons  from 
whom  wre  would  have  been  the  last  to  suspect  any  hazard. 

Sometimes  he  gets  possession  of  the  citadel  of  the  heart  as  it  were 
by  storm,  without  allowing  opportunity  or  time  for  repelling  the  as 
sault.  At  other  times  he  proceeds  by  sap  and  mine ;  and,  without 
alarm  to  the  conscience,  effects  his  nefarious  purpose.  But  it  were 
endless  to  enumerate  all  the  subtle  devices  by  which  Satan  endeavors 

1  Psal.  x.  8-10.  z  Rev.  xii.  9.    Gen.  iii.  1.    Eph.  vi.  11.  3  Jer.  xvii.  10. 


PART  I.]  WHAT    IS    HE  ?  747 

to  disturb  the  peace  and  retard  the  progress  of  the  saint ;  to  prevent 
the  repentance,  and  to  secure  the  destruction  of  the  sinner.  Enough 
has  been  said  to  show,  that  the  figure  chosen  by  the  sacred  writer  is  in 
this  respect  a  significant  one  ;  and  that  the  lion,  in  his  arts  for  securing 
his  prey,  is  a  truly,  but  an  imperfectly,  descriptive  emblem  of  "  him 
who  begui/eth  Eve  through  his  subtlety",  and  has  deluded,  and  is  de 
luding,  so  many  millions  of  her  sons  into  those  ways  of  error  and 
sin  which  lead  down  to  the  chambers  of  eternal  death. 

§  3. — He  is  an  active  adversary. 

But  our  great  sipritual  enemy  is  not  only  subtle,  h&  is  also  active. 
The  lion  ranges  far  and  near  in  quest  of  his  prey.  The  lion  of  hell 
is  here  represented  as  walking  about,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour. 
"  Whence  comest  thpu  ?"  said  Jehovah  to  Satan,  when  he,  as  the  ac 
cuser  of  the  brethren,  appeared  in  the  midst  of  the  sons  of  God. 
"  Whence  comest  thou  ?"  The  answer  was,  "  From  going  to  and 
fro  through  the  earth,  and  from  walking  up  and  down  in  it."  The 
malignant  exertions  of  the  wicked  one  seem  to  be  unintermitted. 
Langour  and  fatigue  appear  to  be  feelings  to  which  he  is  a  stranger. 
In  the  book  of  Revelation,  he  is  represented  as  "  accusing  the  brethren 
before  God,  day  and  night."  2  He  is  probably  the  more  assiduous  in 
his  labors  of  malignity,  as  he  knows  that  the  period  for  his  active  ex 
ertions  is  limited.  We  cannot  doubt  that  he  is  aware  of  the  doom 
that  awaits  him  ;  that,  after  a  fixed  term  of  ages,  he  is  to  be  cast  into 
the  lake  of  fire,  in  the  abyss  of  woe,  and  kept  there  under  chains, 
which  no  created  power  can,  which  the  uncreated  power  will  not, 
unloose  for  ever.  He  has  nothing  approaching  to  satisfaction  but  in 
propagating  sin  and  misery ;  and  he  knows  that  this  is  to  come  to  a 
close.0  u  The  devil  is  come  down  among  men,  having  great  wrath, 
knowing  that  his  time  is  short,"  or  limited. 

In  realizing  to  our  minds  the  activity  of  our  great  spiritual  foe,  we 
are  not  to  think  of  him  merely  as  an  individual.  No  doubt  he  is  a 
very  active  being  ;  but  this  is  not  all.  He  is  the  chief  and  prince  of 
unnumbered  depraved  spirits,  who  own  his  authority,  prosecute  his 
designs,  and  obey  his  commands.  Their  name  is  legion  ;  for  there 
are  many  of  them.  This  gives  him  a  species  of  ubiquity,  and  ena 
bles  him  to  do  what  no  individual  created  power  and  activity  could 
accomplish. 

His  operations  are  often  really  continued  when  they  seem  to  be 
intermitted.  The  mode  of  conducting  them  is  changed,  but  the 
work  is  not  abandoned ;  and,  if  he  does  suspend  them  for  a  season,  it 
is  but  that  he  may  recommence  them  with  a  greater  probability  of 
success.  This  remark  holds  both  with  respect  to  those  who  are  yet 
his  willing  slaves,  and  to  those  who  have  escaped  from  under  his 
thrall.  "  When  the  unclean  spirit  goeth  out  of  a  man,  he  walketh 
through  dry  places,  seeking  rest,  but  finding  none.  Then  he  saith,  I 
will  return  again  to  my  house  from  whence  I  came  out ;  and  when  he 
is  come,  he  "finds  this  empty,  swept,  and  garnished.  Then  goeth  he, 
and  taketh  with  him  seven  other  spirits  mere  wicked  than  himself, 
i  Job  i§  ^  a  Rev.  xii.  10. 


748  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  xxm. 

and  they  enter  in  and  dwell  there :  and  the  last  state  of  that  man  is 
worse  than  the  first/'  l  We  have  an  instance  of  his  returning  to  re 
new  his  attack  with  redoubled  violence  on  those  over  whom  he  has 
no  power,  in  the  case  of  our  Lord.  We  read,  after  the  temptation 
of  forty  days  in  the  wilderness,  that  "  the  devil  departed  from  him ;" 
but  it  was  only  in  that  form,  and  but  "  for  a  season. "*  He  was  still 
going  about  him,  seeking  an  occasion  to  make  attack  on  him  ;  and  we 
find  him  in  the  hour  of  exhaustion  and  sorrow  springing  on  his 
victim,  and  by  his  infernal  assault  drawing  forth  from  the  lips  of  him 
who  was  embodied  patience  and  fortitude,  those  awful  words,  as  if  all 
he  had  experienced  of  diabolical  attacks  hitherto  were  unworthy  of 
notice,  "  Now  is  the  hour  and  power  of  darkness." 

§.  4. — He  is  a  cruel  adversary. 

Cruelty  is  another  feature  in  the  character  of  our  great  spiritual 
enemy,  which  the  statement  in  the  text  brings  before  the  mind.  The 
lion  is  a  stranger  to  pity.  Like  most  ravenous  beasts,  he  seems  to 
have  satisfaction  in  inflicting  pain.  The  bleating  of  the  lamb  whom 
he  is  about  to  devour  awakens  in  him  no  relentings,  and  he  regards  not 
the  agonies  he  occasions  to  the  bleeding,  mangled  sufferer.  Equally 
ruthless  is  the  great  murderer  from  the  beginning,  the  great  destroyer 
of  human  souls.  He  appears  to  have  a  savage  satisfaction  in  pro 
ducing  misery.  The  lion,  when  he  tears  to  pieces  the  quivering  limbs 
of  the  slaughtered  kid,  has  an  enjoyment  altogether  separate  from  the 
gratification  of  the  desire  to  destroy.  He  satisfies  the  painful  crav 
ings  of  hunger,  and  obtains  nourishment  for  his  body.  But  the  de 
stroyer  of  human  innocence  and  peace,  the  devourer  of  souls,  derives 
no  advantage,  can  derive  no  advantage,  knows  that  he  can  derive  no 
advantage,  from  the  miseries  which  he  inflicts,  the  ruin  which  he  oc 
casions.  On  the  contrary,  every  malignant  act  deepens  his  guilt,  and 
will  aggravate  his  future  condemnation ;  and  he  cannot  but  be  aware 
of  this.  Yet  so  deeply  is  the  desire  of  diffusing  misery  rooted  in  his 
nature,  that  though  conscious  that  in  yielding  to  it,  he  is  but  render 
ing  his  miserable  condition  more  miserable,  "  treasuring  up  to  himself 
wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath  and  revelation  of  the  righteous  judg 
ment  of  God,"  he  still,  day  and  night,  restlessly  seeks  for  opportuni 
ties  of  making  the  good  bad,  and  the  bad  worse,  the  happy  miserable, 
and  the  miserable  more  miserable. 

§  5. — He  is  a  powerful  adversary. 

The  only  other  idea  suggested  by  the  figurative  description  of  our 
great  spiritual  enemy  is,  that  he  is  a  being  of  formidable  power. 
Solomon  informs  us  that  the  "  lion  is  the  strongest  among  beasts,"  3 
and,  I  believe  modern  naturalists  hold  that  there  is  no  animal  of  the 
same  size  which  possesses  so  much  muscular  power.  The  devil  be 
longs  to  an  order,  the  angelic,  which  excels  in  strength;  and  though 
we  know  his  powers  are  restrained  by  the  Divine  providence,  we 
have  no  reason  to  think  that  his  moral  depravation  produced  any 
1  Matt,  xii.  43.  2  Luke  iv.  13.  3  Prov  xxx.  30. 


PART  I.]  WHAT   13    HE  ?  749 

diminution  of  his  physical  energy.  The  tempest  which  overwhelmed 
the  family  of  Job  in  the  ruins  of  the  house  of  their  elder  brother,  and 
the  fearful  effects  produced  both  on  the  bodies  and  the  minds  of  those 
individuals  who  were  the  subjects  of  demoniac  possession,  prove  both 
what  he  can  do,  and  would  do,  if  not  restrained  by  a  superior  power. 
To  what  extent  he  can  and  does  employ  physical  agents,  what  are 
commonly  termed  the  powers  of  nature,  in  executing  his  malignant 
designs,  we  cannot  tell.  This  we  know,  that  the  Scripture  represen 
tations  naturally  lead  us  to  think  of  Satan  as  not  weak,  but  powerful. 
He  is  emblematized  in  the  parable  by  "  the  strong  man ;"  and  the 
apostle  obviously  estimates  those  unseen  opponents,  of  whom  the 
devil  is  the  leader,  as  far  more  formidable  foes  than  of  the  most  pow 
erful  human  enemies. 

We  need,  according  to  him,  divine  strength  and  heavenly  armor  to 
resist  such  enemies.  "Be  strong,"  says  he,  "in  the  Lord  and  in  the 
power  of  his  might.  Put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God,  that  ye  may  be 
able  to  stand  against  the  wiles  of  the  devil:  for  we  wrestle  not 
against  flesh  and  blood,  but  against  principalities  and  powers,  against' 
the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  against  spiritual  wickedness 
in  high  places."  1  So  much  for  illustration  of  the  apostle's  statement 
respecting  the  Christian's  great  spiritual  enemy,  so  subtle,  so  active, 
so  cruel,  so  powerful. 

That  part  of  our  subject  which  we  have  attempted  to  illustrate,  is 
replete  with  important  practical  instruction. 

What  a  striking  view  does  the  contrast  of  the  original  and  the 
present  character  and  employment  of  the  devil,  give  us  of  the  malig 
nant  nature  and  tremendous  power  of  moral  evil !  He  who  is  now 
the  worst  and  the  most  miserable  of  created  beings,  was  once  one  of 
the  best  and  the  happiest.  He  who  now  prowls  about  the  universe, 
"  a  fugitive  and  a  vagabond,"  restless  and  miserable  everywhere,  had 
his  first  abode  in  the  region  of  perfect  purity,  near  to  the  throne  of 
the  Eternal ;  and,  instead  of  as  now  going  about  seeking 'how  he  can 
waste  and  destroy  the  best  part  of  God's  works,  his  constant  employ 
ment  and  delight  was  to  celebrate  the  praises  and  do  the  command 
ments  of  Jehovah,  hearkening  to  the  voice  of  his  word.  And  what 
has  effected  the  fearful  change?  What  has  converted  the  angel  into 
the  devil  ?  It  was  sin  ;  that  only  evil  in  God's  universe  in  which 
there  is  no  good ;  that  evil,  the  depths  of  whose  malignity  no  created 
mind  can  sound.  Man  in  his  fallen  state  compared  with  man  in  his 
primeval  state,  earth  in  its  present  state  compared  with  paradise, 
strikingly  show  that  it  is  an  evil  and  a  bitter  thing  to  depart  from 
God ;  but  still  more  striking  is  the  illustration  we  have  of  this  most 
important  truth,  when  we  contrast  the  accursed  fiend  with  the  holy 
angel,  and  the  bottomless  pit  and  the  fiery  lake  with  the  palace  of  the 
great  king,  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  and  the  rivers  of  pleasure  that  are  at 
his  right  hand  for  evermore. 

How  disgraceful  and  miserable  must  be  the  condition  of  those  who 
are  the  slaves  of  this  subtile,  active,  cruel,  powerful,  depraved  intelli 
gence,  in  turns  the  instruments  of  his  detestable  designs  and  the  vic 
tims  of  his  insatiable  cruelty  !  And  this  is  the  situation  of  all  uncon- 

1  Matt.  xii.  29.    Eph.  vi,  11-13. 


750  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  XXIIL 

verted  men,  whether  they  are  aware  of  it  or  not.  They  are  of  their 
father  the  devil ;  and  his  lusts — the  things  he  desires  and  delights  in — 
they  willingly  abuse  their  powers  and  degrade  their  nature  in  doing. 
They  are  "  taken  captive  by  him  at  his  will."  1  He  is  their  success 
ful  tempter  now.  He  will  be,  if  mercy  prevent  not,  their  unrelenting 
tormentor  forever.  Oh,  that  they  were  aware  of  the  horrors  of  their 
situation,  that  they  saw  its  debasement,  that  they  felt  its  wretched 
ness,  that  they  realized  its  dangers ! 

How  grateful  should  we  be  to  HIM  who  came  to  destroy  the  works 
of  the  wicked  one,  and  to  deliver  men  from  his  usurped  dominion  and 
baleful  power !  The  house  of  the  strong  man  has  been  entered  by 
one  stronger  than  he.  The  prey  has  been  taken  from  the  mighty, 
and  the  captive  of  the  terrible  one  delivered.  The  greatness  of  the 
blessing,  apart  from  the  manner  in  which  it  was  procured,  calls  for 
lively  gratitude;  but  the  claims  of  our  deliverer  are  felt  to  be  tenfold 
strong,  when  we  recollect  that  He,  the  only  begotten,  the  Holy  One, 
of  God,  submitted  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil,  to  have  the  moral  sensi 
bilities  of  his  holy  nature  shocked  and  tortured  by  his  loathsome  sug 
gestions,  that  we  might  be  delivered  from  his  power,  and  be  taught, 
by  the  example  of  "  the  Captain  of  our  salvation,"  how  to  conduct  the 
conflict  with  the  enemy,  so  as  to  become  more  than  conquerors  through 
him  who  loved  us.  Blessed,  ever  blessed,  be  he  who  came  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  to  bruise  the  head  of  the  old  serpent ;  and  who, 
through  the  merit  of  his  atonement  and  the  power  of  his  Spirit,  en 
ables  the  most  feeble  and  timid  of  his  people  to  "tread  on  the  lion  and 
the  adder,"  and  to  "  trample  the  young  lion  and  the  dragon  under  foot." 

Let  Christians  rejoice  that,  if  a  subtle,  cruel,  active,  and  powerful 
enemy  is  continually  prowling  about,  the  eye  of  infinite  wisdom  and 
love  rests  ever  on  them,  the  arm  of  never-tiring  omnipotence  is  ever 
around  them  to  protect  and  defend  them.  The  lion  of  hell  is  a  chained 
lion,  a  muzzled  lion,  to  Christians.  He  may  alarm,  but  he  shall  never 
devour  them.  His  chain  is  in  the  hand  of  his  conqueror  and  their 
Lord. 

It  was  very  natural  for  Peter  to  put  his  brethren  in  mind  of  their 
great  enemy.  He  must  have  often  thought  of  the  words  of  our  Lord 
Jesus,  "  Simon,  Simon,  Satan  hath  desired  to  have  thee,  that  he  may 
sift  thee  as  wheat ;  but  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not."  a 
His  experience  is  full  of  warning  and  encouragement.  It  proves  that 
if  Christians  are  not  cautious,  though  the  lion  of  hell  shall  not  be  per 
mitted  to  devour  them,  he  may  inflict  wounds  of  which  they  will  bear 
the  marks  till  the  close  of  life ;  and  it  finely  illustrates  our  Lord's  de 
claration, — "  I  give  unto  my  sheep  eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never 
perish  ;  neither  shall  any  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand."  Neither  their 
own  heedlessness,  nor  the  malignity  of  their  infernal  foe,  shall  be  able 
to  accomplish  their  destruction.  Let  him,  then,  that  is  born  of  God, 
"  keep  himself,  that  the  wicked  one  touch  him  not ;"  and  let  his  joy, 
that  he  has  a  better  keeper  than  himself,  even  the  keeper  of  Israel, 
who  never  slumbers  nor  sleeps,  not  produce  security,  but  encourage 
vigilance.  God  keeps  his  people,  not  without  but  through  their  own 
watchfulness. 

1  2  Tim.  ii.  26.  a  Luke  xxii  31. 


PART  II.]  DUTY  IN  REFERENCE  TO  HIM.  751 

Finally,  let  all  of  us  who  have  reason  to  hope  that  we  have  been 
emancipated  from  the  powers  of  the  wicked  one,  in  our  humble  station 
co-operate  with  our  great  Deliverer  in  rescuing  our  fellow-men  from 
the  degrading  bondage,  from  the  destroying  power,  of  his  and  our 
great  enemy  ;  and  while  the  children  of  the  devil  are  so  clearly  prov 
ing  themselves  to  be  so,  by  imitating  him  in  going  about  seeking  whom 
they  may  destroy,  let  us  prove  our  connection  with  him  whom  we 
claim  as  our  Lord  and  Master,  by  going  about  doing  good,  endeavor 
ing  to  pluck  the  brand  from  the  burning,  to  pull  the  prey  of  the  lion 
of  hell  from  his  devouring  jaws,  to  seek  and  to  save  what  is  in  ex 
treme  hazard,  through  the  craft  and  activity,  the  power  and  cruelty, 
of  the  wicked  one,  of  being  lost,  lost  forever. 


II— THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY  IN  REFERENCE  TO  HIS  GREAT  ENEMY. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  apostle's  account  of  the  Christian's  duty 
in  reference  to  his  great  spiritual  adversary.  His  duty  is  to  resist 
him  ;  and,  in  order  effectually  to  resist  him,  to  be  sober,  to  be  watch 
ful,  to  be  steadfast  in  the  faith. 


CHAP.  I— WHAT  HE  MUST  DO  TO  HIS  GREAT  ENEMY— RESIST  HIM. 

The  attacks  of  our  great  spiritual  enemy  naturally  divide  them 
selves  into  two  classes;  those  which  are  made  on  the  Christian  as  an 
individual,  and  those  which  are  made  on  the  Christian  cause.  It  is 
the  duty  of  the  Christian  to  resist  both. 

§  1 . — He  must  resist  his  attacks  on  himself. 

Temptation  to  sin  is  the  manner  in  which  the  evil  one  attacks  the 
individual  Christian.  Sometimes  these  tempations  are  direct ;  oftener 
they  are  indirect ;  but  all  temptation  to  sin,  like  all  sin  itself,  may  be 
considered  as  directly  or  indirectly  the  work  of  the  devil.  It  is  much 
more  a  matter  of  curiosity  than  of  use,  to  seek  to  distinguish  accu 
rately  the  temptations  which  come  immediately  from  the  wicked  one, 
from"  those  in  presenting  which  to  the  mind  he  employs  intermediate 
agencies.  But  it  is  of  great  importance  to  remember,  that  all  solicita 
tions  to  sin,  from  whatever  quarter  they  come,  are  in  accordance  with 
his  will,  and,  if  not  resisted,  will  contribute  to  the  gaining  of  his  object 
in  warring  against  the  soul.  Of  all  suggestions  of  this  kind,  we  may 
say  both  that  they  come  not,  they  cannot  come,  from  above  ;  they  do, 
they  must,  come  from  beneath.  Of  some  of  them  we  may  say  they 
are  "  earthly,"  of  others  they  are  "  sensual,"  of  all  they  are  "  devilish." 

Generally  speaking,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Christian  carefully  to  keep 
out  of  the  way  of  temptation,  to  avoid  everything,  which  can  be 
avoided  in  consistency  with  duty,  which  may  afford  an  opportunity 
to  the  great  enemy  or  his  agents  to  assail  him  with  solicitations  to 
sin.  It  is  madness  to  hold  parley  with  him,  or  uncalled  on  to  provoke 
him  to  combat.  Such  unnecessary  tamperings,  such  self-confident 
conflicts,  generally  end  in  sin  and  shame. 


752  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC,  xxm. 

But  the  adversary  will  not  let  the  Christian  alone,  and  the  path  of 
iluty  is  a  path  that  sometimes,  indeed  ofttimes,  leads  into  temptation. 
When  the  Christian  is  attacked,  he  must  not  flee,  he  must  not  yield 
himself  up  into  the  hands  of  his  enemy ;  he  must  resist,  he  must  op 
pose  him.  He  must  not  comply  with  his  solicitations.  Like  that 
good  spiritual  soldier  of  ancient  times  he  must  say,  "  How  can  I  do 
this  great  wickedness  and  sin  against  God  ?"  or,  like  the  Captain  of 
salvation,  he  must,  with  the  shield  of  faith,  quench  all  the  fiery  darts 
of  the  wicked,  repelling  his  reiterated  suggestions  by  "  It  is  written, 
it  is  written,"  and  in  holy  indignation  bidding  him  "  get  behind  him." l 
He  must  not  allow  himself  to  deliberate  on  a  proposal  which  involves 
in  it  the  denial  of  truth,  the  neglect  of  duty,  or  the  commission  of 
sin,  by  whatever  plausibilities  and  apparent  advantages  it  -may  be 
recommended,  but  immediately,  and  with  abhorrence,  reject  it. 

Non-compliance  with  the  suggestions  of  the  wicked  one,  is,  how 
ever,  but  a  part  of  the  Christian  duty  of  resistance.  The  Christian 
must  oppose  the  wicked  one.  He  must  not  merely  stand  on  the  de 
fensive  ;  he  must  attack  the  enemy,  he  must  quit  himself  like  a  man, 
and  so  fight  as  to  turn  to  flight  the  alien  and  his  armies.  He  must  so 
resist  the  devil  as  that  he  shall  flee  from  him.  In  plain  words,  he 
must  make  solicitations  to  sin  occasions  and  means  of  progress  in 
holiness.  For  example,  when  tempted  to  fretfulness  under  affliction, 
instead  of  yielding  to  the  temptation,  he  must  "glorify  God  in  the 
fires,"  by  more  than  ever  possessing  his  soul  in  patience,  and  count 
ing  it  all  joy  to  be  brought  into  manifold  tribulation.  When  tempted 
to  be  ashamed  of  Christ  or  his  cause,  he  must  seize  that  opportunity 
of  making  his  conduct  proclaim  more  loudly  than  ever,  "  God  forbid 
that  I  should  glory,  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
When  tempted  to  penuriousness  in  supporting  the  cause  of  Christ,  he 
must  give  more  cheerfully,  and,  if  possible,  more  plenteously,  than 
ever.  When  tempted  to  be  weary  in  well-doing,  he  must  feel  this  as 
a  powerful  reason  why  he  should  be  "  steadfast  and  unmovable,  al 
ways  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord."  When  tempted  to  asso 
ciate  with  the  worldly  and  ungodly,  he  should  take  an  opportunity  of 
showing  that  in  the  saints  on  the  earth,  the  excellent  ones,  is  all  his 
delight.  When  tempted  to  draw  very  near  the  borders  of  criminal 
indulgence,  let  him  not  even  stand  still  where  he  is,  but  retire  still 
farther  from  the  appearance  of  evil,  and  carefully  keep  off  "  the  de 
batable  land."  When  the  evil  one  tempts  to  unfrequency  or  care 
lessness  in  sacred  prayer,  let  it  be  felt  as  a  reason  why  he  should  seek 
to  realize  more  and  more  in  his  own  experience,  what  it  is  to  "  pray 
in  the  spirit,  to  pray  always,  with  all  prayer  and  supplication,  and  to 
watch  thereunto  with  all  perseverance."  Let  temptations  to  careless 
ness  produce  increased  vigilance,  and  to  indolence  increased  diligence. 
Let  attempts  to  make  us  neglect  the  assembling  of  ourselves  together, 
lead  to  more  conscientious  attendance  on  public  religious  services, 
and  more  undivided  attention  in  them.  In  one  word,  let  all  his  en 
deavors  to  lead  us  in  the  way  of  sin,  end  in  our  farther  advancement 
in  the  opposite  way  of  holiness.  This  is  the  way  to  turn  the  artillery 
of  the  wicked  one'against  himself.  Nothing  is  so  well  fitted  to  mor- 

1  Matt.  iv.  4,  7,  10. 


PART  II.J  DUTY  IN  REFERENCE  TO  HIM.  753 

t;fy  that  old  adversary,  as  to  find  that  the  very  means  he  employs  to 
produce  our  apostasy  and  ruin  are  converted  into  the  occasion  of  our 
establishment  in  the  faith,  our  advancement  in  holiness,  and  our  fit 
ness  for  heaven.  So  much  for  the  resistance  which  the  Christian  is 
to  make  to  the  attacks  of  his  great  spiritual  enemy,  directed  imme 
diately  against  himself  as  an  individual. 

§  2. — He  must  resist  his  attacks  on  the  Christian  cause. 

But  the  Christian  is  to  resist  not  only  these  attacks,  he  is  to  resist 
also  the  attacks  which  his  adversary  the  devil  is  constantly  making  on 
the  cause  of  Christ.  He  is  constantly  engaged  in  endeavoring  to 
corrupt  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  ;  to  introduce,  and  maintain,  and  ex 
tend  error,  and  superstition,  and  fanaticism,  and  schism,  and  bigotry, 
and  disorder,  and  impurity,  in  the  churches  of  Christ,  and  to  oppose 
the  exertions  which  are  making  to  diffuse  the  knowledge  and  the  in 
fluence  of  "  the  truth  and  grace,  which  came  by  Jesus  Christ."  The 
Christian  is  to  fight  against  Satan,  not  only  in  his  own  heart,  but  in 
the  church  and  the  world.  There  is  a  battle-field  without  as  well  as 
within.  He  is  carefully  to  avoid  everything  which  may  in  any  way 
prove,  however  unintentionally,  co-operation  with  the  lawless  one  in 
his  nefarious  designs  ;  and  by  all  proper  methods  he  must  endeavor  to 
counteract  him. 

He  must,  however,  take  care  not  to  attempt  what  has  been  too  fre 
quently  attempted,  to  vanquish  the  wicked  one  by  weapons  borrowed 
from  his  own  armory.  He  must  not  repel  force  by  force,  false  ar 
gument  by  false  argument,  railing  by  railing.  In  such  conflict  the 
devil  is  sure  to  overcome ;  indeed,  the  very  employment  of  these 
weapons  is  a  proof  that  he  has  already,  to  a  certain  degree,  overcome. 
In  this  warfare,  Christians  must  remember  that  "  the  weapons  of  their 
warfare  are  not  carnal,  but  mighty  through  God  to  the  pulling  down 
strongholds,  and  bringing  into  captivity  every  high  thought  that  ex- 
alteth  itself  against  the  knowledge  of  God."  Their  motto  must  be, 
"  Not  by  might  and  power,  but  by  God's  Spirit.  By  pureness,  by 
knowledge,  by  long-suffering,  by  kindness,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  love 
unfeigned,  by  the  word  of  truth,  by  the  power  of  God,  by  the  ar 
mor  of  righteousness  on  the  right  hand  and  the  left."  This  is  the 
manner  in  which  the  apostle  teaches  us  to  carry  on  our  warfare  for 
the  cause  of  Christ  against  the  cause  of  the  devil.  "  The  servant  of 
God  must  not  strive,  but  be  gentle  to  all  men,  apt  to  teach,  patient,  in 
meekness  instructing  those  who  oppose  themselves,  if  God,  perad- 
venture,  will  give  them  repentance  to  the  acknowledging  of  the  truth, 
and  that  they  may  deliver  themselves  out  of  the  snare  of  the  devil, 
who  are  taken  captive  of  him  at  his  will."  l 

Christians  are  not  to  stand  looking  idly  on  when  the  wicked  one, 
by  ignorance  and  error,  and  superstition  and  profligacy,  is  consum 
mating  the  eternal  perdition  of  men  by  millions.  No,  they  are  to 
"rise  up  for  God  against  the  evil-doer,  they  are  to  stand  up  for  Him 
against"  his  armies,  "  the  workers  of  iniquity."  As  "  the  armies  of 
heaven,  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean,"2  they  are  to  follow  on 

'  2  Cor  x  4     Zecb.  iv.  6.     2  Cor.  vi.  6-8.     2  Tim.  ii.  24-26.  a  Rev.  xix.  11-14. 

48 


754  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  xxm. 

their  white  horses  him  whose  name  is  the  Word  of  God,  faithful  and 
true,  who,  clothed  in  a  vesture  dipt  in  blood,  rides  forth  prosperously 
on  his  white  horse,  "  in  righteousness,  judging  and  making  war,  con 
quering  and  to  conquer."  Like  him,  wherever  they  are,  according 
to  the  facilities  afforded  by  their  circumstances,  they  are  to  be  con^- 
stantly  engaged  in  destroying  the  works  of  the  devil.  Thus,  then, 
are  Christians  to  resist  their  adversary  the  devil.1 


CHAR  II— WHAT  THE  CHRISTIAN  IS  TO  DO,  THAT  HE  MAY  RESIST 
HIS  GREAT  ENEMY. 

The  apostle  not  only  enjoins  this  duty  of  resistance,  he  also  in 
structs  Christians  how  they  are  to  be  enabled  to  perform  it.  If  they 
would  successfully  resist  the  devil,  either  in  their  own  hearts,  or  in 
the  church  and  the  world,  they  must  "  be  sober,  vigilant,  and  stead 
fast  in  the  faith."  Let  us  shortly  explain  these  exercises,  and  show 
how  necessary  they  are,  and  how  well  fitted  they  are,  to  enable  the 
Christian  to  resist  his  adversary  the  devil. 

When  we  read  these  words,  we  feel  that  the  injunctions  contained 
in  them  have  already  been  given ;  the  first  of  them  more  than  once. 
The  reiteration  of  such  precepts  in  so  short  an  epistle,  teaches  a 
lesson  both  to  ministers  and  people,  both  to  the  teachers  and  the 
taught.  It  says  to  the  first,  "  for  you  to  say  the  same  things  should 
not  be  grievous,"  for  the  second,  "  it  is  safe ;"  ay,  it  is  necessary 
"  Precept  must  be  on  precept,  line  upon  line ;  here  a  little,  and  there 
a  little."  "  It  were  easy,"  says  Archbishop  Leighton,  "  to  entertain 
men's  mind  with  new  discourse,  if  our  task  were  rather  to  please 
than  to  profit ;  for  there  be  many  things  which,  with  little  labor,  might 
be  brought  forth  as  new  and  strange  to  ordinary  hearers.  But  there 
be  a  few  things  which  it  chiefly  concerns  us  to  know  and  practise,  and 
these  are  to  be  more  frequently  represented  and  pressed.  This  apostle, 
and  other  divine  writers,  drew  from  too  full  a  spring  to  be  ebb  of 
matter ;  but  they  rather  choose  profitable  iterations  than  unprofitable 
variety,  and  so  should  we."  Yet  we  shall  find  that,  though  substan 
tially  the  same  exhortations  are  repeated,  it  is  always  with  a  peculiar 
adaptation  to  the  connection  in  which  they  occur.  They  are  not 
mere  repetitions ;  they  are  examples  of  the  applications  of  general 
principles,  or  precepts,  to  particular  cases.  It  is  obviously  so  in  the 
instance  before  us. 

§  1. — He  must  be  sober. 

The  word  here  translated  "be  sober,"  is  the  same  which,  in  the 
seventh  verse  of  the  preceding  chapter,  is  rendered  be  vigilant.  Its 
proper  signification  is  to  be  abstinent  from,  or  temperate  in  the  use  of, 
wine  or  other  intoxicating  drinks.  It  designates  a  state  directly  the 
reverse  of  a  state  of  intoxication.  The  word  may  be  understood 

1  The  motives  to  resistance  are  strongly  put  by  Tertullian :  "  Stat  conflictus  conspector, 
et  victorias  Agonothetes,  Deus  vivus :  Xystarches,  Spiritus  Sanctus :  Epistates,  Christua 
Jesus ;  Corona,  seternitatis  brabium,  angelicse  in  ccelis  substantise  politia,  gloria  in  secula 
seculorum." — Lib.  ad  Martyr,  iii. 


PART  II.]  DUTY  IN  REFERENCE  TO  HIM.  755 

either  literally  or  figuratively.  If  understood  literally,  we  are  here 
taught  that  temperance,  in  reference  to  intoxicating  drinks,  is  neces 
sary  in  order  to  our  resisting  the  devil.  And,  certainly,  nothing  can 
be  more  obviously  true  than  this.  The  natural  tendency  of  intoxi 
cating  drinks  is  to  diminish  the  power  of  conscience  and  reason,  and 
to  increase  the  power  of  the  lower  principles  of  our  nature,  animal  ap 
petite  and  irascible  feeling.  It  increases  the  strength  of  what  needs 
to  be  restrained,  and  weakens  the  strength  of  what  is  fitted  and  in 
tended  to  restrain.  It  delivers  the  man,  in  one  point  of  view,  bound 
hand  and  foot,  so  far  as  resistance  is  concerned,  into  the  devil's  hands  ; 
and,  in  another,  presents  him  a  willing  soldier,  appropriately  armed 
for  his  service.  An  intoxicated  man  would  be  ill  fitted  to  take  care 
of  himself,  if  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  subtle,  powerful  beasts  of  prey  ; 
and  he  is  certainly  not  better  fitted  to  guard  himself  against  that 
crafty  and  active,  strong  and  cruel  spiritual  enemy,  who  is  here  repre 
sented  as  prowling  about  like  a  roaring  lion.  While  this  is  undoubt 
edly  true,  and,  highly  important,  as  the  corresponding  term  "  be  vigi 
lant,"  that  is,  wakeful,  is  plainly  to  be  understood  in  a  figurative  sense, 
we  apprehend  the  expression  before  us  must  also  be  interpreted  figura 
tively  ;  an  interpretation  which  substantially  includes  the  literal  mean 
ing,  while  it  includes  much  more. 

"  Things  seen  and  temporal,"  the  pleasures,  the  riches,  the  honors 
of  this  world,  are  apt  to  intoxicate  the  mind.  Men  under  their  su 
preme  influence  are  regulated  more  by  imagination  and  appetite  than 
by  conscience  and  reason.  What  is  present  and  sensible,  occupies 
the  whole  mind.  What  is  unseen  and  future,  is  overlooked  and  for 
gotten,  and  treated  as  if  it  had  no  existence.  Time  is  everything, 
eternity  is  nothing.  This  is  mental  intoxication  ;  and  sobriety,  in  op 
position  to  this,  is  just  the  sound  estimate  which  enlightened  con 
science  and  reason  form  of  the  comparative  value  of  things  seen  and 
unseen,  things  temporal  and  eternal,  with  a  habitual  state  of  feeling 
and  action  corresponding  to  this  estimate. 

He  is  sober  who  reckons  that  the  ever-enduring  holy  happiness 
which  can  be  found  only  in  possessing  the  favor,  and  being  conformed 
to  the  image  of  God,  is  of  more  true  value  to  man  than  all  else  which 
the  created  universe  contains ;  that  the  certainty  of  attaining  the 
greatest  earthly  good  is  too  dearly  purchased  by  the  slightest  hazard 
of  losing  this  happiness  ;  that  no  sacrifice,  no  suffering,  is  to  be  much 
counted  on  if  necessary  in  order  to  its  attainment;  and  that  what  has  no 
tendency  to  secure  this,  cannot  be  a  matter  of  very  much  importance  to 
a  being  like  man.  Such  a  man  shows  a  mind  free  from  intoxication. 
He  judges  of  things  as  they  really  are.  His  maxims  are  obviously 
the  words  of  truth  and  soberness.  God  is  more  excellent  than  the 
creature.  The  soul  is  more  valuable  than  the  body.  Heaven  is  better 
than  earth,  far  better  than  hell.  Time  is  shorter  than  eternity. 

The  man  who  is  thus  sober  is  prepared  for  resisting  the  devil,  in 
both  the  ways  illustrated  above.  The  devil  is  the  god  of  this  world, 
and  all  his  power  is  derived  from  it..  The  sum  of  what  he  has  to  say 
in  the  way  of  temptation  is,  '  All  earthly  good  is  delivered  to  me,  and 
to  whomsoever  I  will  I  give  it.  All  earthly  evil  is  in  my  power,  and 
on  whomsoever  I  will  I  inflict  it.'  It  is  by  the  hope  of  worldly  good, 


756  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  XXIIL 

or  the  fear  of  worldly  evil,  that  he  prevails  on  men  lo  neglect  duty, 
and  to  commit  sin.  But  the  truly  sober  man  has  his  spiritual  senses 
too  well  exercised  to  believe  either  the  implied  or  the  express  false 
hood.  He  knows  that  God  has  not  relinquished  the  government  of 
the  world,  or  so  committed  it  into  the  hands  of  his  great  enemy,  as 
that  he  has  the  disposal  either  of  the  good  or  the  evil  of  life ;  and 
though  it  were  otherwise,  he  knows  that  there  is  a  more  valuable  good 
which  compliance  with  his  suggestions  would  forfeit ;  a  more  dread 
ful  evil  to  which  compliance  with  his  suggestions  would  expose  him. 
So  far  as  he  is  influenced  by  this  sober  judgment,  he  "keeps  himself, 
and  the  wicked  one  toucheth  him  not."  And  the  same  sober  judg 
ments  of  the  value  of  the  soul,  and  of  the  importance  of  eternity,  nat 
urally  lead  to  strenuous,  persevering  exertions  to  resist  the  devil,  in 
his  attempts  to  introduce  error  and  superstition  into  the  church,  and 
to  perpetuate  ignorance,  idolatry,  and  wickedness  in  the  world. 

§  2. — He  must  be  vigilant. 

But  that  Christians  may  effectually  resist  their  adversary  the  devil, 
the  apostle  calls  on  them  to  be  not  only  sober,  but  "  vigilant."  The 
literal  meaning  of  the  word  is  in  opposition  to  falling  asleep,  to  keep 
awake  as  shepherds  do  when  watching  their  sheep  by  night,  or  sen 
tinels  when  keeping  watch  on  the  walls  of  a  city ;  it  indicates  a  state 
of  watchfulness,  in  opposition  to  a  state  of  sleep  or  drowsiness.  Some 
would  interpret  the  words  literally ;  and  it  is  on  this  ground,  among 
others,  that  Roman  Catholics  prescribe  watching  as  well  as  fasting  as 
a  means  of  spiritual  advantage,  and  of  successfully  resisting  our  ghostly 
adversaries. 

There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt,  however,  that  here,  and  wher 
ever  else  in  the  New  Testament,  watching  is  prescribed  as  a  general 
Christian  duty,  the  word  is  used  figuratively.  A  state  of  security,  in 
attention,  and  inactivity,  is  naturally  emblematized  by  a  state  of  sleep ; 
and  a  state  of  consciousness  of  existing  hazards,  attention  to  them, 
and  active  employment  of  the  means  to  escape  them,  by  a  state  of 
watching  or  wakefulness. 

To  be  watchful,  with  a  reference  to  the  resistance  of  the  evil  one, 
implies  that  the  individual  is  aware  of  the  existence  and  reality  of  the 
hazards  to  which,  from  malignant  spiritual  influence,  his  highest  in 
terests  are  exposed ;  that  he  is  on  the  alert  to  notice  all  the  move 
ments  of  the  subtle,  active,  cruel,  and  powerful  foe ;  and  that  not  igno 
rant  of,  or  inattentive  to,  his  devices,  he  looks  around  him,  walks  cir 
cumspectly,  aware  that  in  any  quarter  the  enemy  may  make  his  ap 
pearance  ;  and  that  he  so  disguises  himself,  and  varies  his  form,  that 
it  requires  spiritual  sagacity,  in  its  most  awakened  state,  to  detect 
him  ;  and,  finally,  that  when  he  does  discover  him  ready  to  deceive 
or  to  devour,  to  delude  or  destroy,  he  is  ready,  broad  awake,  in  full 
possession  of  his  spiritual  faculties,  prepared  'to  employ  the  proper 
means  for  counter- working  him,  and  disappointing  his  nefarious  pur 
poses. 

It  is  not  enough  that  a  man  be  sober,  that  is,  not  intoxicated,  round 
whom  a  powerful  crafty  beast  of  prey  is  prowling.  He  must  be 


PART  II.]  DUTY  IN  REFERENCE  TO  HIM.  757 

wakeful.  However  sober,  if  he  fall  asleep,  he  is  in  imminent  hazard 
of  being  dangerously  wounded,  if  not  devoured.  Indeed,  he  is  not 
acting  like  a  sober  man,  if  in  these  circumstances,  he  allows  himself 
to  fall  asleep.  In  like  manner,  the  Christian  must  not  only  have  a 
just  estimate  of  the  transcendent  importance  of  things  unseen  and 
eternal,  but  his  spiritual  senses  must  be  habitually  exercised ;  the 
eyes  of  his  mind  "must  look  right  on,  and  his  eyelids  look  straight  be 
fore  him."  He  must  "  ponder  the  path  of  his  feet,"  and  especially 
"  keep  his  heart  with  all  diligence ;  for  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life."  l 
He  must,  like  a  watchful  sentinel,  take  good  heed,  that  through  none 
of  the  external  senses,  the  gates,  as  Bunyan  represents  them,  of  the 
good  town  Mansoul,  the  great  adversary,  under  any  disguise,  find  his 
way  to  the  citadel  of  the  heart.  He  must  be  watchful,  for  his  enemy 
is  so. 

The  influence  which  this  vigilance  is  calculated  to  exert  on  the  re 
sistance  of  the  wicked  one  in  his  attack  both  on  us  as  individuals,  and 
on  the  cause  of  Christ,  is  so  obvious,  that  I  may  safely  leave  you  to 
follow  out  this  train  of  thought  in  your  private  meditations. 

§  3. — He  must  be  steadfast  in  the  faith. 

The  third  and  principal  means  by  which  Christians  are  to  be  en 
abled  to  resist  the  great  adversary,  is  the  being  "  steadfast  in  the  faith." 
We  call  that  the  principal  means  ;  for  it  is  as  necessary  to  the  right 
use  of  the  other  means  as  to  the  gaining  of  the  common  end  :  as  ne 
cessary  to  the  being  "  sober  and  vigilant"  as  to  "  the  resisting  of  the 
devil." 

The  apostle  takes  for  granted  that  the  persons  whom  he  addressed 
were  "  believers."  They  were  "  in  the  faith ;"  and  he  calls  on  them 
to  be  "  steadfast  in  the  faith."  Had  he  been  speaking  to  unconverted 
men,  the  first  thing  he  would  have  called  on  them  to  do,  would  have 
been  to  believe  ;  for,  till  they  believed,  they  could  neither  see  their 
danger,  nor  use  the  means  which  were  necessary  for  their  safety. 
They  to  whom  he  writes  had  believed  the  truth  respecting  their  nat 
ural  condition  as  the  willing,  helpless  slaves  of  the  wicked  one,  bound 
in  the  fetters  of  guilt  and  the  cords  of  depravity.  They  had  believed 
the  truth  respecting  Jesus  the  great  deliverer,  who,  by  the  blood  of 
his  covenant,  had  made  provision  for  the  deliverance  of  the  prisoners 
out  of  the  pit  in  which  there  was  no  water  ;  who  proclaims  liberty  to 
the  captive,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison  doors  to  them  who  are 
bound  ;  who  takes  the  prey  from  the  mighty,  and  delivers  the  captive 
of  the  terrible  one.  They  had  believed  that  those  who  refuse  to  be 
released  by  him,  must,  along  with  their  enslaver,  be  shut  up  under 
everlasting  chains  in  the  prison  of  hell,  and  that  they  who  accept  of 
the  freely  offered  deliverance  shall,  under  the  protection  and  guidance 
of  their  redeeming  Lord,  be  preserved,  amid  all  the  attempts  of  their 
former  oppressors  to  bring  them  again  into  slavery,  and  ultimately 
placed  by  him  in  circumstances  of  perfect,  holy  happiness,  while  Satan 
^hall  be  forever  bruised  under  their  feet. 

It  is  the  belief  of  these  things  that  has  sobered  their  minds,  and 

1  Prov.  iv.  23,  25,  26. 


758  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  xxm. 

roused  them  to  spiritual  vigilance.  This  has  wakened  them,  and  it  is 
this  only  that  can  keep  them  awake ;  and  for  this  purpose  they  must 
be  "  steadfast  in  the  faith."  They  must  hold  fast  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus. 

It  is  not  enough  that  they  have  believed  ;  they  must  continue  be 
lieving.  The  truth  and  its  evidence  must  be  habitually  before  their 
minds.  Everything  depends  on  that.  They  are  safe  "if  they  keep 
in  memory  what  has  been  preached  to  them  ;"  not  otherwise.  The 
truth  works  effectually  towards  the  resistance  of  the  wicked  one,  but 
only  in  him  who  believes  it,  and  only  in  the  degree  in  which  he  be 
lieves  it.  It  is  faith  that  makes  the  Christian  strong  for  combat.  Let 
him  lose  sight  of  the  truth  and  its  evidence,  and,  like  Samson  shorn  of 
his  locks,  he  is  weak  as  another  man.  Whenever  he  staggers  through 
unbelief,  he  becomes  powerless  in  resisting  the  great  adversary.  It  is 
he  only  who  puts  on  the  whole  armor  of  God  that  can  stand  in  the 
evil  day  ;  but  it  is  the  believer  alone  who  can  put  on  and  wear  and 
wield  that  armor.  It  is  the  girdle  of  truth  believed  that  can  alone 
gird  up  the  loins  of  the  mind.  The  breastplate,  is  the  righteousness 
which  is  of  God  by  faith.  The  well-roughed  shoes,  of  the  prepara 
tion  of  the  gospel  of  peace,  which  are  necessary  to  enable  the  spirit 
ual  soldier  to  stand  firm  in  the  slippery  field  of  temptation,  can  be 
worn  only  by  them  who  believe  that  gospel.  The  shield,  which  ena 
bles  him  to  quench  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked  one,  is  the  shield 
of  faith.  The  hope,  which  is  the  helmet  of  salvation,  can  grace  no 
brow  but  the  brow  of  the  believer,  for  hope  rests  on  faith ;  the  sword 
of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  Word  of  God,  can  be  wielded  only  by  the 
arm  of  the  believer ;  and  the  prayer  which  is  necessary  to  secure  the 
right  and  the  effectual  use  of  all  those  pieces  of  spiritual  armor,  is 
the  prayer  of  faith. 

Had  our  first  parents  been  steadfast  in  faith,  they  had  never  fallen. 
They  became  the  prey  of  unbelief  in  the  shape  of  doubt,  before  they 
became  the  victims  of  the  devil.  God  said,  "  Ye  shall  surely  die ;" 
they  doubted  him.  The  devil  said,  "  Ye  shall  not  surely  die  ;"  they 
believed  him:  and  then  were  befooled  and  enslaved  by  him.  It  was 
by  being  steadfast  in  faith  that  the  great  Captain  of  our  salvation 
successfully  resisted  the  wicked  one,  and  blunted  all  his  fiery  darts. 
To  them  all  he  presented  the  shield  of  faith  in  a  specific  Divine  de 
claration,  and  the  most  envenomed  of  them  fell  harmless  at  his  feet. 
By  faith  all  the  elders  who  have  received  a  good  report  turned  to 
flight  the  alien  armies  of  their  infernal  as  well  as  mortal  enemies ;  and 
still  is  it  true,  and  it  will  continue  true  till  the  last  spiritual  conflict 
has  taken  place  on  earth,  "  This  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the 
world,"  and  the  God  of  the  world,  "  even  our  faith/' l  Here,  as  in 
the  former  case,  I  leave  it  to  yourselves  to  follow  out  more  fully  the 
manner  in  which  steadfast  faith  operates  in  enabling  Christians  to 
resist  the  adversary  in  his  attacks  on  themselves  individually,  and  on 
the  great  cause  of  their  Lord  and  King. 

1  l  John  v.  4. 


PART  III.]  ENCOURAGEMENT.  759 


III.— THE    CHRISTIAN'S  ENCOURAGEMENT  TO   PERFORM   HIS   DUTY   Itf 
REFERENCE  TO  HIS  GREAT  ENEMY. 

It  only  remains  that  we  briefly  attend  to  the  encouragement  which 
the  Christian  has  amid  the  sufferings  in  which  his  struggles  with  his 
spiritual  enemies  may  involve  him.  That  encouragement  is  derived 
from  two  sources — an  undoubted  fact  and  a  faithful  promise ;  an  un 
doubted  fact — the  same  struggle  has  been  sustained  and  surmounted 
by  all  the  brotherhood:  and  a  faithful  promise — "the  God  of  all 
grace,  who  hath  called  them  unto  his  eternal  glory  by  Christ  Jesus, 
after  they  have  suffered  a  while,  will  make  them  perfect,  stablish, 
strengthen,  settle  them."  Let  us  attend  to  these  encouragements  in 
their  order. 

CHAP.  I— THE   ENCOURAGING   FACT— ALL    THE   BROTHERHOOD   HAVE 
SUSTAINED  AND  SURMOUNTED  THIS  STRUGGLE. 

And  first,  let  us  consider  the  encouraging  fact.  "  Knowing  this," 
says  the  apostle,  "  that  the  same  afflictions  are  accomplished  in  your 
brethren  who  are  in  the  world."  It  has  been  questioned  whether  the 
sufferings  here  spoken  of  refer  to  the  inward  sufferings  occasioned  by 
the  temptations  of  the  wicked  one,  or  to  the  outward  sufferings,  the 
persecutions  which  spring  out  of  the  influence  of  the  wicked  one  on 
the  minds  of  his  slaves  and  their  enemies.  I  do  not  think  that  it  is 
necessary,  or  even  proper,  to  confine  it  to  either.  It  refers  to  suffer 
ings  growing  out  of  the  machinations  and  agency  of  their  great 
spiritual  adversary  of  whatever  kind.  The  apostle  states  that  "  the 
same  afflictions" — afflictions  of  the  same  kind  arising  from  the  same 
cause — "  were  accomplished  in  their  brethren,"  literally,  '  in  their 
brotherhood/  "  in  the  world." 

Some  have  thought  that  these  words  contain  in  them  but  little  to 
support  under  suffering,  and  have  applied  the  words  of  a  heathen 
moralist :  "  It  is  but  poor  consolation  that  I  am  one  of  many  suffer 
ers."  But  if  we  look  at  the  words  carefully,  we  shall  find  that  they 
are  replete  with  encouragement. 

Sufferers  are  apt  to  think  their  case  quite  singular;  others  have 
been  tried,  but  none  tried  as  they  are ;  and  the  Apostle  Paul  shows 
his  knowledge  of  human  nature  when  he  says  to  the  Corinthians, 
"  There  hath  no  temptation  taken  you  but  such  as  is  common  to 
man."  Your  sufferings  are  not  peculiar.  It  is  unreasonable  to  com 
plain  of  what  is  so  common  a  lot.  It  were  pusillanimous  to  sink  un 
der  what  so  many  are  suffering  and  have  sustained. 

But  the  consolation  here  given  is  of  a  higher  kind  than  this. 
These  sufferings  are  characteristic  of  the  brotherhood  to  which  you 
belong.  Every  member  of  that  brotherhood  is  a  partaker  of  them. 
He  who  is  the  first-born  of  the  many  brethren  experienced  the  tempt 
ations  of  the  devil  and  the  persecutions  of  wicked  men  ;  and  in  their 
sufferings  all  the  younger  branches  of  the  holy  family  have  fellow 
ship  with  Him.  You  could  not  belong  to  that  brotherhood  if  you 
were  entire  strangers  to  their  afflictions.1  "  If  ye  were  of  the  world 

1  "  Erras  si  putas,  unquam  Christianura  persecutionem  non  pati." — HIEUONYMUS. 


760  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  xxin. 

the  world  would  love  its  own,"  and  the  god  of  this  world  would  not 
so  attack  you  ;  "  but  because  ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  chosen  out 
of  the  world,"  therefore  the  world  and  its  prince  harass  and  abuse 
you.  It  is  one  of  the  family  badges  ;  "  if  ye  were  without  such  chas 
tisements,"  of  which  all  the  children,  all  the  brotherhood,  are  par 
takers,  "  then  were  ye  bastards,  and  not  sons."  l  Would  you  willing 
ly  part  with  the  characteristic  privileges  of  the  brotherhood,  in  order 
to  obtain  exemption  from  their  characteristic  sufferings  ?  Besides,  as 
these  sufferings  are  common  to  the  brotherhood,  you  may  be  assured 
of  that  cordial  sympathy  which  lightens  suffering,  and  that  "  fervent 
prayer  which  avails  much." 

Then  there  is  some  peculiarity  in  the  phrase  "  are  accomplished," 
are  fulfilled.  It  is  not  said  they  are  endured  by,  but  they  are  accom 
plished  or  fulfilled  in.  This  peculiar  mode  of  expression  leads  us  to 
think  of  these  sufferings  as  appointments  which  must  be  fulfilled.  No 
chance  has  happened  to  you.  "  This  hath  come  forth  from  him  who 
is  wonderful  in  counsel  and  excellent  in  working."  Satan  and  his 
agents  are  but  doing  to  you,  as  they  did  to  your  Lord,  "  what  God's 
hand  and  counsel  before  time  determined  to  be  done."  These  tempt 
ations  and  persecutions  are  a  part  of  the  manifold  trials  to  which,  for 
a  season,  it  is  needful  that  you  be  subject ;  for  "  they  who  would  live 
godly  in  this  world  must  suffer  persecution."  Your  Lord  has  assured 
you,  that  "  in  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation ;"  and  his  apostle, 
that  "  through  much  tribulation  ye  must  enter  the  kingdom."  These 
are  sufferings  to  which  ye  are  appointed  and  called.  These  are  suf 
ferings  appointed  to  every  Christian  as  a  member  of  the  body  of 
Christ,  and  they  must  be  accomplished.  They  are  a  part  of  the  dis 
cipline  by  which  the  brotherhood  on  earth  are  to  be  made  fit  for  join 
ing  the  brotherhood  in  heaven.2 

And,  then,  what  encouragement  and  consolation  is  there-  in  the 
thought,  that  these  afflictions,  as  they  must  for  wise  and  benignant 
reasons  be  endured  by  the  whole  brotherhood  while  they  are  in  the 
world,  are  to  be  accomplished  here  ?  The  brotherhood,  who  are  with 
their  Father  and  their  elder  Brother  in  Heaven,  are  completely  be 
yond  the  reach  of  temptation  and  persecution.  Satan  is  bruised  un 
der  their  feet.  They  are  made  more  than  conquerors.  The  helmet 
has  been  exchanged  for  the  crown  that  fadeth  not  away ;  the  sword 
of  conflict  for  the  palm  of  victory ;  and  the  cry,  "  I  a"m  oppressed, 
undertake  for  me,"  for  the  shout,  "  Salvation  to  our  God  and  the 
Lamb  forever  and  ever.  To  him  that  loved  us  and  washed  us  in 
his  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  to  God  his  Father,  to 
him  be  dominion  and  glory  forever  and  ever." 

And  where  they  are,  their  brethren  on  the  earth  will  ere  long  be. 
Is  it  not  meet  that  we  should  endure  with  patience  and  fortitude  on 
earth,  since  such  rest  and  enjoyment  are  prepared  for  us  in  heaven  ? 
The  phrase,  brotherhood  on  earth,  naturally  leads  the  mind  to  the 
brotherhood  in  heaven.  There  is  to  be  the  permanent  abode  of  the 
whole  brotherhood.  "  The  gathering  together"  at  the  coming  of  the 
Lord,  is  to  be  there.  "  Faithful  is  he  who  promised,  who  also' will  do 

1  John  xv.  19.     Heb.  xii.  8. 

3  Isa.  xxviii.  29.    Acts  v.  28;  xiv.  22.    John  xvi.  S3. 


PART  III.J  ENCOURAGEMENT.  761 

it :"  "  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions,"  accommodation  for 
all  the  brotherhood ;  "  if  it  had  not  been  so,  I  would  have  told  you. 
I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you ;  and  if  I  go  away,  I  will  come  again, 
and  take  you  to  myself,  that  where  I  am  there  ye  may  be  also."  l  He 
became  perfect  through  the  accomplishment  of  his  sufferings  ;  and  so, 
in  a  sense  suited  to  our  case,  must  we  become  perfect  through  the  ac 
complishment  of  our  sufferings.  At  the  very  utmost,  we  are  not  to 
be  long  in  the  world  where  our  afflictions  are  to  be  accomplished, 
finished ;  we  are  to  be  forever  in  the  better  world,  where  the  glori 
ous  results  which  infinite  wisdom  and  kindness  have  wronght  out  by 
these  afflictions,  will  continue  unfolding  themselves  to  our  growing 
astonishment  and  delight  throughout  eternity. 

Thus  are  all  these  afflictions  accomplished  here.  The  brotherhood 
who  have  passed  the  Jordan  of  death,  and  entered  into  the  heavenly 
Canaan,  are  forever  secure  from  the  attacks  of  the  wild  beasts  that 
roam  the  desert  through  which  we  are  passing,  and  from  all  the  afflic 
tions  which  flow  from  these  attacks.  The  old  serpent  shall  never  find 
his  way  into  the  restored  paradise  ;  and  thither  all  the  brotherhood 
are  tending.  Yet  a  little  while  and  they  shall  all  be  there,  safe  and 
happy  together,  in  their  Father's  house  forever.  This  is  surely  great 
encouragement,  abundant  consolation. 


CHAP.  II.— THE  FAITHFUL  PROMISE. 

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  still  more  explicit  encourage 
ment  suggested  by  the  faithful  promise  contained  in  the  tenth  verse  ; 
for,  on  careful  inspection,  it  will  be  found  to  be  a  promise.  The 
tenth  verse  is  very  generally  considered  as  a  prayer  on  the  part  of 
the  apostle,  that  Christians  might,  amid  their  struggles  and  sufferings, 
be  "made  perfect,  stablished,  strengthened,  settled."  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  was  his  wish  and  prayer  for  them :  but  a  closer  con 
sideration  of  the  words  convinces  me,  that  this  verse  is  not  a  prayer 
but  a  promise — not  a  request  that  God  would  confer  certain  most 
valuable  and  appropriate  blessings  on  tempted,  struggling,  afflicted 
Christians,  but  a  declaration  that  he  will  bestow  them. 

I  think  most  careful  readers  of  the  Bible  must  have  felt  disappoint 
ed,  that  after  so  very  graphic  a  view  had  been  given  of  the  dangers 
and  struggles  of  the  Christian,  all  that  should  have  been  said  for  his 
encouragement  and  comfort  is,  "  the  same  afflictions  are  fulfilled  in 
your  brethren  that  are  in  the  world."  The  rendering  given  by  our 
translators  of  the  tenth  verse,  is  not  literal — indeed  from  the  text  from 
which  they  translated;  no  strictly  literal  intelligible  version  could  have 
been  given.  By  the  slightest  of  all  changes,  the  putting  one  vowel 
in  the  place  of  another,2  a  change  which  the  inquiries  of  critics  have 
found  not  only  to  be  authorized  but  required,  the  original  passage  is 
freed  from  all  difficulty,  and  the  encouragement  administered  to  the 
tempted,  struggling,  afflicted  believer,  is  as  abundant  and  complete  as 
we  could  expect  or  desire ;  indeed,  "  above  all  that  we  could  ask  or 
think."  Literally  rendered,  the  words  thus  amended,  are,  "but  the 

1   2  Thess.  ii.  1.    John  xiv.  2.  3  « instead  of  jt. 


762  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  xxm. 

God  of  all  grace,  who  hath  called  us,"  or  "you,  unto  his  eternal 
glory1  by  or  in  Christ  Jesus,  after  ye  have  suffered  a  while,  shall 
make  you  perfect,  strengthen,  stablish,  settle  you."  It  is  as  if  he  had 
said,  such  afflictions  rising  out  of  the  attacks  of  the  wicked  one,  must 
be  endured  by  you  ;  for  they  are  the  result  of  Divine  appointment,  an 
appointment  reaching  to  arid  fulfilled  in  all  your  brotherhood  in  the 
world;  but  be  not  discouraged:  "The  God  of  all  grace,  who  has 
called  you  unto  his  eternal  glory  by  Christ  Jesus,  after  ye  have 
suffered  a  while,  shall  make  you  perfect,  stablish,  strengthen,  settle 
you."  The  Christian,  watching  against  the  wiles,  struggling  against 
the  assaults  of  the  lion  .of  hell,  and  suffering  under  the  effects  of  his 
attacks,  and  their  resistance,  has  need  of  abundant  support,  and  en 
couragement,  and  consolation,  and  assuredly  he  has  got  it  here. 

There  is  strong  consolation  in  the  promise  itself.  "God  shall 
make  you  perfect,  stablish,  strengthen,  settle  you,"  notwithstanding, 
nay,  by  means  of  these  very  afflictions.  And  then,  what  superadded 
encouragement  and  comfort  is  there  in  the  adjuncts  of  the  promise, 
in  the  manner  in  which  the  promise  is  given.  For  who  promises  ? 
"  The  God  of  all  grace."  "  The  God  who  has  called  you."  "  The 
God  who  has  called  you  unto  his  eternal  glory  in  Christ  Jesus."  "  The 
God  who  has  called  you  to  this  glory  after  ye  have  suffered  awhile." 
Is  there  not  in  every  one  of  these  considerations  a  new  and  most 
exuberant  fountain  of  spiritual  encouragement  and  joy  opened  to  the 
Christian  warrior,  from  which  he  may  draw  most  refreshing  draughts 
when  fatigued  by  his  conflicts  with  his  great  adversary,  "  faint  yet 
pursuing  ?"  Well  may  he,  like  the  Captain  of  his  salvation,  drink  of 
the  brook  in  the  way,  and  lift  up  the  head  for  renewed  conflict,  or  un 
tiring  pursuit.  Let  us  first,  then,  look  at  the  matter  of  the  promise, 
and  then  at  the  manner  in  which  it  is  given. 

§  1. — The  encouragement  contained  in  the  promise  itself. 

Let  us  look  at  the  promise,  "  God  shall  make  you  perfect,  stablish, 
strengthen,  settle  you."  The  general  meaning  of  the  promise  obvi 
ously  is,  God  shall,  notwithstanding,  and  even  by  means  of  these  af 
flictions,  promote  your  spiritual  improvement,  and  add  to  your  real 
happiness.  All  the  figurative  expressions  are  well  fitted,  and,  with 
the  exception  of  one  of  them,*  frequently  employed  in  the  New  Tes 
tament,  to  denote  spiritual  improvement  and  growth  in  holiness  and 
comfort ;  and  it  has  been  supposed  by  many  interpreters,  that  it  is  to 
no  purpose  to  look  for  any  specific  meaning  in  each  of  these  terms. 
They  consider  the  promise  as  just  a  declaration,  that  through  the 
preaching  of  God's  word,  the  influence  of  his  Spirit,  and  the  over 
ruling  power  of  his  providence,  these  afflictions  should  work  together 
for  their  good,  in  the  most  extensive  sense  of  the  word,  for  making 
them  really  and,  in  the  end,  completely  holy  and  happy,  in  entire  con 
formity  to  the  holy,  holy,  holy,  ever-blessed  One.  We  are  disposed 
to  think,  however,  that  the  apostle  seldom  heaps  up  words  merely  for 
the  sake  of  emphasis,  and  that,  in  the  passage  before  us,  every  one  of 
the  figurative  expressions  presents  us  with  a  distinct  phase,  as  it 

is  one  of  the  un-a£  \ty6jieva. 


PART  III.]  ENCOURAGEMENT.  763 

were,  of  the  blessings  which  God  bestows  on  his  people,  under  the 
afflictions,  and  by  means  of  the  afflictions,  which  are  connected  with 
the  assaults  of  the  great  adversary  on  them,  and  their  resistance  to 
these  assaults. 

It  has  been  ingeniously  supposed,  that  there  is  but  one  image  in 
the  whole  passage,  and  that  the  different  figurative  expressions  are 
connected  representations  of  its  different  parts.  Christians  are  sup 
posed  here,  as  in  many  places  in  the  New  Testament,  to  be  repre 
sented  as  "  God's  building/'  "  a  holy  temple/'1  and  the  whole  of  their 
Christian  improvement  is  termed  their  "  edification,"  or  building  up. 
They  are  "settled,"  or  the  foundation  is  laid ;  then  they  are  "strength 
ened,"  strong  beams  are  fixed,  and  massy  pillars  raised ;  then  they 
are  "stablished,"  the  building  is  roofed  and  protected  from  the  in 
juries  of  the  weather;  and,  finally,  they  are  "perfected."  Every 
thing  within  and  without  is  so  fashioned,  as  to  become  a  meet  habita 
tion  for  God  through  the  Spirit.  There  is  ingenuity  enough  here ; 
but  it  is  plain,  if  that  had  been  the  apostle's  figure,  the  order  of  the 
expression  would  have  been  reversed.  The  four  expressions  seem, 
plainly,  to  bring  four  distinct  and  unconnected  figurative  represen 
tations  before  the  mind.  Let  us  endeavor  to  ascertain  their  precise 
meaning. 

(1.)   They  shall  be  made  perfect. 

God  promises,  first,  that  he  will  "make"  Christians  struggling  with 
their  great  adversary  "perfect."  The  word  translated  " make  per 
fect,"  ^properly  signifies  to  make  fully  ready,  to  put  in  full  order,  to 
complete.  It  is  used  of  fitting  nets  by  mending  them  for  being  em 
ployed,  and  of  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  fitting  them  as  vessels 
of  wrath  for  being  destroyed.2  This  is  its  meaning,  when  the  apostle 
prays  the  God  of  peace,  who  brought  again  from  the  dead  our  Lord 
Jesus,  that  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  by  the  blood  of  the  everlast 
ing  covenant,  to  make  Christians  "perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do 
his  will  /' 3  that  is,  to  fit  them,  by  supplying  what  was  wanting  in  them, 
for  doing  God's  will  in  the  performance  of  every  good  work ;  and 
when  the  Messiah,  our  High  Priest,  who  must  have  somewhat  to 
offer,  is  introduced  as  saying,  "  a  body  hast  thou  prepared  (the  same 
word  as  here)  me,"  made  ready  for,  fitted  for  me ;  and  when  the 
worlds  are  said  to  be  "  framed  (the  same  word)  by  the  word  of 
God,"  prepared,  fitted,  for  the  purpose  they  were  meant  to  serve.4  In 
the  passage  before  us,  viewed  as  a  promise  to  those  who  were  called 
to  conflict  with  an  adversary,  with  whom  in  themselves  they  were 
very  ill  able  to  cope  (and  such  general  words  must  almost  always  be 
modified  in  their  meaning,  and  limited  in  their  reference  by  the  con 
text),  its  meaning  plainly  is,  God  will,  by  supplying  all  your  defects, 
fit  you  for  the  conflict  to  which  you  are  called.  He  will  by  his  word 
and  Spirit  qualify  you  for  all  that  you  shall  be  called  on  to  do  and 
suffer  in  the  combat.  His  grace  shall  be  sufficient  for  you.  He  does 
not  send  you  unarmed  to  the  field  of  combat.  He  gives  you  the 

i  1  Cor.  iii.  9.    Eph.  ii.  21,  22.     1  Pet,  ii.  5.  3  Matt.  iv.  21.     Rom.  ix.  22. 

1  Heb.  xiii.  21.  4  Heb.  x.  5 ;  xi.  3. 


764  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [orsc.  xxm. 

whole  armor  of  God,1  "that  ye  may  be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles 
of  the  devil."  He  gives  you  the  girdle  of  truth,  the  breastplate  of 
righteousness,  the  sandals  of  the  preparation  of  the  gospel  of  peace, 
the  helmet  of  salvation,  and  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the 
word  of  God  ;  and  he  not  only  lays  them  down  before  you,  but  by  his 
Spirit  he  enables  you  to  put  them  on,  and  teaches  you  so  to  prove 
the  various  parts  of  this  celestial  panoply,  as  that  in  the  day  of  battle 
you  may  turn  them  to  good  account  in  the  combat  with  the  alien  and 
his  armies.  He  will  give  you  all  the  wisdom,  all  the  courage,  all  the 
energy,  that  is  necessary  for  successful  conflict.  This  promise  seems 
addressed  to  the  Christian  looking  forward  to  the  combat.  The  suc 
ceeding  ones  seem  to  refer  to  him  when  engaged  in  it. 

(2.)   They  shall  be  established. 

The  second  promise  is,  that  God  will  "  stablish"  them.  To  stablish 
is  to  keep  firm  and  steadfast.  The  Christian  is  afraid  that  he  shall  fall 
before  his  enemies,  that  he  shall  not  be  able  to  keep  his  ground,  that 
he  shall  lose  courage,  that  he  shall  be  turned  back,  with  shame  to  him 
self  and  disgrace  to  his  Lord  and  his  cause,  that  he  shall  prove  an 
apostate,  that  he  shall  not  be  able  to  hold  fast  the  faith  and  its  profes 
sion,  that  he  shall  find  it  difficult  to  stand,  far  more  to  withstand,  that 
he  shall  make  shipwreck  of  faith  and  a  good  conscience,  and,  instead 
of  being  crowned  as  a  victor,  shall  be  put  to  shame  as  a  recreant  and 
castaway  ;  but  God  meets  these  not  unnatural  apprehensions  with  the 
promise — I  will  stablish  thee,  I  will  keep  thee  from  falling.  The 
promise  in  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians,  iii.  3,  seems  quite 
parallel  with  this  :  "  The  Lord  is  faithful  who  shall  stablish  you,  and 
preserve  you  from  evil,"  rather  from  the  evil  one.2  It  is*  just  the 
evangelical  version  of  the  Old  Testament  oracle :  "  Fear  thou  not ; 
for  I  am  with  thee :  be  not  dismayed ;  I  am  thy  God :  I  will  help 
thee  ;  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my  righteous 
ness.'7  He  will  "  put  his  law  into  their  hearts  ;"  and  then,  notwith 
standing  all  the  attempts  of  their  spiritual  enemies,  "  they  shall  not 
depart  from  him." 3 

(3.)   They  shall  be  strengthened. 

The  third  promise  is,  God  will  "strengthen"  you.  In  the  day  of 
spiritual  conflict  he  will  enable  them  not  only  to  stand,  but  to  with 
stand  ;  not  only  to  keep  their  ground,  but  to  press  forward  ;  not 
merely  to  defend  themselves,  but  to  attack  their  enemies.  "  Out  of 
weakness  they  shall"  so  "  wax  strong,"  as  to  "  turn  to  flight  the 
armies  of  the  aliens."  He  will,  by  the  effectual  operation  of  his 
Spirit,  through  the  instrumentality  of  his  word,  render  the  very  ef 
forts  of  their  enemies  to  subdue  them,  the  means  of  calling  forth  into 
action  a  power  of  which  they  themselves  were  before  unconscious,  so 
as  to  compel  them  to  say,  with  a  new  feeling  of  the  depth  of  truth 
contained  in  the  words,  "  When  I  am  weak,  then  I  am  strong."  Thus 
does  "  he  give  power  to  the  faint,  and  to  them  who  have  no  might  he 

1  Eph.  vL  13-18.  a  Tow  irovtjaov.  *  Isa,  xll  10.    Jer.  xxxii.  40. 


PART  III.]  ENCOURAGEMENT.  765 

increaseth  strength  ;"  so  that,  though  "  even  the  youths  faint  and  be 
weary,  and  the  young  men  utterly  fail,"  they,  "  waiting  on  the  Lord, 
renew  their  strength ;  they  mount  up  on  wings  as  eagles ;  they  run, 
and  are  not  weary  ;  they  walk,  and  are  not  faint."  l  Thus  it  is,  that 
amid  the  infirmities  of  his  people,  "  the  power  of  Christ  rests  on 
them."  They  are  made  "  strong  in  the  Lord  and  in  the  power  of  his 
might ;"  and  they  "  go  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  God,  making  men 
tion  of  his  righteousness,  even  of  his  only."  "  In  the  Lord,  in  whom 
they  have  righteousness,  they  also  have  strength." 

|  '  (4.)   They  shall  be  settled. 

The  fourth  and  last  promise  is,  "  God  will  settle  you."     The  word 
rendered  "  settle"  is  equivalent  to  make  to  rest  securely,  as  a  build 
ing  on  its  foundations.    The  idea  is,  the  design  of  these  attacks  of 
Satan  is  to  drive  you  from  the  foundation,  Jesus,  and  the  truth  as  it 
is  in  Jesus ;  but  God  will  render  all  these  attempts  ineffectual  by  his 
preparing  you  for  them,  stablishing  you,  and  strengthening  you  under 
them,  and,  by  enabling  you  to  stand  and  withstand,  he  will  make  them 
the  means  of  fixing  you  firmer  on  that  foundation  than  ever.     Such 
afflictions,   instead   of    producing   apostasy,    produce   perseverance. 
"  We  glory  in  tribulation,"  that  is,  suffering  in  the  cause  of  Christ, 
produced  by  the  influence  of  the  adversary,  "  knowing  that  tribula 
tion  worketh  patience,"  that  is,  perseverance,  increased  attachment 
to  the  Saviour  and  his  cause.     Satan  desires  to  have  Christians  that 
he   may  sift  them,  and  scatter  them   to  the  winds   of  heaven ;  but 
through  the  grace  of  the  Father,  and  the  prayers  of  the  Son,  theh 
faith  fails  not,  and  to  their  own  increased  comfort  and  confirmed  hope, 
by  this  very  sifting,  they  are  proved  to  be,  not  chaff,  but  the  Lord's 
wheat,  which  is  to  be  "gathered  into  his  garner,  while  the  chaff*  i? 
burned  with  fire  unquenchable."     These  afflictions  both  prove  the 
soundness  of  the  foundation,  leading  the  Christian  more  narrowly  to 
examine  it,  and  prove,  too,  that  he  is  really  built  on  the  foundation. 
The  Christian  who  is  enabled  to  triumph  over  temptation,  is  stronger 
than  if  he  had  never  been  tempted ;  and  there  is  no  such  firm  believer 
as  he  who  has  battled  with  and  fairly  overcome,  through  Him  who 
loves  him,  all  the  doubts  which  the  father  of  lies,  and  that  most  skilful 
sophister,  the  evil  heart  of  unbelief  under  his  influence,  can  suggest 
to  the  mind.     This  is  the  great  object  of  God  to  settle  his  people  on 
the  foundation,  the  rock,  Christ.     "  This,"  to  borrow  some  of  the 
beautiful  thoughts  of  Leighton,  "  is  the  only  thing  that  perfects  and 
strengthens  us.    There  is  a  wretched  natural  independency  in  us.  We 
are  apt  to  rest  on  something  in  ourselves.     When  we  do  so,  we  build 
castles  in  the  air,  imagining  buildings  without  a  foundation.    A  battle 
with  our  spiritual  enemies  will  show  us  there  is  no  safe  footing  there. 
If  we  do  not  seek  firmer  ground,  we  shall  assuredly  fall.    Never  shall 
we  find  safety,  heart-peace,  and  progress  in  holiness,  till  we  are  driven 
from  everything  in  ourselves,  to  make  him  all  our  strength,  '  our  rock, 
our  fortress,  our  buckler,  the  horn  of  our  salvation,  and   our   high 
tower/  to  do  nothing,  to  attempt  nothing,  to  hope  for  nothing,  but  in 

1  Isa.  xl.  29-31. 


766  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  xxm. 

him.  Then  shall  we  find  his  fulness  and  all-sufficiency,  and  be  '  more 
than  conquerors  through  him  who  hath  loved  us/  Few  things  in 
Christian  experience  are  more  employed  by  God  to  bring  his  people 
into  this  state  of  settledness  on  the  rock  of  Christ,  than  the  afflictions 
rising  out  of  the  assaults  of  the  evil  one,  and  that  resistance  to  these 
assaults,  which  are  accomplished  in  the  whole  Christian  brotherhood 
in  the  world.  Thus  can  God  bring  good  out  of  evil;  strengthen 
faith  by  what  was  meant  to  overthrow  it ;  increase  the  holiness  and 
comfort  of  his  people  by  what  was  meant  to  involve  them  in  guilt, 
and  depravity,  and  misery;  make  the  wrath  of  devils,  as  well  as  men, 
to  praise  him,  while  he  restrains  the  remainder  thereof.  '  He  shall 
deliver  them  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  lion  ;'  ay,  *  he  shall  deliver  them 
from  every  evil  work/  every  mischievous  device,  every  malignant 
attempt  of  their  adversary  or  his  agents,  earthly  or  infernal,  and  '  pre 
serve  them  unto  his  heavenly  kingdom.'  " 

Such  appears  to  be  the  import  of  the  promise ;  such  seems  to  be 
the  perfecting,  stablishing,  strengthening,  settling,  of  which  the  apostle 
speaks.  To  use  the  words  of  the  pious  and  learned  Bengel,  "  He 
shall  perfect  (that  no  defect  may  remain  in  you),  he  shall  stablish 
(that  ye  may  be  guilty  of  no  backsliding),  he  shall  strengthen  (that 
ye  may  overcome  every  adverse  power),  and  thus  he  shall  settle 
you:"  establish  you  more  firmly  than  ever  on  the  foundation,  by 
those  very  means  which  were  intended  to  remove  you  from  it,  and  to 
convert  into  an  unsightly  heap  of  ruins,  all  the  holy  dispositions,  and 
all  the  glorious  hopes,  which,  like  a  stately  edifice,  "  polished  after  the 
similitude  of  a  palace,"  rested  on  that  foundation. 

(5.)  He  who  does  all  this  for  them  is  God. 

This  perfecting,  and  stablishing,  and  strengthening,  and  settling, 
are  just  what  the  Christian  needs  when  called  to  combat,  "  not  with 
flesh  and  blood,  but  with  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  with 
spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places,"  and  the  assurance  of  obtaining 
it  is  well  fitted  to  encourage  and  comfort  him.  But  to  realize  this 
encouragement  and  consolation,  he  must  "know  and  be  sure"  who 
it  is  that  hath  promised  thus  to  perfect,  and  stablish,  and  strengthen, 
and  settle.  Such  a  promise  from  the  most  accomplished  of  men,  from 
the  highest  of  angels,  from  all  good  men  and  all  good  angels  together, 
would  sound  like  bitter  mockery ;  but  it  is  God  who,  by  the  mouth  of 
his  holy  apostle,  declares  that  he  will  perfect  and  stablish,  strengthen 
and  settle,  the  Christian  combating  with  his  subtle,  active,  cruel,  and 
powerful  spiritual  adversary ;  and  deeply  as  he  feels  how  much  is 
wanting  in  him  for  the  conflict ;  how  ready,  how  sure,  if  left  to  him 
self,  to  turn  back  in  the  day  of  battle ;  how  powerless  he  is  in  the 
grasp  of  the  strong  man,  the  terrible  one ;  how  much  in  danger,  so 
far  as  depends  on  anything  in  himself,  of  being  permanently  moved 
from  his  steadfastness,  and  torn  from  that  rock  of  salvation  on  which 
the  whole  fabric  of  his  holiness,  and  spiritual  enjoyment,  and  hopes 
rest :  this  is  enough  to  sustain  and  encourage  him. 

He  can  do  all  that  he  has  here  promised.  He  is  infinite  in  power ; 
and  infinite,  too,  in  wisdom.  No  enemy  so  powerful  but  he  can  re- 


PART  I1I,J  ENCOURAGEMENT.  .         767 

strain  and  subdue  him ;  dio  enemy  so  crafty,  but  he  can  circumvent 
and  disappoint  him.  No  Christian  so  weak,  but  he  can  make  him 
strong ;  no  Christian  so  foolish,  but  he  can  make  him  wise.  Is  any 
thing  too  hard  for  the  Lord  ?  To  the  Christian  struggling  with  his 
spiritual  foes,  with  a  heart  failing  for  fear,  and  an  arm  falling  down 
with  weariness,  is  addressed  the  words  of  the  prophet :  "  Why  sayest 
thou,  O  Jacob,  and  speakest,  O  Israel,  My  way  is  hid  from  the  Lord, 
and  my  judgment  is  passed  over  from  my  God?  Hast  thou  not 
known,  hast  thou  not  heard,  that  the  everlasting  God,  the  Lord,  the 
Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth,  fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary  ?  there 
is  no  searching  of  his  understanding."  l  There  is  no  situation  in 
which,  in  resisting  your  adversary,  you  can  be  placed,  however  full 
of  painful  exertion,  anxiety,  and  suffering,  in  which  he  cannot  give 
support,  from  which  he  cannot  give  deliverance. 

Then  he  is  disposed  to  do  all  that  he  has  promised.  He  is  "  rich 
in  mercy ;  "  he  is  "  ready  to  forgive/'  The  love  that  dictated  the 
promise  secures  the  accomplishment.  "  If  ye,  being  evil,  know  how 
to  give  good  gifts  to  your  children,  how  much  more  shall  your  Father 
in  heaven,"  who  is  not  evil,  who  is  good,  only  good,  good  continually, 
infinitely  benignant,  whose  nature,  as  well  as  name,  is  love,  how 
much  more  shall  he  "give  good  gifts  to  his  children"  when  they  ask 
them  ?  But  this  truth,  so  richly  fraught  with  encouragement,  will 
come  more  fully  before  us  when  wre  come  to  speak  qf  the  adjuncts  of 
the  promise,  or  of  the  manner  in  which  it  is  given. 

Finally,  here,  he  who  gives  the  promise  will  most  assuredly  perform 
it.  He  can  do  it ;  for  he  is  infinitely  powerful  and  wise :  he  is  dis 
posed  to  do  it;  for  he  is  infinitely  kind  and  compassionate  :  he  will  do 
it ;  for  he  is  inviolably  faithful.  He  can  do  all  things,  but  he  cannot 
lie.  Nothing  is  impossible  with  him  but  the  denying  himself.  "  He 
is  not  a  man  that  he  should  lie,  nor  the  son  of  man  that  he  should  re 
pent  :  hath  he  said  it,  and  shall  he  not  do  it  ?  hath  he  promised  it,  and 
shall  he  not  make  it  good  ?"  No,  "  heaven  and  earth  may  pass 
away;"  we  know  they  shall  pass  away  ;  "  but  one  iota,  one  tittle,"  of 
his  declarations  "  shall  not  pass  till  all  be  fulfilled." 2  As  certainly  as 
God  is  powerful  and  wise,  merciful  and  faithful,  so  certain  is  it  that 
he  will  not  abandon  the  Christian  resisting  the  subtle,  active,  power 
ful,  cruel  adversary  of  his  soul ;  but  will  "  make  him  perfect,  stablish, 
strengthen,  settle"  him,  by  the  very  means  which  were  intended  for 
his  spiritual  ruin,  thus  "  disappointing  the  devices  of  the  crafty  one, 
taking  the  wise  in  his  own  cunning,  and  turning  the  counsel  of 
the  froward  headlong," 3  saving  the  poor  from  the  mouth  of  the  de- 
vourer,  and  rescuing  them  out  of  the  hand  of  him  who  is  mightier 
than  they.4 

Such  is  the  promise ;  and  is  it  not  full  of  encouragement  to  the 
Christian  amid  the  privations,  and  exertions,  and  sufferings,  to  which 
the  resistance  of  his  great  adversary  may  expose  him  ?  Is  it  not  well 

1  Isa.  xl.  27,  28.  2  Num.  xxiii.  19.     Matt.  v.  18.  3  Job  v.  12. 

4  There  is  much  emphasis  given  to  the  promise,  by  the  insertion  of  the  pronoun  aiirds 
between  the  nominative  o  GEOJ  iramis  x&9lT0^  an(?  tne  verbs  belonging  to  it,  though  it  is 
not  noticed  in  our  version.  It  was  just  a  thing  for  Bengel  to  notice.  "  Aim,  ipse — • 
YOS  tantum  vigilate  et  resistite  hosti ;  reliqua  Deus  prsestabit." — Conf.  13 x  Josh.  xiii.  6 ; 
conf.  1,  ej.  cap. 


768  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC,  xxm, 

fitted  to  fill  his  heart  with  that  joy  of  the  Lprd  which  is  the  strength 
of  his  people  ;  to  make  him  thank  God,  and  take  courage,  saying,  "If 
God  be  with  me,  who  can  be  against  me?  Rejoice  not  against  me, 
O  mine  enemy  :  though  I  fall,  I  shall  arise ;  though  I  sit  in  darkness, 
the  Lord  shall  be  a  light  to  me.  Greater  is  he  who  is  with  me  than 
all  that  can  be  against  me.  Greater  is  He  that  is  in  us  than  he  who 
is  in  the  world."  l 

§  2. — The  encouragement  contained  in  the  adjuncts  of  the  promise. 

But  even  this  is  not  all  the  encouragement  and  comfort  which  this 
passage  is  fitted  to  administer  to  the  struggling  Christian  warrior.  The 
adjuncts  of  the  promise  have  the  same  character  with  the  promise  it 
self;  its  manner  as  well  as  its  matter  is  full  of  consolation.  This  is 
the  next  subject  which  calls  for  our  consideration.  What  en 
couragement  to  him  who  resists  the  adversary  to  reflect,  that  He  who 
has  given  to  him  such  "  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises,"  is 
"the  God  of  all  grace,"  the  God  "who  has  called  him,"  "  called  him 
to  his  eternal  glory  in  or  by  Christ  Jesus,"  called  him  to  this  glory 
<s  after  he  has  suffered  a  while!"  These  are  fruitful  themes,  respect 
ing  which  our  meditation  should  be  profitable  as  well  as  sweet,  on 
which  "  our  hearts  should  indite  a  good  matter,  and  our  tongues  be  as 
ihe  pen  of  a  ready  writer." 

(1.)   The  God  who  has  promised  this  is  "  the  God  of  all  grace." 

The  first  consolatory  and  encouraging  consideration  here  brought 
forward  is,  that  the  God  who  has  promised  these  blessings  is  the 
"  God  of  all  grace."  The  proper  signification  of  grace  is  lundness, 
the  disposition  to  communicate  happiness  ;  but  the  term  is  also  often 
employed  to  denote  those  actions  or  gifts  in  which  this  disposition  is 
manifested.  In  both  of  these  closely  related  significations  of  the 
word,  God  is  the  "  God  of  all  grace." 

He  is  the  all-gracious  God.  His  name  is  "  the  Lord  ;  the  Lord 
God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  good 
ness  and  truth."  His  nature  as  well  as  his  name  is  love.  "  Fury," 
malignity,  passion,  "is  not  in  him;"  and,  from  the  benignity  of  his 
nature,  he  is  "  keeping  mercy  for  thousands,  forgiving  iniquity,  trans 
gression,  and  sin."  "  This  is  his  name,  and  this  is  his  memorial  to  all 
generations."  From  his  perfect  holiness  he  cannot  but  hate  sin,  and 
punish  the  sinner  "  who  goes  on  in  his  trespasses  :"  but  he  has  "  no 
pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked  ;"  on  the  contrary,  He  "  wills  him 
to  turn  from  his  evil  ways,  that  he  may  live,"  be  saved ;  while  he  is 
"  ready  to  forgive,"  and  "  delights  in  mercy,"  in  reference  to  those 
who,  by  the  faith  of  the  truth,  are  "  in  Christ  Jesus."  Every  obsta 
cle  which  prevents  the  manifestation  of  his  love  to  them  is  removed. 
"  As  a  father  pities  his  children,  he  pities  them."  "  A  woman  may 
forget  her  sucking-child,  she  may  not  have  compassion  on  the  son  of 
her  womb ;"  but  he  never  can  forget  them ;  and  he  can  never  re 
member  them  but  with  loving-kindness  and  tender  mercy.  And  ho 

1  Rom.  viii.  1.     Micah  vii.  8.     1  John  iv.  4. 


PART  III.]  ENCOURAGEMENT.  769 

rests  in  his  love  to  them.  He  is  "^Jehovah,  who  changes  not;"  " the 
same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever."  "The  mountains  may  de 
part,  the  hills  may  be  removed  ;  but  God's  loving-kindness  shall 
not  depart  from  them,  neither  shall  the  covenant  of  his  peace  be  re 
moved  by  the  Lord  Q-od,  who  has  mercy  on  them." 

Is  this  his  character  ?  Then,  assuredly,  amid  all  their  afflictions, 
his  children,  "  the  brotherhood,"  may  have  "  abundant  consolation 
and  good  hope."  If  he  has  the  power — and  who  can  doubt  that? — 
he  must  sustain,  and  comfort,  and  deliver.  He  can  never  allow 
them  to  become  the  prey  of  His  and  their  adversary,  who,  "  like  a 
roaring  lion,  goeth  about,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour."  "  He 
cannot  deny  himself ;"  and,  if  he  cannot  do  this,  he  cannot  but 
"deliver  them  out  of  the  mouth  of  this  lion  ;"  he  cannot  but  deliver 
them  "  from  every  evil  work,  and  preserve  them  to  his  heavenly 
kingdom." l  Being  "  the  all-gracious  God,"  he  will  assuredly  "  make 
them  perfect,  stablish,  and  strengthen  them." 

God  is  also  the  God  of  all  grace,  in  the  sense  of  benefit.  He  is  the 
author  and  bestower  of  all  true  happiness.  When  he  is  termed  "  the 
God  of  all  consolation,"  the  meaning  is,  all  true  comfort  comes  from 
him,  and  he  bestows  on  his  people  abundance  of  all  they  need.  When 
he  is  termed  "  the  God  of  peace,"  the  meaning  is,  that  he  is  the  au 
thor  and  bestower  of  true  peace.  So,  when  he  is  called  "  the  God 
of  all  grace,"  the  meaning  may  be,  all  blessings  come  from  him ;  He 
is  their  ever-full,  ever-flowing  fountain,  and  to  his  people  he  commu 
nicates  them,  in  all  the  variety  and  abundance  that  *Jaeir  wants  can 
require,  or  their  capacities  receive.  He  "  blesses  thsm  with  all  spirit 
ual  and  heavenly  blessings."  What  can  he  want,  all  whose  need  the 
God  of  grace,  of  all  grace,  promises  to  supply,  "  according  to  his 
glorious  riches"?  He  can,  he  will,  fit  for  tlie  combat;  he  can,  he 
will,  sustain  during  the  conflict ;  he  can,  he  will,  make  victorious  in 
the  conflict ;  he  can,  he  will,  reward  after  the  conflict.  If  there  be 
any  necessary  blessing  not  included  ID  "  all  grace,"  then  the  strug 
gling  Christian  might  have  some  caustf  to  despond ;  but  when  Jeho 
vah,  "  God  Almighty"  (rather  all-sufficient),  says,  I  am  "  the  God  of 
all  grace,"  and  "  my  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee ;"  well  may  he  "  glory 
in  tribulation,"  "  count  it  all  joy  to  be  brought  into  manifold  tempta 
tions,"  and  sing  with  the  apostte,  "  I  have  all,  and  abound ;  having 
nothing,  I  possess  all  things ;  lam  complete  in  him.  Most  gladly  will 
I  glory  in  my  infirmities,  ttat  the  power  of  the  God  of  all  grace  may 
rest  on  me ;  though  troubled  on  every  side,  I  am  not  distressed ; 
though  perplexed,°I  am  not  in  despair ;  though  persecuted,  I  am  not 
forsaken  ;  though  castf  down,  I  am  not  destroyed."  a  The  God  of  all 
grace  has  pledged  his  word  and  oath  to  me  that  I  shall  want  no 
good  thing ;  and  what  would  I  have,  what  could  I  have  more  ? 

(2.)  This  God  of  all  grace  has  "called"  the  Christian  "in  Christ 

Jesus" 

A  second  consoling  and  encouraging  consideration  is,  this  God  of 

»  Exod.  xxxiv.  6,  7.    Ezek  xviii.  23,  32.     Isa.  liv.  10.     2  Tim,  IT.  18. 
2  2  Cor.  i.  3.     Eph.  i.  3.     Col.  iv.  19.     Gen.  xvii.  1.     2  Cor.  xii.  9. 

49 


770  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  xxin. 

all  grace  lias  called  the  Christian  in  Christ  Jesus.  The  "  called"  is 
one  of  the  distinguishing  denominations  of  true  Christians ;  in  its 
fuller  form  "  the  called  of  Christ  Jesus ;"  "  the  called  according  to 
God's  purpose  and  grace;"  "the  called  who  obtain  the  promised 
eternal  inheritance;"  and  their  calling  is  designated  "a  high  call 
ing,"  "  a  holy  calling,"  a  "  calling  not  according  to  works,  but  ac 
cording  to  God's  own  purpose  and  grace,  given  us  in  Christ  Jesus 
Before  the  world  began."  All  mankind  are  called  to  God's  service ; 
and  all  mankind,  to  whom  revelation  comes,  are  "called"  by  God  to 
the  enjoyment  of  his  favor,  as  well  as  to  obedience  to  his  will ;  but 
in  the  case  of  the  great  majority,  they  are  "  called"  in  vain,  ineffect 
ually  called.  They  will  not  listen  to  the  call ;  they  very  imperfectly 
understand  it ;  they  obstinately  refuse  to  obey  it.  And  were  it  not 
that  the  sovereign  kindness  of  God  accompanies,  in  certain  cases, 
the  call  of  Providence  and  revelation,  with  the  effectual  operation 
of  his  Spirit,  the  outward  call  with  the  inward  call,  this  would  be 
universally  the  case  with  mankind.  All  would  continue  in  a  state 
of  ignorance,  unbelief,  disobedience,  and  alienation  from  God.  All 
men  would  always  be  what  all  by  nature  are,  "  without  God  in  the 
world." 

But  in  the  case  of  "  a  multitude  that  no  man  can  number,"  God, 
in  the  exercise  of  his  sovereign  mercy,  accompanies  the  call  of  his 
word  and  providence  with  the  special  influence  of  his  Spirit ;  so  that 
the  calling  is  not  in  vain,  but  effectual.  "It  comes  not  in  word 
merely,  but  in  power,  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  much  assurance." 
The  sinner  hears  the  call  of  the  God  of  all  grace ;  he  understands  it, 
he  believes  it,  he  is  sweetly  constrained  to  comply  with  it.  This 
calling  is  the  same  thing  which  the  apostle  styles  "  election  accord 
ing  to  the  foreknowledge  and  purpose  of  God,"  by  which  Christians 
are  spiritually  separated  from  the  rest  of  mankind,  and  put  in  pos 
session  of  the  blessings  which  flow  from  the  shedding  of  the  blood 
of  sprinkling,  which  "  speaketh  better  things  than  that  of  Abel." 
This  "effectual  calling,"  which  is  one  of  the  characteristic  blessings 
of  the  Christian  salvation,  and  13  the  gate  by  which  we  enter  into  the 
enjoyment  of  all  the  rest,  is  well  described  in  our  Shorter  Catechism 
as  "  a  work  of  God's  Spirit,  whereby,  convincing  us  of  our  sin  and 
misery,  enlightening  our  minds  in  %e  knowledge  of  Christ,  and  re 
newing  our  wills,  he  doth  persuade  a^d  enable  us  to  embrace  Jesus 
Christ,  as  he  is  freely  offered  to  us  in  tLe  gospel."  "  This  is  a  call," 
as  Leighton  beautifully  says,  "  that  goes  deeper  than  the  ear,  a  word 
spoken  home  to  within,  a  touch  of  the  Spirit  of  God  on  the  heart, 
which  hath  a  magnetic  power  to  draw  it,  so  that  it  cannot  choose 
but  follow ;  and  yet  freely  and  sweetly  chooses  to  follow ;  doth  most 
gladly  open  to  let  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  his  sweet  government,  upon 
his  own  terms  ;  takes  him,  and  all  the  reproaches  and  troubles  that 
can  come  with  him ;  and  well  it  may,  seeing,  beyond  a  little  passing 
trouble,  abiding  eternal  glory." 

This  calling  is  said  to  be  "  in  Christ  Jesus,"  that  is,  either  '  persons 
standing  in  a  peculiar  relation  to  Christ  Jesus,  identified  as  it  were 
with  him,  are  its  subjects  ;'  or,  "  through  Christ  Jesus,"  through  his 
mediation,  in  consequence  of  his  atonement,  by  his  Spirit  and  Word. 


PART  III.]  ENCOURAGEMENT.  771 

It  is  probably  the  last  of  these  that  is  here  the  apostle's  idea.  Men 
are  called  by  the  Father  through  the  Son.  This  fundamental  blessing 
was  enjoyed  by  those  to  whom  the  apostle  wrote.  The  God  of  all 
grace  had  called  them  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  light;  out 
of  subjection  to  sin,  and  the  world,  and  the  god  of  this  world,  into 
the  glorious  liberty  of  his  children.  The  communication  of  this 
blessing  is  a  proof  that  God  loves  with  a  special  love  the  individual 
on  whom  it  is  conferred ;  and  a  distinct  intimation,  that  all  the  other 
blessings  of  that  salvation,  of  which  this  is  a  constituent  part,  shall  in 
due  time  be  bestowed.  The  fact  of  their  being  called  by  the  God  of 
all  grace,  involves  in  it  satisfactory  evidence,  that  their  spiritual  ad 
versary  shall  not  ultimately  prevail  against  them,  that  their  afflictions 
cannot  be  permanent,  and  that  they  shall  be  made  conducive  to  their 
final  salvation.  Listen  to  the  Apostle  Paul's  development  of  this  ar 
gument.  "We  know  that  all  things" — he  is  referring  to  the  afflic 
tions  which  are  accomplished  in  the  brotherhood  in  this  world — "  We 
know  that  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God ; 
who  are  the  called  according  to  his  purpose.  For  whom  he  did  fore 
know,  he  also  did  predestinate  to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his 
Son,  that  he  might  be  the  first-born  among  many  brethren.  More 
over,  whom  he  did  predestinate,  them  he  also  called ;  and  whom  he 
called,  them  he  also  justified ;  and  whom  he  justified,  them  he  also 
glorified.  What  shall  we  say  to  these  things  ?  If  God  be  for  us,  who 
can  be  against  us?"1  Can  the  wiles  or  the  ferocity  of  the  roaring 
lion,  the  fraud  or  the  fury  of  the  great  adversary,  accomplish  OUR 
ruin,  who  are  the  called,  the  called  of  the. God  of  all  grace  ? 

(3.)  The  God  of  all  grace  has  called  Christians  to  his  eternal  glory. 

A  third  consolatory  and  encouraging  consideration  is,  that  "the 
God  of  all  grace  has  called  the  Christian  to  his  eternal  glory."  The 
phrase,  "  called  unto  God's  eternal  glory,"  may  either  signify,  called 
in  order  eternally  to  promote  the  glory  of  God,  or  called  to  enjoy  or 
participate  in  the  eternal  glory  of  God.  In  either  case,  the  words  ex 
press  a  truth,  and  a  truth  well  fitted  to  comfort  and  encourage  Chris 
tians  while  struggling  with  their  spiritual  enemies. 

The  calling  of  the  Christian,  and  the  conferring  on  him  all  the 
blessings  of  the  Christian  salvation  which  grow  out  of  it,  have  for 
their  ultimate  object,  like  everything  else  in  the  new  creation  as  in 
the  old,  the  manifestation  of  God,  the  illustration  of  his  excellence, 
the  display  of  his  glory.  This  idea  is  very  finely  brought  out  by  the 
apostle,  in  the  first  chapter  of  his  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians  :  "  The  God 
and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  blessed  us  with  all  heaven 
ly  and  spiritual  blessings  in  Christ ;  according  as  he  hath  chosen  us  in 
him  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  that  we  should  be  holy  and 
without  blame  before  him  in  love :  having  predestinated  us  unto  the 
adoption  of  children  by  Jesus  Christ  to  himself,  according  to  the  good 
pleasure  of  his  will,  to  the  praise  of  the  glory  of  his  grace,  wherein 
he  hath  made  us  accepted  in  the  Beloved :  in  whom  we  have  redemp 
tion  through  his  blood,  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  according  to  the  riches 


1  Kom.  viii.  28-31. 


772  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  xxni. 

of  bis  grace ;  wherein  he  hath  abounded  towards  us  in  all  wisdom 
and  prudence ;  having  made  known  to  us  the  mystery  of  his  will,  ac 
cording  to  his  good  pleasure,  which  he  hath  purposed  in  himself:  that, 
in  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  the  times,  he  might  gather  to 
gether  into  one  all  things  in  Christ,  both  which  are  in  heaven,  and 
which  are  on  earth,  even  in  him ;  in  whom  also  we  have  obtained  an 
inheritance,  being  predestinated  according  to  the  purpose  of  him  who 
worketh  all  things  according  to  the  counsel  of  his  will ;  that  we 
should  be  to  the  praise  of  his  glory,  who  first  trusted  in  Christ.  In 
whom  ye  also  trusted,"  or  rather  have  received  an  inheritance, 
"  after  that  ye  heard  the  word  of  truth,  the  gospel  of  your  salvation : 
in  whom  also,  after  that  ye  believed,  ye  were  sealed  with  that  Holy 
Spirit  of  promise,  which  is  the  earnest  of  our  inheritance,  "both  ours 
and  yours,  "  until  the  redemption  of  the  purchased  possession,  to  the 
praise  of  his  glory"  1  Were  the  Christian  to  be  allowed  to  fall  a 
prey  to  his  spiritual  enemies,  his  calling,  instead  of  being  to  God's 
eternal  glory,  would  give  cause  to  the  adversary  to  speak  reproach 
fully,  saying,  "  the  Lord  was  not  able  to  bring  them  into  the  land 
which  he  had  promised  them."  But  Jehovah  is  determined,  even 
through  means  of  those  babes  and  sucklings  whom  he  calls,  to  perfect 
praise  to  himself,  and  to  "  still  the  enemy  and  the  avenge*r."  He  has 
called  them  to  be  his  people,  and  "  formed  them  for  himself,  and  they 
shall  show  forth  his  praise."  His  power,  and  wisdom,  and  faithful 
ness,  and  kindness,  shall  be  illustriously  displayed  in  the  salvation 
of  all  the  called  ones.  "His  counsel  shall  stand,  and  he  will  do 
all  his  pleasure." a  This  is  truth,  important  truth ;  truth  naturally 
^nough  expressed  by  the  words,  and  truth  well  fitted  to  encourage 
and  strengthen  the  Christian  when  conflicting  with  his  great  adver 
sary. 

Yet  we  are  inclined  to  think  the  other  view  of  the  words  expresses 
the  apostle's  thought.  He  has  called  them  to  a  participation  of  his 
eternal  glory.  The  glory  of  God  sometimes  signifies  the  approbation 
of  God.  Thus  the  Jews  are  said  to  "receive  honor  (the  same  word) 
one  of  another,  and  not  to  seek  the  honor  that  cometh  from  God 
only."  Thus,  all  are  said  to  "  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the 
glory  of  God ;"  and  believers,  justified  through  believing,  are  repre 
sented  as  "exulting  in  the  hope  of  that  glory,"  that  approbation,  of 
which  they  had  come  short,  and  in  which  true  glory  and  happiness 
consist.  Here,  as  in  some  other  places,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that 
"the  glory  of  God"  is  the  celestial  blessedness ;  but  still  it  is  the  ce 
lestial  blessedness  in  a  particular  aspect.  The  glory  of  God  is  that 
which  makes  God  glorious ;  his  eternal  glory  that  which  makes  him 
eternally  glorious.  No\\r,  what  is  it  that  makes  God  glorious  ?  His 
own  inherent  excellences,  especially  his  moral  excellences,  his  right 
eousness  and  benignity ;  in  one  word,  his  holiness.  He  is  "  glorious 
in  holiness."  Now,  the  grand  Ultimate  object  of  the  calling  of  the 
Christian  is,  that  he,  to  the  highest  degree  of  which  his  nature  is  ca 
pable,  may  be  made  a  partaker  of  God's  holiness,  which  is  his  glory. 
He  is  called  to  the  fellowship,  as  well  as  predestinated  to  be  con 
formed  to  the  image  of  God's  dear  Son,  who  is  the  "  brightness  of 

1  Eph.  i.  3-14,  »  Num.  xiv.  16.     Psal.  viii.  2.     Isa.  xliii.  21 ;  xlvL  10. 


PART  III.]  ENCOURAGEME1CT.  773 

his  glory  and  the  express  image  of  his  person."  It  is  the  purpose 
of  God,  in  calling  him,  and  in  giving  him  the  adoption  of  sons  to 
which  he  has  been  predestinated,  that  he  shall  be  holy,  as  He,  the 
holy,  holy,  holy  One,  is  holy,  perfect  as  he  is  perfect.  It  is  his  pur 
pose  that,  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father,  the  Father  of  Lights,  his 
called  ones  shall  shine  forth  radiant  with  his  light,  glorious  in  his 
glory ;  and  in  the  only  sense  in  which  eternity  can  be  truly  predict 
ed  of  them,  or  of  anything  that  belongs  to  them,  that  their  glory 
shall  be  eternal,  that  "they  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firma 
ment,  and  like  stars  in  the  firmament,  forever  and  ever."  Now,  no 
assault  from  Satan,  no  calamities,  no  afflictions,  can  prevent  this  glo 
rious  consummation — nay,  all  their  afflictions  will  be  found  to  have 
been  but  disciplinary  means  of  preparing  them  for  this  grand  result 
of  all  the  Divine  dispensations  to  them — the  making  them  "partak 
ers  of  his  holiness,"  which  is  his  glory.1 

(4.)  The  afflictions  are  moderate  in  degree,  short  in  duration,  and  form 
a  part  of  the  Divine  plan  for  their  ultimate  salvation. 

A  fourth  consolatory  and  encouraging  consideration  suggested,  is 
derived  from  the  peculiar  character  of  the  afflictions  to  which  the 
brotherhood  are  exposed ;  they  are  comparatively  moderate  in  degree 
and  short  in  duration  ;  they  form  a  part  of  the  Divine  plan  resulting 
from  Divine  appointment ;  and  they  are  closely  connected  with  the 
great  end  of  their  calling, — their  coming  to  a  participation  in  the 
glory  of  Orod.  The  God  of  all  grace  has  called  you  to  his  eternal 
glory  "  after  ye  have  suffered  a  while,"  or  a  little.  These  words, 
"  after  ye  have  suffered  awhile,"  have  been  closely  connected  by 
some  with  the  clause  that  follows,  "  After  ye  have  suffered  a  while, 
make  you  perfect,  stablish,  strengthen,  settle  you."  The  laws  of  the 
language  would  warrant  either  mode  of  connection  ;  but  it  is  plain 
that  the  promise  is  not  one  which  is  not  to  be  fulfilled  till  Christians 
have  suffered  a  while.  The  first  promise  refers  to  preparation  for 
suffering,  the  two  next  to  help  under  suffering,  the  last  to  the  happy 
result  of  suffering.  God  calls  his  people  to  participate  in  his  eternal 
glory,  but  not  to  participate  in  it  "till  they  have  suffered  a  while," 
or  a  little.  The  word  may  refer  either  to  time  or  degree.  In  either 
case,  a  truth,  and  a  consolatory  one,  is  expressed.  The  afflictions  to 
which  the  brotherhood  are  exposed  in  this  world  are  comparatively 
moderate  in  degree.  They  are  often  heavy  when  compared  with  those 
of  other  men,  and  are  often  felt  as  heavy  by  those  who  bear  them, 
making  them  breathe  out,  "  I  am  oppressed ;  undertake  for  me." 
They  are  always  lighter  than  they  easily  might  be  ;  always  lighter 
than  strict  justice  would  require  them  to  be.  Everything  to  a  sin 
ner,  short  of  the  severest  suffering  he  is  capable  of,  is  mercy.  God 
does  not,  however,  "  suffer  them  to  be  tempted  above  what  they  are 
able  to  bear,  but  with  the  temptation  gives  a  way  of  escape,  that 
they  may  be  able  to  bear  it;"  and  especially  they  are  moderate  when 
compared  with  the  "  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory" 
which  is  to  follow  them. 

1  1  Co  -.  i.  9.    Rom.  viii.  29.    Heb.  xii.  10. 


774  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC.  xxm. 

They  are  limited  in  duration.  Seasons  of  very  severe  affliction 
are  not  ordinarily  of  long  duration ;  they  bear  usually  but  a  small 
proportion  to  the  whole  of  human  life.  How  inconceivably  small  a 
proportion  do  they  bear  to  the  eternity  of  coming  glory  !  Surely, 
then,  whether  he  look  on  their  measure  or  their  period,  their  degree 
or  their  duration,  the  Christian  may  well  "  reckon  the  sufferings  of 
the  present  time  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which 
shall  be  revealed  in  him." 

Then,  these  afflictions  are  a  part  of  the  Divine  plan.  It  is  as 
much  a  part  of  the  Divine  plan  to  put  them  in  possession  of  the 
fellowship  of  his  eternal  glory  after  they  have  suffered  a  while,  as  to 
put  them  in  possession  of  it  at  all.  "  It  is  the  Father's  good  pleasure 
to  give  them  the  kingdom  ;"  but  it  is  equally  the  Father's  good 
pleasure  that  "  through  much  tribulation  they  enter  into  that  king 
dom."  It  is  his  determination  that  they  "  shall  reign  with  Christ," 
but  it  is  equally  his  determination  that  they  "  shall  first  suffer  with 
him."1 

And  finally,  here,  this  connection,  though,  an  appointed  one,  is  not 
an  arbitrary  one.  The  glory  not  only  comes  after  the  sufferings,  but 
it  is,  in  some  sense,  the  result  of  them.  Afflictions  are,  under  the 
Divine  blessing,  appropriate  means  of  sanctification  ;  of  forming  the 
character  which  fits  for  the  holy  happiness  of  heaven ;  "  that  pre 
pared  place  for  a  prepared  people."  The  truth  on  this  subject  is 
strikingly  stated  by  the  apostle  from  his  own  experience  :  "  Though 
our  outward  man  perish,  yet  the  inward  man  is  renewed  day  by  day. 
For  our  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  moment,  worketh  for  us  a 
far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory ;  while  we  look  not 
at  the  things  which  are  seen,  but  at  the  things  which  are  not  seen  : 
for  the  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal ;  but  the  things  which 
are  unseen  are  eternal."  "  Who  would  refuse  to  suffer  a  while,  a 
little  while,  anything  outward  or  inward  He  sees  fit  ?  How  soon 
shall  this  be  over,  past,  and  overpaid  in  the  very  entry,  the  begin 
ning  of  that  glory  that  shall  never  end  ?"2 


ir. — CONCLUSION. 

It  now  only  remains  that  we  shortly  illustrate  the  concluding  clause 
of  the  verse,  which  is  very  generally  considered  as  a  doxology.  The 
words  are,  "  To  him  be  glory  and  dominion  forever  and  ever,  Amen." 
The  word  be  is  inserted  by  our  translators,  who  consider  the  clause 
as  an  ascription  of  glory  and  dominion  to  God.  The  word  is  might 
as  well  have  been  inserted,  in  which  case  it  is  an  assertion  that  glory 
and  dominion  belong  to  God.  Had  the  preceding  verse  been  a  prayer 
or  a  thanksgiving,  the  words  would  likely  have  been  meant  as  a  dox 
ology ;  but  following  a  promise,  they  seem  to  state  something  corre 
sponding  to  the  promise.  "  His  is  the  glory  forever  and  ever,"  and, 
therefore,  he  can  confer  on  his  people  that  glory  to  which  he  has  called 
them,  after  they  have  suffered  a  while.  He  has  not  only  an  essential 
glory  peculiar  to  himself,  and  of  which  no  creature  can  participate, 

1  Luke  xii.  32.     Acts  xiv.  32.     Rom.  viii.  17.  2  Leighton.     2  Cor.  iv.  16,  17. 


PART  IV.]  CONCLUSION.  775 

He  has  a  communicable  glory ;  "  the  riches  of  his  glory,"  as  the  apostle 
expresses  it,  by  the  bestowing  of  which  on  others  he  can  make  them 
glorious.  He  is  "the  Father  of  glory,"  as  well  as  the  God  of  all 
grace,  who  can  give  not  only  grace  but  also  glory.  And  as  "  glory 
forever  and  ever"  belongs  to  Him  who  has  "called  Christians  to  his 
eternal  glory  after  they  have  suffered  a  while ;"  so  "  dominion  "  (a 
word  denoting  both  power  and  authority)  "  forever  and  ever  "  be 
longs  to  Him,  who,  as  the  God  of  grace,  promises  that  he  will  make 
perfect,  stablish,  strengthen,  and  settle  his  people.  He  has  power  and 
right  to  do  whatever  pleases  him,  and  therefore  can  do  what  he  has 
said.  "  His  is  the  greatness,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  and  the 
victory,  and  the  majesty :  for  all  in  the  heaven  and  in  the  earth  is 
his ;  his  is  the  kingdom,  and  he  is  exalted  as  head  above  all.  Both 
riches  and  honor  come  of  Him,  and  he  reigneth  over  all ;  and  in  his 
hand  is  power  and  might ;  and  in  his  hand  it  is  to  make  great,  and 
give  strength  to  all."  He  who  has  glory  forever  and  ever,  can  give 
to  his  called  that  fellowship  of  his  eternal  glory  which  he  has  prom 
ised  ;  and  he  whose  is  the  dominion,  the  power,  and  the  authority 
forever,  is  "of  power  to  establish  his  people  according  to  the  gospel 
and  the  preaching  of  Jesus  Christ."  He  is  "  able  to  do  exceeding 
abundantly  above  all  that  we  can  ask  or  think,  according  to  the 
power  that  worketh  in  us."  "  He  can  make  them  perfect  in  every 
good  work  to  do  his  will,  working  in  them  that  which  is  well-pleasing 
in  his  sight."  He  is  "  able  to  keep  them  from  falling,  and  to  present 
them  faultless  before  the  presence  of  his  glory  with  exceeding  joy."  ' 
It  deserves  notice  that  the  apostle  concludes  his  epistle  as  he  began 
it,  by  turning  the  minds  of  those  to  whom  he  wrote  to  God,  and  to 
the  same  features  in  the  Divine  character — those  which  make  him  a 
fit  object  of  our  love  and  dependence — his  kindness  and  his  might. 
In  the  beginning  he  speaks  of  Him  as  the  God  of  abundant  mercy, 
who  has  power  to  keep  his  people  for  the  inheritance  he  has  destined 
for  them,  and  for  which  he  is  preparing  them :  and  here  he  speaks  of 
Him  as  the  God  of  all  grace,  whose  is  the  dominion,  to  whom  all  the 
power  and  authority  rightfully  belong. 

The  apostle  adds  an  emphatic  "Amen" — a  word,  in  reference  to 
statement,  expressive  of  firm  faith ;  in  reference  to  promises,  of  con 
fident  hope  and  ardent  desire.  In  the  first  instance  it  is  equivalent  to 
'  It  is  most  certainly  so  ;  this  is  the  very  truth  most  sure.'  In  the 
second,  *  I  trust  it  shall  be  so  ;  I  desire  that  it  may  be  so.'  Such, 
then,  is  the  comfort  and  encouragement  by  which  the  apostle  seeks 
to  strengthen  the  brotherhool  amid  the  afflictions  which  must  be  ac 
complished  in  them  in  the  world. 

If  anything  extrinsic  could  add  force  to  the  sentiments  express 
ed  in  these  words — sentiments  so  instinct  with  life,  so-  fitted  to  im 
part  spiritual  vigor  to  the  exhausted  spirit  of  the  Christian,  worn 
out  with  watching  the  wiles  and  resisting  the  attacks  of  his  great  ad 
versary — it  is  to  be  found  in  the  circumstances  of  him  who  uttered 
them.  "Truth,"  such  truth,  "from  his  lips  prevails  with  double 
sway."  The  word  of  warning,  the  word  of  instruction,  the  word  of 
promise,  the  word  of  encouragement,  come  all  with  peculiar  force 

1  i  Chron.  xxii.  11,  12.     Jude  24. 


776  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GREAT  ENEMY.  [DISC,  xxni 

from  the  lips  of  him  to  whom,  on  a  most  memorable  occasion,  the 
Master  said,  "  Simon,  Simon,  Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you,  that 
he  may  sift  you  as  wheat,  but  I  have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith 
fail  not ;  and  when  thou  art  converted  strengthen  thy  brethren." 

He  speaks  the  things  which  he  knew,  he  testifies  what  he  had  seen 
and  felt.  He  had  disregarded  the  Master's  warning,  and  the  conse 
quence  had  been  shameful  discomfiture  in  his  conflict  with  the  great 
enemy ;  aggravated  sin,  followed  by  deep  penitence,  and  confirmed 
attachment  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  He  had  found  how  faithful  he  is 
who  had  promised,  and  how  able  he  is  to  do  as  he  had  said.  He 
had  preserved  him  from  apostasy  when  on  its  very  brink  ;  and,  not 
withstanding  the  partial  success  of  his  spiritual  adversary,  he  had 
"  stablished,  strengthened,  settled  "  him ;  "  set  him  on  a  rock  and  es 
tablished  his  goings." 

How  emphatic  the  warning,  "  Your  enemy,  the  devil,  goeth  about 
like  a  roaring  lion,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour,"  from  him  who  had 
experienced  both  his  wiles  and  his  ferocity,  and  would  bear  about 
with  him  the  scars  of  his  wounds  while  he  lived ! 

How  forcible  the  injunction,  "  Eesist  the  devil ;"  and  that  you  may 
do  so,  "  Be  sober,  and  wakeful,  and  steadfast  in  the  faith,"  from  him, 
who,  notwithstanding  repeated  warnings,  did  not  watch  and  pray,  anc 
therefore  entered  into  temptation,  and  fell  before  it,  and  whose  failure 
in  faith  had  brought  him  so  near  destruction  and  despair ;  had  made 
him  fall  into  sin,  and  but  for  the  God  of  all  grace  would  have  made 
him  fall  into  perdition ! 

How  consoling  and  encouraging  the  promise,  "The  God  of  all 
grace,  who  hath  called  you  unto  his  eternal  glory  by  Christ  Jesus, 
shall  make  you  perfect,  stablish,  strengthen,  settle  you ;  Hi-s  is  the 
glory  and  the  dominion  forever  and  ever,"  from  him  whom  the  God 
of  all  grace,  in  the  person  of  his  Son,  had  so  "  out  of  weakness  made 
strong,"  so  strengthened  in  the  faith  as  to  make  him  one  of  the  chief 
pillars  of  the  church  while  he  lived ;  and  when  he  died  enabled  him 
to  glorify  God,  confessing,  amid  the  protracted  tortures  of  a  pecu 
liarly  cruel  martyrdom,  the  Master  whom  once  he  had  thrice  de 
nied! 

We  cannot  help  thinking  that  the  Saviour's  words,  "  When  thou 
art  converted,  strengthen  thy  brethren,"  were  ringing  in  the  apostle's 
ears  when  he  wrote  these  words.  And,  certainly,  never  were  ad 
dressed  to  the  tempted,  struggling,  worn  out,  afflicted  Christian  soldier, 
words  more  full  of  warning,  instruction,  consolation,  and  encourage 
ment.  They  have,  by  the  accompanying  power  of  the  Spirit  of 
Jesus,  strengthened  many  a  brother.  They  have  been  "  words  in 
season"  to  many  a  tempted,  afflicted,  perplexed,  downcast,  weary 
heart ;  and  will  continue  to  be  so,  as  long  as  these  afflictions  continue 
to  be  accomplished  in  the  brotherhood  in  the  world. 

Oh,  may  we,  my  brethren,  through  their  means,  be  made  humble 
and  cautious,  vigilant  and  believing,  "  steadfast  and  immovable," 
rooted  and  built  up  in  Christ,  strengthened  with  all  might,  according 
to  his  glorious  power,  unto  all  patience  and  long-suffering  with  joy- 
fulness  ;  giving  thanks  to  the  Father  who  hath  made  us  meet  to  be 
partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light ;  who  hath  deliv- 


PART  IV.]  CONCLUSION.  777 

ered  us  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and  liatli  translated  us  unto  the 
kingdom  of  his  dear  Son ;  so  that,  full  of  the  strength  which  is  the 
result  of  the  joy  of  the  Lord,  glorying  in  tribulation,  and  rejoicing 
in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God,  we  may  "  walk  worthy  of  the  Lord  unto 
all  pleasing,  being  fruitful  in  every  good  work,  and  increasing  in  the 
knowledge  of  God."  1  "  Consider  what  has  been  said,  and  the  Lord 
give  you  understanding  in  all  things." 

OoL  i.  10-13 


DISCOURSE   XXIV. 

POSTSCRIPT  OF  THE  EPISTLE. 

1  Pet.  v.  12-14. — "By  Silvanus,  a  faithful  brother  unto  you  (as  I  suppose)  I  have 
written  briefly,  exhorting,  and  testifying  that  this  is  the  true  grace  of  God,  wherein 
ye  stand.  The  church  that  is  at  Babylon,  elected  together  with  you,  saluteth  you, 
and  so  doth  Marcus  my  son.  Greet  ye  one  another  with  a  kiss  of  charity.  Peace  be 
with  you  all  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus.  Amen. 

"  ALL  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,"  and  "  all  Scripture," 
too,  "  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  and  for  reproof,  for  correction,  and 
for  instruction  in  righteousness ;  that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect, 
thoroughly  furnished  for  every  good  work."  In  the  mines  of  Peru, 
there  are  veins  of  peculiar  riches,  but  even  their  rubbish  is  valuable 
In  the  Holy  Scriptures,  there  are  portions  of  peculiar  importance, 
excellence,  and  usefulness,  but  there  is  nothing  trivial,  nothing  value 
less  in  them.  The  superficial  thinker  may,  indeed,  find  it  difficult,  it 
may  be  impossible,  for  him  to  derive  instruction  or  improvement  from 
passages  of  Scripture,  and  may,  on  this  account,  rashly  call  in  ques 
tion  their  Divine  origin,  or  indulge  in  reflections  against  the  Divine 
wisdom,  for  allowing  such  a  passage  a  place  in  the  inspired  volume ; 
but  it  is  his  own  imbecility,  or  ignorance,  or  inattention,  that  is 
wholly  to  blame  ;  for  it  may  be  safely  affirmed,  that  there  is  no  pass 
age  of  Scrip ure  respecting  which  the  pious,  diligent,  docile  inquirer, 
cannot  easily  see  that  it  may  have  served,  or  may  yet  serve,  some 
important  and  useful  purpose;  and  that  there  are  very  few  from 
which,  after  serious  consideration,  he  cannot  draw  for  himself  lessons 
which  may  be  turned  to  account  for  the  guidance  of  his  conduct, 
and  the  improvement  of  his  character. 

To  be  able  to  extract  from  what  have  been  called  the  barren,  from 
what  ought  to  be  called  the  less  exuberant,  passages  of  Scripture, 
the  instruction,  and  warning,  and  reproof,   and  consolation  which 
they  are  intended  and  fitted  to  communicate,  is  a  talent  which  even 
Christian  should  be  desirous  of  acquiring,  as,  without  the  possessioi 
and  employment  of  it,  a  considerable  part  of  those  Scriptures  whicl 
are  "able  to  make  men  wise  to  salvation,"  will  be  utterly  useless  t 
him ;  and  it  is  not  one  of  the  least  important  duties  of  a  public  teache 
of  Christianity,  to  instruct  his  audience  in  the  best  way  of  extractin; 
spiritual  improvement  from  this  class  of  scripture  passages  ;  on  th 
one  hand,  guarding  them  against  that  passion  for  allegory,  whir 
leads  men  to  make  the  plainest  statements  of  the  sacred  writers  t 
vehicle  of  the  dreams  of  their  own  imagination,  thus  converting 


PART  I.]  RECAPITULATION.  779 

Divine  oracle  into  a  human  figment ;  and,  on  the  other,  showing  how 
important  purposes  are  served,  by  what  at  first  sight  may  seem  inap 
propriate  and  unnecessary  statements,  and  how  replete  such  passages, 
when  viewed  in  their  connection  and  design,  often  are  with  religious 
and  moral  instruction. 

The  subject  of  to-day's  discourse,  the  postscript  of  the  First  Epistl^ 
of  the  Apostle  Peter,  belongs  to  the  class  of  scripture  passages  of 
which  we  have  been  speaking.  It  is  not,  indeed,  to  be  compared,  in 
point  of  intrinsic  importance,  deep  personal  interest,  and  extensive 
usefulness,  with  the  admirable  doctrinal  and  practical  discussions  by 
which  it  is  preceded,  and  which,  for  a  considerable  time  past,  have 
not  unpleasantly  nor  unprofitably,  I  trust,  formed  the  subject  of  our 
consideration,  when  we  have  come  together  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  to  wait  on  the  "doctrine  of  the  apostles,"  but  it  is  far  indeed 
from  being  unimportant,  uninteresting,  or  useless;  and  if  it  want 
many  of  the  attractions  which  belong  to  them,  it  will  be  found  to 
have  attractions  peculiar  to  itself.  It  is  with  the  word,  as  it  is  with 
the  works  of  God.  "  There  is  one  glory  in  the  sun,  and  another 
glory  in  the  moon,  and  another  glory  in  the  stars,  and  one  star  differ- 
eth  from  another  star  in  glory."  Let  us  look  at  the  passage  a  little 
more  closely,  that  we  may  perceive  its  meaning  and  ascertain  its 
use. 

It  obviously  forms  a  postscript  to  the  epistle,  which,  as  a  doctrinal 
and  hortatory  address,  is  most  appropriately  and  gracefully  concluded 
in  the  eleventh  verse.  This  postscript  is  occupied  with  recapitula 
tion,  salutation,  exhortation,  and  benediction.  The  recapitulation  is 
contained  in  the  twelfth  verse.  The  salutation  in  the  thirteenth. 
The  exhortation  in  the  first  clause,  and  the  benediction  in  the  last 
slause,  of  the  fourteenth.  Let  us  attend  to  them  briefly,  in  their 
order. 

I. — KECAPITULATION. 


X/J.J.WV-4.       LVy      J.U.     J-LU     -LO      AJ.V-'  U       V.U4MW       1»  ^ 

iat  he  had  sent  to  the  same  churches  on  some  former  occasion. 
This  supposition  is  an  entirely  gratuitous  one.  It  is  not  required  by 
^he  words,  though,  were  it  otherwise  supported,  the  words  might 
easily  be  reconciled  with  it.  But  there  is  no  trace  in  Scripture,  or  in 
ecclesiastical  history,  of  the  apostle  having  written  such  an  epistle  ; 
md  there  is  satisfactory  evidence  that  he  did  not  write  it,  for  he 
;erms  an  epistle  which  he  subsequently  addressed  to  these  churches, 
lis  second  epistle.  "  This  second  epistle,  beloved,  I  now  write  unto 
rou ;  in  both  which,  I  stir  up  your  pure  minds  by  way  of  remem- 


jrance." 


The'recapitulation  refers  to  three  things,  the  subject  of  the  epistle, 
md  the  duty  of  Christians  in  reference  to  it ;  the /0m  of  it,  a  testi- 


780  POSTSCRIPT    OF    THE    EPISTLE.  [DISC.  XXIV. 

regard  to  that  grace ;  and,  finally,  the  mode  of  writing  or  transmit 
ting  the  epistle,  "By  Silvanus,  a  faithful  brother." 

CHAP.   I. — THE   SUBJECT  OF  THE  EPISTLE. 

§  1.— The  grace  of  God. 

u  The  grace  of  God"  properly  signifies  the  kindness,  the  free  favor 
of  God,  as  a  principle  in  the  Divine  mind ;  but  is  often  employed  to 
signify  the  deeds  of  kindness,  the  gifts  and  the  benefits,  in  which  this 
principle  finds  expression.  It  has  been  common  to  interpret  the 
phrase  here  as  equivalent  to  the  gospel,  the  revelation  of  God's  grace  ; 
and  the  apostle  has  been  considered  as  affirming  that  the  doctrine 
which  those  he  was  writing  to  had  embraced,  and  to  which  they  had 
adhered,  to  use  the  Apostle  Paul's  phrase,  "  which  they  had  re 
ceived,  and  in  which  they  stood,"  was  the  true  gospel.  But  I  doubt 
if  the  gospel  is  ever  called  "the  grace  of  God"  in  the  New  Testa 
ment  ;  and  I  equally  doubt  whether  the  words,  thus  understood,  are 
an  accurate  statement  of  what  this  epistle  actually  contains.  There 
are  just  two  other  passages  in  the  New  Testament  in  which  "the 
grace  of  God"  has  been  supposed  to  be  a  designation  of  the  gospel. 
After  stating  the  message  of  mercy  which  the  ministers  of  reconcili 
ation  are  called  to  deliver,  the  apostle  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Corinth 
ians,  says,  "  We  beseech  you  that  ye  receive  not  the  grace,"  or  this 
grace,  "  of  God  in  vain."  x  The  reference  here  is,  no  doubt,  to  the 
gospel,  but  the  meaning  of  the  phrase,  "  the  grace  of  God,"  is  plainly 
just  this  Divine  favor,  this  benefit  which  so  expresses,  and,  as  it 
were,  embodies  the  Divine  grace.  And,  in  the  Epistle  to  Titus,  the 
same  apostle  states,  that  "  the  grace  of  God,  bringing  salvation  to  all," 
has  been  manifested,  or  has  "  appeared,  teaching"  those  who  appre 
hend  it  "  to  deny  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  and  to  live  soberly, 
righteously,  and  godly,  in  the  present  world." a  The  grace  of  God  is 
often  said  to  mean  here  the  gospel,  but  the  gospel  is  the  manifesta 
tion,  the  revelation  of  his  grace ;  and  the  truth  taught  in  this  passage 
is,  that  the  free,  sovereign  mercy  of  God,  when  it  is  apprehended  bj 
the  sinner,  is  the  true  principle  of  holiness  in  his  heart  and  life.  Let 
a  man  but  really  believe  the  grace  of  God,  know  it  in  truth,  and  he 
can  "bo  an  ungodly,  immoral  man  no  longer.  And  as  there  is  no 
satisfactory  evidence  that  "  the  grace  of  God"  is,  properly  speaking, 
a  synonyme  for  the  gospel ;  so,  on  the  other  hand,  if  we  read  this 
epistle  carefully,  we  shall  not  find  that  the  sum  of  it  is  a  testimony 
that  the  gospel,  as  received  and  held  by  the  churches  addressed, 
was  the  true  gospel.  That  question  is  never  mooted,  but  obviously 
throughout  taken  for  granted.  It  would  be  a  correct  account  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  that  it  is  a  testimony  that  the  gospel  preached 
to  them  by  the  apostle  was,  in  opposition  to  that  preached  to  them  by 
the  Judaizing  teachers,  the  true  gospel ;  but  the  character  of  this 
epistle  is  in  no  degree  controversial.  What  "  the  grace  of  God"  in 
the  passage  before  us  means,  will  be  more  satisfactorily  ascertained, 
by  inquiring  what  it  means  in  the  epistle  of  which  it  is  represented  as 

1  2  Cor.  vi  1.  «  Tit.  ii.  11,  12. 


PART  I.]  RECAPITULATION. 


781 


one  of  the  great  subjects.  In  the  tenth  verse  of  the  first  chapter  the 
apostle  speaks  of  "the  grace"  cf  which  the  ancient  prophets  prophe 
sied  as  to  come  to  Christians,  and  in  the  thirteenth  verse  of  that 
chapter,  of  "  the  grace  which  was  to  be  brought  to  them  at  the  reve 
lation  of  Jesus  Christ."  That  grace  is  obviously  the  Christian  salva 
tion  in  its  heavenly  and  spiritual  blessings,  enjoyed  partially  on 
earth,  fully  in  heaven.  This  grace  is  a  leading  subject  of  the  epistle. 
The  specific  nature,  and  transcendent  glory  and  excellence  of  those 
blessings,  in  which  the  grace  of  God  is  manifested,  is  declared. 
Christians  are  represented  as  "  elect,  according  to  the  foreknowledge 
of  God ;"  spiritually  separated  from  the  world  ;  sprinkled  with  the 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ ;  begotten  to  a  lively  hope,  to  an  inheritance 
incorruptible,  undefined,  and  that  fadeth  not  away ;  as  having  tasted 
that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  by  being  constituted  a  chosen  generation, 
a  spiritual  temple,  a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  peo 
ple  ;  as  having  '  salvation,'  complete  deliverance  from  all  evil,  laid 
up  for  them  in  heaven,  where  it  is  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last 
time,  while  they  are  kept  for  it  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith, 
and  on  receiving  which,  at  the  revelation  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  they 
will  be  glad  with  exceeding  joy,  rejoicing  "  with  a  joy  that  is  un 
speakable  and  full  of  glory."  This  is  "  the  grace  of  God"  concern 
ing  which  the  apostle  here  says  he  had  given  a  testimony  in  the 
epistle  which  he  has  just  closed. 

§  2. — The  Christian's  duty  in  reference  to  this  grace,  "  to  stand." 

The  other  subject  of  the  epistle,  according  to  its  author,  is  the 
Christian's  duty  in  reference  to  this  grace  of  God.  At  first  sight,  the 
words  in  which  we  think  the  duty  of  Christians,  in  reference  to  the 
grace,  is  very  briefly,  but  very  comprehensively  summed  up — the 
words  rendered  by  our  translators  "in  which  ye  stand,"  seem  merely 
to  be  a  part  of  the  testimony  respecting  "the  grace  of  God,"  and 
to  denote  rather  the  Christian's  privilege  than  his  duty ;  just  as  when 
the  Apostle  Paul  says,  "  By  faith  ye  have  entrance  into  this  grace 
wherein  ye  stand." 1  But  the  two  expressions  are  not  the  same.  The 
phrase  before  us  is  literally  "  into  which,"  which  may  mean,  in  refer 
ence  to  which,  or  until  which,  but  which  cannot  mean  strictly  in 
which.2  It  deserves  notice,  that  the  apostle  speaks  of  having  ex 
horted  in  the  epistle ;  but,  as  the  words  are  ordinarily  understood, 
there  is  no  subject  of  exhortation  referred  to.  In  some  ancient  manu 
scripts  the  reading  is  not  "ye  stand,"  but  "stand  ye;"8  expressive 
not  of  an  assertion,  but  of  a  command  or  exhortation.  If  that  reading 
be  adopted,  and  it  has  been  by  some  learned  men,  then  the  meaning 
is,  "  in  reference  to  which  grace  of  God,"  or  until  which  grace  of 
God  is  fully  brought  unto  you,  "  stand  ye."  This  most  certainly  is 
the  sum  and  substance  of  the  duty  enjoined  on  Christians  in  this 
epistle ;  the  standing  firm,  amid  all  temptations,  in  the  faith  and 
practice  of  Christianity  with  a  reference  to  the  grace  of  Christ,  as 

1  Rom.  v.  2. 

2  Elf  never  can  mean  £v ;  as  "  motion  towards"  can  never  be  identified  w 
»  Sr/yrc.     Lacl 


782  POSTSCRIPT    OF   THE   EPISTLE.  [DISC.  XXIV 

persons  who  hare  already  been  made  partakers  of  it,  as  persons 
who  hope  to  be  made  partakers  of  it  in  far  larger  measure,  and  to 
obtain  full  participation  of  it  through  "  standing."  As  the  whole 
doctrinal  subject  of  the  epistle  is  the  grace  of  Christ,  so  the  whole 
practical  subject  of  the  epistle  is  the  duty  of  Christians  in  reference 
to  that  grace,  and  the  whole  of  that  duty  may  be  summed  up  in  one 
word,  "  stand."  The  whole  practical  part  of  the  epistle  is  just  the 
development  of  the  first  exhortation :  "  Wherefore,"  that  is,  seeing 
ye  have  received  these  promises  and  hopes,  "  gird  up  the  loins  of 
your  mind,  be  sober,  and  hope  to  the  end,  for  the  grace  that  is  to  be 
brought  unto  you,  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ ;  as  obedient 
children,  not  fashioning  yourselves  according  to  the  former  lusts  in 
your  ignorance  ;  but  as  he  which  hath  called  you  is  holy,  so  be  ye 
holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation."  This  is  a  favorite  compendium 
of  Christian  duty  with  the  Apostle  Paul.1 


II. — THE  FORM  OF  THE  EPISTLE. 

It  is  a  testimony  and  exhortation  respecting  the  grace  of  God. 

The  apostle  notices  not  only  the  subjects  of  the  epistle,  but  the 
form  in  which  he  has  treated  them.  His  statements  with  regard  to 
the  grace  of  God  take  the  form  of  "  a  testimony."  His  statements 
with  regard  to  the  Christian's  duty  take  the  form  of  "an  exhorta 
tion."  "  I  have  written,  exhorting  and  testifying  that  this  is  the 
true  grace  of  God,  in  reference  to  which  do  ye  stand."  "We  would 
naturally  have  expected,  from  "exhorting"  coming  before  "testify 
ing,"  that  the  sum  of  the  exhortation  should  have  preceded  the  sum 
of  the  testimony.  But  it  is  a  common  peculiarity  in  Hebrew  compo 
sition,  of  which  we  have  many  instances  in  the  New  Testament,  after 
dividing  a  subject  into  two  parts,  to  take  up  the  second  part  first, 
and  then  revert  to  the  first.  It  would  be  more  according  to  the 
usage  of  modern  language  to  say,  "  Testify  that  the  grace  of  God, 
which  ye  as  Christians  enjoy,  is  the  true  grace  of  God,  and  exhort 
ing  you  to  stand  in  reference  to  this  grace." 

The  testimony  in  the  epistle  respecting  the  grace  of  God  which 
they  enjoyed,  that  is,  the  blessings  of  the  Christian  salvation,  is,  that 
it  is  the  true  grace  of  God.  The  sum  of  that  part  of  the  epistle  that 
is  occupied  with  doctrine  is  just,  Ye  Christians  are  the  true  spiritual 
people  of  God,  of  whom  the  Jews,  his  ancient  external  people,  were 
types,  and  the  blessings  you  enjoy  are  the  true  spiritual  blessings  of 
which  the  external  blessings  of  the  ancient  economy  were  the  types. 
To  use  the  language  of  John,  "They,  out  of  the  fulness  of  him,  who 
is  the  Only -begotten  of  God,  the  revealer  of  him  in  whose  bosom  he 
was  from  the  beginning,  who  is  full  of  grace  and  truth,  true  grace, 
had  received  grace  for,"  in  the  room  of  "  grace,"  the  blessings  of  the 
new^ dispensation  in  the  room  of  the  blessings  of  the  old;  "for  the 
law,"  which  was  a  grace,  a  favor,  and  a  great  one,  "came  by  Moses, 
but  the  grace  and  truth,"  the  true  grace,  the  great  manifestation  of 
Cor.  xvi.  13.  Gal.  v.  1.  Eph.  vi  14  Phil.  iv.  1.  2  Thess.  ii.  15. 


PART  I.]  RECAPITULATION.  783 

the  love  of  God  in  the  blessings  of  a  spiritual  and  eternal  salvation, 
"came  by  Jesus  Christ."1  This,  says  Peter,  is  "the  grace  that  is 
come  to  you,"  and  "  this  is  the  true  grace  of  God." 

The  apostle's  declaration  on  this  subject  takes  the  form  of  a  testi 
mony.  Not  a  demonstration  on  abstract  principles,  not  a  statement 
of  his  own  individual  opinion,  but  the  declaration  of  a  testimony 
with  which,  in  common  with  his  apostolic  brethren,  he  had  been 
"  put  in  trust"  by  God.  "  The  grace"  to  be  brought  to  the  true  peo 
ple  of  God  under  the  Messiah,  was  "  a  mystery  kept  secret  from  for 
mer  ages  and  generations  ;"  "  as  it  is  written,  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor 
ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things 
which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him."  That  was  u  the 
wisdom  of  God  in  a  mystery,  the  hidden  wisdom,  which  God  had 
ordained  before  the  world,  unto  the  glory"  of  his  people  under  the 
last  and  best  dispensation  of  his  grace.  "  But  God  revealed  these 
things  unto  his  holy  apostles  by  his  Spirit,  and  they,  having  received 
the  Spirit  which  is  of  God,  and  having  the  mind  of  Christ,  testified 
the  things  which  he  revealed  to  them,  not  in  words  taught  by  man's 
wisdom,  but  in  words  taught  by  the  Holy  Ghost." a 

As  the  declaration  respecting  truth  took  the  form  of  "  testimony," 
so  the  declaration  with  regard  to  duty  took  the  form  of  "  exhorta 
tion."  The  practical  part  of  the  epistle  is  not  a  dry  system  of  ethics, 
but  a  warm  exhortation,  showing  Christians  what  it  is  to  stand,  how 
they  were  to  be  enabled  to  stand,  and  why  they  should  stand. 

The  apostle  further  notices,  that  the  testimony  and  the  exhortation 
contained  in  this  epistle  were  a  brief  testimony  and  exhortation :  "  In 
few  words  exhorting  and  testifying."  Here,  as  well  as  in  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews,  where  the  apostle  says,  at  the  close  of  the  compara 
tively  long  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  "  I  have  written  a  letter  to  you 
in  few  words,"  we  apprehend  the  reference  is  rather  to  the  condens 
ation  than  to  the  brevity,  strictly  so  called,  of  the  compositions. 
This  is  not  a  short  epistle,  and  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  is  one  of 
the  longest  in  the  New  Testament ;  but  there  is  no  unnecessary  dif- 
fuseness,  no  waste  of  words  ;  and  on  this  account,  as  well  as  higher 
ones,  Peter's  letter,  like  Paul's,  is  "  weighty  and  powerful."  In  our 
illustrations  of  the  epistle,  we  have  had  abundant  opportunities  of 
observing  in  how  few  words  Peter  wraps  up  pregnant  thoughts, 
exhibits  far-reaching  views. 

What  the  apostle  represents  as  the  characteristics  of  his  epistle  are 
equally  those  of  the  apostolic  epistles  generally.  They  are  occupied 
with  brief,  condensed  testimonies  and  exhortations  respecting  the 
grace  of  God,  and  the  duty  of  Christians  in  reference  to  that  grace. 
And  as  the  apostles'  discourses,  recorded  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
Are  the  models  which  Christian  ministers  should  follow  in  preaching 
the  gospel  to  the  world  lying  under  the  wicked  one ;  so  their  epistles 
are  the  models  which  they  should  follow  in  teaching  the  doctrine  and 
the  law  of  Christ  to  the  churches  of  the  saints,  to  "them  who  have 
believed  through  grace."  Every  Christian  teacher's  system  of  in 
struction  should  embrace  in  it  a  clear,  distinct  statement  of  the  true 
grace  of  God,  of  the  exceeding  great  and  precious  blessings  of  the 

i  J>hn  i.  16,  IT.  3  Bom.  xvi.  25.     1  Cor.  ii.  7,  9,  13. 


784  POSTSCRIPT    OF   THE   EPISTLE.  [DISC.  XXIV. 

Christian  salvation ;  he  should  conduct  his  people  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  goodly  heritage  assigned  them  even  here 
below ;  and  he  should  often  take  them  up  as  it  were  into  an  exceeding 
high  mountain,  and,  teaching  them  to  apply  the  prospective  glass  of 
the  gospel  to  the  eye  of  faith,  show  them  the  glories  of  the  kingdom 
which  awaits  them  in  the  land  that  is  far  off ;  if  he  does  not  do  this, 
be  is  not  a  minister  of  the  gospel  at  all ;  and  his  system  should 
equally  embrace  in  it  a  clear  statement  and  a  powerful  enforcement 
of  the  duties  which  lie  on  Christians,  as  partakers  of  the  grace  of  God 
in  truth.  And  his  doctrinal  preaching  must  all  wear  the  form  of  "  a 
testimony,"  a  declaration,  of  what  God  the  Lord  says,  of  what  is  the 
mind  of  Christ,  of  what  the  Holy  Ghost  has  declared, — not  of  human 
conjectures  and  reasonings,  but  of  Divine  revelations,  and  his  prac 
tical  preaching  must  all  have  the  form  of  exhortation, — not  occupy 
ing  the  mind  with  ethical  disquisitions  and  questions,  but  pressing 
home  clearly-announced  Divine  injunctions  on  the  conscience  and 
the  heart.  The  testimony  and  the  exhortation  must  go  together, 
and  be  presented  as  closely  connected, — the  one  the  foundation,  the 
other  the  building.  The  grace,  the  true  grace,  must  be  declared,  in 
order  that  they  who  believe  in  Christ  may  be  careful  to  maintain 
good  works.  It  is  also  very  desirable  that  all  this  should  be  done 
briefly,  "  in  few  words ;"  that  is,  that  the  teaching,  though  plain, 
should  be  condensed.  The  time  afforded  for  Christian  teaching  is 
necessarily  very  limited,  and  many  Christians  have  few  means  of 
Christian  instruction  besides  public  teaching.  It  is  therefore  a  mat 
ter  of  great  importance  that  the  discourses  of  a  Christian  minister 
should  contain  as  much  matter  as  can  be  brought  into  them,  without 
overtasking  the  minds  of  the  hearers. 


CHAP.   III. — THE   MODE   OF   THE  WRITING   OE  TRANSMISSION  OF 

THE   EPISTLE. 

The  only  other  thing  in  the  recapitulatory  part  of  the  postscript 
that  requires  attention,  is  the  mode  of  the  writing  or  of  the  trans 
mission  of  the  letter, — "  By  Silvanus,  a  faithful  brother  unto  you,  as 
I  suppose,  I  have  written."  In  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  in  the 
Epistles  of  Paul,  we  read  of  a  person  of  this  name.  In  the  Epistles 
he  is  always  termed  Silvanus,  in  the  Acts  his  name  is  always  con 
tracted  into  Silas.  Some  have  supposed  from  the  last  name  and 
Tertius,  the  one  a  Hebrew,  the  other  a  Latin  word,  having  the  same 
signification,  that  he  is  the  person  who  performed  the  office  of  amanu 
ensis  to  Paul  when  writing  to  the  Komans.1  All  that  we  know  of 
him  with  certainty  is,  that  he  was  a  distinguished  "teacher  and 
prophet"  in  the  church  of  Jerusalem,  "  a  chief  man  among  the  breth 
ren;"  that  he  was  associated  along  with  Barsabas,  surnamed  Judas, 
and  sent  with  Paul  and  Barnabas  to  the  Gentile  churches  in  Antioch, 
Syria,  and  Cilicia,  to  carry  those  letters  to  the  apostles,  elders,  and 

1  Acts  xv.  22,  27,  34,  40;  xvi.  25;  xvii.  7,  10,  15.  2  Cor.  ii.  19.  1  Thess.  i.  1 
Rom  xvi.  22.  Burraanni  Exercitationes,  p.  16  L.  Wolfii  Curse,  2  Cor.  i.  19.  Walchii. 
Miscellan.  Exercitat.  ii.  p.  39.  Capelli  Spicileg.  p.  97,  Witsii  Meletein.  Leid.  p.  99. 
"'lleri  Onomasticon,  p.  G80. 


PART     ,]  RECAPITULATION.  785 

brethren,  which  contained  their  decision  of  the  question  respecting 
the  obligation  of  the  law  on  Christian  Gentiles  which  had  been  re 
ferred  Jo  them ;  that  on  the  disagreement  between  Paul  and  Barna 
bas,  he  accompanied  the  former  on  his  journey  through  Asia  Minor 
to  Macedonia ;  that  he  remained  behind  at  Berea  for  a  short  time, 
when  Paul  was  obliged  to  flee  from  that  place,  but  rejoined  the  apos- 
Je  at  Corinth ;  and  that  he  is  mentioned  along  with  Timothy  by  the 
apostle  in  the  inscription  of  the  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians.  It 
would  appear  that  he  had  gone,  it  may  be  sent  by  Paul,  into  the  Par 
thian  empire,  where  Peter  seems  to  have  been  when  he  wrote  this 
epistle ;  for  the  tradition  that  this  is  another  person  of  the  same  name 
has  no  foundation. 

It  has  been  made  a  question  whether  Silvanus  was  Peter's  amanu 
ensis  in  writing  the  epistle,  or  his  messenger  in  carrying  it  into  Asia 
Minor  and  the  adjacent  regions.  The  expressions  are  applicable  to 
either  case,  and  it  is  quite  possible  he  might  be  both.  Had  he  meant 
to  remain  with  Peter,  it  is  likely  his  salutation  would  have  been  given 
as  well  as  Mark's,  and  the  phraseology  is  that  commonly  used  in  ref 
erence  to  the  bearers  of  the  apostolic  letters. 

Peter  describes  Silvanus  as  a  "brother."  All  men  are  brothers. 
"Have  we  not  one  Father?  hath  not  one  God  created  us?"  "for 
we  are  all  his  offspring."  l  All  Christians  are  brothers.  "  One  is 
your  Father,  and  ye  are  all  brethren,"  says  our  Lord :  "  holy  breth 
ren,"  as  the  apostle  has  it,  partakers  of  the  heavenly  calling."  All 
Christian  office-bearers  are  brothers.  Thus  Peter  speaks  of  his  be 
loved  brother  Paul*  It  is  in  this  last  sense  probably  that  Peter  here 
uses  the  appellation.  We  know  that  Silas  was  a  teacher  and  a  pro 
phet,  and  we  know  that,  when  the  whole  church  are  called  "saints," 
the  office-bearers  are  distinguished  by  being  called  "brethren.3'3  The 
word  "faithful,"  the  epithet  given  to  Silvanus,  sometimes  signifies 
believing,  sometimes  trustworthy,  sometimes  distinguished  by  fidelity. 
I  have  no  doubt  it  was  applicable  to  Silvanus  in  all  these  shades  of 
meaning.  As  the  word  is  connected  with  "  to  you,"  for  it  is  not  "I 
wrote  to  you,"  but  "a faithful  brother  to  you,"  I  think  it  likely  that 
it  was  meant  to  convey  the  two  last  ideas,  a  minister  of  Christ  who 
has  proved  himself  trustworthy  by  his  faithful  discharge  of  duty 
to  you. 

The  parenthetical  words  rendered  "  as  I  suppose," 4  do  not  imply 
the  idea  of  uncertainty,  as  our  English  word  'suppose'  does.  It  is 
the  word  the  apostle  uses  when  he  says,  "  We  conclude  that  a  man  is 
justified  by  faith,  and  not  by  works  of  the  law,"  "  I  reckon  the  suffer 
ings  of  the  present  time  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory 
that  shall  be  revealed,"  "  Abraham  accounted  that  God  was  able  to 
raise  the  dead."5  There  was  no  doubt  in  any  of  these  cases,  and  we 
have  no  cause  to  think  there  was  any  doubt  here  either.  It  is,  "I  have 
sent  my  letter  by  Silvanus,  and  the  reason  why  I  have  done  so  is, 
that  I  have  perfect  confidence  in  his  fidelity,  and  know  that  he  has 
approved  himself  a  faithful  minister  of  Christ  on  your  behalf."  The 
apostles  were  accustomed  to  send  their  letters,  not  by  ordinary  mes- 

1  Mai.  ii.  10.     Acts  xvii.  28.  2  Matt,  xxiii.  8.    Heb.  iii.  1.    2  Pet.  iii.  15. 

*  PhiL  iv  21   ?£          *  'Qt  ^vlfrv*  *  Rom.  iii.  28  ;  viii.  18.    Heb.  XL  19. 


786  POSTSCRIPT    OF    THE    EPISTLE.  [DISC.  XXIV. 

sengers,  but  by  individuals  of  known  and  accredited  character.  Paul 
sent  the  Epistles  to  the  Ephesians  and  Colossians  by  Tychicus  ;  the 
First  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians  and  Thessalonians  by  Timothy ;  the 
Second  to  the  Corinthians  by  Titus;  the  Epistle  to  Philemon  by 
Onesimus  ;  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  by  Phebe,  a  deaconess.  Thus 
two  objects  were  gained :  the  apostles  were  assured  that  the  epistles 
would  be  delivered,  and  the  churches  assured  that  the  epistles  were 
not  surreptitious.  It  is  a  piece  of  Christian  wisdom  to  employ  men  ir 
engagements  for  which  they  are  peculiarly  fitted.  Silvanus,  inti 
mately  acquainted  with  the  churches  to  whom  the  apostle  wrote, 
was  far  better  fitted  to  be  his  messenger,  than  an  equally  good  and 
gifted  man  who  was  a  stranger  to  them.  Silvanus  bringing  the  lettei 
would  be  to  them  abundant  proof  of  its  authenticity.  And  it  is  ex- 
ceedingly  becoming  in  men  who,  like  Peter,  are  pillars  in  the  church, 
men  of  long  standing  and  high  influence,  to  comfort  the  hearts  and 
increase  the  usefulness  of  their  younger  brethren,  by,  on  proper  oc 
casions,  proclaiming  the  confidence  they  have  in  them,  and  the  esteem 
with  which  they  regard  them :  and,  on  the  other  hand,  nothing  is 
more  unworthy  than  for  one  of  Christ's  servants,  through  little  jeal 
ousies,  to  withhold  from  another  all  the  support  which  the  seasonable 
expression  of  merited  good  opinion  is  calculated  to  communicate. 
So  much  for  the  recapitulation. 


II.— THE  SALUTATION. 

The  salutation  contained  in  the  13th  verse  is  in  these  words  :  "The 
church  that  is  at  Babylon,  elected  together  with  you,  saluteth  you 
and  so  doth  Marcus  my  son."     To  salute  is  to  kiss  or  embrace ;  here 
it  plainly  means  to  cherish  and  express  cordial  affection,  of  which  a 
salute  is  the  token. 

§  1. — The  salutation  of  the  Church  in  Babylon 

You  will  notice  that  the  words  "  church  that  is,"  are  printed  in 
italics,  intimating  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  original  to  answer  to 
them.  The  text  literally  rendered  is,  "  She  at  Babylon,  co-elect 
saluteth  you."  It  has  been  a  question  among  interpreters,  whethei 
the  person  here  mentioned  is  a  real  or  figurative  person,  an  individ 
ual  or  a  society.  Some  have  supposed  that  it  refers  to  some  Chris 
tian  woman,  perhaps  of  the  name  of  Suneclecta,  the  Greek  word 
rendered  "  elected  together  with  you,"  probably  of  great  worth  and 
usefulness,  and  perhaps  rank  and  wealth,  resident  at  Babylon,  well 
known  for  her  good  works — one  like  John's  "  elect  lady ;"  though 
some  have  supposed  that  she  arid  her  elect  sister  were  sister  churches, 
and  their  children  the  church  members.  Others  have  supposed  that 
it  was  Peter's  "  sister-wife,"  that  is,  Christian  wife,  whom  we  know 
from  the  Apostle  Paul  he  was  accustomed  "  to  lead  about"  with  him 
in  his  apostolic  labors,  and  who  was  at  this  time  residing  in  Babylon, 
and  that  Marcus,  mentioned  immediately  after,  was  not  Mark  the 
evangelist,  but  their  son.  Either  of  these  suppositions,  no  doubt, 


PART  II. J  SALUTATION.  787 

may  be  true;  but  the  probability  seems  on  the  side  of  the  view 
taken  by  our  translators,  and  by  the  great  body  of  interpreters  in  all 
ages.  "  She  at  or  in  Babylon,  co-elect/'  seems  to  be  the  Christian 
society  there. 

It  has  been  disputed  whether  Babylon  is  to  be  understood  mystically 
or  literally  here ;  whether  it  means  Rome,  which  in  the  Apocalypse 
is  called  Babylon,  or  Jerusalem,  which,  now  apostate,  better  deserved 
that  name  than  her  own,  or  the  city  in  Chaldea  so  well  known  both 
in  profane  and  sacred  history.     In  the  absence  of  anything  like  evi 
dence  on  the  other  side,  we  must  hold  that  whatever  Babylon  may 
signify  in  a  book  full  of  symbols,  here  it  must  be  interpreted  just  as 
we  do  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia,  and  Bithynia.     Our  own 
city  is  sometimes  called  Athens,  from  its  situation  and  from  its  being 
a  seat  of  learning;  but  it  would  not  do  to  argue  that  a  letter  came 
from  Edinburgh  because  it  was  dated  from  Athens.     It  is  remarkable 
that  the  Roman  Catholics,  who  are  very  shy  of  admitting  that  Rome 
is  the  Babylon  of  the  Apocalypse,  generally  hold  that  it  is  referred  to 
here.     The  reason  is,  that  if  Babylon  do  not  mean  Rome  here,  there 
is  nothing  in  Scripture  that  can  be  made  to  look  like  evidence  for  the 
fact,  on  which  the  whole  enormous  fabric  of  the  papal  supremacy  is 
built,  that  Rome  was  at  any  time  the  residence  of  Peter.    So  far  from 
being  able  to  prove  that  the  Pope  is  the  legitimate  successor  of  Peter 
in  a  universal  episcopate,  of  which  Rome,  the  capital  of  the  world, 
was  the  appropriate  seat,  there  is  no  evidence  in  Scripture  that  he 
was  ever  in  that  city;   and  all  that  ecclesiatical  history  makes  in 
some  measure  probable  is,  that  he  came  there  to  suffer  martyrdom. 
Surely  those  who  can  believe  such  things,  on  such  evidence,  are  given 
up  to  strong  delusions. 

Allowing  Babylon  to  be  the  proper  name  of  the  place  referred  to, 
it  has  been  questioned  whether  it  refers  to  the  city  generally  known 
both  in  profane  and  sacred  history  by  that  appellation,  or  Seleucia,  a 
city  in  its  neighbourhood,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Tigris,  which  is 
said  sometimes  to  have  received  its  name,  or  a  small  garrison  town 
in  Egypt  known  by  this  appellation.  The  first  opinion  is  the  more 
probable  one,  for  there  is  no  reason  to  think  that  at  this  time  Babylon, 
though  greatly  dilapidated,  was  a  mere  heap  of  ruins ;  though  I  think 
it  very  likely  that  the  word  does  not  refer  exclusively  to  the  city,  but 
to  the  region  known  as  Babylon  or  Babylonia.1 

It  is  the  elect  dispersion  of  Babylonia  sending  their  kind  regards  to 
the  co-elected  dispersion  of  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia,  and 
Bithynia.  They,  having  " obtained  like  precious  faith,"  were  "holy 
brethren,  partakers  of  the  heavenly  calling,"  co-elect,  equally  with 
them,  "elect  according  to  the  foreknowledge  of  God,  spiritually  sepa 
rated,  obedient  to  the  faith,  and  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ."  Genuine  Christians  of  the  most  distant  countries,  ought  to 
cherish  the  kindest  affections  towards  each  other,  and  avail  them 
selves  of  every  proper  opportunity  of  expressing  them.  And  Chris 
tian  ministers  should  gladly  stir  the  sacred  flame,  and  give  facilities 
for  its  manifestation.  Apostolical  influence  was  always  employed 
in  this  way.  Alas !  how  often  has  clerical  influence  been  put  forth 

1  See  note  A. 


788  POSTSCRIPT    OF    THE    EPISTLE,  [DISC.  XXIT. 

in  the  opposite  direction  !  The  leaders  of  Christ's  people  have  often 
made  them  to  err,  to  wander  from  the  path  of  catholic  unity  and  love, 
and  kept  them  wandering.  "  Blessed  are  the  peace-makers." 

§  2. — The  salutation  of  Marcus. 

But  the  apostle  transmits  the  cordial  good  wishes  not  only  of  the 
church  in  the  region  where  he  was  sojourning  to  their  brethren  in 
Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia,  and  Bithynia,  but  also  the  kind  re 
membrances  of  an  individual  Christian  man  and  minister:  "So  doth 
Marcus,  my  son."  We  know  Peter  was  married,  and  ecclesiastical 
tradition  declares  that  he  had  children ; l  but  we  have  no  evidence 
that  he  had  sons,  or  that  any  of  his  sons  were  in  the  Christian  minis 
try.  On  the  other  hand,  we  do  know  that  there  was  a  very  intimate 
connection  between  Peter  and  John  and  Mark.  We  find  Peter  going 
to  his  mother's  house,  as  to  his  ordinary  abode  in  Jerusalem,  after 
having  been  miraculously  delivered  from  prison ;  and  all  antiquity 
represents  Mark's  gospel  as  written  from  information  received  from 
Peter,  a  tradition  carrying  with  it  great  probability,  as  none  of  the 
gospels  has  more  of  that  circumstantiality  which  a  narrative  coming 
from  an  eye-witness  naturally  possesses,  and  whatever  does  Peter 
credit  is  rather  cast  into  the  shade,  while  his  faults  are  very  plainly 
stated.2  There  is  nothing  remarkable  in  Peter  calling  Mark  his  son, 
especially  as  it  is  likely  he  was  the  means  of  his  conversion.  Paul 
calls  Onesimus  his  "  son,  begotten  in  his  bonds,"  and  Timothy  his 
"  own  son  in  the  faith." 3  "  Marcus  my  son"  is  equivalent  to,  who  is 
to  me  instead  of  a  son,  or,  as  Paul  has  it  in  reference  to  Timothy, 
"who  serves  with  me  as  a  son  in  the  gospel."4  It  does  not  appear 
that,  at  this  time,  Mark  had  ever  seen  the  churches  to  which  Peter 
wrote ;  but,  though  strangers  in  the  flesh,  they  were  dear  to  him  in 
the  Lord.  That  Christian  minister  has  not  the  proper  spirit  of  his 
office,  who  does  not  cherish  an  affectionate  regard  for  every  Christian 
church,  for  every  Christian  man,  throughout  the  world. 


Ill— EXHORTATION. 

We  come  now  to  the  exhortation  contained  in  this  postscript: 
"  Greet  ye  one  another  with  a  kiss  of  charity."  These  words  may 
be  understood  generally  as  an  exhortation  to  mutual  love,  and  to  all 
proper  expressions  of  it.  '  See  that  ye  love  one  another,  and  show 
that  ye  love  one  another ;'  and  in  this  general  sense  they  embody  an 
injunction  obligatory  on  all  Christian  churches  in  all  countries,  and 
in  all  ages.  But  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt,  that  the  apostle  meant 
the  churches  he  addressed  to  understand  and  comply  with  the  injunc 
tion  in  the  plain  literal  meaning  of  the  words.  Salutation  by  kissing 
was  the  ordinary  way  of  expressing  friendly  affection  in  those  coun- 

1  Clemens  Alexandrinus— Stromata.    Lib.  iii. 

Origen  (Bus  H.  E.  vi.  25)  declares  that  he  bad  learned  from  tradition  that  Mark 
wrote  the  second  gospel  [us  ILrpoj  vd^yfaaro  avrw. 
•  Philem.  10.     1  Tim.  i.  2. 

it  viov  Kara  Trvtvpa.  /caXet,  aXA'  ov  Kara  capta. — (EcUMEXIUS. 


PART  III.]  EXHORTATIOX.  789 

tries  and  in  that  age  ;  and  the  command  is  not  more  strange  than  if 
the  apostle,  addressing  a  church  in  our  country  and  times,  were  to 
say,  'Give  to  each  other  the  right  hand  of  fellowship/  We  find 
similar  advices  given  to  the  other  churches.1  "  Salute  one  another 
with  a  holy  kiss." a  "  Greet  ye  one  another  with  a  holy  kiss."  3 
"  Greet  all  the  brethren  with  an  holy  kiss."  *  That  the  apostle  meant 
the  members  of  the  churches,  on  receiving  this  epistle,  to  salute  one 
another,  is  certain ;  that  he  meant,  that  at  all  their  religious  meet 
ings  they  should  do  so,  is  not  improbable. 

That  he  meant  to  make  this  an  everlasting  ordinance  in  all  Chris 
tian  churches,  though  it  has  sometimes  been  asserted,  has  never  been 
proved,  and  is  by  no  means  likely.  That  the  practice  prevailed  ex 
tensively,  perhaps  universally,  in  the  earlier  ages,  is  established  on 
satisfactory  evidence.  "  After  the  prayers,"  says  Justin  Martyr,  who 
lived  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  second  century,  giving  an  account,  in 
his  "  Apology,"  of  the  religious  customs  of  the  Christians,  "  after  the 
prayers,  we  embrace  each  other  with  a  kiss."  Tertullian  speaks  of 
it  as  an  ordinary  part  of  the  religious  services  of  the  Lord's-day ;  and 
in  the  Apostolical  Constitutions,  as  they  are  termed,  the  manner  in 
which  it  was  performed  is  particularly  described.  "  Then  let  the  men 
apart,  and  the  women  apart,  salute  each  other  with  a  kiss  in  the 
Lord."  Origen's  note  on  Romans,  xvi.  16,  is,  "  From  this  passage 
the  custom  was  delivered  to  the  churches,  that,  after  prayer,  the 
brethren  should  salute  one  another  with  a  kiss."  This  token  of  love 
was  generally  given  at  the  Holy  Supper.  It  was  likely,  from  the  prev 
alence  of  this  custom,  that  the  calumny  of  Christians  indulging  in 
licentiousness  at  their  religious  meetings  originated  ;  and  it  is  not  im- 
probakle  that,  in  order  to  remove  everything  like  an  occasion  to  ca 
lumniators,  the  practice  which,  though  in  itself  innocent,  had  become 
not  for  the  use  of  edifying,  was  discontinued. 

Some  Christian  societies  still  retain  the  practice,  and  even  insist  on 
it  as  a  term  of  communion.  We  have  no  objection  to  the  first ;  but 
we  must  protest  against  the  second.  Surely  this  is  not  one  of  the 
points  on  which  the  peace  of  the  church  should  be  disturbed,  or  her 
communion  broken.  They  who  observe  it,  should  not  condemn  them 
that  observe  it  not ;  and  they  who  do  not  observe  it,  should  not  de 
spise  them  who  observe  it.  "  Let  each  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own 
mind."  In  both  cases,  if  they  are  sincere,  they  will  be  accepted  of 
the  Lord.  The  grand  matter  is  the  cultivation  of  mutual  love ;  the 
mode  of  expressing  it— unless  there  be  distinct  proof,  which,  we  ap 
prehend,  there  is  not,  that  it  has  been  fixed  by  apostolical  authority 
for  the  church  in  all  ages—is  a  matter  of  very  inferior  importance. 
It  seems,  like  every  external  thing,  not  essential,  not  expressly  en 
joined  as  a  law  to  the  churches,  a  thing  of  time  and  place,  depending 
on  the  manner  of  the  age  or  country,  like  the  wearing,  or  the  not 
wearing,  long  hair  at  Corinth.  A  kiss  of  charity  is  equivalent  to  a 
kiss  not  of  mere  form,  but  expressive  of  real  Christian  affection.5  But 
though  the  external  mods  of  expressing  Christian  love  be  a  matter 
comparatively  unimportant,  the  importance  of  cherishing  this  affec- 

1  Rom.  xvi.  16.  2  1  Cor.  xvi.  20.  s  2  Cor.  xiiL  12. 

•  1  Thess.  v.  2*.  6  See  note  B. 


790  POSTSCRIPT    OF    THE    EPISTLE.  [DISC.  XXIT? 

tion,  ay,  and  of  expressing  it  too,  cannot  be  exaggerated.  "  The  en 
tertaitiment,  and  increase,  and  expression  of  Christian  love  is  not  op 
tional,  but  obligatory  ;  the  very  stamp  and  badge  of  Jesus  Christ  upon 
his  followers."  And  the  members  of  the  same  Christian  church 
should  especially  cultivate  mutual  brotherly  affection,  and,  on  all 
proper  occasions,  manifest  it,  by  readily  and  cordially  recognizing  one 
another  as  brethren. 

IV.— BENEDICTIOK 

It  only  remains  now  that  we  say  a  word  or  two  on  the  parting 
benediction,  "  Peace  be  with  you  all  that  be  in  Christ  Jesus.  Amen." 
It  is  the  all  but  uniform  practice  of  the  apostles,  both  to  begin  and  end 
their  epistles  with  prayers  and  benedictions.  Peter  began  his  epistle 
with  the  prayer,  ''Grace  unto  you,  and  peace  be  multiplied  ;"  and  he 
ends  with  the  prayer,  "Peace  be  with  you  all  that  are  in  Christ 
Jesus."  The  apostles  exemplified  their  own  precepts  to  "pray 
always;"  to  "pray  without  ceasing."  To  pray  for  Christian  brethren 
is  one  of  the  most  natural  modes  of  expressing  Christian  affection  ;  as 
Christians  are  "  taught  of  God  l  to  love  one  another,"  they  are  also 
taught  of  God  to  pray  for  one  another. 

"  Peace"  is  a  word  expressive  of  whatever  is  necessary  to  hap 
piness.  Peace  be  to  you,  is  just  equivalent  to,  May  you  be  happy. 
When  the  man  is  happy,  the  mind  is  tranquil.  The  unhappy  man 
has  a  disturbed,  unquiet,  agitated  mind.  The  import  of  the  wish, 
"Peace  be  with  you,"  depends  on  the  views  of  the  person  who  utters 
it.  In  the  mouth  of  a  well-informed  Christian  it  means,  May  you 
have  all  the  happiness  which  flows  from  possessing,  and  knowing  that 
you  possess,  that  favor  of  God  which  is  life,  that  loving-kindness  which 
is  better  than  life  ;  from  the  conscience  being  sprinkled  with  the  blood 
of  atonement;  from  the  heart  being  renewed  by  the  Holy  Ghost; 
from  the  mind  being  fixed  in  the  belief  of  the  truth ;  from  the  faith 
of  the  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises ;  from  the  hope  of  the 
salvation  that  is  in  Christ  with  eternal  glory.  May  you  "  want  no 
good  thing."  May  you  be  "kept  in  perfect  peace."  May  "  the  peace 
of  God  keep  your  hearts  and  minds  through  Christ  Jesus."  May 
"  the  Lord  of  peace  himself  give  you  peace  always  by  all  means."8 
This  prayer  the  apostle  presents  for  all  the  elect  strangers,  as  being 
"  in  Christ  Jesus,"  so  closely  related  to  Christ  Jesus  as  to  be,  as  it 
were,  identified  with  him,  having  fellowship  with  him  in  his  death,  his 
resurrection,  his  new  life,  his  honors,  his  happiness ;  living  in  him,  ani 
mated  by  his  spirit,  walking  in  him,  sustained  by  his  grace,  imitating 
his  example,  regulated  by  his  laws,  being  his  living  images,  his  "epis 
tles  seen  and  read  of  all  men." 

This  is  an  expression  of  the  love  of  a  Christian  man  to  Christian 
men,  and  is  a  wish  that  they  may  enjoy  in  abundance  Christian  happi 
ness.  It  is  they  only  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus  that  can  enjoy  the 
peace  which  the  apostle  here  invokes.  There  is  no  paace  of  this 
kind  to  them  who  are  not  in  Christ  Jesus.  To  all  who  are  not  in 
him  there  is  condemnation  :  "  There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to 

*  Phil.  iv.  7.  2  Thess.  iii.  16. 


PART  IV.J  BENEDICTION.  791 

the  wicked."  It  is  they  who  believe  in  Christ,  and  who  are  thus 
united  to  him,  that  can  enter  into  peace.  To  quote  once  more  the 
devout  Archbishop,  from  whom  I  part  with  reluctance  as  from  a 
pious  accomplished  friend,  who  has  been  my  instructive  and  delight 
ful  companion  during  my  leisure  journey  through  this  most  fertile 
region  of  the  world  of  inspiration,  and  to  whom  1  am  much  indebted 
for  turning  my  attention  to  some  of  its  more  recondite  beauties,  and 
for  gathering  for  me.  and  for  you,  some  of  its  sweetest  flowers  and 
richest  fruits  :  "  They  that  are  in  Christ  are  the  only  children  and 
heirs  of  true  peace.  Others  may  dream  of  it,  and  have  a  false  peace 
for  a  time,  and  wicked  men  may  wish  it  to  themselves  and  to  one 
another,  but  it  is  a  most  vain  hope  and  thought ;  but  to  wish  it  to  them 
who  are  in  Christ  Jesus  hath  good  ground.  All  solid  peace  is  founded 
on  him,  and  flows  from  him."  All  who  are  in  Christ  have  peace. 
"  Being  justified  by  faith,  they  have  peace ;"  but  the  apostle's  prayer 
is,  that  their  peace  may  be  multiplied,  preserved,  increased;  that  their 
peace  may  be  as  a  river,  and  their  happiness  as  the  waves  of  the  sea; 
that  they  may  grow  in  holy  happiness  till  they  become  perfectly 
happy,  because  perfectly  holy ;  having  the  peace  of  God,  because 
having  the  purity  of  God;  "peace,  quietness,  assurance  forever." 

The  peculiar  expression,  "  Peace  be  with  you  all  who  are  in  Christ 
Jesus,"  seems  to  intimate  that  there  might  be  among  them  somS  who 
were  not  in  Christ  Jesus.  It  was  so  in  the  primitive  age  as  well  as 
now.  All  were  not  in  Christ  who  bore  his  name.  To  those  men 
continuing  in  that  state,  there  is,  there  can  be,  no  peace,  no  true 
peace.  They  may,  they  do,  say,  Peace,  peace  to  themselves ;  but  the 
Christian  minister  dares  not  say,  Peace  to  them.  He  wishes,  O  how 
eagerly!  their  salvation  ;  but  he  expects  this  only  in  the  destruction 
of  their  false  peace.  His  call  to  them  is,  "Let  sinners  in  Zion  be 
afraid ;"  and  his  prayer  to  God  is,  that  he  may  disturb  their  peace, 
shake  them  with  salutary  terror,  chase  them  out  of  all  the  refuges  of 
lies  in  which  they  are  so  apt  to  seek  and  find  shelter,  and  never  allow 
them  to  be  at  peace  till,  "  being  justified  by  faith,  they  have  peace 
with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;"  never  know  what  hope  is, 
till  they  "  have  fled  for  refuge  to  lay  hold  on  the  hope  set  before  them 
in  the  gospel." 

The  apostle  concludes  his  benedictory  prayer  with  the  emphatic 
Hebrew  word,  Amen,  expressive  at  once  of  desire  and  expectation. 
'May  it  be  so.'  'It  shall  be  so.'  He  could  not  but  wish  it;  for  he 
loved  them :  and  he  could  not  but  expect  it ;  for  it  is  one  of  those 
promises  which  "are  all  yea  and  amen  in  Christ  Jesus  to  the  glory  of 
God  by  us."  "  The  Lord  will  bless  his  people  with  peace." 

And  now,  brethren,  I  have  finished  these  Expository  Discourses 
on  this  important  and  interesting  part  of  Divine  truth.  It  is  more 
than  sixteen  years  since  I  commenced  them.  Of  those  who  witness 
ed  their  commencement,  many  are  in  another,  not  a  few  of  them,  I 
doubt  not,  in  a  better  world.  We  must  soon  go  to  them  in  the  grave. 
Oh!  let  us  see  that  we  also  go  to  them  in  heaven.  It  is  in  a  very 
high  degree  improbable  that  I  shall  ever  deliver  to  you  again  so  long 
1  2  Cor.  i.  20.  Psal.  xxix.  11. 


792  NOTES.  [DISC.  xxiv. 

a  series  of  discourses ;  a  solemn  reflection  both  to  me  and  to  you. 
It  says  to  me,  "  Make  full  proof  of  thy  ministry ;"  it  draws  to  a  close  ; 
"work  while  it  is  called  to-day;  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can 
work."  "  Prepare  to  meet  thy  God."  "  The  Judge  standeth  before 
the  door."  Make  up  thy  account ;  thou  canst  not  long  continue  a 
steward.  And  to  you  it  says,  "  To-day,  if  ye  will  hear  my  voice, 
harden  not  your  hearts.  Now  is  the  accepted  time  ;  now  is  the  day 
of  salvation." 

My  work  in  composing  and  delivering  these  discourses,  and  yours 
in  listening  to  them,  are  over ;  but  there  remain  the  improvement 
which  ought  to  be  made,  and  the  account  which  must  be  given.  The 
first  will,  I  trust,  follow ;  the  second  certainly  shall.  It  is  by  attend 
ing  to  the  first  that  we  shall  be  prepared  for  the  second.  For  this,  as 
for  all  means  of  religious  improvement,  we  must  ere  long  give  ac 
count.  O  that  it  may  be  given  with  joy,  and  not  with  grief!  "The 
Lord  grant"  that  both  the  teacher  and  the  taught  may,  notwithstand 
ing  all  that  has  been  wanting  and  wrong  in  the  manner  in  which  they 
have  performed  their  respective  parts,  "  the  Lord  grant  that  we  may 
find  mercy  of  the  Lord  in  that  day." l  Amen. 


A.  p.  787. 

"Explodatur  figurata,  admittatur  literalis  expositio."— PEARSON  du  Succ.  Rom.  Episc. 

"  Babylona  proprie  i^cipio  pro  celebri  ilia  Assyriae  urbe." — BEZA. 

"  Cur  Babylon  in  Italia  potius,  aut  in  Egypto  quam  in  Mesopotamia,  sit  quoarenda,  cau 
sam  non  video." — WETSTEIN. 

"Mulli  ex  veteribus  Romam  senigmatice  putarunt  notari.  Hoc  commentum  Papistae 
libenter  arripiunt,  ut  videatur  Petrus  Romance  Ecclesiae  praefuisse.  Neque  enim  deterret 
eos  infamia  nominis,  modo  sedis  Apostolicae  titulum  praetexere  ipsis  liceat ;  nee  Christum 
magnopere  curant,  modo  Petrus  ipsis  relinquatur.  Quinetiam,  modo  retineant  Cathedram 
Pet.ri  nomen,  suam  Romam  in  profundis  inferis  collocare  non  recusabunt.  Atqui  vetus 
illud  commentum  nihil  habet  coloris." — CALVIN 

NOTE  B.  p.  789. 

"  Osculo  sancto,  osculo  vero,  osculo  pacifico,  osculo  columbino,  non  subdolo,  non  polluto." 
— BEOA.  "Non  adulatorio  sicut  Absolon  osculabatur  populum,  non  simulatorio  eicut  Joab 
Amasam,  non  prodito:«io  sicut  Judas  Dominum,  non  impudico  sicut  mulier  adultera  juve- 
nem,  sed  osculo  sancto,  quod  est  caritatis  signum  et  ejus  fomentum." — LYRA.  "  Osculo, 
non  suavio  quod  voluptatis  est,  sed  osculo  quod  religionis ;  osculo  caritatis,  osculo  sancto, 
osculo  in  Domino  Jesu :  quale  prisco  ecclesise  ritu,  cum  super  co3nam  Dominicam,  turn  die 
Paschatis  festo,  turn  in  ordinationibus  sacris,  pie  olim  et  pudice  dabatur  et  reddebatur." — 
BENTLET. 

"  The  fraternal  kiss  "with  which  every  one,  after  being  baptized,  was  received  into  the 
community,  by  the  Christians  into  whose  immediate  fellowship  he  entered — which  the 
members  bestowed  on  each  other  just  before  the  celebration  of  the  communion,  and  with 
which  every  Christian  saluted  his  brother,  though  he  never  saw  him  before — was  not  an 
empty  form,  but  the  expression  of  Christian  feelings ;  a  token  of  the  relation  in  which 
Christians  conceived  themselves  to  stand  to  eacli  other.  It  was  this  indeed  which,  in  a 
cold  and  selfish  age,  struck  the  Pagans  with  wonder :  to  behold  men  of  different  countries, 
ranks,  stages  of  culture,  so  intimately  bound  together ;  to  see  the  stranger  who  came  into 
a  city,  and  by  his  letter 'of  recognition  (his  'Epistola  formata'),  mnde  himself  known  to  the 
Christians  of  the  place  as  a  brother  beyond  suspicion,  finding  at  once  among  them,  to 
whom  he  was  personally  unknown,  all  manner  of  brotherly  sympathy  and  protection."— 
NEANDER.  Gen.  Hist,  of  the  Christ.  Relig.  and  the  Church.  TORRY'S  Translation,  vol.  i 
sect.  iii.  p.  347. 

1  2  Tim.  i  18. 


INDEX. 


I.— PRINCIPAL  MATTERS. 


Affliction,  two  views  of,  713  ;  its  duties,  719  ; 
motives  to  the  performance  of  them,  721 ; 
is  a  state  of  carefulness,  727. 

Amen,  import  of,  554. 

Angels,  subjection  of,  to  Christ,  530 ;  is  the 
result  of  his  expiatory  sufferings,  531 ; 
study  the  final  happiness  of  Christians,  84. 

Antediluvian  history,  facts  in,  538;  object 
of  the  apostle  in  referring  to,  542 ; — reve 
lations,  539  ; — worlds,  analogies  of  post 
diluvian  and,  543. 

Apostles,  characteristic  features  of,  34 ;  had 
no  successors,  35. 

Ascension  of  Christ  to  heaven  the  result  of 
his  expiatory  sufferings,  528. 

Atonement,  the  connection  of  sanctification 
with,  117  ;  fellowship  with  God  obtained 
through,  505;  exhortation  to  holiness 
based  on,  553. 

Babes,  new-born,  illustration  of  the  figure, 
137. 

Babylon,  the  church  in,  786. 

Baptism,  the  deluge  was  a  type  of,  544; 
how  it  saves,  545. 

"  Bearing  sins,"  meaning  of  the  phrase,  355. 

Bishop,  meaning  of  the  term,  360. 

Blessings  of  salvation,  God  is  the  author  of, 
55  ;  originate  in  the  abundant  mercy  of 
God,  58 ;  are  of  vast  magnitude,  59  ;  prop 
er  method  of  acknowledging,  60. 

Brotherhood,  the,  who  are,  308;  have  a 
common  character,  310;  common  educa 
tion,  310;  common  residence,  310;  com 
mon  inheritance,  310;  fellowship  of,  311 ; 
Christians  must  show  their  love  of,  313; 
by  joining  it,  314;  by  regular  attendance, 
314  ;  by  endeavoring  to  preserve  its  pur 
ity,  315;  by  seeking  its  peace,  315;  by 
their  prayers,  317 ;  duty  to  a  particular 
brotherhood,  317  ;  duty  of  Christian  broth 
erhoods  to  other  Christian  brotherhoods, 
318  ;  address  to  those  who  do  not  belong 
to,  320. 

Brotherly  love,  illustrated,  121 ;  objects  and 
elements  of,  122  ;  distinctive  characters 
of,  123;  recommended,  127;  by  the  mu 
tual  relation  of  Christians,  127  ;  by  the 
common  character  of  Christians,  129  ;  the 
maintenance  of,  explained,  604 ;  and  rec 
ommended,  608  ;  manifestation  of,  by  em 
ploying  property,  614;  by  employing 


spiritual  gifts,  620 ;  motives  to  the  mani 
festation  of,  625. 

Called  to  show  forth  the  praises  of  God, 
Christians  are,  206 ;  what  is  this  calling ! 
208 ;  who  is  its  author  ?  208  ;  what  is  the 
design  of  it  ?  208  ;  show  them  forth  pass 
ively,  209;  and  actively,  210;  address  to 
those  who  are  not  among  the  called,  212 ; 
— out  of  darkness,  Christians  are,  213. 

Calumnies  against  the  Christians,  Note,  239. 

"  Ceased  from  sin,"  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
565.  See  Flesh. 

Cephas,  meaning  of  the  name,  31. 

Character,  common,  of  Christians,  a  motive 
to  brotherly  love,  129. 

Christ,  meaning  of  the  term,  469  ;  is  the 
foundation  of  the  spiritual  temple,  175  ; 
is  the  great  object  of  his  people's  affec 
tions,  62. 

Christian  salvation,  grandeur,  excellence, 
and  security  of,  a  motive  to  Christian 
duty,  105. 

Christians,  present  and  future  state  of,  con 
trasted,  61 ;  as  to  the  absence  and  pres 
ence  of  Christ,  62  ;  as  to  trials  and  their 
results,  66 ;  as  to  expectation  and  enjoy 
ment,  68 ;  as  to  sorrows  and  joys,  70  ;  the 
final  happiness  of,  is  the  subject  of  Old 
Testament  prophecy,  73  ;  and  of  apostol 
ical  preaching,  80 ;  and  of  angelic  study, 
84;  mutual  relation  of,  127;  common 
character  of,  129;  state  and  character  of, 
described  generally,  136;  and  under  the 
figure  of  new-born  babes,  137  ;  exhorta 
tion  to,  142 ;  dissuasive,  142 ;  persuasive, 
146 ;  the  two  parts  are  closely  connected 
with  each  other,  156  ;  peculiar  privileges 
of,  166  ;  miserable  condition  of,  previously 
to  their  obtaining  those  privileges,  169  ; 
manner  in  which  they  were  obtained,  172 ; 
are  called  a  holy  priesthood,  184;  and  a 
chosen  generation,  187;  have  obtained 
mercy,  221 ;  are  the  servants  of  God,  262. 

Church,  Christian,  constitution  of,  688  ;  is 
the  flock  of  God,  680  ;  and  God's  heritage, 
681. 

Civil  government,  nature  and  design  of,  242^; 
is  called  a  "  creature,"  not  an  "  ordinance," 
244 ;  subjection  to,  246  ;  how  limited, 
247 ;  Christ's  commandment  concerning 
249  ;  Christ's  example  concerning,  251. 


794 


INDEX. 


"  Coming  to  Christ,"  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
172. 

Conjugal  duties  of  Christians,  363 ;  of 
wives,  365  ;  of  husbands,  381.  See  Hus 
bands  and  Wives. 

Conscience,  a  good,  -what  it  is,  453  ;  must  be 
sprinkled  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  456. 

Consolation,  the  epistle  abounds  in,  29. 

Conversation,  meaning  of  the  term,  94 ;  a 
good,  in  Christ,  explained,  458. 

Courtesy  enjoined,  412  ;  origin  of  the  term, 
413  ;  not  to  be  confounded  with  artificial 
polish  of  manners,  415;  commensurate 
with  our  social  relations,  415  ;  consistent 
with  truth  and  integrity,  416  ;  enjoined  by 
the  highest  authority,  417 ;  enforced  by 
the  example  of  Christ,  417;  Abraham, 
417  ;  Sarah,  418 ;  Paul,  418. 

"Covereth  a  multitude  of  sins,"  the  phrase 
explained,  609 

Cruelty  of  the  devil,  748. 

Darkness,  Christians  are  called  out  of,  213  ; 
what  it  is,  214 ;  illustrated  by  the  mid 
night  darkness  of  Egypt,  214. 

Dead,  the  spiritually,  who  are,  585 ;  the 
gospel  is  preached  to,  586. 

Deluge,  the,  was  a  type  of  baptism,  544 ; 
state  of  mankind  previous  to,  539. 

Desire  of  the  milk  of  the  word  described,  151. 

Devil,  the,  743  ;  is  an  adversary,  744 ;  subtle, 
745  ;  active,  747  ;  cruel,  748  ;  the  Chris 
tian's  duty  in  reference  to,  751 ;  to  resist 
his  attacks  on  himself,  751;  and  on  the 
Christian  cause,  753 ;  what  the  Christian 
is  to  do  that  he  may  resist,  754 ;  encour 
agement  to  perform  this  duty,  759. 

Doxology,  626. 

9ress,  duty  of  Christian  wives  in  reference 
to,  368. 

Duties  of  Christiana  to  each  other,  394; 
union  of  sentiment,  395  ;  union  of  feeling, 
400  ;  brotherly  kindness,  401 ;  to  man 
kind  generally,  404  •,  pity,  404 ;  courtesy, 
412;  to  give  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is 
in  them,  442 ;  to  maintain  a  good  con 
science  and  a  good  conversation,  452. 

Duty,  clinstian,  87 ;  general  view  of,  90 ; 
particular  view  of,  93 ;  means  for  the 
performance  of,  94;  determined  resolu 
tion,  95 ;  moderation,  97 ;  hope,  99 ;  fear, 
102 ;  motives  to  the  performance  of,  105. 

Ecclesiastical  duties  enjoined,  654. 

Elder,  faithful  reward  of,  682;  unfaithful 
doom  of,  684. 

Elders,  origin  and  meaning  of  the  appella 
tion,  655 ;  divided  into  the  teaching  and 
the  ruling,  658  ;  qualifications  of,  659 ; 
manner  of  investing  with  office,  659  ;  are 
called  shepherds  and  overseers,  660 ;  duties 
of,  661 ;  instruction,  661 ;  superintendence, 
665 ;  manner  of  performing  their  duties, 
668  ;  not  by  constraint,  668  ;  not  for  filthy 
lucre,  670 ;  not  as  lords  of  God's  heritage, 
673 ;  motives  suggested  by  the  apostle's 
reference  to  himself,  675;  drawn  from 


considerations  referring  to  the  church, 
680 ;  and  to  the  office-bearers  themselves, 
682. 

Elect,  meaning  of  the  term,  37;  stone,  180. 
See  Foundation. 

Election,  double  sense  of  the  term  ki  Scrip 
ture,  189. 

"  End  of  all  things,"  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
598. 

Enemy,  great,  of  the  Christian,  who  he  is, 
743  ;  what  he  is,  744. 

Envy,  warnings  against,  144. 

Epistle,  First,  of  Peter,  character  of,  by 
Leigh-ton,  28 ;  Erasmus,  Grotius,  and  Ben- 
gel,  28 ;  authenticity  and  genuineness  of, 
28;  resemblance  to  Paul's  Epistles,  28; 
holds  an  intermediate  place  between  those 
of  Paul  and  James,  29  ;  abounds  in  con 
solation,  29;  date,  29;  object,  30;  to 
whom  addressed,  36  ;  salutation,  39  ;  ref 
erences  to  the  Old  Testament  in,  41  ;  post 
script,  778;  recapitulation,  779;  subject, 
780;  form,  782;  mode  of  writing,  or 
transmission,  784  ;  salutation,  786  ;  bene 
diction,  790. 

Epistolary  part  of  Scripture,  advantages  of, 
27. 

Equity  of  God,  a  motive  to  Christian  dutv, 
110. 

Evangelists,  their  office,  657. 

Evidence  of  Christianity,  importance  of  a 
knowledge  of,  449. 

Evil-speaking,  warnings  against,  144. 

Exaltation  of  Christ,  523 ;  his  resurrection, 
523  ;  ascension  to  heaven,  526  ;  sitting  on 
the  right  hand  of  God,  528  ;  placed  over 
angels,  530. 

Example  of  Christ,  how  far  binding  on  us  as 
a  pattern,  349. 

Exhortation  to  Christians,  dissuasive,  142  ; 
persuasive,  146  ;  to  seek  spiritual  growth, 
146;  to  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the 
word,  151  ; — to  holiness,  based  on  the 
atonement,  553  ;  not  to  live  to  the  lusts  of 
men,  559;  to  live  to  the  will  of  God,  562. 

Expiatory  sufferings  of  Christ,  the  design  of, 
858  ;  effects  of,  360  ;  connection  of  sancti- 
fication  with,  117. 

"  Fadeth  not  a\vay,"  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
48. 

Faith,  obedience  of,  38. 

"  Faithful  Creator,"  import  of  the  expres 
sion,  649.  * 

Fear  of  God,  a  means  of  Christian  obedience, 
102 ;  the  foundation  of,  321 ;  produced  by 
the  faith  of  the  gospel,  3 24; .how  mani 
fested,  325 ;  the  best  means  of  guarding 
against  the  fear  of  man,  433. 

Fellowship  with  God  explained,  504;  ob 
tained  through  the  atonement,  505. 

Fervently,  meaning  of  the  term,  124. 

"  Flesh,  he  that  hath  suffered  in  the,"  565  ; 
the  thought  explained.  566 ;  viewed  as 
referring  to  Christ,  568  ;  as  referring  to 
Christians,  570 ;  as  a  piece  of  Christian 
armor,  572. 


INDF.X. 


795 


Fleshly  lusts,  abstinence  from,  230 ;  what 
they  are,  231  ;  what  must  be  done  in  or 
der  to  abstain  from,  233  :  to  indulge  in, 
incongruous  in  a  child  of  God,  237  ;  how 
they  war  against  the  soul,  238. 

Flock  of  God,  the  church  is  the,  680. 

Foreknowledge  of  God,  37. 

Foundation  of  the  spiritual  temple,  the, 
Jesus  Christ  is,  179  ;  is  a  corner-stone, 
179  ;  is  chosen,  180  ;  is  precious,  180  ; 
was  rejected  by  men,  180 ;  is  a  living 
stone,  181. 

Free,  Christians  are,  255  ;  in  reference  to 
God,  255  ;  to  man,  258 ;  to  the  powers 
and  principles  of  evil,  260 ;  they  are  to 
act  as,  265,  269,  272. 

Freedom,  the  Christian's  duty  to  guard 
against  the  abuse  of,  276 ;  in  reference  to 
God,  277  ;  to  man,  281  ;  to  the  powers 
and  principles  of  evil,  283. 

Friendly  temper  or  behavior,  a,  described, 
414. 

Generation,  a  chosen,  why  Christians  are 
called,  187. 

"  Gifts,"  meaning  of  the  term,  620. 

Glory  of  God,  a  regard  to,  the  highest  mo 
tive  of  duty,  626;  of  Christ,  634. 

God,  the  author  of  all  saving  blessings,  55  ; 
as  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jes-us 
Christ,  57;  abundant  mercy  of,  58;  holi 
ness  of,  a  motive  to  Christian  duty,  108. 

Gospel,  the,  is  preached  to  the  spiritually 
dead,  586. 

Grace  of  God,  the,  one  great  subject  of  the 
epistle,  779. 

Grotius,  ingenious  conjecture  of,  244. 

Growth,  spiritual,  is  progressive  sanctifica- 
tion,  149  ;  resemblance  of,  to  the  growth 
of  a  child,  150 ;  motives  to,  from  the  state 
and  character  of  Christians,  156  ;  from  hav 
ing  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  160. 

Guile,  warnings  against,  143. 

Happiness,  final,  of  Christians,  the  subject  of 
Old  Testament  prophecy,  73  ;  of  apostolic 
preaching,  80  ;  of  angelic  study,  84. 

"  Healed  by  Christ's  stripes,"  meaning  of  the 
phrase,  360. 

Heritage  of  God,  the  church  is  the,  681. 

History,  Old  Testament,  uses  of,  537. 

Holiness,  exhortation  to,  based  on  the  atone 
ment,  553;  motives  to,  drawn  from  the 
character  of  the  will  of  the  Gentiles,  579  ; 
from  the  great  design  of  the  gospel  revela 
tion,  584. 

Holiness  of  God,  the,  a  motive  to  Christian 
duty,  108. 

"  Holy  nation,"  meaning  of  the  phrase,  196. 

"Holy  One,"  import  of  the  appellation  as 
applied  to  God,  437. 

"  Holy  priesthood,"  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
184. 

Holy  Scriptures,  fulness  of,  463 ;  difficulties 
of  fiORr  M/I+ *i'cf — -*:-  »•-*• 


fined  to  the  brotherhood,  298 ;  nor  to 
classes,  301 ;  foundation  of,  302  ;  evil  con 
sequences  of  the  want  of,  303 ;  motives 
from  the  example  of  God,  305  ;  and  of 
Christ,  306. 

'  Honor  the  king,"  what  is  implied  in,  326  ; 
its  foundation,  327 ;  its  limits,  328. 

Hope,  Christian,  ground  of,  50  ;  how  pro 
duced,  51 ;  connected  with  the  faith  of 
the  'gospel,  52 ;  why  called  living,  53 ; 
connected  with  the  resurrection  of  Christ, 
54;  a  means  of  Christian  obedience,  99; 
the  profession  of,  is  positively  enjoined, 
445 ;  "  maketh  not  ashamed,"  and  why, 
53. 

Hospitality,  what  it  is  not,  615  ;  what  it  is, 
616  ;  of  the  primitive  Christians,  618. 

"  House  of  God,"  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
646. 

Humility  enjoined,  420  ;  explained,  703  ; 
tendency  of,  to  secure  mutual  subjection, 
705  ;  motives  to,  706. 

Husbands,  Christian,  duties  of,  381 ;  motives 
to  the  discharge  of,  388. 

Hypocrisy,  warnings  against,  143. 

"  Incorruptible,"  meaning  of  the  term,  48. 
Inheritance  of  God's  children,  46  ;  free  gift 

of,  47  ;  security  of  tenure,  48  ;  excellence 

of,  48  ;  living  hope  of,  50. 
"  Inner  man  of  the  heart,"  import  of,  370. 
Instruction  one  of  the  duties  of  the  Christian 

elders,  661. 
Intoxicating  liquors,  tendency  and  effects  of, 

593. 

"  Kingdom  of  priests,"  meaning  of  the  ap 
pellation,  194. 

Law,  difference  as  a  covenant  and  a  rule,  278. 
Light,  marvellous,  Christians  are  called  into, 

215;  of  knowledge,  215;  of  purity,  216; 

of  rational  joy,  216  ;  why  termed  God's 

light,  217. 

"  Live  according  to  God  in  the  spirit,"  mean 
ing  of  the  phrase,  559. 
"  Living  stone,"  meaning  of  the  phrase  as 

applied  to  Christ,  181. 
"  Living  stones,"  meaning  of  the  phrase  as 

applied  to  Christians,  174-184. 
*  Loins  of  the  mind,"  girding  up  of,  95. 
Love,  brotherly.     See  Brotherly  Love. 
"  Lusts  of  men,  not  to  live  to,"  meaning  of 

the  phrase,  559. 
Lusts,  fleshly.    Sec  Fleshly  Lusts. 

(:  Maketh  not  ashamed,"  53. 
Malice,  warnings  against,  142. 
Manifestation  of  brotherly  love,  614;  of  the 

fear  of  God,  325. 

Mankind,  state  of,  previous  to  the  deluge,538. 
Marcus,  notice  of,  788. 
"  Marry  in  the  Lord,"  meaning  of  the  phrase, 

374. 


796 


INDEX. 


Members  of  the  church,  duties  of  the,  to 
their  office-bearers,  684  ;  subjection  to  the 
elders  as  teachers,  691 ;  submission  to 
them  as  superintendents,  693 ;  dutie-3  to 
each  other,  698. 

Mercy  of  God,  the  moving  cause  of  saving 
blessings,  59 ;  Christians  have  obtained, 
221 ;  address  to  those  who  have  obtained, 
222  ;  and  to  those  who  have  not  obtained, 
2<?2 

"Mighty  hand  of  God,"  meaning  of  the  ex 
pression,  715  ;  duty  of  humbling  ourselves 
under  it,  719;  motives  to  do  so,  721. 

Milk,  why  spiritual  truth  is  compared  to, 
152-  of  the  word,  what  it  is,  151 ;  how 
we  grow  by  it,  152 ;  what  it  is  to  desire 
it,  153. 

Miserable  condition  of  Christians,  previously 
to  obtaining  their  peculiar  privileges,  169. 

Misery  of  those  who  refuse  to  come  to 
Christ,  223. 

Moderation,  a  means  of  Christian  obedience, 
97. 

Morality,  Christian,  bearing  on  the  evidences 
of  Christianity,  242. 

Motives  to  the  performance  of  Christian 
duty,  105  ;  from  the  grandeur,  excellence, 
and  security  of  the  Christian  salvation, 
105 ;  from  the  holiness  of  God,  108  ;  from 
the  strict  equity  of  God,  110;  from  the 
provision  made  for  sanctification  in  the 
sacrifice  of  Christ,  114;  to  spiritual 
growth,  156;  to  holiness,  579.  See  Holi 
ness. 

Mutual  relation  of  Christians,  127. 

Mutual  subjection  the  duty  of  church  mem 
bers,  699  ;  what  it  does  not  imply,  699 ; 
what  it  implies,  700. 

Nation,  a  holy,  why  Christians  are  called, 

196. 
Noah,  his  character,  540  ;  his  preaching,  540. 

Obedience,  Christian,  90 ;  means  for  the  per 
formance  of,  94. 

Obedience,  the  duty  of  servants,  336 ;  its 
limits,  336. 

<:  Obedience  of  faith/'  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
38. 

"Obtained  mercy,"  Christians  have,  221. 

Old  Testament  prophecy  as  to  the  final  hap 
piness  of  Christians,  73;  Enoch  and  Job, 
76 ;  Psalms,  76  ;  Isaiah,  Daniel,  Hosea, 
and  Malachi,  77 ;  was  imperfectly  under 
stood  by  the  prophets  themselves,  77. 

"  Ordinance  of  man,"  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
244. 

Partakers  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  in 
what  sense  Christians  are,  633. 

Pastor,  meaning  and  reference  of  the  appel 
lation,  656. 

Patient  suffering,  Christians  are  called  to,  as 
a  part  of  conformity  to  Christ,  345  ;  as  a 
great  end  of  Christ's  expiatory  sufferings, 
354. 

Peace,  meaning  of  the  term,  40, 


Peculiar  people,  a,  why  Christians  are  call 
ed,  201. 

"  People  of  God,"  meaning  of  the  term,  218. 

Persecution,  good  effects  of,  631  ;  duties  of 
Christians    under,    423 ;    motives,    427 
Christians  are  called  to  this  course,  427 
blessing   which   attends,  429 ;    tendency 
of  the  course  recommended  to  secure  from 
suffering,  430. 

Perseverance  necessary,  563. 

Peter,  history  and  character  of,  30-34. 

"  Pilgrims  and  stranger?,"  force  of  the  ap 
pellation  as  applied  to  Christians,  236. 

Pitiful,  Christians  are  enj-oined  to  be,  404 ; 
for  the  spiritual  wants  of  men,  407 ;  for 
their  temporal  wants,  408. 

Pleasantness  of  the  service  of  God,  291. 

Postscript  of  the  epistle,  778. 

Power  of  God,  49. 

Power  of  the  devil,  748. 

"Precious  stone,"  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
180. 

Present  expectation  and  future  enjoyment 
of  Christians  contrasted,  68. 

Priesthood,  a  holy,  why  Christians  are  call 
ed,  184. 

Principles,  doctrinal,  in  which  all  Christians 
are  agreed,  396 ;  practical,  in  which  all 
Christians  are  agreed,  396. 

Privileges,  peculiar,  of  Christian?,  166;  ob 
tained  by  believing  the  truth  about  Christ, 
172. 

Profession  of  Christian  hope  positively  en 
joined,  445. 

Provision  made  for  sanctification  in  the  sac 
rifice  of  Christ,  114. 

Pure  heart,  a,  Christians  are  required  to 
love  one  another  with,  123. 

"  Quick  and  dead,"  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
582. 

Quotations  from  the  Old  Testament,  prin 
ciples  on  which  they  are  made,  466. 

References  to  the  Old  Testament  in  the 
epistle,  41. 

Regeneration,  baptismal,  absurdity  of,  545. 

Rejected  by  men,  Christ  was,  180. 

Relation,  influence  of,  on  character,  577 ; 
mutual,  of  Christians,  a  motive  to  brother 
ly  love,  127. 

Relief  and  United  Secession  Churches, 
union  of,  331. 

Reproaches  cast  on  Christians,  637. 

Resemblance  of  this  epistle  to  Paul's  epistles, 
28. 

Resolution,  a  means  of  Christian  duty,  95. 

Resurrection  of  Christ,  the,  connection  of 
Christian  hope  with,  54 ;  evidences  of, 
524 ;  importance  of  knowing  these  evi 
dences,  525 ;  the  result  of  his  expiatory 
sufferings,  523. 

Revelation,  divine,  connection  with  the  atone 
ment,  489 ;  analogy  of,  to  the  sun,  363. 

"  Right  hand  of  God,"  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
528. 

Rulers  in  the  Christian  church,  duties  of,  655. 


INDEX. 


797 


Sacraments,  efficacy  of,  doctrine  of  "West 
minster  Assembly  respecting,  548. 

Sacrifice  of  Christ,  the  intrinsic  worth  of, 
118;  the  subject  of  divine  appointment, 
118;  has  been  actually  offered,  119  ;  has 
answered  the  purpose  fur  which  it  was 
intended,  119;  motives  derived  from,  to 
the  performance  of  Christian  duty,  114. 

Salutation  of  the  epistle,  39 ;  the  practice  of 
the  primitive  churches,  61. 

Salvation,  the  Christian,  described,  43. 

Sanctify,  the  meaning  of  the  term,  436. 

Sanctification  obtained  through  the  sacrifice 
of  Christ,  117  ;  "of  the  spirit,"  meaning 
of  the  phrase,  38. 

"  Saved  by  water,"  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
545. 

Scriptures,  holy,  fulness  of,  463.  See  Holy 
Scriptures. 

Servants  of  God,  Christians  are,  262 ;  their 
duty  to  act  as,  285 ;  address  to  those  who 
are  not,  293. 

Servants,  Christian,  duties  of,  334 ;  in  gene 
ral,  336 ;  of  a  particular  class,  340 ;  motives 
to  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of,  340  ; 
from  its  being  acceptable  to  God,  341 ; 
from  a  consideration  of  Christ's  sufferings, 
344  ;  who  suffered,  346  ;  for  us,  346  ;  with 
patience,  347. 

Service  of  God,  the,  is  reasonable,  290; 
pleasant,  291 ;  highly  honorable,  292  ;  ad 
vantageous,  292. 

"  Show  forth  God's  praises,"  Christians  are 
called  to.  See  Called. 

Silvanus,  notice  of,  546. 

Sobriety,  meaning  of  the  term,  592;  a 
means  of  resisting  the  devil,  754. 

Sonship,  divine,  44 ;  descriptive  of  rela 
tion,  45  ;  of  character,  46  ;  obtained  by 
faith,  46. 

"  Spirit  of  Christ,"  why  he  is  so  called,  74. 

"  Spirits  in  prison,"  who  are  meant  by,  516. 

"  Spiritual  house,"  meaning  of  the  phrase  as 
applied  to  Christians,  184. 

"  Sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,"  39 ; 
on  the  conscience,  456. 

state  and  character  of  Christians  described, 
136 ;  a  motive  to  spiritual  growth,  157. 

Steadfastness  in  the  faith,  one  means  of  re 
sisting  the  devil,  757. 

Steward?,  in  what  sense  Christians  are,  625. 

"  Stone,  living."     See  Living  Stone. 

Stripes  of  Christ,  what  it  is  to  be  healed  by, 
360. 

Subjection  due  to  Christian  eldera  as  a  body, 
693 ;  as  individuals.  695. 

Subtilty  of  the  devil,  745. 

Sufferings  of  Christ,  their  nature,  478 ;  were 
penal,  478 ;  vicarious,  480 ;  expiatory,  482 ; 
their  design,  485  ;  to  bring  men  to  the 
knowledge  of  God,  486 ;  to  favor  with 
God,  494 ;  to  likeness  to  God,  501  ;  to 
fellowship  with  God,  605 ;  an  encourage 


ment  to  Christians  suffering  for  his  cause, 
532 ;  iu  what  manner  Christians  are  par 
takers  of,  633. 

Sufferings,  for  Christ,  directory  under,  629 ; 
not  to  be  astonished  at,  629 ;  not  to  be 
depressed  by,  633 ;  not  to  be  ashamed  of, 
640. 

Sufferings  undeserved,  Christians  need  not 
wonder  when  they  meet  with,  351 ; 
should  be  careful  that  they  are  undeserv 
ed,  352 ;  should  submit  to,  in  a  meek 
spirit,  353. 

Superintendence,  one  of  the  duties  of  Chris 
tian  elders,  665. 

Taste  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,"  meaning 
of  the  phrase,  161. 

Temple,  the  spiritual,  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
foundation  of,  174. 

Times,  peculiar  character  of  the,  602. 

Trials  of  Christians  contrasted  with  their  re 
sults,  66. 

Tribute,  civil,  payment  of,  obligatory  on 
Christians,  248. 

Truth  and  integrity,  courtesy  consistent 
with,  416. 

Unbelief,  malignity  and  ill  desert  of,  226. 
"  Undefiled,"  in  what  sense  the  inheritance 

of  Christians  is  said  to  be,  48. 
Undeserved  sufferings.     See  Sufferings. 
Union  of  sentiment,  the  duty  of  Christians, 

395  ;  of  feeling,  the  duty  of  Christians,  400. 

Vicarious,  the  sufferings  of  Christ  were,  480. 
Vigilance,  importance  of,  597  ;  one  means  of 
resisting  the  devil,  756. 

"War  against  the  soul,"  meaning  of  the 
phrase,  238. 

Warnings  against  malice,  142 ;  guile,  143 ; 
hypocrisy,  143 ;  envy,  143 ;  evil-speakings, 
143. 

"Watching  unto  prayer,"  meaning  of  the 
phrase,  595. 

"  Weaker  vessel,"  the  woman  is,  meaning  of 
the  expression,  382. 

Will  of  God,  the,  is  the  rule  of  his  own  con 
duct,  562  ;  as  made  known  in  his  word,  ia 
the  chief  rule  of  our  conduct,  562. 

Witness  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  Peter 
was,  677. 

Wives,  Christian,  duties  of,  365  ;  subjection, 
366;  chaste  conversation  coupled  with 
fear,  367  ;  adorning  themselves  with  in 
ward  ornaments,  368  ;  motives  to  the 
performance  of,  373;  probability  of  con 
verting  the  husband,  373;  example  of 
holy  women,  378. 

Younger,  meaning  and  reference  of  the 
term,  685. 


798 


INDEX. 


H.— GREEK  WORDS  AND  PHRASES  REMARKED  ON. 


•,  62 

vri,  320 

'»  436 

'Ayiao'/j.yTri'ev/ji.aTos,  39, 41, 42 
'ASo/a/xo;/  vovv,  581 

'AAAoTpzoeTn/fAoTToy,  653 
'Au.dpa.v-os,  48 
'Afj-iai/Tos,  48 
ju,  118 

?,  669 
'Aj/o/coAoy&ov,  168 
'Aj/cccrrpotpT?,  94 

'Av&pGJTTOKTOVOS,    744 

'AtTiTaWeTOi,  708 
'ATTtiSoDj/Tcs,  229 
'ATR*,  294 
'Airo\oyia,  447 
'ATrctfAeta,  69 
'Aperoy,  208 

'A(T&€)/e<TT€pCj},  382 
'A(nrl\ov,  118 

Ayro.S-ycr/a,  186 
AyToVrai,  678 
767 
ros,  48 
i,  527 


,79 


Bzwcrat,  559 

TaAo  Ao7t«oi/,  146,  152 
/,  382 


Ae,  702,  706 
Aid,  50,  526 
Aiaffiropd,  37 

•yj/77,  294 


i,  712 
e,  614 

"E&voy,  200 
El,  110 
Efrrep,  161 
Elffaydyr)   els 

530 

Ets  (roorypiav,  146 
'E/cAe/croi',  41 
'EKAo7'^i/,  37 
'E/coyo-tcoy,  669 
/J7,  606 
>,  124 

i,  294 
EA?rioct  CcDtTotj/   52 
EAyrpw^TjTe,  115 
'EjiuJ/uxoys.  184,  229 
'£,/,  50 

"Eufcffis  Ipm-lanr,  368 
I'oto,  556,  591 
\  515 


^Efouoia,  188 
-,346 


t,  552 
547,  552 


'Eirl,  355 


276 

,  658,  669 

-,  66 
€xovn,  582 


Zutn-as,  184 

r,  511,  514 
-,  52,  54 


r,  511,514 
OeoS/SaKToi,  126,  402 
-,229 


c,481 

"lya,  55,  587 

Kof,  468 
Kawfa,  142,  276 
Ka\-fjv,  234 
KapTrJy,  216 
Kara  Qeov,  553 
KaraAaAjay,  143 
294 
711 

312 
•,712 
Kriffis,  244 

AaJ»y  ety  TrepnroL-rjffw,  201 
Aoyut^v  Xarpeiw,  152,  598 

Maroiay,  115 
MeAet,  734 
~M.fpip.vav,  734 
MeravoeTre,  597 
Meravoia,  489 
Me'xpt,  357 


.  711 

Newrepoi,  655 

N7}l|/OT6,  595 


-,  686 
'O/ji6<ppove$,  395 
"Ort,  556,  591 
'O(pfi\eTe,  610 

HopaKaAwj'  Kal  ^TTifJ-aprvpZi 
28 

i,  84 

:,  37,  237 
r,  237 

',115 
i,  556,  567 
?<ns,  69 
31 
r,  69 


n^y^a,  71,  511,  516 
?,  621 

F,  658,  661 
711 
>,  78 

t,  94 

ripeo-^yrepoj,  654,  657,  686 
ITpb  Traj'Tajj',  607 
r,  41 
>,  119 

/,711 
rovcrt,  229 
',  276 
r,  630 


2ap/a',  511 

•5s,  514,517 

t,  762 
E,781 

Srpareyoi/Taj,  238 
r,  395 

/,  676 
/,  581 
71 

2wT7?p/aj/  ^yx<Sv,  69,  71 
?,  593 


To  Tra^TjuoTa  eis  Xpiffr6y}  75. 

86 

To    Tro^rVaTa   Toy   XptarroO, 
75,  86 

r,  413 
t,  312 
i,  183 

TtVa,  78 

Tb  Kpifjia,  647 

Toy  070^00,  430 


>5jy,  91 

456 
(,  563,  632 

'TTTOO-TOAT),  69 


,  679 
1,401 

,  305 
r,  413 
-,  252 
*a>Tbs,  216 

Xapis  Trapa  ®e$,  341 
Xapzcr^a,  621 
Xoptros,  621 
•,  470 


^Hj,  545 

'Hs  .\o-yi  ^o/tat,  785 


INDEX. 


799 


III.— AUTHORS  QUOTED  OR  REFERRED  TO. 


Achilles,  Tatius,  page  153 

Amesius,  712 

Amyraut,  42,  591 

Anderson,  Christopher,  491 

Aristotle,  161,  303 

Alshech,  xxi 

Augustine,  239,  331,  361,  551,  565,  591,  643 

Balmer,  505,  527 

Barnes,  29 

Barrington,  Bishop,  653 

Barrow,  306,  727 

Bates,  302,  649 

Baxter,  148,  153,  156,  349,  375,  613,  669 

Beausobre,  xix,  xx,  552,  591 

Beda,  183,  206,  792 

Bengel,  xix,  xxi,  xxv,  28,  49,  54,  73,  78, 115, 
118,  153,  174,  184,  236,  238,  341,  382, 
429,  516,  559,  567,  669,  673, 711,  712,  767 

Benson,  xxiii,  62 

Bentley,  445,  792 

Bernard,  674 

Beza,  xix,  xxii,  xxiii,  41,  185,  591,  686,  792 

Binney,  423 

Bishops'  Bible,  xxi 

Blair,  138 

Bolten,  711 

Bowyer,  653 

Bullinger,  xxy 

Bunyan,  757 

Butler,  453 

Byfield,  41 

Calvin,  86,  110,  186,  280,  668,  711,  792 

Carnerarius,  xxiii,  550 

Camero,  356 

Campbell,  35 

Capellus,  229,  466 

Carpzov,  xxi,  xxiii,  656 

Casaubon,  348,  661 

Castalio,  xix,  xxii,  587 

Chrysostom,  28,  252,  328,  466,  661 

Clarius,  62 

Clemens  Alexandrinug,  376,  591,  788 

Clemens  Romanus,  34 

Clementine  Homilies,  710 

Coverdale,  xix,  xx,  xxi,  xxiii,  xxv,  xxvi 

Cowper,  205,  238,  256,  272,  304,  378,  441, 

455 

Cranmcr,  xx,  xxi,  xxv,  xxvi,  551 
Crellius,  viii 
Culvenvel,  295 
Cyprian,  312 

Dassovius,  550 
De  Wetto,  30 
Deylingius,  xxiv 
Dick,  270 
Dickson,  vii 
Drusius,  369,  725 

Erasmus,  28,  127,  711 

Estius,  348,  711 

Euripides,  661 

Eusebius,  30,  34,  239,  312,  788 


Fawcett,  Joseph,  304 
Fleetwood,  Bishop,  336 
Frederick  II.,  740 
Fry,  Caroline,  385 
Fuller,  693,  696 

Gataker,  390 
Geneva  version,  xxiii,  551 
Gerhard,  183,  265,  591,  674,  675 
Glas,  John,  197 
Gray,  226,  520,  714 
Griesbach,  xxi,  xxv,  xxvi,  545,  551 
Grotius,  28,  41,  68,  152,  244,  515,  517,  711 
712 

Hailes,  Lord,  653 

Hall,  Robert,  233,  304,  399 

Hammond,  xx,  xxii.  xxv,  669 

Harrington,  247 

Harwood,  xix 

Heinsius,  712 

Hemmingius,  229 

Hengstenberg,  437,  733,  740  ' 

Henry,  Matthew,  420,  598 

Hesselius,  712 

Herodian,  xxii 

Hesychius,  xxv 

Hieronymus,  759 

Hildebertus,  332 

Homer,  661 

Horsley,  551 

Hottinger,  110 

Howe,  176,  211,  295,  330,  487,  599 

Hug,  29,  30 

Hugo  de  St.  Caro,  465 

Hume,  226 

Huss,  John,  143,  162,  346 

Isidore  Hispaliensis,  656 

Jaspis,  xx 

Jay,  292,  366,  367,  371,  376,  384,  389 

Jortin,  331,  415 

Josephus,  276,  653 

Justin,  239 

Juvenal,  454 

Kelly,  352 
Kitto,  29,  35 
Knappius,  74 
Knatchbull,  xx 
Kuttner,  514,  712 
Kypke,  229 

Lachmann,  xxi,  xxv,  xxvi,  545,  551,  781 

Lactantius,  34 

Lange,  550 

Lapide,  xx,  175 

Laurentius,  vii 

Le  Clerc,  86 

Leighton,  43, 49,  53,  68, 78,  79,  98,  102,  104, 
109,  111,  145,  163,  180,  186,  187,  209, 
233,  240,  265,  297,  332,  341,  354,  367, 
372,  387,  398,  410,  416,  425,  426,  433, 
438,  439,  450,  451,  460,  462,  497,  519 


800 


INDEX. 


620,  521,  530,  531,  534,  550,  591,  620, 
627,  631,  635,  637,  665,  670,  678,  683, 
687,  696,  705,  709,  711,  723,  725,  732, 
754,  791 

Le  Moyne,  1 84 

Luther,  62,  86,  152,  550,  £91,  739 

Lyra,  368,  792 

Mackintosh,  v 

Mack  night,  vii 

Maclaurin,  325,  490 

Maclean,  103 

Maimonides,  591 

Mangey,  653 

Martyr,  Justin,  789 

Matlhaei,  xxiv,  551 

Matthews,  xix,  xx,  xxi,  xxiii,  xxv,  xxvi 

Michaelis,  29,  30,  36 

Micldleton,  551 

Miles,  Dr.  Henry,  vi 

Mill,  xxi 

Milton,  280,  520,  684 

Mischna,  550 

Mons  Version,  xxi,  xxiv 

More,  Hannah,  420 

Morus,  48 

Morus,  A.,  229 

Mosheim,  619 

Nathan,  Rabbi  Isaac,  465 

Neander,  30,  41,  185,  302,  312,  327,  552, 

628,  656,  792 
Nisbet,  361,  642 
Nosselt,  30 

fficumenius,  xxv,  62,  239,244,  375,515,  658, 

788 

Olney  Hymns,  303 
Olshausen,  279 
Origen,  788 
Ovid,  229,  581 
Owen,  Dr.  John,  185,  186,  688,  689 

Paley,  250,  525 
Pearson,  475,  476,  793 
Philo,  656 
Pierce,  339 
Plato,  372 
Pliny,  644,  653 
Plutarch,  229 
Polybius,  395,  711 
Polysenus,  xxii 
Pope,  442 
Pott,  62,  551 
Publius  Syr  us,  367 
Purver,  xx 
Pusey,  602 

Racine,  436 
Raphelius,  xxii,  395 
Rheraists,  xxii,  xxiii,  xxv,  551 
Robinson,  xx,  xxii,  355 
Rosenmuller,  110,  509,  711 


Salmeron,  687 

Sanderson,  262,  270,  280,  281.  284,  806 

Scaliger,  711 

Scapula,  xxi 

Schleusner,  xxv 

Schmid,  E.,  xx,  xxv,  591 

Schoetgen,  xxiii,  516 

Scholz,  xxvi,  545,  551 

Schotanus,  41,  42,  712 

Schott,  30,  36 

Schramm,  593 

Scott,  149,  431 

Semler,  42,  676 

Shakspeare,  414 

Sherlock,  244 

Simon,  Father,  348 

Steiger,  xix,  29,  36,  711 

Stennet,  336,  384 

Stephens,  Robert,  465 

Storr,  41,  511 

Suicer,  657,  711 

Suidas,  229 

Symmachus,  186 

Symonds,  xxi,  xxii,  xxiii 

Talmud,  550 

Targum,  xxi 

Taylor,  Jeremy,  326,  390,  689,  70» 

Tennyson,  371 

Tertullian,  552,  628,  653,  754 

Theophylact,  xxv,  62 

Thomson,  Dr.  Adam,  550 

Tindal,  William,  551 

Torry,  792 

Townley,  490 

Usher,  332 

Vatablus,  62 
Vater,  xxi,  711 
Vinet,  446,  448,  450 
Virgil,  229,  728 
Vitringa,  656 
Voltaire,  226 

Vulgate,  xix,  xx,  xxi,  xxii,  xxiv,  xrr,  61, 
348 

Wakefield,  xxii 

Walker,  John,  548 

Warburton,  246 

Wardlaw,  126,  407,  484 

Watson,  151 

Watts,  192,  328 

Wesley,  Charles,  319 

Westminster  Confession,  126,  173,  318 

Westminster  Shorter  Catechism,  173,  548 

Wetstein,  xxi,  41,  551,  792 

Whately,  247,  656 

Wiclif,  xxi,  xxiii,  xxiv,  xxv,  490,  551 

Winer,  50,  86,  552 

Wolzogenius,  551 

Wynne,  xxiii 

Xenophon,  G61 


HNDING        :7.AU6"f2tHT 


BS  Brown,  John 

2795  Expository  discourses 

B76  C2d  ed0 

1855 


PLEASE  DO  NOT  REMOVE 
CARDS  OR  SLIPS  FROM  THIS  POCKET 

UNIVERSITY  OF  TORONTO  LIBRARY